What’s the Opposite of Pet Shaming? PET PRAISING!

You know what’s really funny? Pet shaming.

Admit it. You’ve looked. You’ve laughed at the pictures of dogs wearing signs advertising all of the transgressions they’ve committed against their owners. They’ve eaten things, peed on things, destroyed things, and even more that we can never truly understand.

But the truth is that they don’t really understand either. Usually bad behavior arises because our pets are bored or lonely or sick. Or sometimes it’s self-reinforcing.

If I chew on the couch, I get this fluffy white stuff to play with!

If I knock over the trash can, I bet I can find some yummy things to eat!

But for everything our pets do that drive us crazy and make us say (literally) this is why we can’t have nice things, there are a million other things they do that make us so happy. If you have pets, you know exactly what I mean.

For National Pet Month,  Purina is starting a new trend and it’s called PET PRAISING.

Here’s how it works.

They want you to highlight all the awesome ways pets enhance your life through everything they do for us. Then join in with all the other pet lovers out there by posting your photo with the hashtag #PetPraising.

Be warned, though. You’ll have some tough competition from me. I have four pets. Four AMAZING, SPECTACULAR, LOVING, ADORABLE pets.

Okay, that maybe a little strong. I have four amazing, quirky, ridiculous, unique (and most importantly, LOVED) pets. And I decided to praise them as well.

1. Pet Praising my cat, Beamer

Beamer is definitely the alpha cat in the household. He’d like to be the alpha pet but he hasn’t quite figured out that he wields more power than Layla. Instead, he reigns over the basement, his chosen domain, and lets me know when he needs something. It might be attention, it might be food. But when he’s totally out of his chow or water, he lets me know. I can’t explain how his meow changes but it just does and I know exactly what he needs. We’re cool like that.

2. Pet Praising my cat, Josie

Josie has always been afraid of her own shadow. Most people don’t even know that she’s one of my cats because she stays so hidden and runs away when you simply look at her. But every so often, if I call her and act disinterested, she might come out and let me pet her. And once I do, she’s hooked. She loves to be loved and will roll her little roly-poly body over to make sure her belly gets just as much attention as the rest of her. And then she runs away.

3. Pet Praising my dog, Layla

Oh, Layla. What can I tell you about Layla? She’s the weirdest dog I’ve ever had. But she’s so fun of life and energy. Instead of naptime, like most dogs enjoy, she sits her in bed staring, just waiting for her next adventure. It took her a while to learn to be affectionate but she loves to randomly lick. Sometimes it’s my toes. Sometimes it’s my pants. Sometimes it’s a window. Still, though, I think it means she loves me.

4. Pet Praising my dog, Roscoe

Roscoe is just about the sweetest, cuddliest dog you could ask for. He’s happy and playful and quirky in his own right. The best thing about Roscoe is that he can carry on a full conversation with me without ever opening his mouth. He gazes into my eyes and reacts to every single thing I say. And he’ll never jump up without a proper invitation (but he’ll cry until he gets one). If I’m ever having a bad day, this guy fixes me right up.

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See? That wasn’t so hard, was it? Yes, they’re expensive. Yes, they give us a lot of grief. But pets make our lives fuller, richer, and better.

It’s time to praise your pet for National Pet Month!

This post is sponsored by Purina but the content and wonderful pets are all mine!