We got to pick up Sheba and Puzzle yesterday. My parents graciously watched them while Mr. Universe and I ventured off to Colorado for a little getaway.
On an almost daily basis we chatted about missing the animals…well, to be honest…we talked more about Sheba than Puzzle. But that’s because she’s still a puppy and this was our first time away from her. I’m sure it has nothing to do with the fact that we like the dog more…cuz that would be wrong.
I have to admit, though, Sheba’s greeting was a bit more exuberant than Puzzle’s. It’s really not fair to compare a puppy’s welcome home to a cat’s.
Puppies/dogs are wired far different than cats. Even though Puzzle is a cat-dog (meaning more dog-like than cat), he’s still a cat and isn’t going to come running to the door with his tail wagging and tongue hanging out his mouth.
It’s kind of like comparing the difference between a child’s greeting with that of an adult. A child walks up and hugs you…hugs other children…hugs everyone. They offer up a full body greeting. They have limitless — or limited — boundaries and usually choose to trust first and question later. Just like a puppy.
On the other hand, adults are usually a bit more reserved. We tend to hesitate before greeting a stranger with a full body hug, if at all. We have been trained through years and years of let downs to question first and trust later….again, if we’re able to trust at all.
I realize that I can’t completely generalize all cats and dogs…or all children and adults…but when was the last time you walked up to another adult and offered a hug without hesitation? I thought so…ruff!