Why do we love our pets so much?

Maybe it’s because they love us so much: “A dog is the only thing on earth that loves you more than you love yourself,” said writer Josh Billings.

Or maybe it’s because they don’t love us enough: “In ancient times cats were worshiped as gods; they have not forgotten this,” said novelist Terry Pratchett.

More likely, it’s because they help us access a part of ourselves that otherwise we would never get to experience: “Until one has loved an animal, a part of one’s soul remains unawakened,” said the novelist Anatole France.

All of the above! But the bottom line is that we love our pets because they are our pets!

Today — on National Pet Day — we invite you to meet some of the Monument family pets we love!