Animal's Eyes Can Make Me Feel So Darned Sad or Glad

Sam doesn't usually have sad eyes

I hate sad animal eyes, don’t you? Sad eyes means an animal is afraid or unhappy or sick - something most likely pretty awful. That’s the theory anyway. Sam is looking kind of sad tonight because I’m trying to feed him canned dog food rather than chicken or hamburger or pork. Boy he can really make me feel like a meany. Kathleen says it’s my imagination that he feels sad and I shouldn’t feel guilty.

The problem is, I’m familiar with Sam enough to know his eyes do express his thoughts. At the park today, for instance, he wanted to wade in the creek. It was a nice warm day (in the Pacific Northwest yet!) and he looked at the creek, then looked back at me seeking permission to go in and wade. I didn’t let him because I didn’t want him to get all wet and dirty so I’d have to bathe him back at home. Meany!

A really sad pair of eyes I’ve been seeing recently belong to this little pony behind a fence on a property abutting the park. I don’t really know if the pony’s eyes are sad, but he stands at the fence watching Sam and I as we walk by as if to say, “Won’t you just talk to me please?” I’m thinking maybe I should take and apple or carrot to the pony and make friends. But maybe I shouldn’t, I don’t know. What if he got to counting on seeing me and Sam and one day or several days in a row, we didn’t show up?

You’ve probably seen those television commercials for abused and abandoned dogs sponsored by ASPCA. They tear my heart out. I haven’t sent them any money because I just can’t. I don’t have enough even if they do say it costs so little to care for those poor animals. Besides, I feel like if I donate to one good cause like that I’ll need to donate to them all. My name is not Saint James. I mean, to donate to all the good causes out there would be like buying a bunch of magazine subscriptions on the chance I’d win the Publisher’s Clearing House Sweepstakes. Not going to happen.

I’m really glad snakes don’t have sad eyes. They don’t do they? I don’t like snakes and I can see me kicking one right between its beady little eyes, sad or not – as long as it isn’t’ poisonous. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a picture of a lion looking sad either. They just seem to look at a person as if they’re thinking, “H-m-m, dinner.”

Dogs are the worst for sad eyes. But maybe that’s one of the things that endears them to us so much. They seem to have feelings like us. I’ve had a bad cold this week and laid down on the couch the other day, moaning and snuffling and feeling generally sorry for myself then along came Sam, jumping up to lie down beside me and lick my face. I swear his eyes showed genuine concern.