He never had a pet. No dog, no cat, no gerbils, no fish or lizards when he was growing up. There is something valuable in having a creature that expects nothing more than a pat on the head, a scratch behind the ears, a bowl of food and a clean litter box or a regular walk outside with regular people taking their dogs out for the morning or evening “duties.”
He grew up never knowing responsibility for another creature or never knowing the comfort of unreserved love.
Donald Trump grew up in a world of concrete, steel, and glass, a cold-eyed world committed to money and power. He never was exposed to the majesty of mountains, the beauty and sometimes threat of flowing streams and rivers, the quiet of a valley, the dignity of ancient trees.
He was never a scout, never spent the night in a tent listening to the sounds in the darkness. He never learned through such experiences responsibility for others, shared dreams, or loyalty to something other than himself.
He never was with people who were different but who were the same as fellow human beings.
Those things would have required him to live outside of his limited world and his limited culture.
He might be a different person if he had found the peace of a cat asleep on his lap or a dog by his side, creatures giving a great deal and expecting just a little affection in return.
He might be less cruel. More tolerant. Understanding that affection is more productive than loyalty. It is harder to be belligerent, bellicose, and antagonistic if you have a dog that welcomes you home, licks your hand, and leans against your leg hoping for a gentle pat or a rub.
He is the first president without a White House dog since William McKinley who served from 1897 until his assassination in 1901. However, McKinley did have parrots, roosters—and kittens while he lived at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.
Missouri Senator George Graham Vest is best known for his “Eulogy on a Dog,” spoken to a Warrensburg jury in an 1870 lawsuit filed against a man who killed another man’s dog:
The best friend a man has in the world may turn against him and become his enemy. His son or daughter whom he has reared with loving care may prove ungrateful. Those who are nearest and dearest to us, those whom we trust with our happiness and our good name, may become traitors to their faith. The money that a man has he may lose. It flies away from him perhaps when he needs it most. A man’s reputation may be sacrificed in a moment of ill-considered action. The people who are prone to fall on their knees to do us honor when success is with us may be the first to throw the stone of malice when failure settles its cloud upon our heads. The one absolutely unselfish friend that a man can have in this selfish world, the one that never deserts him, the one that never proves ungrateful or treacherous, is the dog.
Donald Trump never has known anything this beautiful and our nation—and our world—suffer.
He says he has “no time” for a dog. It would be good for all of us if he spent more time with a loving pet than he spends on social media hating so many people.
For example: Max sometimes helps me with these postings.
He gets that look about the time that he thinks its cat dinner time. And it works. I can’t stand that starving look in his eyes, that silent beg for a new bowl of food. Have pity on your poor starving cat, he seems to be saying.
And I have no choice but to obey.
And other times, sister Minnie has some thoughts she wants to share. Or she just wants some company. Or something soft and warm to sit on. She’s a clock watcher who starts suggesting it’s dinner time a half-hour before it is and I’m sure she calls in Max to stare at me if there’s a delay. Regardless, she makes sure I have opportunities throughout the day to commune with my lady cat even while I’m trying to type around her presence.
I am a better person because of them and because of all of the pets I have known since I was crawling on all fours at the same level of Jiggs, our first family dog.
It’s a shame our president never lived at that level with something as wonderful as a pet.