Hi Aubrey,

We have two dogs, and I am a feral colony manager, meaning I care for colonies of wild kitties. I have four kitties in my home. Dogs and kitties love unconditionally.

Yes, we can learn from our pets. They love without requiring love in return. They would never think of not loving. They would never become angry and withdraw their love. It isn't in their natures. They couldn't conceive of it. That is unconditional love.

They enjoy what we give them, and bathe in the love we show them, but have no expectations, make no judgments, and never would separate from us through self-absorption.

Unconditional love is love that never has a thought of not loving. It is entirely giving, without a thought of receiving. It is other centered, with no moment of being self-centered. That is what our pets feel.

Our border collie has the intelligence of a four or five-year old child. She does play games to get attention. She plays the "come" game, in which she will go to the opposite end of the room and put her muzzle on the floor, looking at us with collie eyes. I say "come Angel," and she comes immediately, tail wagging, so I can lavish attention on her. But she isn't separating herself in anger, judgment, or for retribution. She's telling me, "I love you, and I want to be close to you now."

Dogs sometimes "act out" when they don't get love and attention, especially when the owners aren't home often. But it isn't to punish the owners. It isn't in anger. It's out of a desperate desire for love. That's how they communicate their need.

My kitties will pay attention to me when they want to much of the time. I can call their names and they often ignore me. But that isn't out of anger or rejection of me. It's their nature to be independent and do what they want to do when they want to do it. But every gesture toward me is loving. They would never "think" that I'm not doing something they want me to do, so they'll separate from me.

Aggressive dogs may have aggression in their natures, are confused about the leadership in the family pack, or may have been mistreated, but they're aggressive out of misdirected pack behavior, instinctual behavior, or fear. I'm not speaking about them. I'm referring to our pets who love us and have learned to show love, not aggression.

Yes, I think we could learn great lessons from our pets about loving unconditionally.

Love and peace, Craig