Furry Friends

We're very soft-hearted people. I think we just have so much love to give we can't help ourselves. I have no desire to live in a pet store/zoo. I've always coped by steering clear of pet stores. After all I've said many times that having two kids, a cat and a dog is just right. It all started with the old gecko habitat. For those of you who didn't know we lost Milo (Isaac's leopard gecko) a few month's ago. Well, when Mike moved the empty tank off of Isaac's dresser he started thinking it would be nice to have fish in the bedroom.

Picture me annoyed, but accepting that there is NOTHING I can do to change his mind. My husband doesn't know the meaning of simple. Several batches of fish (and broken hearts), plants, countless hours, a significant financial investment, a cracked aquarium (and resulting flood), PH test strips and so on...We have said functioning aquarium with healthy happy swimmers in it. All those trips to the pet store were trouble though. I was still grieving the first set of fish I named and lost it was a dangerous time for Mike to bring me along to get "one more plant" for the fish tank.

I had a dwarf hamster when I was on bed rest with Riley. Her name was Gulliver, Gully for short, and she was gray and white like Thumper and the sweetest little critter ever. It really broke my heart when she passed. I had so much guilt that I wasn't the best caretaker given the circumstances and I said I'd never have another hamster. I'm wrong a lot. We went in for a plant and came out with 6 new fish and a female dwarf hamster. I named her Gertrude, Gertie for short. Miss Gertie has white and brown patches.

It was not our normal pet store and soon after all the fish Mike bought there had to be quarantined and subsequently died from Ich. It was awful. The pet store not caring properly for the fish wasn't the end of it either, Gertie was terrified of hands. I mean Terrified. I always believed dwarf hamsters don't bite. Apparently, if they aren't given enough human contact even if they're raised in a pet store they bite. The locked cage and apathetic employees that we had to practically assault to get to help us should have been a clue.

Like any animal she can be rehabilitated, but it's a slow frustrating process. While I'd never send her back to that awful pet store (or buy an animal from them again) it was not fun to have a hamster I couldn't touch. So, to kill time one day while we had a sitter (Yay! Mother-in-law) Mike and I wondered into our old pet store (TROUBLE). We discussed getting another hamster to love on while we keep working with Gertie. I never wanted more than one hamster. Never. The situation was such a bummer though.

So, we visited with all the hamsters. I thought I was safe because they didn't have any dwarfs, but Mike found the lovey-est little gray teddy bear hamster. She stepped so carefully on our hands and nuzzled against us and well it was over. We had enough cage pieces to house the two separately and we'd just stalked up on food and fluff. She was half the price too (figure that out?!?). Riley calls her Princess Buttercup, but I call her Thumbellina. She's all gray.

Here she is on my desk (aka hamster Disneyworld).

It may be time to clean my desk, I appear to have a rodent problem..."

"Faster than a speeding bullet..."

"Whatcha working on there, Mom?"

"Hold on, let me just take a few notes"

Puppy Picking

This week we realized had been in our house a year, had a fenced backyard and our youngest was potty trained. All the things we were waiting for had happened. Then Mike was leaning over my computer showing me some beautiful Golden Retriever puppies. I hesitated because for so long there were reasons it didn't make sense, but there weren't any now. The only thing that worried me was our up coming weekend in Boston. So before I entertained the possibility, I called the person who takes such good care of Riley and loves dogs more than anyone I know. I guess the long wait to get to this point made me paranoid because I expected to be judged and called crazy. Instead my friend was thrilled for me and happy to puppy sit in a month.

Then I hit the phones. The first litter Mike found was very close to home, but they were already 8 weeks and ready to go to their new homes. I missed the last puppy, by 15minutes. I got despondent. What if God doesn't want us to have a dog? But I want one so bad and we're ready now. Than I made two more calls and left voice mails expressing interest in puppies and waited.

We talked over the last year about rescuing a dog and getting an older dog, etc. In the long run we decided starting from the beginning was the best thing for our family. We both wanted to feel secure about the dog's temperament. We needed a smart, friendly dog that can handle Mom's mobility issues, a toddler and a nine year old boy.

When my phone rang, I just about cried from excitement. A wonderful lady had Golden Retriever puppies left. She had boys and girls. They were a day away from 7weeks and an hour and a half away. We decided to go meet them that evening. The kids were beside themselves with excitement.

We had three little ones to choose between and only one was a boy. I was sure I wanted a boy too. I had told the breeder and Mike as much. I had boy dogs growing up. He was wonderful too. First born of the litter and already a looker.

He was an assertive little sweatie pie and I was a little biased so I spent a lot of time with him at first. Total lovebug. Then I made a point to visit his sister and suddenly my heart was aching at having to choose between them. She was a little more passive, but no shrinking violet by any means. She was very sweet. Wouldn't you know it, she is our new baby. She comes home next Saturday.

We're complete. I'm so happy. I can't wait to have her home.