'If I could talk to the animals' seen on Doctor Doolittle might say seem preposterous to many but those of us in the animal biz it seems normal to have people talk to their pets. People are often embarrassed when I walk into a room and catch them talking to their pet. I have learned that most people do and if, the pet is their 'baby' as they say then I would expect them to talk to them. When we have an human baby we talk to them even though they don't understand, so why shouldn't we talk to our pets. Many times I think our pets understand even better than talking to other people. They know when we are happy or sad, proud or disappointed. They support us when we are depressed and play when we are happy.
At our home we have five cats, four dogs, two pot-bellied pigs and three dwarf goats as pets - at last count. With so many animals around us, my wife and I know it was important for them to learn their own name so they can be called for food or brought back if they escape. With the pigs and goats still drinking milk from a bottle, it is a juggling match to try and feed them all simultaneously. I find myself calling specific ones to the bottle and scolding the ones trying to stealing it. During all the commotion I hear the ones squeal and complain if they aren't the ones being fed first and the contended grunts when they are finally well fed.
In time the conversation I have with the animals began to expand as I started to question them on how their day is going and how they are feeling. I realized I was asking them to try a certain food or if they needed something just as if they were one of my children. The critters would usually acknowledge with a grunt or at the very least a knowing stare. All in all, the conversation gradually expanded still further until I realized I was actually talking to the animals so much that if someone was listening in, they might consider me to be mentally unstable.
Talking to the animals calms them and helps the human-animal bond we have in the role of caregiver and them as pets. In the end, I welcome people to talk to their pets and consider it quite normal - as long as the conversations are relatively one sided and they don't tell me that their pet answers them back and tells them what to do!
