The Slice: Home of the pet whisperers

Maybe we really aren’t special in this regard.

I don’t travel as much as in years past. So I could be wrong.

But I’m tempted to suggest that Spokane ought to be known as “The City Where People Talk to Their Pets.”

And I’m not just referring to calling dogs or cats by their names or demanding that they stop barking or scratching the ottoman. I’m talking about conversation — one-sided maybe, but conversation.

Why do so many people do this? Here are a dozen possible reasons.

1. No one else listens.

2. We have a simple need/desire to communicate with our animals. “I thought we had an understanding about you not getting up there?”

3. They talk back (in various ways).

4. Pets seldom turn to look at a basketball game on TV while you are speaking. (Though cats have been known to fall asleep.)

5. We reject the premise of that old “Far Side” in which it was suggested that what dogs actually hear when we address them is “Blah blah blah, Ginger.”

6. We assume felines are keenly interested in our thoughts on our congresswoman’s frequent appearances in photo ops.

7. Because, after that book club session, you really need to talk to someone who has a lively mind.

8. Sometimes the best brainstorming partner is one who doesn’t immediately shoot down all your ideas.

9. Your pet is the only one you trust when it comes to not repeating everything you say at the next family get-together.

10. They look cute when looking up at us with that expression that says “Why does he/she keeping making that noise? Has he/she forgotten where the can opener is?”

11. They seldom snort and say “Yeah, right.”

12. Sometimes relationships with our pets are the most stable in our lives.

So what did I overlook? What’s your No. 1 reason for talking to your pet?

Today’s Slice question: What is your favorite New Year’s Eve scene in a movie?

I’ll dibs the ending of “The Apartment.”