Share Your World – Pets Are Family 🐾💜
07.09.2026
Share Your World 7th September 2026
Here are this week’s questions & my answers
This week’s Share Your World is all about pets.
Well… I think I might be qualified for this one.
Animals have been part of my life for as long as I can remember. Dogs, cats, horses, turtles — at various points our home has probably been only a few animals away from officially becoming a zoo.
And one thing I have learned over the years is that animals really don’t care very much about our definitions of family.
But I’ll come back to that… 😂
1 What breed of dog or cat do you prefer?
When we lived in Norway, we were actually dog breeders.
The first breed we had was the Basenji, often known as the African barkless dog.
Basenjis are unusual in many ways, including the fact that females normally come into heat only once a year, usually around autumn. That meant our puppies tended to arrive during the colder part of the year.
Eventually we thought it would be nice to have another breed that could give us spring or summer puppies too.
After looking at different breeds, we landed on the Miniature Pinscher.
Tiny dog.
Enormous opinion. 😂
Anyone who has ever met a Miniature Pinscher probably knows exactly what I mean.
Then we moved to the Canary Islands, and my relationship with dogs changed somewhat.
Our first puppy here was Luna.
I didn’t choose her from a breeder.
I found her in the trash. 💔
After Luna, the dogs who became part of our family were adopted mixed breeds.
Today we have only one dog left — Bella, our ten-year-old French Bulldog mix. ❤️
So perhaps my answer to this question has changed over the years.
I still love the Basenji and Miniature Pinscher breeds. They will always hold wonderful memories for me.
But these days?
My favourite breed might simply be the one that needs a home. 🐾
2 Do you think some pets can look like their owners?
Hahaha! Absolutely. 😂
We’ve probably all seen those photographs where the resemblance between a dog and its human is almost frightening.
But I think something else happens too.
Dogs imitate us.
They watch everything. They learn our routines, recognise our moods and pick up our habits. After living together for years, you can sometimes see little pieces of the humans in the animals.
Although, considering some of the things my animals do, I refuse to accept responsibility for all of their behaviour. 🤣
3 What was your first pet?
My first pet was a dog when we still lived in the UK.
He was a Springer Spaniel called Jason King. ❤️
I was very young, but he was the beginning of something that has followed me throughout my entire life.
There have been so many animals since then, but you never really forget the first one.
4 Do you think giving a child the responsibility of pet ownership is a good idea?
Absolutely.
I think children should learn from an early age that animals are living beings — not toys that can be put aside when you’re bored.
Caring for an animal teaches responsibility, patience, empathy and respect.
My oldest son got his first dog, a Basenji, when he was fourteen.
And it really was his dog.
He trained him, worked with him and took him to dog shows. He learned what it meant to be responsible for another living being.
Of course, ultimately an adult must always make sure an animal is properly cared for. You can’t hand a child a puppy and simply say, “Good luck!”
But giving children age-appropriate responsibility for their pets can teach them lessons that go far beyond feeding bowls and walks.
Gratitude
Gratitude – Pets Are Family 💜🐾
Today our animal family consists of one dog, five cats and an African tortoise.
We also had horses, and they were a huge part of our lives. After my husband’s accident three years ago, our circumstances changed and we had to let the horses go.
That was difficult.
But sometimes loving an animal means recognising when you can no longer give them the life they deserve.
And then there is Bella.
Bella has apparently never received the information that she is supposed to be only a dog. 😂
When we had kittens, Bella wanted to be with them.
Their mother seemed to take one look at the situation and think:
“Oh! Bella wants the kittens? PERFECT.”
“Nanny has arrived. I’m taking a holiday.” 🤣🤣🤣
And Bella happily became their surrogate mum.
The kittens didn’t question the arrangement either.
Why would they?
Warm body. Protection. Cuddles.
Mum. 😂
In fact, all of our cats have tried to suckle from Bella at some point, even now when they are grown up.
That last photograph isn’t Garfield having a sweet cuddle with Bella.
Oh no.
Garfield is trying to find the milk bar. 😂😂😂
And Bella is simply lying there as though this is a perfectly normal part of being a dog.
Perhaps that’s one of the greatest things animals can teach us.
They don’t care about labels.
They don’t care that one has paws and another has hooves, that one meows and another barks, or whether biology says they should belong together.
They simply decide:
You’re mine.
I’m yours.
We’re family. ❤️
I’ve had animals beside me through childhood, motherhood, moves between countries, wonderful times and some of the hardest chapters of my life.
They have given me companionship, comfort, protection and enough ridiculous stories to fill another blog entirely. 😂
Some are still beside me.
Some are now memories.
But every one of them has left something behind.
Pawprints.
Hoofprints.
And, in Oscar’s case, very slowly placed tortoise footprints. 🐢😂
So my gratitude this week is very simple:
Pets are family.
Species are merely technical details. 💜🐾
With love, coffee, poetry, and stardust,
— Maggie The Afterlove Voice 💫
My new single “Silenced But Not Broken ” is out on all streaming platforms
https://ditto.fm/silenced-but-not-broken
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