No more pets?

I was invited, a couple of years ago, to meet with a book club to talk about my first book. I had no idea what to expect, but I certainly wasn’t thinking it would be about my bio on the back of the book.

Near the end, it says, “He and his educator wife, Leah, have one daughter, a son-in-law, a grandson and absolutely no more pets.” The question was about the “absolutely no more pets” part.

It’s a perfectly valid question and one with a good answer. Leah and I love pets … other people’s pets. But the truth is that a dog or cat or ferret doesn’t exactly fit with our lifestyle. It would be cruel to ask one to do so.

The past two summers, we’ve lived in employee dorms while working in national parks. No pets allowed there. After finishing work last fall, we took a month-long trip overseas. No pets there, either. Even when we’re at home, we’re not dependable.

Just a few days ago, we got caught heading home late one night with more than two hours to go, knowing we had to rise extra early the next morning to make tomorrow’s destination.

We changed course and headed toward the next day’s appointment and checked into a hotel without any luggage. The fact we did not even pack a bag for the possibility of an overnight stay tells you that a pet would have been left home without food or care for quite a while.

Pets are great. I’m tickled you love yours and I trust you give them a good home.

The best thing Leah and I can do for a pet is to not bring it into our lives.