Animals play a very important part in many people’s lives. Most people have had a favourite pet or animal that has affected their lives in one way or another. There many heartwarming tales of animals turning people’s lives around and putting them back on the right track.
One example of this is the recent film A Street Cat Named Bob, that was released November 2016. This film is based on the book by the same name. It is a moving tale of how a stray, ginger cat changed one man’s life and as a consequence, made him world famous. James Bowen was a struggling street musician and recovering drug addict when he found an injured ginger cat curled up in the hallway of his apartment building. This cat, who he named Bob, wandered into his life and gave him a reason to get his life back to the right track. Now, he has written seven books and the first one, A Street cat named Bob, has been converted into a movie, as mentioned before.
Another fine example of animals changing people’s lives is Dewey the Library Cat by Vicki Myron and Bret Witter. Dewey was a small town library cat in Spencer, Iowa, who has changed lives all over the world. This story started on the coldest morning of the year in 1988, when Vicki Myron, the new Head Librarian of Spencer Public Library, found a tiny, frozen kitten huddled in the night drop box. Little did she know that this bedraggled ginger kitten would go on to change the town of Spencer, and the lives of people all over the world. Dewey Readmore Books, as he was named by the townspeople, soon grew up to be a lovable library cat whose charming nature created hundreds of friendships. People travelled from all over the world just to meet him and he even had a documentary made about him in Japan, almost halfway across the world. Even now, several years after his death, Dewey still has a large fan base and he even has his very own website. A second book was also published about Dewey in 2010, entitled Dewey’s Nine Lives.
Cats are amazingly resilient creatures and there are countless stories about how cats have touched people’s lives. Alfie the Doorstep Cat by Rachel Wells is the tale of Alfie, who is abandoned after his elderly owner passes away. Alfie makes his way across London looking for a new home and soon stumbles across Edgar road. Alfie knows that he has found his new home; however, at first, the residents don’t agree. Soon, they realise just how much they need Alfie and he realizes many homes are better than one. Told from the cat’s perspective, this tale reveals the cat’s side of the story and how one small cat can touch the lives of many.
However, it isn’t just cats that touch people’s lives. A Dog’s Purpose by W. Bruce Cameron details the journey of a dog through several lives by reincarnation and how he looks for purpose in each of his lives. Although it is fictional, the book is still extremely effective at showing how much animals affect our lives and how they can change our point of view.
These are only a few examples of animals affecting people’s lives. Animals play very important role in everyone’s lives although they may not realize it. Looking through the “Animal section” of Chapters, it is very apparent that these small, furry creatures affect our lives more than we can ever know.
Feature image courtesy of: www.flickeringmyth.com
