Why Do Pets Have People?

A collection of 64 USA Today Network newspaper columns written by Barry KuKes, Community Outreach & Marketing Director of Halifax Humane Society located in Daytona Beach, FL. Each column is only about four minutes long, thus a very easy read or in this case, listen. The subjects include fun facts about dogs and cats, columns about how to train a dog or cat, funny stories about Evil Jimmy the Chihuahua, how to know when it's time to say goodbye, and more.Why Do Pets Have People?, is the follow-up to the original collection of 76 columns titled, "Why Do People Have Pets?" The original book is still in audio production.

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Why Do Pets Have People?

Column One - Why Do Pets Have People?

May 15, 2025 • Barry KuKes • Season 2 • Episode 1

It’s been two years since I published “Why Do People Have Pets?”, a collection of 75 newspaper columns I wrote for the Daytona Beach News-Journal and Seniors Today. During that time, I had written over one hundred columns about animal welfare and caring for pets. Since then, the Daytona Beach News-Journal became part of the USA Today Network, and the network decided to make my column available to all 2400 newspapers that are part of the network. This was fantastic news, but unfortunately, they forgot to tell me about the expansion of distribution.

I began to receive e-mails from Indianapolis, IN, Naples, FL, Aspen, CO, Newark, NJ, and more. I couldn’t figure out how these people were reading my column until one reader finally stated the name of the newspaper as being the Indianapolis Star. The columns are also available online, but why would someone in Aspen, CO read the Daytona Beach News-Journal? It was a strange set of circumstances, but a welcome surprise.

(This audiobook is available for purchase on Amazon at purchase the book.)

Column One - Why Do Pets Have People?

A couple of years ago, I wrote a column and later a book titled “Why Do People Have Pets?” This column asks why do pets have/need people from the POV of the pet.

Not surprisingly, pets have people for some of the same reasons people have pets. Companionship, love, friendship, and understanding come to mind. However, pets need people for reasons that are not in common, such as shelter, food, protection, water, medical needs and attention, and maintenance for their bodies, etc. A pet cat or pet dog depends on its owners to provide all of these necessities and their entire life. Unlike a child who grows up and learns to drive and work at age 16, a 16-year-old dog or cat still needs the same care and commitment from their owner as they did when they were 3 months old. Pets only age physically, not cognitively.