Taking Care of Yourself: Shared Closeness

Happy Thursday, Positive Animal Caregivers! ♡🐾

One of my intentions for 2026 is simple: in the middle of everyday chaos, I want to remember to pause — just for ten minutes — and breathe in a little positivity. If that resonates, let this newsletter be your weekly reminder.

For the next few minutes, this time is yours. Not the animals’. Not the clients’. Yours.

Animal caregiving comes with plenty of ups and downs. Let’s pause and check in —

Add a note if you want (I read them all)

Like you, I am an animal caregiver. Twice a week, that looks like working shifts at a doggy daycare and boarding facility. In the hours between, I care for cats at my local animal shelter, run errands for a community vet clinic, and, starting this past week, jot down positive animal caregiving headlines, stories, and moments I want to share with colleagues who understand this world.

It was Valentine’s Day on Saturday — a day I spent mostly in front of my computer, crafting this newsletter. I haven’t celebrated the occasion in a long while. A recent survey suggests I’m now in the mainstream: many of us feel put off by the pink banners and red hearts plastered across store windows, matched only by the astronomical markup on chocolates, flowers, and prix-fixe dinners. More than that, though, it feels like our society is struggling to build and sustain meaningful connection.

Animal caregivers are different.

We are blessed with special bonds. Most of us are pet owners, sharing our lives — and sometimes even our bathrooms — with companions who spend more time beside us than any Valentine ever could. In the news this week, a story surfaced about a dog in Brazil who refused to leave the cemetery after his owner’s funeral, spending the next ten years of his life there until he passed away. (His devotion even inspired a change in law, allowing humans and their pets to be buried together.)

And then there are the animals I get to love on every work day. In the mornings, I’m greeted by kisses from Chloe, our unapologetic poop-eater, when her breath is still mercifully fresh. Hugo and the other puppies curl up beside me during afternoon clean-up, surrendering to sleep without hesitation. And on bitter Canadian nights, when the mercury vanishes from the thermometer, Everest wraps me in her generous layer of husky fur, a living blanket against the cold.

These connections reach far beyond the animals themselves. Animal caregivers have a remarkable ability to connect with one another. The adopter who took home my cuddly, head-scratch-begging Elliott? We bonded instantly over his goofy charm. During a conference call for new shelter volunteers this week, in one of those awkward silences while everyone waited for the meeting to begin, someone finally asked, “Who wants to show everyone their puppies?” In seconds, the ice melted, replaced by warmth, laughter, and shared joy.

When I first told a friend I was writing a newsletter for animal caregivers, she asked me what kind. “I want something that leaves a lingering taste of positivity,” I told her.

So much of that positivity surrounding animal caregivers grows from the relationships we build — with our animals, our colleagues, and our communities. I won’t pretend this work is easy. That we do not face difficult moments, do not have demanding clients, or do not have to bear the real weight of compassion fatigue. But I remain deeply convinced that these bonds are worth it, and that they quietly warm us from the inside out.

I look forward to writing more, connecting more, and continuing to build this small space of shared care — together.

The percentage of pet parents who have connected with someone from a different generation, culture, or racial/ethnic background through mutual affection for their pets.

Add a note if you want (I read them all)

Mark your calendars for these upcoming opportunities to connect with others:

Here are the ways to recharge this week. Pick ONE small thing that makes you smile. You’ve earned it. 

Listen: I recommend the song "Same Boat" by Zac Brown Band. YouTube said: "Love the song. The message is simple, everyone is just trying to find their own happiness." Comment to share a song with other animal caregivers.  

Watch: Relax with Small Talk, a five minute short film made as part of the World’s largest student film festival. 

Write: Start a gratitude journal. This week’s prompt: My Special Bonds with Animal Caregivers. 

Appreciate: Set a five-minute timer and appreciate a beautiful piece of art. The art for this week is: Studio of Robert F. Blum.

Try: Get (back) into origami, the art of folding paper. Start with folding the origami cat face — for your favourite feline colleague.

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Hit reply and let me know if you have any comments.

Thanks for spending part of your day with me and the rest of the Positive Animal Caregivers Club. Take care of yourself this week. Remember - even superheroes need naps. 

– Philip