My parents had a cat and a dog when they brought me home from the hospital, and I have always had at least one pet since. All of my animals have been rescues. I think that there is something to be said for saving an animal that is already in the world, as opposed to buying one that is born especially for you. Or at least that always was my thought...
We had to give Bear and Ripley away earlier this month. Our two babies before we had a baby. Bear thought I was his mother, I was the only person in the world that he wasn't at all afraid of. And Ripley would wait all day for my husband to get home and let her hang out in the garage with him. They were so spoiled, they even had their own monogrammed Christmas stockings. We loved them both very much, but they weren't the right match for us after Ellie arrived. We tried to make it work for almost a year.
Ripley kills small animals. If she sees it as a nuisance, it's dead. In the case of the annoying crow or a field mouse trying to get to the dog food in the garage, good riddance. But I never trusted her enough to let her near my sweet, sweet girl. The people at the Heartworm Project where we got her said that she wouldn't be good around small children. We thought babies were years away and that she would have time to calm down. Surprise! She's precious, she just doesn't know her own strength and needs to be around big kids and adults. If you are looking for a teddy bear who happens to be an extremely intimidating watch dog, she's your girl. She loves visitors after it is clear that you are ok with them, but not a second sooner. I loved this about her!
Bear learned that he could jump a 5' fence. We tried everything. We added an invisible fence and it made no difference. He scratched and scratched at the collar and gave himself a wound that got infected. It was awful. We live on a busy road and I was concerned he would get hit. He was also entirely anti-social. He loved dogs and cats, but only me from the human variety. We decided that it would be best if he went to a home with more animals. He was constantly stressed. If he heard voices from the TV, he thought strangers were here and would sit in the back of his kennel or bark at the back door but refuse to come inside. He certainly was sweet, thought. I am going to miss him terribly.
And now, as of two weeks ago, we have Jake. He's a Golden Retriever. My brother got him from a breeder in the summer of 2008. He has since lived with my dad and his wife. They have two other retrievers: Bailey and Diana. Bailey looks like a lion and is the most laid back animal ever, and Diana is the spitfire who runs the show. She only lets the other dogs eat when it's ok with her. Crazy how things work in the animal kingdom, huh? So sweet Jake came to live at our house to escape Diana's harsh rule. He's the perfect animal for Ellie. She sits on him and pulls his fur and he couldn't be happier about it. He spends most of the day laying on the air conditioning vent in the living room. He has his own spot on the couch AND my husband lets him sleep in our room. Life is good for Jake. We love him most because, though we would never leave him alone with her, he can be trusted with our baby. We know where he came from and what his parents were like. He's predictable and gentle. We will miss Bear and Ripley, our first two kids, but Jake is a much better fit for the little princess who now runs our house.
I adore "Real Simple" magazine, and I think they have the smartest ideas.
Here is an article they published about choosing the right pet. Do it right the first time and it will save you a lot of heartache.
No comments:
Post a Comment