I’m not weird or anything—just a uni girl living her best life with her bestest friend in the world 
. Sometimes, I get to this point where I realize I can’t imagine loving anyone as much as I love her. Thinking of life without her makes me bawl my eyes out 
. Idk if this is still healthy or not, but all I know is that we’re going to spend our years together, happy and full of love! 
Family is family, we find it where we find it. We feel the same way about our “kids”. They make everything better, and we give them these amazing lives. Everyone wins 
I’m in my 30s and married and feel the same way about my dog. I have to actively avoid thinking about him passing or I’ll cease to function
yea i absolutely adore my dog. he’s my 4-legged baby and i couldn’t imagine being without him
Yes, I have a few pets but my girl Slinky is the bestest most affectionate and silly tuxedo cat in the world. I’m actually facing losing her right now, she has a cancerous tumour in her mouth and I think she’ll make it just past the new year, I don’t want to selfishly keep her alive any longer than necessary if she’s suffering. I’m appreciating time with her more than ever, she comes in to visit me and headbutts my face and sits on my laptop keyboard and just stares at me, purring like a motorbike. She sleeps with me every night. She is still very happy and doing well, just needs some extra help eating so she’s only on wet soft food now, and tuna & chicken so she’s very happy about that. She is my heart pet and it’ll be so shit when she goes, but I’m so grateful to have had just over 11 loving and laughter filled years with her, even if she could’ve had more.
@Avi
Please, can you share a picture?
I have my guinea pig and my two hamsters tattooed on my arms. I love them and will love them forever. I truly feel we can deeply understand each other with no words. Once I adopted them, I adapted my life, my house, my schedule according to their needs. People say I’m a crazy rodent man, but I’m happy to be their rodent dad and will always be proud of that. I can’t imagine my life without them around.
I love my cats and the bond runs deep. When I lost my beloved Ripley, it was a loss I felt for years. She was my baby. It’s been over ten years, but I can still feel the ache in my heart.
That’s how I feel about my boy. All I wanted my whole life was a dog, I begged and begged… then, the Christmas where I was 25, I decided fuck it, I’m getting MYSELF that Christmas puppy I always wanted. He is the best thing to ever happen to me. Training him from puppyhood into doghood helped me learn a lot about dogs and about psychology and behavior, and I think, made me a better person, more tolerant and thoughtful and positive. He got me on my mental health walks every DAY which was life changing for me. When I cry, he’s right there licking my tears and letting me hug him. He understands me so well, and it’s plain to see neither of us wish to be separated. I could go out to the movies or whatnot… but I’d rather be home with him, watching movies on the couch and cuddling, or running in the woods and playing ball. Dogs are man’s best friend for a reason. They’re truly the best, if you put in the effort to raise them right! He sleeps curled up and touching me every single night and we’ve been through a lot together. I wouldn’t trade him for the world. I think, if you love your dog that much, you’re doing it right. I only hope people like us can give loving homes to more dogs.
@Orin
Beautiful, touching story.
I have my four guinea pigs names tattooed on me and my old dogs name and paw print tattooed
I just saw a post on Facebook a few minutes that a dog that I’ve never known or heard of or seen a post about before had died. same breed as mine and so I started crying like a huge dork. my dog was laying right next to me I told her that she was not allowed to ever leave me. 
yes, our dog is our child, literally we never had kids but have always had a dog and a cat.
The cat is feral, lives outdoors but has food multiple safe/warm havens and keeps the mice down.
We are closest to our dog, 60+ lb shepherd.
over the years all this has made me realize that animals are on par with people… certainly in terms of my allegiance to her vs people (other than my wife of course)
Yes! I’m obsessed with my little best friend that I’ve had for 14 years. She’s still my little baby girl. Dogs are the best!
I feel like I’ve had some soulmates in my life, and my cat was definitely one of them. 
I’m in my 70s and my poodle is my best friend. I’ve had 7 surgeries in the past 6 years, and he sat by me and kept me company the whole time.
I know exactly what you mean. In my opinion, you are doing it right! If we are going to take an animal out of it’s natural habitat and make it live a life it was never intended to live the least we can do is go out of our way to make it’s life the best we possibly can. The fun part is when we do that we develop a close bond with this animal, a bond that is unlike any other. I have such a bond with my cat. I feel grateful to share my life with him. I don’t think of him as being here to amuse me - even though he always does 
My best friend is almost fourteen, so i don’t bother thinking about the (unfortunately) inevitable, i just try to enjoy his company as much as possible from moment to moment.
I adopted my first dog 2 years ago. I’m 46 today. He changed everything. Everything.
Never had a family that tolerated me. Don’t have a partner or any kids. No close friends. My autism is obviously not acceptable to the vast majority of people. But MacReady doesn’t care.
I don’t even see Mac as an animal. He’s a person, who shares his life with me. I’m responsible for his health and happiness, and I let him dictate the rest. I train him constantly to ensure he’ll never be rejected like I’ve been. I want him calm and approachable and safe to be around. He’s curious and smart and listens almost all the time.
I never knew having a dog could be like this. He’s not an accessory. He’s not something to ease my boredom. He’s a dependent, a priority. He’s the closest thing I have to… scratch that. He is the only family I have, and I’ll sacrifice and overcome whatever confusion life throws our way to ensure he is always safe and joyful. I trained for a year to learn how to include him in my canyon rappells. Anything and everything I have to do to keep him with me whatever I’m doing. I never look for an excuse to leave him behind
I cook his meals. At the start of the week, I cook 2lbs of hamburger and roast sweet potatoes and brussel sprouts and broccoli and carrots. Peas and green beans and blueberries and other fruits are added as well. At night he gets salmon or sardines, more fruits and veggies, and some bits of my steak or chicken or pork chop, as well as some kibble for crunch and vitamins. I don’t eat processed foods, so I figured why should he?
I don’t know if I qualify as obsessed. I do know that I want to provide him with everything I never had. I don’t want to ever see the look of fear in his eyes that I know my guardians had to have seen in mine.
I have a cat, Rukus, who is as obsessed with me as I am with him. He’s always by my side, in the bathroom, laying down, sitting in my lap, he’s glued to me. And I like it that way, it makes me happy I make him so happy. I love this cat as much as I love my husband, but in a different way. More of a maternal way. He’s my absolute best friend, he turns 13 soon, on St Patrick’s day, so I know I only have a few years, as long as he’s healthy and happy.