COCO206

Age 28, Gender F, Nationality U.S., Occupation Student

As discussed, in lieu of a photo about what my pet means to me, I thought I would just write about my past experiences, for I have a strained relationship with pets that have colored my perceptions. It starts with my first dog, Popeye. Popeye was a fierce dog who was only kind to myself and my brother. His nasty disposition became intolerable when he attacked the cute and fuzzy dog next door and a hapless neighborhood woman. My parents decided that he had to be put to sleep, meanwhile I developed a fear of dogs. Many years later we got another dog named Charlie. Charlie was a mutt with a sweet personality that overcame my fear. Four years later, he was poisoned in a robbery attempt. I cried for months. Three years ago I decided to try having another pet. I adopted a sweet cat named Max from the Humane Society. As I lived alone in Manhattan, Max became a great companion. He had a quirky personality and would dance all the time. A bond developed and I felt we really communicated. Max moved with me all over the city and made each apartment his home. I compared caring for Max to the responsibilities of having a child (though to a lesser degree), and as such, I felt tremendous love. Last winter, I left the country for over a month, so I left Max in the care of an old roommate. It turned out to be a tragic mistake. He was vicious and wild the entire month and scratched her a number of times. When I returned to pick him up, he turned against me as well. That untamed wildness that was always inside him came out and made it impossible to keep him safely at home. After 2 days of negotiation, I had to call the ASPCA to take care of the situation. Max was put to sleep, and I still can't watch any pet food commercials on TV -- especially Iams. Since then, I have had many strange dreams about talking animals, animals that act like humans, and wild animals; I think it reflects, on the subconscious level, the guilt I feel.