My pets, aka my kids, have always had a huge impact on my life. Our little long-haired dachshund, SweetPea, gave us the funniest memories growing up….from her piddling every time my Grandma came over from pure excitement, to my sister placing her on the mantel for a photoshoot after dressing her up in human clothes…poor thing! She is now an angel and my mom, sis, and I can sleep at night knowing we will see her again one day. She was/is our family. Now all grown up and living in my own home in LA with my sister, we have a pet collection which we call our farm. Kya, the big white fluffy diva that looks like the Cinderella kitty flew in all the way from Texas. Then came the 20 lb Yorkie (DNA tested…seriously, 20 lbs) Sampson, aka Sammy Boy, was my little hero when my brand new puppy passed away on my birthday. Saddest day ever. He brightened my world when he came into my life and sleeps in my bed under the covers every night. He’s the man of the house….the barker…the protector.
We found Bodacious Bob, our pit/lab/boxer at a shelter a few years ago and was my sister’s favorite birthday present ever. He is the sensitive one. He does not like the sound of the dishwasher, toaster, or Nokia commercials. Ohhhh scary! He sleeps in the Yorkie’s bed and Sammy sleeps in the Pit Bull’s bed. They are bff’s. Aiden is our newest member of the household. He was found in a recycling bin as two-week old kitten and on the first night, made himself right at home so we knew he belonged to us. Oh Aiden. The troublemaker that never gets in trouble because he is the baby ,of course! He flooded our entire kitchen thinking it was amusing to hold down the Sparkletts water dispenser button all day long! That was fun to clean up.
When I get home from a long trip or just running a couple of errands, they each greet me with a sloppy kiss and a wag of the tail. My life wouldn’t be as beautiful without their special little quirks and unconditional love.
My little sister is now a veterinary technician and was born to work with the furry friends. We have gotten very used to her bringing home cardboard boxes filled with different animals since she was little so it’s no surprise that now our home in Los Angeles has been turned into an official rehabilitation center for pets with disabilities. I have also taken on her need to lend a helping hand, rescuing stray and/or lost puppies from around the neighborhood (who now all have happy homes with a loving family) so we usually have a pretty full house.
The last little guy we had was Trooper, a Poodle/Shitzu mix that was only 12 weeks old. He had been accidentally shut in a car door and was about to be humanely euthanized because the family couldn’t pay for the medical bills, which is a lot more frequent then you might think. My sister had the ownership of the pup relinquished over to us and we took the little man in. She provided him with the necessary x-rays, IV fluids and medications he needed
