Floki… and every little soul we’ve been honoured to love
There are days that feel like they were made for slowing down.
National Love Your Pet Day is one of them — a gentle nudge to pause the rushing, put the phone down for a minute, and properly see the little companion who pads around our lives making everything softer, funnier, calmer… and sometimes a bit more chaotic.
And in this house, that companion is Floki — our sprocker spaniel, officially a little bit bonkers, and completely, wonderfully himself.
If you’ve ever loved a dog like that, you’ll know what I mean. One minute he’s all bright eyes and busy paws, the next he’s collapsed in a dramatic heap like he’s worked a twelve-hour shift. He’s equal parts mischief and comfort. A whirl of fur with a heart full of loyalty.
Floki doesn’t just live in our home — he sets the tone of it.
The kind of love nature gives us
One of the things I’ve always felt in my bones is that pets are a very particular kind of nature-magick.
They don’t love us for what we’ve achieved.
They don’t care if the house is tidy.
They don’t ask us to be “on”.
They just want to be near us — to belong with us.
And in that way, they bring us back into the natural cycle of life: eat, rest, play, wander, connect, sleep. Simple. Honest. Real.
When we’re stressed, they remind us to breathe.
When we’re lonely, they sit beside us.
When we’re grieving, they stay close without needing words.
That’s not small.
That’s everything.
The ones who came before
As much as today is about celebrating the pets who are curled up beside us right now, I also think it’s a day that naturally opens the door to remembering.
Because if you’ve loved animals, you don’t just have “a pet history” — you have a collection of little souls who shaped your days.
My first dog was Bonny, a black Labrador, bought in my very first year on this earth. Bonny lived to 14, and I still think of him as one of my earliest “roots” — the beginning of the part of me that feels safest with an animal nearby.
And Bonny wasn’t the only one.
Over the years we’ve been honoured to know all sorts of companions: dogs, cats, budgies, fish, hamsters, guinea pigs… even a frog.
Each one different.
Each one leaving their own small imprint.
Each one teaching us a version of love.
Some were with us for years and years.
Some were with us for a shorter season.
But none of them were “just” anything.
They were characters in the story of our home.
Love doesn’t end — it changes form
This is the part that can catch in the throat a bit, isn’t it?
Because loving pets means eventually saying goodbye — and that’s one of the hardest, most natural truths there is.
But when I think about nature, I think about how nothing truly disappears. It changes. It returns. It becomes part of the cycle again.
A pet’s love doesn’t vanish.
It becomes memory.
It becomes habit — the way you still glance at their favourite spot.
It becomes a tenderness you carry.
It becomes the way you love the next animal who comes into your life.
And if you’re missing a pet today, I want you to know: it makes perfect sense.
Love doesn’t stop being love just because time has moved on.
A tiny ritual for Love Your Pet Day
(Wickwood-style, of course — gentle, simple, and full of heart)
If you’d like to mark the day in a meaningful way, here are a few quiet ideas:
1) The “Thank You” moment
Sit with your pet (or hold a photo of the one you miss) and say out loud:
“Thank you for finding me.”
That’s it. That’s the spell.
2) A memory name-leaf
Write the names of past pets on small bits of paper shaped like leaves (or just torn scraps), and pop them in a jar or a bowl. A little “love garden” on your shelf.
3) A pawprint page (no mess required)
In your journal, draw a simple pawprint and write:
- what they taught you
- what you’ll always remember
- one moment that still makes you smile
4) Give love outward
If you’re able, donate a tin of food, a blanket, or a few pounds to a rescue. Love becomes love again when it travels.
Floki, you star
So today, we’ll do what Floki loves most: a bit of fuss, a bit of play, probably a bit of nonsense — and then a cosy collapse.
And I’ll quietly thank every animal who has walked through our lives and made us better.
Happy National Love Your Pet Day.
If you’d like to share (and only if it feels good to), tell me the name of a pet you love — past or present — and one little thing they do/did that you never want to forget.
Until next time…