Even animals compete to sit at the table, because they know that the best chance of getting a bite to eat is to sit under me; I'm the messiest. I have had 31 pets in my life. I have a distinct memory of every pet in my life. Each pet has impacted our lives and brought our family closer. At age four, I stood on top of the jungle gym, in tears, as our family took turns giving speeches about Haley; the first pet I ever lost. At age eight, I held my mother's hand as the vet came to our house to euthanize the first dog my parents shared, Chestnut. Even after my parents divorced at the age of eleven, events like these continued to bring our family closer together. When I was 17, at Christmas, my father and mother sat together in tears, when Angel seemed to be living his last breath. When I was 14 and sitting in my father's arms when my late grandmother's cat died. Again, even years after the divorce, my mother made sure my father's cat received a proper burial. Not only did she bury Lilac in our pet cemetery, she also dug the hole herself. You see, our pets look at everyone in our household as family. They don't see my father as a stranger. When he's at dinner they greet him with the sloppiest of wet kisses. I know this he will never do