Animals can teach us endless life and love lessons that we can use to make our lives happier and more fulfilling.

Dogs have taught us to give unconditional love, especially when you come home after a long day at work and get greeted with a slobbery kiss and a wagging tail. We can also learn to set emotional and physical boundaries in our relationships just as we do when training our dogs. Most importantly, we can learn how to communicate with affection to get our needs met. A dog responds to kindness much better than to aggression.

Cats teach us not to be afraid to be alone as they can amuse themselves for hours with nothing more than a piece of paper or string. They teach us to display our affection when someone pampers us by making sounds of pleasure, snuggling and even with eye contact. Many women love to be touched in the same way that a person gently, slowly caresses a cat with loving strokes.

Horses can teach us how to persevere through difficult times and reconnect with ourselves as many people with disabilities have experienced by touching, grooming and riding these beautiful animals. When horses expose their teeth they are smiling or showing submissiveness much like humans.

Lions can teach us to use our strengths wholeheartedly in all that we do, to face our fears with courage and take our sleep seriously. Lions actually try to avoid fights and the lioness plays a major role in the relationship. Lions are very social and have a wider range of communications than other felines.

Monkeys have good communication skills through body language, touching hands, kissing and a variety of gestures and facial expressions, including sticking their tongue out when they are angry. We can learn from them to express our feelings and not keep them inside where they will fester into resentment.

Butterflies are a great example of how we can transform ourselves from gloom into happiness as they transform from caterpillars into magnificent flying butterflies. Their wings are transparent and show us how beautiful it is to truly “see” each other as we are without hiding behind a façade.

Elephants are known for their nurturing and human like cuddling to offer reassurance to their family. We can learn to be protective, loyal and nurturing of the people we love and to let them know that they are making a difference in our lives.

What love lessons have your learned from animals?