The Internet continues to boggle my mind. It’s odd how in one way it connects us now more than ever, but in another way, makes us far more isolated than we ever were before.
I mean, you can talk with someone in Spain and become practically best friends with him or her, but you don’t even need to leave your house to do it, thus meaning it’s possible you would never get to know your neighbors who live right next door. Isn’t the contradiction in that a little bizarre?
And so many people meet their significant others online now. There are so many dating sites out there, promising to help us all meet our match.
You know what I realized the other day? CVAS is kind of like eHarmony and match.com.
Truly, in some respects, we’re kind of better.
I can’t tell you how many people will say something like, “I don’t know what I did before Ramsay (a dog we adopted to them) came into my life.” One woman told me her cat “owns my heart.”
Another person said the dog she adopted follows her around everywhere and sleeps on her pillow.
One follow-up comment said: “I just can’t put into words how happy she has made us all.”
Another said, “it’s like he’s been with us forever. Like there was never a time he wasn’t part of the family.” (And that was about a cat!)
My favorites are the family photos, where the kids and pets look so thrilled to be together. Coming in a close second are the stories where the new pet makes mom or dad “laugh every day.”
It was only recently, after reading another happy follow-up letter, that I realized we try every day to make matches – just like the dating sites – and we have a pretty decent track record.
Sometimes I think our matches might be a little better. Our animals will provide unconditional love. They’ll be happy to see you. They’ll comfort you if you’ve had a bad day. You can share all your secrets with them and they won’t tell a soul.
Sometimes they’ll think you may have hung the moon. They’ll keep you warm when the nights get chilly – better than an electric blanket!
Their joy can be contagious and might even help lower your blood pressure.
I mean, okay, they won’t be able to really help with chores around the house, but if they don’t do it in the first place, they can’t FORGET to do it and thus evoke any ire.
They won’t forget to put the toilet seat down (unless you train them to use the actual bathroom, in which case, tell me how you do it!)
Some even like to chat. We’ve had cats that could carry on full conversations (sometimes just with themselves).
Truly, our matches come without a lot of the hassles you’ll find with people. Our babies usually just need the basics – food, shelter, vet care and a whole lot of love.
So if you’re looking for your soulmate, forget about the dating sites and check out Cumberland Valley Animal Shelter. You might just find the Romeo to your Juliet, the Fred to your Ginger, the George to your Gracie, the Barbie to your Ken.
Your true match could be waiting.
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Jennifer Vanderau is the public relations coordinator for the Cumberland Valley Animal Shelter and can be reached at [email protected]. The shelter accepts both monetary and pet supply donations. For more information, readers may call the shelter at 717-263-5791 or visit the website www.cvas-pets.org. CVAS also operates a thrift store in Chambersburg. Help support the animals at the shelter by donating to or shopping at the store.
