What do our animal companions give us?

Dear Dr. Fox: Asa regular reader of your column, I am impressed at the devotion so many people seem to have for their pets.

As a longtime cat owner, I can say they give me more than I give them, so I don’t mind paying for regular veterinary wellness exams. I give them a home, food, games and regular grooming, and in return they give me companionship, affection, sympathy (expecially when I have a migraine!) and so much more. I wonder what your other readers can say about what their animals give them. — O.M.S., Arlington, Virginia

Dear O.M.S.: As my mentor, the late professor Konrad Lorenz, would say, “I could not disagree with you less.” The

Nobel Prize laureate and one of the founders of the science of ethology (animal behavior) asserted that you must first love animals before you can begin to understand them, and that those who believe that other animals do not have emotional experiences — feelings — similar to our own should be “in a psychiatric clinic.”

When our ability to love opens us up to what animals can give, we are indeed blessed in countless ways physically, mentally and spiritually. And this means that we suffer with them when they are ill, and commit to ensuring their quality of life is the best we can provide.

I would indeed enjoy hearing from other readers about what their animal companions have given them. Animals have given us so much since the beginning of human history, and payback is long overdue: namely, to acknowledge their basic rights and interests and apply the Golden Rule to all living beings.

Dear Dr. Fox: I have been hearing a lot more about cancer in dogs, and may have a theory. If you agree, I would love for you to educate the public about it in your forum.

So many dogs like to run and fetch balls. But if your grass is regularly fertilized, the chemicals may be getting on the ball, which Rover is happily chewing. We have lost three vizslas to mouth cancer.

Also, believe it or not, many people allow their dogs to drink reclaimed water. Down South, so much of the irrigation water is reclaimed — it stinks, and is not fit for human OR dog consumption!

People need to be more vigilant about what their dogs are consuming. Don’t let them eat fertilized grass, even if your landscaper says the fertilizer is organic. And let’s not even talk about Roundup! — L.B., Southport, North Carolina