July 13, 2025

By Arthur H. Gunther III

thecolumnrule.com

In this strange time of human behavior, seemingly numbed from reality, you can always look to animals and other beings such as birds, reptiles, etc. As with vertical people like you and me, animals in particular have their warts and put-off personalities, but are more predictable in loyalty, trust, instinct, habit.

On habit, we recall photos of milk-delivery horses subbing for trucks during World War II gas rationing in the Northeast. The horses knew when to stop at each house, probably understood the waiting time too as the milkman put out two bottles pasteurized, one chocolate, one cream then at the next house just one bottle of milk.

Horses know people, especially children. Make a friend of one, and you can always count on an anchor on a bad day.

Cows like music. Stop at their grazing field and strike up the instrument or band, and most likely their tagged ears will perk up, and they will mosey on over, moos included. They have a sense of rhythm, which, of course, is fundamental in a milk cow.

We all know cats and their indifference. Perhaps it’s because they have nine lives that they can ignore you in almost all of those existences. Yet they know their humans and will purr for some, jump in your lap, sleep on your feet. But always be ready for clawing if the feline feels you move. In sum, cats tolerate you. They think you are tall but dumb cats, to be ignored at will.

Dogs, most anyway, are utterly loyal, and they can imbed themselves in your soul. On that note, those who report on visits to the afterlife but come back say pets are up there too.

The heavens surely put animals and other non-humans on this earth to counter bad times – war, poverty, depravity – and to offer loyalty when it is lagging. There is horse sense after all.

The writer is a retired newspaperman.

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