Animals in Our Lives Internal and external forces cause change in our lives. Sometimes having a friend, like a pet, nearby can make those changes easier and even more enjoyable. Every new experience can make a person change; sometimes the change is negative, other times it is positive; either way, there is no avoiding change. Animals are protective, dedicated, and can comfort you when your worried. In the Non-fiction article, Travels with Charley, by John Steinbeck, he shares about a time when he learned just how protective a pet dog can be. John thought for sure that his dog was a gentle soul, however when they were visiting a park and came across a bear, “He became a maniac (Steinbeck, pg 146, pp 4).” Charley’s instinct to protect his owner caused him to snarl and growl in way that John had never seen him do. John was impacted by this change in his pet because he realized that, “The thoughts and actions of animals are not so simple after all (Steinbeck, pg 147, pp 6).” Not only that but he learned the hard way just how dedicated Charley was to him. …show more content…
In this story a dog named Max, “Trained himself to monitor his owner’s blood sugar levels even while she was asleep (Grandin, pg 154, pp 5).” The article goes on to say that no-one knows how Max was able to do this however its possible that like police dogs, Max has a strong sense of smell and of course he must really care about his owner. Max is not only a family member but a hero, his actions saved his owner’s life; and brought comfort to her husband who learned that he could count on Max to