Pet People

I woke up early this morning when I felt my other half stir on his side of the bed. I had barely lifted my head when he said "Don't roll over. It appears one of the cats has thrown up on me." He said it calmly too. He was obviously not surprised or upset. So we got up, squinting in the early sunlight, cleaned up the cat puke, changed the sheets and went back to bed.

I've written before  about my life as a pet person. That is, a life with perpetually hairy furniture and dirty floors. I've always been an "animal person". This is my lot in life. I take care of these creatures, give them a great life, in some cases when no one else would. In return I get unconditional love and companionship along with an occasional dead bird and/or vomit in a weird place. I don't think it's a bad deal.

I once returned a pair of shorts to Wal-Mart that I had bought without trying on. As I handed them to the clerk,  she politely asked "Do you have a dog or a cat?". Oops! I have three cats: one orange, one calico, one gray and white, and one dog who is black and white. They've literally got me covered when it comes to hair on my clothes. It doesn't matter what color I'm wearing, one of them will shed all over me before I leave the house. I used to get embarrassed about it but I don't anymore. I have a few lint rollers I use on important outfits and that's about it. I don't stress about the cleanliness of my house as much as I used to either.

My pets have taught me about life. They remind me to be patient, to relax and enjoy each day. They also help me remember that I am not in control. I lost one of my beloved pets this summer as have my parents and my in-laws. I worked in veterinary medicine for over a dozen years, and I witnessed an incredible amount of joy and sadness come into people's lives through their furry family members. What's always amazing to me is no matter how huge that loss, how crippling that grief is, we're almost always willing to do it again. A "pet person" can always find more love in their heart for the next creature that needs it. 

I've just started thinking about getting a puppy. Sometimes I'm not sure if I'm ready or I dwell on all that comes with a new puppy: chewing, house breaking, crate training plus the huge financial component. Then I think of the last time I got a puppy, eight years ago and what an incredible bond we had. I'm not looking for a dog to take his place, but rather fill the empty space and take on some of the love I have left.

P is for Pets

I blog about my pets often. I know I'm biased, but I think they're pretty extraordinary creatures. When I think back over my life, I can only come up with about 11 months total that I've been without a pet. Even when I lived in college housing I had a parakeet. I was raised with cats and consider myself a "cat lady". I never imagined I'd own one dog, let alone two. They came into my life seven years apart, with no dogs in between, and there is a long interesting story as to how each came to claim me as his person. I truly believe that pets find us and not the other way around. I also believe that each of them have something to give, to bring to our lives, to teach us. My oldest dog has been an incredible companion to me, and has been with me through the most difficult years of my life. I was able to live on my own, which was something I really needed to do, because in him I always had company. My younger dog has taught me patience and compassion in a way I'd never experienced before. There have been countless cats in my life and they remind me to go with the flow and to take care of myself. My youngest cat was a hand raised baby and he is different than any cat I've ever had. I have a large tank full of goldfish that often inspires me to sit and do nothing but watch them, to decompress.

They all remind me constantly what unconditional love is and how important it is to spend time with those who matter most. Through all these amazing animals, I've come to embrace my role in the universe as a caretaker to them and to all the others who will come after them.
This is my lot, to have pet hair on everything I own, nose smears on my car windows and dog treats in my coat pockets.

Messy Pets

        A long time ago, I resigned myself to the belief that I would either have nice things or pets but not both. I don't believe this is true for everyone but it has been for me. I wouldn't say my house is a pig sty by any means but it definitely isn't a neat, tidy place all the time. "Lived in" is what I like to call the look.

       We currently have five pets, which I will admit puts us a bit above my comfortable maximum. Some days are definitely more challenging than others, but I truly believe animals find us for a reason and these creatures all need to be with us right now. Between work and life, sometimes it's hard to find the energy to sweep the floor again immediately after the dogs drag in dead grass, and I often avoid sitting on the floor while wearing dark pants.


       How would my life be different if my car seats weren't covered in dog hair but I'd taken all my road trips alone? Sure the couch wouldn't have dents but it'd probably be a pretty lonely boring house most of the time. For me, it's more than a fair trade.

Weekly Photo Challenge: Unfocused

If I totaled up all the photos I’ve taken of my pets,  I’d surely have more blurry images than focused ones. It usually takes two of three shots to get what I was going for and often by then the moment has passed. When I got a new kitten last spring, I don’t think I got a clear photo of him for at least three months. The photo above was taken when he was about eight weeks old and was looking particularly cute lying on my bed, next to the dog’s face. By the time I said “Oh my gosh, how cute!” and grabbed the camera, the dog had made the mistake of moving his head which prompted the kitten to launch himself onto it. That’s one thing I enjoy about having a house full of pets, there’s always movement and evidence of life, even in the quiet moments. I've never lived in a home without a pet for more than a month or two at a time, even in college housing I had a parakeet. It's just part of who I am. And so I'll always have a bunch of blurry semi cute photos of animals mingled in my photo library because I usually don't want to part with them, but hey it worked out for me this time!