Tracks That Built Me - I Feel Love

When I was a kid, my favorite movie was Benji.

I’d grab the VHS tape, crawl into my parents’ bed, and as soon as I Feel Love by Charlie Rich started playing, I was locked in. I watched that movie over and over again. Something about that scrappy little dog, running around town, protecting the people he loved, just made sense to me. Benji didn’t need a reason to love—he just did. And even as a kid, I think I understood how rare that kind of love is.

That’s the thing about animals. Their love is simple, innocent, and unconditional. And if you pay attention, they can change the way you see the world.

We often say there's nothing quite like the love of a pet, but what makes it so special? Maybe it's because they love us at our worst—when we're in our rattiest pajamas, having our thousandth existential crisis, or just need someone to sit with us in silence. They don't care about our accomplishments or our failures—they just care about us.

I didn’t have Benji, but I had Earl. Earl was our family dog, and his mission in life was to protect us. He didn’t want much—just to know we were safe. We once tried taking him to the beach, thinking he’d love it, but he had no interest. He was happiest at home, watching over his family. The night after he passed, I realized just how much I had relied on him. I couldn’t sleep. For the first time, I felt scared, like I had lost my protector. Because I had.

But I’ve always been a cat person (yes, I'll proudly wear the 'crazy cat lady' badge). My first cat, Champ, was an orange tabby with tiny kitten ears that eventually grew into a very oversized unit of a cat. He loved me unconditionally—maybe because I fed him, maybe because he just did. We’ll never know. He had the typical orange cat attitude, playful and feisty, but mostly he loved to eat and nap. Honestly, cats really have life figured out.

Now my life is ruled (quite literally) by Dolly and Kenny, named after the country music royalty Dolly Parton and Kenny Rogers. They’re twins but total opposites. For the first two months, we thought Kenny was a girl and named him Willadeene (Dolly’s sister). To this day, I’m not sure he’s fully grown out of that name. Dolly, the runt, is tiny but rules the house with her sass and demands. At just nine pounds, she somehow manages to have everyone following her around, doing her bidding. And sweet, sweet Kenny—he just wants to be near his people, to love them, and most of all, to sleep. That cat sleeps hard.

Each of these animals has changed me in some way. Earl taught me about loyalty and protection. Champ taught me about trust. Dolly reminds me that love can be loud and demanding, while Kenny proves that sometimes love is just presence. But the one thing they all have in common? They love without conditions. They don’t expect anything in return. They don’t hold grudges. They just love.

Like that haunting melody in 'I Feel Love,' the impact of these animals on our lives lingers long after they're gone. They shape us, change us, and show us a kind of love that asks for nothing but gives everything. Whether it's a dog who makes it his mission to protect you, or a cat who chooses to share their kingdom with you, these relationships leave permanent pawprints on our hearts.

So maybe that's why little Benji and that Charlie Rich song still resonate with me today. They remind me of a simple truth: in a world that often demands we prove our worth, our pets offer us something rare and precious—love without conditions, presence without judgment, and companionship without complexity.

Just like Benji taught us all those years ago, sometimes the purest love comes with four paws and a tail.