It is amazing how sensitive pets are during these horrible times.

[hatredisnotavalue]

Every morning during this past horrible week, I get up, open up the screen door to let the dog and cats out, make coffee, check my email and then put on the TV to CNN. And then start crying.

My idiot Golden Retriever had apparently had enough of it this morning. The normally well-behaved year-old, unbeknowst to me while I was crying watching TV, took all of the dirty laudry from the bathroom and had flung everything all over the lawn.

While I sat watching the news, he ran in with a pair of dirty socks in his mouth, baiting me to take it from him. I got the socks away from him and went outside to retrieve the rest of the stuff. He got me laughing with the tug-of-underwear game. This lasted about half-an-hour. We finally got the situation settled and I went back inside to watch TV.

Still concerned, he jumped in my lap, blocking my view of the TV and kissing my face. He has been doing this all day, seemingly knowing that it is the TV that is making me unhappy. Is this possible or am I trying to read too much into it?

[Darth_Kitten]

1. He must be picking up clues.......

seems like he's trying to distract you.... :)

[hatredisnotavalue]

2. Maybe

I am such a happy upbeat person all of the time, and I know that this disaster has beaten the stuffing out of me. And I am the last person who would want this tragedy to be about me. Even my two teenagers today, who fight continually, were really trying to make me smile today.
Must be me....
But all I want to do is cry...

[friesianrider]

3. Absolutely it is possible!

My kitties (and previously, my doggie) did the same. All animals are INCREDIBLY perceptive to what is going on, and our pets are especially perceptive to us and how we feel.

Sounds like your doggie is trying to cheer you up, because he knows you're feeling down. Animals are a lot smarter than most people give them credit for. I'd recommend giving him hugs and explaining to him how you feel - he will understand :) He sounds lucky to have an owner like you, and you lucky to have a pup like him!

[hatredisnotavalue]

4. I am the luckiest person in the world because of this dog

Everytime I look at him I am reminded of the the slogan, "Please God make me be the person that my dog thinks I am" And I am not religious.

[IntravenousDemilo]

5. You say "Animals are a lot smarter than most people give them credit for."

I think I would have left off the last four words of that.

[Pied Piper]

6. I wanna share a story

Many years ago, I had a roommate who had a cat that was living with her former boyfriend. He promised that she had been spayed, but she wasn't. Right after she moved in with us, she delivered 7 (SEVEN!) healthy kittens (plus one more that didn't survive). We found homes for 5 of them - we had intended on keeping only one, plus the mommy. We moved into our new apartment a few weeks later, and I told my roommate that I had never had pets growing up, and that three cats was at least one too many - the little boy had to go.

The very next morning when I woke up, that little boy was under the covers, lying on my chest, with his neck nuzzled into mine, purring, dammit! I said, "OK, you can stay." He followed me everywhere. Later that year, I had to have kidney stone surgery, and for me, it was pretty bad. For 6 days after the surgery, it was nothing but wake up, throw up, take a Percoset, pee, sleep, rinse and repeat. And for the ENTIRE WEEK, little Phoenix curled up in the hook of my arm and purred. He knew Daddy was sick, and he wouldn't leave my side.

Yup, most animals are better than most humans that I know.

RIP Phoenix (1992-2003)

[hatredisnotavalue]

7. Gotta love them, thanks for the great story n/t