Most people find this fact shocking:

I’ve never had a pet of any kind.

No dogs, no cats, no fish. No birds, no lizards, no fireflies.

The closest I come is an out-of-control collection of Boyd’s Bears that has taken up just about all the wall space in my bedroom.

But, I don’t have to walk them, or feed them or even talk to them the keep them among the living.
Because, well, they’re teddy bears.

What’s really odd about the placement of the collection is I’m one of those people who takes seriously the advice to treat your bedroom as a sleep zone.

There’s no TV, no books or board games.

So, unless I buy myself a pair of night vision goggles, I’ll never be able to check out Adora or Jeb sitting on the shelf in the dark.

During this no-pet existence, I’ve successfully dodged most of my friends’ tales of pet ownership, which usually seem to involve cleaning up things that have exited a body cavity and landed on their most expensive piece of furniture or clothing.

But, in this modern age, I’ve found myself enamored with all of the cute stuff our furry friends find themselves getting into.

Yes, Keyboard Cat has caught my eye.

So, too, has that bitter-looking feline named Grumpy Cat.

Oh, the messes these rascals are getting into.

Because it’s not my Christmas tree they’re knocking over, or my toilet paper roll they’re unfurling throughout the entire house, I can just sit back and laugh and laugh and laugh.

My lack of pet knowledge recently attracted me to my new obsession — a video showing dogs that are afraid to walk past cats.

I never knew this was a thing until someone linked to it on Facebook.

Now, every time someone links to this video, I have to click on it.

The poor pups.

The menacing cats.

The owners struggling to get their pets to get along.

And failing.

The three-minute-plus video depicts dogs of all sizes frozen in place by kitty cats they assume will pounce as they put a paw in their path.

Some howl. Some scratch the door, in a plea for help. Some just sit down on the spot and make it clear they’re not budging until the cat high-tails it.

That never happens.

Toward the end of the video (bit.ly/dogscared), some of the pups finally give in and walk past. I’m guessing they needed to go outside, if you know what I mean.

In nearly every case, the cat picks up a paw and swipes at the dog moving by.

One cat punches a beagle right in the face!

One owner objects, and tells the cat, “You’re so mean!”

Indeed!

I never realized I was missing out on this incredible phenomenon.

I’m not alone, apparently.

In my unscientific poll of people I’ve shown the video, they didn’t know it, either.
Did you?

I find it remarkable!

I mean, I guess I always just thought they were chasing each other around the house, a more civilized version of cat and mouse.

I’ve always been a little bit untrusting of cats, with their inquisitive looks and devil-may-care perches atop anything they darn well please.

But I didn’t know dogs were with me on that one!

I just have to hope my friends tire of posting the video, because every time I see it, I’m clicking and there goes another three minutes of my life.

But, what a three minutes!

LKessel@News-Herald.com
Twitter: @Lauranh