I love animals. My father's side of the family are farmers. They began with dairy cows, chickens and lambs two generations ago. My dad had cows, then a full hog operation, and some chickens or the odd goat here and there. I spent summers and weekends knee deep in manure, moving cattle, pulling pigs, helping clip teeth and tails, you name it. I used to take naps under the heat lamps with the weaned nursery pigs in winter. Big surprise I have more animals than the City allows. Shhhhh!
Currently the Grand Pooh-bah of our household is snoring next to me. General Eisenhower (he goes by "Buddy") is 9 whopping pounds of pure Alpha Male. He is my first pet as an adult. I adopted him after I completed my Masters Degree in 2007. He is 8 years old, rules the roost, snores like a bear, and is pretty much the most intelligent being on the planet.
Meet Buddy!
Buddy looks more like Martin Van Buren than Dwight Eisenhower,
But, you know, Van Buren really didn't do shit and wasn't a General, so...
Next came "Lucky". Really imaginative name, I know. I blame my husband. Technically she's his. While we were living out in the West Texas desert (where we met), this little bundle of joy and incontinence literally jumped into my jeep. There is a real problem with the pet population where we lived, to the extent that strays would become packs and roam the desert, and many, many animals had to be put down monthly due to overpopulation. SPAY and NEUTER folks! Anyway, she was dirty and covered in ticks, and we called the dog catcher to see if anyone had reported her missing. She was a pup, maybe 15-17 pounds. Looked like a border collie mix. We assumed she would be about 45 pounds max. Nope.
Lucky is a special one. Not all that bright, literally has incontinence. She pees when she falls asleep...often. Listening isn't really her specialty. While we were moving she had to stay with my in-laws for ONE DAY. She was in heat but had her spay appointment for 2 days later. She was 65 pounds, my in laws had "Poncho," a 6 pound Chihuahua. Yep, little hussy got pregnant. There was only one and it was not viable anyway, but like I said, this dog.....she's just, a special one. We love all 75 pounds of her though. She excels at cuddling, and it's always a bonus when she doesn't accidentally pee on you.
Meet Lucky!
We had just moved back to the big city, and purchased our first house in the suburbs when I decided that every home needed a cat. Nothing says "Home" like a disinterested fur ball who destroys your furniture and has no time for you. For our first Christmas in our new house my husband adopted a cat for me. We named him "Newman." I can't really say anything bad about Newman. He is totally over the litter box. He intimidates all the dogs (as you can imagine he and Buddy are the best of friends. Seriously, they are like a pair of evil geniuses). He snuggles, he doesn't hurt the furniture or curtains, he potties outside (for the most part), he catches and brings me wildlife, and behaves much like a dog. I like him.
Meet Newman! (He is giving side-eye but I'm sure it isn't personal)
Well. We had enough pets. Three is perfect. Until your coworker finds a stray mama dog with two puppies. The puppies were easy to find homes for. The mama, not so much. So what do I say? Suuuure! I'll take her. Maybe she will be a good companion for Lucky since Buddy avoids her like the plague. Great! So I adopt a long haired Chi-Weenie who needs to have 7 teeth pulled and has a severe case of the "stinks". We named her Squeak. She has already had to have a $1000 surgery on her hip, and as I said before, has had 7 of her teeth pulled. Oh, and she has snaggle teeth. Her breath is atrocious. Always. I think it's internal and a byproduct of street life. She is, however, the sweetest (noisiest) thing. She and Buddy get along well, and she runs (and barks) with the bigger dogs too. She is the cuddle master of the household. She also likes to take little craps by the bedroom door in the middle of the night for my husband to step in. We love her dearly.
Meet Squeak!
Just when we have become overrun by animals, not 3 weeks after we take in Squeak, my husband walks in the house with a tiny puppy that a jogger found in front of our house. We are officially stray magnets. He SAYS he only brought it in because he thought it was a neighbor dog, and he was sure I would know who it belonged to. I think he sits on a throne of lies. He had that look in his eye from the minute he brought her in. And, as if Lucky knew as well, she chose team Husband and decided to bond to that little pup INSTANTLY. I mean, those two were and are absolutely inseparable. Molly is perfectly potty trained, listens pretty well, loves Lucky to death, and is basically an ideal dog. Her only deal is that she is hyper and a runner. Otherwise, no prob. She is like a little fire hydrant, and doesn't sit still unless she is asleep. She also likes to eat all my plants and tries to eat the house. She is a little dear.
Meet Molly! (With her other half, of course)
So, we have an embarrassing number of pets. We try to take group photos, you know, for holiday cards. Yeah right. This is as close as it gets, and that is with treats dangling.
These guys will be referenced often and will most likely turn up in all of my pictures involving food or gardening, as they are right there to eat the food or plants whenever I have made or planted something. As much as I make fun of myself and complain about them, I couldn't imagine life without any of them. They fill the house and are sweet and cuddly and endlessly entertaining.
I suppose it is back to "resting" for me which will entail making turkey soup and striving for a nap, which I will never take, and will leave me exhausted for the rest of the day. Buddy is my #1 for the day, making sure he gets a good 18-20 hours of rest and encouraging me to do the same. Just in case I do fall asleep, Lucky and Molly will be sure to go into a fit of barking every 2-3 hours to check if I'm still alive.
Happy Monday from me and my herd!
No comments:
Post a Comment