All of my life we have always had dogs and cats. So my love for animals started early. I remember my first real pet, was a black Poodle, which we picked out on Father's Day one year. My dad thought since we got the poodle on Father's Day we should name him Papa. Thankfully, our new dog didnt get stuck with that name. Somehow, he ended with the name Pooch Sir Dino O'Bryan. We called him Pooch or Poochie, he was such a good dog.
We have had several dogs and cats since then, my dad didn't always agree to keep them, but somehow we managed to sneak a few in here and there through the years.
Today, we have 2 dogs and 2 cats. Miss Kitty was a stray cat, who we adopted when she was 6 months old. She will be 11 in December and still looks like a kitten, she was a runt. Cute as can be but she is definitely my mom's cat. Miss Kitty sleeps with my mom and steers clear from me. When she was an outdoor cat, Miss Kitty used to curl up on my lap and purr. Since we have adopted her and had to give her medicine from time to time, I think she remembers that and holds that against me. Every now and then she will "let" me pet her, and that is just what I mean.
Pepper, who Brittanee picked out July 2011 at Petsmart, is a Hemingway cat. What kind of cat is that, you ask? One with extra toes on each paw. She literally looks like she walks with a mitten on, especially the front paws. Because Pepper was pretty sick when she was a young kitten, she was never declawed as we have had all of our cats done in the past. So every 6-8 weeks I take Pepper to have nail caps put on so she cant scratch and she feels like she is getting a pedicure. :) Brittanee was supposed to take Pepper after she graduated from college but because I was unemployed for 11 months and spent every day with Pepper when she was sick and when she wasn't ....I can't part with her. She is frisky and gets in a lot of "kitty cat trouble" as I tell her, but right before we go to sleep she is a smoochy little furball. Pepper turned 1 in May.
Sasha, our German Shepherd, has been with us for about 6 years, she is around 10 or 11 years old and has some hip problems. Sasha is a needy dog and has separation anxiety when my mom is not near her. She paces the floor and sometimes wont eat if my mom is not home. Sasha is very gentle for being a German Shepherd. A loving dog, she could take or leave the cats. She loves her sister Baby. Sasha never really knew how to play with any toys and still doesn't. She loves bones.
Then enter Baby, she is 6 years old. We have had Baby 4 years. She was a stray that hung around our neighborhood for 2 years and managed to get hit my a car (and heal herself), have a litter of puppies (unfortunately they didn't survive), and evade the dog catchers for 2 years! Baby is part White Shepherd and part Chow. She is very loving. She sits on her butt like a person, she thinks she is a lap dog at times at 65 lbs. She loves Pepper and Pepper loves her too. Baby likes to be touching someone most of the time. I would love to have seen Baby as a puppy.
I also have a grandcat, Teddy. He is so presh! His eyes hold so much expression and he is a big boy! He is a Maine Coon cat. He is the true definition of a cat, he only wants you around on his terms. He doesn't like to be held (like Pepper), and when he has had enough he will smack you with his ever so powerful paw. We will be keeping Teddy for a few months when Brittanee moves, until she is settled. Pepper will like that. She and Miss Kitty still do not get along so we must keep them apart. When Teddy went back to Indy a few weeks ago, Pepper was depressed for 2 days. Yes, they fight, but not hissing and carrying on, and finally Pepper has met her match. Teddy doesn't start the arguments but he is not innocent either. Who would have thought Pepper would ever be able to get along with another cat? Well, that is what happened, finally, with Teddy. We welcome Teddy back with open arms...even though he could care less.
Our animals are more than just animals, they are members of our family. I know some people don't like pets, some are allergic to them, some don't treat them well, some have wayyy tooo many, etc. Miss Kitty, Pepper, Sasha, Baby and Teddy are near and dear to our hearts, and yes, this an animal house and it will always be that way!!
Animals lovers unite!!!
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