It was 20 years ago, that I answered an ad in the personal section of a local New York City newspaper. I opened the letter stating that the person I’m with must be animal-friendly, and must be kind to my two cats.
The great thing about meeting a potential partner in the personals is that you can be brutally honest about your wants and needs. If I were at a party and met someone, I would not have been as direct—at least not in the beginning.
I also listed other traits and desires—must be able to make me laugh, must want a small family, likes to travel, and above all must respect my opinions. You don’t have to agree with them—except the one that covers being kind to animals.
I was lucky. Steven not only made me laugh (he still does today.), he respects many different points of views, and of course, he likes animals. He bonded with my two cats, and in July we will approach our 19th wedding anniversary.
He doesn’t mind when I take in a stray; one night when we came home from a wedding, there was a stray on our doorstep with a badly broken leg. We opened the door, and this smelly cat hobbled in. The next day, we found the cat’s owner who said he would put him down. Steven objected, and several visits to the vet, Earl came home to live with us. He is still with us. He usually sits on my desk while I write.
In honor of Valentine’s Day, I am running romantic stories everyday this week. Feel free to leave your own romantic story here or on the other up coming posts.
I love this story, Michele. Congratulations to you and your pet loving hubby. And Happy Valentine’s
Day.
I also loved a Valentine’s blog post that my friend Karyn, a greyhound rescuer, posted for those of us who are celebrating love for significant others that are not of the human persuasion.
http://ow.ly/152WD
Great story Michele! When Rod and I met we were living hundreds of miles a part. We decided that before one of us picked up their life and moved, we’d better get to know each other as well as possible. So we each wrote a list of questions we’d want to know about a potential significant other. We exchanged lists and then answered the other person’s questions as well as our own. It took hours, but everything was out on the table. Last month we celebrated 10 years together. It’s been a fantastic journey!!
Nice story Amy! It is a different situation than meeting at a party or at a bar. I like the directness of it all.
[...] Week. Pet News and Views ran a week-long romantic tribute to people and their pets starting here, which included great tips to help new poochie pals get along and tips for introducing new feline [...]