I am a pet lover, especially dogs, and have been doing social

Hear, O listener, the words of Bharti Singh, who declared: “I am a pet lover, especially dogs, and have been doing social work even before the lockdown began.” Though spoken in the tone of daily life, these words shine with the fire of compassion and service. For they reveal a spirit that finds joy not only in the company of faithful animals, but also in the care of society, especially in times when the world trembles with fear and uncertainty.

The love of pets, and above all of dogs, is no small affection. The dog, since the days of ancient hunters and shepherds, has been humanity’s companion—guardian, helper, and friend. To call oneself a pet lover is not merely to enjoy their presence, but to recognize in them loyalty, devotion, and an innocence that teaches the human heart humility. In the gaze of a dog, one finds trust uncorrupted, love without condition, and a mirror of the loyalty that mankind itself often fails to uphold.

But Bharti’s words reach beyond affection for animals. She speaks also of social work, undertaken not for fame but from an inner calling, and begun even before the crisis of the lockdown forced the world into hardship. Here is a lesson that compassion is not born in calamity alone, but is a habit, a discipline, a way of life that prepares the soul to act when storms arise. Just as the wise farmer sows seed before the rains, so the wise servant of humanity begins their work before the world cries out in need.

The ancients themselves honored such lives. Recall the story of Florence Nightingale, who tended the wounded even before the spotlight of war revealed her greatness. When cholera struck London, she did not wait for recognition but acted from the strength of her convictions. So too, Bharti shows that true social work begins not in crisis, but in character. It is not an act to be performed once, but a continuous offering of the self to others.

The union of pet love and social work is not accidental. For he who cares for animals, the voiceless and vulnerable, naturally extends his heart to humans who suffer in silence. The tenderness learned in comforting a trembling dog during thunder teaches the same patience needed to comfort a hungry child or a grieving neighbor. Compassion is one river with many branches: its waters flow to beasts, to men, to all of creation.

O listener, the lesson here is clear: cultivate compassion before the trial comes. Love those near you—your pets, your neighbors, the strangers who cross your path. Do not wait for the hour of disaster to awaken your generosity. When the world falters, be already rooted in kindness, so that your deeds may rise not from sudden impulse but from steady practice. In this way, your life becomes a beacon, shining even before the darkness falls.

Practical wisdom follows: begin where you are. Feed a stray dog. Support a shelter. Visit the sick. Offer help to those in need before they must beg for it. In doing so, you train your soul, so that when greater calamities like the lockdown strike, you do not hesitate, but act as naturally as the heart beats and the lungs draw breath.

Thus I say to you: Bharti Singh’s words are not mere confession, but a teaching. To love dogs is to learn loyalty. To serve through social work is to embody love. And to begin before the world compels you is to prove that compassion is not an act, but a way of life. Walk this path, and your days will shine as offerings of mercy, enduring long after crises have passed.