A Family’s Perfect Pet Therapy

St. Francis of Assisi once wrote of animals, “We have a higher mission — to be of service to them whenever they require it … If you have men who will exclude any of God’s creatures from the shelter of compassion and pity, you will have men who will deal likewise with their fellow men.”

In today’s complex world, the simple words of this saint born in the 12th century still hold water. To develop the attributes of kindness and compassion — as well as many other positive traits — the care and nurture of an animal is a good place to start.

I see patience in Gary, which I am short on sometimes. Watching him solve a problem fascinates me.

Animals have a rich history as teachers of character. Aesop’s Fables, first printed in English in 1484, used animals to teach broad moral lessons. Although known as tales for children, these animal stories were not believed to have been written as literature for children but instead to make thinly disguised social and political criticisms, according to Taleswithmorals.com.

Perhaps one of the most important ways to learn from an animal is simply to observe it. In a world that has an emphasis on the experiential and the tactile, sometimes we forget to create a space of “just look, don’t touch” — from which to learn lessons that translate to our own unique personalities.

I have an 11-year-old tortoise named Gary, who is a life teacher of sorts. He is humble, determined, persistent, and has his own ways of expressing affection (especially if you are holding a strawberry).

Recently I asked my family to think about what they may have learned from Gary. He’s not a pet we hold very often — and he’s not a pet who slobbers kisses and tail wags all over you for that feel-good experience. In fact, for a good portion of the winter months in our Boston suburb, Gary is hibernating.

Related: One Mom’s Secret Stress Buster

So why do we even keep Gary around — and what does he bring us? Here are our answers.

My 17-year-old: “Gary has been a conversation-starter with friends and has made me and my friends laugh so many times — especially when a new friend is over, someone who doesn’t know we have a tortoise. Suddenly, Gary walks by, and it’s always funny to see people’s reactions.”

My 27-year-old: “Gary is determined. When he wants to get down from the table that we set him on to feed him, he simply walks over the edge, trusting his shell will protect him when he falls. It takes guts to do that — it’s the equivalent of a human walking off the edge of a cliff, trusting he will make it.”

My 30-year-old: “When I first moved out to my own place, I took Gary with me. He was that little slice of home that I could count on. After a long day, I would come home and let him roam around the house — I wasn’t alone, even when I was.”

[lz_bulleted_list title=”Moral Lessons from Aesop’s Fables” source=”http://www.taleswithmorals.com”]Familiarity breeds contempt (The Fox and the Lion)|Retribution is certain (The Vine and the Goat)|Self-deceit may lead to self-destruction (The Frog and the Ox)|Only cowards insult dying majesty (The Sick Lion)|Plodding wins the race (The Hare and the Tortoise) [/lz_bulleted_list]

My husband: “The summer after my aunt died, we brought Gary on vacation. I remember my mother being able to focus on Gary lumbering around in the grass, and not on the great loss of her sister. It helped in a small but real way.”

As for myself, I feel a sense of responsibility to Gary. I see his vulnerabilities — he is very easy to overlook in a busy household. I want his life — all 150 years of it, potentially — to be secure and happy. In a constantly changing world, it feels good to promise this on behalf of an innocent creature. (Of course I won’t be here for all of his life, but he will go in the will!)

This animal seems to be saying, “Don’t rush solutions — even to big problems.”

I see patience in Gary, which I am short on sometimes. Watching him solve a problem fascinates me. When a piece of carrot somehow got stuck on the roof of his mouth, I tried to help, but it wouldn’t come dislodged. As I began to panic, I watched Gary work on it with one claw. Then he took a rest. He went back to it again and again. After 20 minutes, he got the job done.

He seemed to be suggesting, “Don’t rush solutions — even to big problems.”

Albert Einstein once wrote, “Our task must be to free ourselves … by widening our circle of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature and its beauty.”

Our family doesn’t share Einstein’s brainpower — but we do share his opinion of the value of all life, which includes God’s creatures, large and small.