Four years ago on Thanksgiving, I was living on my own in a small Louisiana town, studying ecology. I didn’t hardly know a soul. On the day itself, two thousand miles from my family, without an open restaurant within 50 miles, I decided to spend the day walking in the near-frozen winter woods near my home. It was a wet and blustery day, and I felt like I was miles from anyone I loved.
Except for Luke.

Luke didn’t know it was Thanksgiving, he only knew that it smelled really good out on the trail. He raced from bush to tree, scaring up a squirrel, marking an old cypress, and pulling me along at his unique stop-and-go pace. We walked through the chilly forest for hours, following an old logging road, circling a spongy bayou, and wearing ourselves out in the grey drizzle. Back at the rambling old house, I warmed up a pre-cooked turkey meal and dropped some extra mashed potatoes into his bowl. The rain started, and I put on the heater and climbed into bed in the late afternoon with a pile of movies and nothing to do for the rest of the day. Luke curled up in his usual warm spot at my side, and I ran my hand through the loose folds of skin hanging off his neck. I’d never felt more grateful to have him in my life.

Thanksgiving is a time for everyone to take account of what we are thankful for, to share, hopefully with our friends and family, our gratitude. That gratitude extends to our furry friends.
This Thanksgiving, we’re setting up a special Facebook events page where people can tell us why they are grateful for their pets. Share your story of gratitude, and tell us how you plan to show that gratitude with your furry friends.
Jack