Gilbert White Quotes

A dog is a vehicle, you know; a dog is a window to Mother Nature, and that's the closest species we have.

While cats can be infuriating, little old women in fur coats, they make me laugh. Of course, dogs, horses and my highly social chickens are dear to me, too.

Turkeys know their names, come when you call, and are totally affectionate. They're better than teenagers.

If dogs could talk it would take a lot of the fun out of owning one.

You know, if you have a zoo you don't want the other creatures to see you. You want them to hang out and act properly and, you know, when the monkeys will come and ask for the bananas, they won't act like monkeys. If you want them to act on what their true nature is, you've got to leave them alone.

I was perhaps about 10 years old when a local farmer rang us up to say he had found a young badger and would we take it in. So we did; it was a female called Bessy and she lived in the boiler room. She was extremely intelligent, had a very low opinion of cats but loved the dogs. She was pretty well trained; she went in the car.

You cannot share your life with a dog, as I had done in Bournemouth, or a cat, and not know perfectly well that animals have personalities and minds and feelings.

I grew up with lots of animals and I related more to them than I did to people. I feel a lot of empathy for them.

I have had strange animals as pets all my life. I was shy growing up, and shy people tend to interact better with animals than people. Animals are direct, not duplicitous.

The dog commends himself to our favor by affording play to our propensity for mastery.

And then I got to go to Singapore and play with some orangutans, and the mom was letting me hold the baby. They just look at you with these big eyes, so sweet and open. Like the soul is right there - it almost scares you, you know?

The average dog is a nicer person than the average person.

I think the shocking thing to discover is the owls are not stupid and very feral, very hard to train.

I didn't grow up with pets, but I live alone and figured a dog might be good for me. His name is Drexl, and he's a shih-tzu.

I think that there are many aspects to the relationship between humans and animals. But briefly, humans appear to have always been fascinated by them from the time of cave paintings and before.

My dream pet? I like a couple of them, man: monkey, I love dogs. See, tigers, I don't know - I can't be playing with something like that. A monkey, I can handle it. A dog, yeah; I would get a monkey.

Acquiring a dog may be the only opportunity a human ever has to choose a relative.

We've begun to long for the pitter-patter of little feet - so we bought a dog. Well, it's cheaper, and you get more feet.

I love animals, and I feel more of a connection to animals than people.

If you like affection, then about one in three squirrels makes an excellent companion.

Ever consider what pets must think of us? I mean, here we come back from a grocery store with the most amazing haul - chicken, pork, half a cow. They must think we're the greatest hunters on earth!

People who keep dogs are cowards who haven't got the guts to bite people themselves.

I grew up on a farm and my grandfather quit school when he was 12, but when it came to common sense and animals, he was the smartest person I've ever met, before or since. He taught me that to touch an animal is an earned privilege. It's not a right.

I have come to know Bugs so well that I no longer have to think about what he is doing in any situation.

I really love animals. My cat is my little soul mate. He's not just a cat, he's my friend.