Reason #1: Animals can sometimes comfort like nothing or no one else.

I was looking through photographs and as soon as I saw this one, I knew I had to post it as #1.  I'm trying to start off with happy and loving posts, Valentine's Day is right around the corner, ya' know!   It was a couple of years ago, and my 4 year old (at the time) was helping me at dinnertime by bringing the plates from the table to the sink.  She dropped the heavy and sturdy ceramic plate right on her second toe.  Yep, it hurt like heck!  She howled and screamed it seemed for hours and nobody could console her.  My calm and rational husband couldn't do it, her older sister tried jokes and distractions and I was only making it worse by demanding that she put a freezing cold ice pack on her now swollen teeny tiny toe.  I finally got her to lay down on the sofa and elevate her foot with said ice pack.  While she was calming down, we went outside to get some air and exhale.  When I came back in, seconds later, I saw this encounter and HAD to take a picture of it!  My daughter had fallen asleep (passed out from the pain, I am sure) and our dog Wrigley was sitting next to her reaching a paw out to her hand.  I kid you not, we couldn't believe it!  So, when no person could make it better, a four-legged friend did.