A little of this, a little of that

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Well, dear readers, you’ve done it again. Welcome to our pet edition, featuring a record number of your pet photos.

We love seeing these photos. And from the response to our requests for photos, apparently you love seeing your beloved furry friends in the paper.

Once again, only cats and dogs were featured in photos from our readers.

But this year, columnist Mike Fink writes about his special pet. Turn to page 31 to see what it is. It will surprise you. And it might appeal to those of you who don’t have – or want – a dog or cat.

The Voice staff is about equally split on cat and dog ownership. We even have a parrot owner in our midst. It seems that reflects our readership, too. Studies show that more households own dogs than cats but, since cat owners often have multiple cats, there are more pet cats than dogs in the United States. The top three pets are fish, cats and dogs in that order. Birds are next, followed by small mammals, a group led by rabbits. Then reptiles and horses. So, next year, send us photos of your fish! We know they are out there!

Pet ownership is growing. In 2017, 68 percent of U.S. households had pets, up from 56 percent in 1988.

Regular readers know about my family’s cat, Charlotte. She is the third cat my husband and I have owned since we’ve been married. Her favorite spot is my lap while I work at the computer. Put a blanket there and she’s even happier. Sometimes, it works out well. Other times, I can barely reach the keyboard. Her spelling is atrocious and her grammar is worse, so she’s not much help with the paper. And she refuses to comment when I try to interview her. But she offers some tranquility when a deadline has me feeling anxious.

Our love for cats has apparently rubbed off on our children, as they both now have cats of their own.

I’m not much of a dog person. That goes way back to a childhood incident with a schnauzer at my grandmother’s house. But I must say, there’s a dog we see around the Alliance’s Dwares Jewish Community Center quite often, and he’s hard to resist. He has a great, enthusiastic personality and perky ears – and he’s on today’s cover. If you skipped it, go back and read about him and his important role in keeping us safe.

You might even see the story featured on our Facebook page next week. Have you noticed that our Facebook page has become more active? And a long dormant Twitter account is active once again. If you use social media, please like our Facebook page and follow us on Twitter. Tell your loved ones to do so too.  We will try to keep you informed!

The newest member of the Alliance’s Marketing and Communications team, digital media associate Ben Goldberg, is helping The Voice raise its social media presence so you know what we’re doing, and the latest news. We are grateful for his help and advice!

And a reminder: It’s almost June and that means our Patron Campaign is coming to a close. We depend on your contributions during this campaign for vital funds to keep The Voice running. Advertising doesn’t come close to covering all our expenses and, of course, we provide the paper free of charge. No donation is too large or too small.

You can donate online at jvhri.org or by mail at 401 Elmgrove Ave., Providence, RI 02906. Those are also the addresses to reach us with comments, letters, story ideas or thoughts. Whether it’s photos of your adorable pets or another subject, we love hearing from you!