Showing the love to our four-legged friends

It was November of 1991. I was nine years old, and my family was celebrating Thanksgiving. And as I set out the china and placed the forks and knives, it dawned on me that something was amiss.

Bandit didn't have a plate.

In my nine-year-old mind, it didn't seem right not to have our whole family gathered around the table for the holiday. That meant Bandit too - the calico butterball I had gotten for my birthday the year before. Bandit played hide-and-seek with me when I got home from school. She slept in my bottom dresser drawer. And she even played dress up with me (if you can call my attempt at finagling her into a Cabbage Patch pinafore "playing dress up"). In my mind, she was definitely a part of the family - and she deserved a spot at dinner just as much as my crazy aunt Connie (maybe even more).

So I set out a plate on the kitchen floor. And, because she was just good-natured like that, Mom served Bandit a special meal - and we all ate Thanksgiving dinner together.

I'm still not entirely sure why we feel the need to pamper our pets this way. I can't completely articulate the reasoning behind the pile of presents Bandit got every Christmas from that year forward. Or explain how last week I went shopping for the hubby, and came home with an Outward Hound dog excursion backpack for our Pomeranian and a tennis ball chew toy for our Lab/Beagle mix instead.

Our pets don't beg for "pupcakes" on their birthdays, customized collars or organic catnip. They don't ask for the latest in furry fashion. And they don't expect gifts, goodies or toys.

But maybe that's why they deserve it.

Our pets give us hours of laughter, support when we need it most, and a lifetime of unconditional love. They never ask for a thing in return. And maybe, in the end, that's why we do it. We're simply saying thanks.

Did your pampered pup or pretty kitty get a Valentine's Day present this year? How do you spoil your pets? Tell us about it by posting a comment below.