When I was a child, I longed for a pet and I had a short lived parakeet that my brother named “Topper”. My divorced single mother could neither afford or manage a major pet, and I was not responsible enough to care for a dog or cat. As they were growing up my children had a number of wonderful cats which I also really enjoyed. I really like both dogs and cats, but I especially like cats. I admire their independence and self- sufficiency, even when they seem a bit arrogant. We do not have any pets currently although we visit some when we visit our grandchildren. Pets are emotionally satisfying and humanizing. Learning to care for a creature who is dependent on us can teach us a good deal about the nature of caring. I think they help connect us to the creation and indirectly to the Creator. Loving a dog or cat can tenderize us toward the rest of the animal kingdom. It may even awake us to care for the whole created order. When in creation, human kind was given “dominion“ over creation, it was a call not for exploitation, but for stewardship and nurture. It seems surprising that some who champion God as creator do not see the need for us, his servants, to care for the creation we have been given. Perhaps our beloved animal companions can open the door for that larger caring.