greek and roman household pets

Today I'm going to send you to a fantastic article I've found, dating from 1949: "Greek and Roman Household Pets," by Francis D. Lazenby.  There you'll find a treasure trove including:

- Supposedly Ajax had a pet snake that followed him like a dog
- Quails were a favorite pet of patrician boys
- The ancestor of our domestic cats may well be the cream-colored Nubian cat
- Cats and weasels are most often interchangeable in ancient sources (that is, you can't really tell what animal exactly they're talking about)

Don't be put off by the footnotes and quotations - there's so much here!  Read it now.

introducing iMyk9

photo coopyright and kindest permission of k orr

*Note from your friendly curator:  While this post discusses a new pet product, I received no payment of any kind for this post. I simply think this is an excellent idea that would help keep dogs safe.* 

See that dog up there in the car?  Are you worried about him?  Don't be: he's being watched over at a remove.  I know this because I see the sticker on the glass:

"iMyK9"?  Yes.  According to founder and CEO Karen D. Orr, iMyK9 was developed as a pet monitor providing a safer way to travel with your pet.  Have a look at the features and how it works: a monitor in the car is twinned with an app.  You can set the app to monitor the car temperature and see your dog (or cat, if yours travels) one-way, or you can also have a connection that permits your pet to hear you.  This product is launching this summer, and I hope it helps save many dogs from needless tragedy.  

You know me - I couldn't resist asking Karen Orr if she had a favorite pet poem.  She did, and it's one I honestly did not know before. She sent the photo below for the fun of it, and the poem, which follows:

photo via kindest permission of k orr

If I should ever leave you whom I love
To go along the Silent Way,
Grieve not,
Nor speak of me with tears,
But laugh and talk of me as if I were beside you there.

( I'd come - I'd come, could I but find a way!
But would not tears and grief be barriers? )
And when you hear a song
Or see a bird I loved,
Please do not let the thought of me be sad...
For I am loving you just as I always have...
You were so good to me!

There are so many things I wanted still to do -
So many things to say to you...
Remember that I did not fear...
It was Just leaving you that was so hard to face...
We cannot see Beyond...
But this I know:
I love you so -
'twas heaven here with you!
- "To Those I Love," Isla Paschal Richardson (b. 1886), provided by Karen in memory of her Blue Heeler

the pet as messenger - article

thanks pixabay (PD)

Your friendly curator is wrapping up some editing for a freelance client and will be back to her usual post within the week!  But till then, have a look at this thought-provoking article from 2013 by Miles Klee: "Pet Cemetery: Pets and the Great Beyond."  Here's a quote from Klee's consideration of dogs: ". . . no other animal so aptly demonstrates how the soul and destiny of human civilization is bound up with the rest of nature." Good, right? You'll like the rest.

japanese pet cemeteries, personally

I don't speak Japanese, but that's all right.  I know the family has come to visit the resting place of their kitty Neko-chan.  I watch them give mindful respect on the way in, and then, full of memories, wander along the shelves of other people's pets, chuckling.  Why would anyone laugh at a pet cemetery?  Because they - and we - recognize the love and joy behind all those little ash canisters, all those toys and snacks and photos, and we laugh a little in communion.  Please enjoy this gentle short home video I found of a family's visit to Hirasawa's pet cemetery.
If you're interested in what the largest pet cemetery in Japan might look like, that would be within Jindaiji Temple in western Tokyo; here's a well-illustrated blog post from JapanVisitor.
For a truly personal and close look at a Japanese family giving their furry one a grand sendoff in 2009, I'd like to send you to this article.  Do note that there are closeups of post-cremation cat bones being handled with elegance and grace; I found it brought tears of appreciation to my eyes, but if you feel otherwise, please don't make yourself unhappy.