My New Pets

As a kid, I had a variety of pets. At one time, I even had a pet cow. Yes, I said a pet cow. I lived on a farm, it was a calf that had been born on the dairy farm we lived on. At that time, I also had a dog, Sparky, and two cats, Sylvester and Spooky. And, yes, Sylvester looked just like the cat from the cartoons. I don't remember much of this, seeing that I was only four at the time. I remember having the pets, and this is reinforced by stories from my mother.

After that brief period of several pets, I never really had that many pets. My mom had a couple birds, that I hated. They made noise constantly. I had a fish tank, but then my step-dad put some fish he found in the river in my fish tank, and it ate my fish. Other than that, I never had a pet until we got another dog when I was in junior high. Buster was a good dog, for the most part, but he wasn't very bright. He ate everything that didn't move, and a few things that did. He even at the linoleum right off our floor. Unfortunately, this bad habit of his is what led him to his demise. He decided it was a good idea to eat some of the insulation we had stacked up in the basement during a renovation project we had been working on. He had to be put to sleep.

I was sad. I did like the dog, and was usually the one that ended up taking him for his walks. Having said that, though, I have always been more of a cat person, but I was never allowed to have a cat. I don't hate dogs. I like them, actually. I just prefer cats. They don't make as much noise, don't need to be walked, keep themselves clean, etc. Low maintenance pets suit me just fine.

Later on, Buster was replaced by another dog, Bear. She was my baby sister's dog from the word go. She played with her constantly, dressed her up in clothes, and Bear slept in her room. She was definitely not my dog. Which suited me just fine, because I moved away not long after that.

I then lived for years without a single pet. Not even a gold fish. Nothing. Then I got married and got a pet of a different sort. Just kidding. We did eventually get a dog, Gracie, for our daughter. That was a bad idea from the start. We lived in base housing, and didn't have a yard. This wasn't a huge issue, because we got a smaller-sized dog. The real issue was the fact that Gracie refused to walk on a leash. We had to pick her up and carry her to the car the day we got her from the animal shelter. We had a small patio with an even smaller flower bed along one edge. She did her business in the flower bed. Needless to say, I never planted any flowers.

My daughter loved Gracie. We later added to our pets by getting our daughter a fish tank, and I finally got another cat. I only had to wait 23 years to get one, but I got a cat. Sugar was my other baby. I spoiled that cat as much as I spoiled my daughter. I got Sugar from a friend of mine who was moving and couldn't take the cat with her. Sugar was the best cat I have ever met. She was sweet, affectionate, but not overly needy. She didn't attack you, claw things or tear up the furniture. Gracie and Sugar got along very well. None of the cartoon-ish cats against dogs animosity.

My husband eventually got deployed, and I was left to care for everything. Taking care of the pets on top of taking care of my daughter, keeping the house clean, and everything else that needed to be done just became to much. Since the cat was easier to take care of, the dog had to go. I am not the type of person to just drop a pet off at the shelter when I get bored with it, so I talked to a friend of mine. She had been wanting to get a dog for a long time. I saw it as a good solution. She had a yard, she wanted to get a pet for her daughter, and my daughter would still get to see Gracie from time to time. My daughter still has not forgiven me for giving Gracie away.

Sadly, I had to move back home after my divorce, and I could not take Sugar with me either. I let my ex keep her, with the promise that he would take good care of her, and that if I wanted her back, we would find a way to get it taken care of. My ex did not hold up his end of the deal, and Sugar fell ill and died. I was heart-broken. He told my daughter that Sugar had run away. How do you tell a four-year old that her cat died?

As I said, I moved back home. Back to my parent's house, and the dogs. Yes, they had added another dog since I had been there the last time. Bear had been joined by Ollie, a sweet natured Lab. Bear is moody and stubborn, and Ollie acts as if she is constantly starved for attention. I wasn't a happy person. I was always covered in dog hair, and both the dogs were long haired dogs. I dealt with it as best I could.

Here I am, in Florida, enjoying my first few weeks in my new home. I have acquired a menagerie of pets. In the house there is a Mastiff-Boxer mix dog, Mugsy, who loved me instantly, and for some strange reason, I adore him. He is a big, clumsy dog, and he always wants attention. He follows me around the house, lays at my feet when I sit on the couch, and always manages to lay his head in my lap when he wants to be petted. Like I said, I am more of a cat person, and he is the furthest thing from a cat, but I adore him completely.

Added to the giant dog that my daughter could ride like a pony is a bearded lizard named Buddy. His home is a giant tank in the living room with rocks, bedding, a little pool and a branch that he loves to sun himself on. I have never been fond of lizards, and I HATE snakes, but as long as I don't have to hold him, I do OK. I feed him his salad (yes, we feed him salad), and the rest of his care is handled by my boyfriend.

There is another tank as well. This one holds two turtles. Don't ask me what kind. I really have no idea. They are cute, and a little shy, and one of them seems to be bent on getting the heck out of here. He has escaped at least three times that I know of. I keep telling my boyfriend that it's a sign that we should set him free, but he doesn't want to do it. The turtles are pretty low maintenance. Feed them every day, make sure there is enough water in the tank to keep the filter and pump from making noise, and change the water every so often.

Strange thing is, with all these pets already in the house, I want to add more. I still want to get a cat, and I want another fish tank. I love fish. There is something soothing and calming about a fish tank. The turtles are just not the same. I plan on getting both in the future. I just got here. I got time. I guess I should get a job first. My only concern is how Mugsy, the dog, will handle having a cat in the house. I'm kind of afraid that he will eat a cat if given the opportunity. That scares me a little. I wonder if it's worth the risk.