D is for Dogs

I recall a clear afternoon many years ago, when I was living in North Carolina. Driving out of my neighborhood on the way to go shopping, I saw a man walking behind a German Shepherd carrying a claw like poop scooper and a plastic grocery bag. Ugh, I thought, I would NEVER follow a dog around with a plastic bag!

At the time I was a self proclaimed cat lady. My mother is still one, in her 60's. She's had at least one cat at all times, since before I was born. When I was five, one of them had kittens under her bed. I would squat down on the floor to peer under at the squirming, mewing little dark clumps. I've loved cats ever since. 

I was living in a one bedroom apartment with four cats when Ritz came into my life. I was working as a veterinary technician. He was an eight week old Shar Pei puppy who was injured and brought in for euthanasia. His injuries weren't actually life threatening and I agreed to nurse him back to health and turn him over to a rescue organization. That plan lasted only a few hours! It became clear to me right away that this little puppy had found me for a reason. 

Throughout the course of his life, Ritz earned the nickname of Cat Dog because his habits were cat like and he absolutely adored all kitties. But even though he and I both were cat lovers, he managed to show me all the wonderful differences between dogs and cats that make canine companions fun!

Ritz was my soul mate. He came to me a few months after I'd separated from my husband and was by my side through the years as I healed and started life over in Montana. If I received an invitation someplace, it was understood that I wouldn't go unless I could take Ritz with me! During the almost eight years he was my companion, he taught me so much about loyalty and showed me the value in embracing one's uniqueness. 

A few weeks before Ritz turned seven, I came home with my second rescue dog. At the time I did not want two dogs. To be honest, I thought I'd never have another dog after Ritz because he was so special. But there was something about Charlie that spoke to me in a way I'd never experienced before. 

My bond with Ritz didn't leave much room for me to connect with Charlie. The two guys tolerated each other but never became buddies.  Then, about 9 months after Charlie came to live with us, Ritz suddenly became ill and passed away a few days later from an advanced cancer of which he had hidden his symptoms from us very well. 

I truly didn't know how my life would go on without Ritz. As I grieved, Charlie stepped up in a way that amazed and comforted me. From that point forward, I've realized that he has an uncanny ability to know exactly what I need and provide me with it. If I needed to lay in bed all day weeping and napping, Charlie was right beside me snoring away. If I wanted to walk five miles, he kept up the whole way. While he is nearly the opposite of Ritz when it comes to personality, Charlie has proven to be  a lovely addition to my life. 

When Ritz died, my heart was broken. I swore I would never get another puppy and go through this again. That lasted about four months! And while I didn't necessarily want a puppy and all the work that comes with it, my heart needed it. 

Tinsley will be two in July. He and Charlie fill my days with love and laughs, and with mud and drool. They are happy, silly, friendly dogs. I don't know that Ritz would approve! And as the second anniversary of Ritz's death approaches, I still miss him regularly but I can see how his journey with me had come to its natural conclusion. He knew I no longer needed a guardian. 

The cool thing is that even though Ritz is no longer with me physically, I know his spirit still lingers. I can see his influence over my current dogs. He taught things to Charlie who in turn taught them to Tinsley. So even though Ritz is gone, his lesson to me is still clear: I need to have a dog (or two!) in my life to remind me how to live each day fully!

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.

Meow

Today I’d like to write about cats. 

I’m a cat person. I’ve owned many cats in my life and have hand raised more kittens that I can count. I’m not ashamed to be called a “cat lady”. Now don’t get me wrong, I like dogs. I work with dogs every day and I own the best dog in the world (who also happens to love cats) but I am not a Dog Person. There’s a difference.

I’ve found that most people tend to gravitate one way or the other. I think you can tell a lot about a person by their choice of pet. Owning a dog is much more demanding both emotionally and physically. They can’t be left alone for long periods of time, they need to go out, to be walked, to be bathed and trained. Cats need to be fed and usually prefer a clean litter box but that’s about it. If you visit the home of someone who owns a dog, you know it. On the other hand, you could stay for several days in a house where three cats live yet never see so much as a whisker. Cats are observers, typically suspicious of everything and usually satisfied with minimal interaction. Owning a cat is much lower maintenance but they make their demands in different ways, like walking on your face while you sleep.

In my opinion, cats are often underappreciated and misunderstood. Most people who say they don’t like cats just haven’t spent enough time around them to realize how amazing they are. Cats are strong and fierce, even a tiny little house cat. I think that’s something you might not fully understand unless you work with cats in a veterinary setting.

I don’t have a philosophical point to make with this essay. I’m not even trying to prove that cats are better than dogs. I simply wanted to acknowledge that my life has been enriched over and over again by the animals I’ve come in contact with (except birds). Being 30 and single and living alone, it was always nice to come home to creatures that were happy to see me. And maybe it’s because I don’t plan to have children but I have found hand raising a litter of kittens to be one of the most rewarding experiences I’ve had.

So the next time you pet your cat or come across one that you don’t even care for too much, take a minute to appreciate it’s awesomeness. And then either feed it or leave it alone.