First off, many thanks to all in our world who’ve been checking in and sending love. We did indeed lose Max The Wonder Dog this week. He was 
so special to us. He was The Fifth Beatle in our family, and our lives have been so enriched through our experience of his loving, spirited, goofy soul. When he got excited, which was often, he would spin around in circles, sneezing. He sneezed a lot…
Also, this last post generated some really interesting comments on the topic “dating and pets” so in honor of Max, we’ll continue the discussion and dig a little deeper into this hot sticky bun of an issue…
If you’ve not yet chimed in, by all means, share your thoughts. The questions are:
Are pets a plus or a minus in dating?
Do we love our pets too much?
People who don’t have pets, or who don’t share our love and appreciation for them — are they just OUT? Should animal lovers date just each other and avoid non-pet-people altogether?
I’d love to hear some success stories — people who managed to love each other really well even though they had to work around or through their differences with the pets issue.
As for the Ferman Four, well, we’re laying kinda low this week. I walked and walked and walked yesterday, without him for the first time in 8 years. Felt really strange, and I cried plenty the first few miles, but I just kept going, ending up off trail wacking through bushes, got lost for a bit, but eventually found my way home again. Getting out, taking a different route, focusing on the beauty of the day — that’s how I got through Day One without my walking buddy.
We’re researching puppies. That helps too.
So really, chime in, if this topic stirs something up for you. Does loving an animal make you a more or less desirable person to date? Is having a pet problematic to your love life? Are the pets of the people you’re dating making you crazy? What do you think?
Julie XOXO
