Our pets occupy an interesting place in our lives. On one hand, they’re a member of the family like any other. This might sound somewhat hyperbolic to anyone who hasn’t raised a pet. But a dog or cat really do become an important part of the family.

Our pets might not be able to speak. And their limit for abstract thought might end at a place fairly different from that of a human. But there’s one thing that a pet does just as or even better than any other member of the family. A dog or cat can love us like almost nothing else in the world ever will. Their love comes without demands or expectations. They ask very little of us and give almost all of themselves in return. It’s a kind of love that’s hard to explain to someone who hasn’t personally experienced it. But once we have …