Did you know Monday, February 20, 2023 is Love Your Pet Day? The day is dedicated to celebrating the special bond between pets and their owners. For many pet owners, their pets are more than just animals; they are family members, friends, and companions. Love Your Pet Day provides an opportunity for pet owners to express their love and appreciation for their furry friends.

At Chicken Soup for the Soul we think every day should be love your pet day! And what better way to celebrate Love Your Pet Day than by reading stories from our two newest books — Chicken Soup for the Soul: Lessons Learned from My Dog and Chicken Soup for the Soul: Lessons Learned from My Cat.

Here are previews of two of my favorite stories:

Chicken Soup for the Soul: Lessons Learned from My Dog
In her story, "You Can't Fool Me," Mary DeVries’s German Shepherd was not pleased when his humans brought home a kitten. That kitten followed the dog everywhere, trying to play with him and climb on him like a jungle gym. The old dog tried to ignore her antics, although occasionally he’d reach out a paw and swat her away.

Then, when the kitten was six months old, she went to the vet to be spayed and had to stay overnight. The dog was in the car when they went to pick her up and he was overjoyed to see her! Mary says, “All traces of Mr. Cool were gone. His beloved baby sister was back, and he couldn’t be more pleased. We had to restrain him from smothering her in kisses. Back home, he insisted we put the kitten on his bed where he curled up next to her and stood guard until she was back to her feisty, annoying self. Once she was healed, he tried to return to his previous aloofness, but we knew the truth.”

Chicken Soup for the Soul: Lessons Learned from My Cat
In Laura Plummer's story, "Letting Love In," Laura knew she could never love another animal the way she loved her cat, Chulo. So, when she was asked to foster a one-month-old kitten until she was old enough to adopt, Laura agreed, knowing she would have no trouble passing the kitten on to her forever family.

That little kitten brought so much light and laughter to their family. Even Chulo loved her. After a month, when they were to return the kitten to the shelter, she developed an eye infection, so they had to keep her another two weeks.

And then it was finally time to surrender the kitten and let another family adopt her. Laura says, “I’d been so sure that my heart couldn’t accommodate another pet that I’d never worried about loving Lena. The truth was, I couldn’t imagine giving her back to the shelter… She showed me that my heart could expand to let love in. I realized that I was never really her foster mother. I was always just her mother. I’m a foster failure. And it’s one of the best things to ever happen to me.”



Amy Newmark