
It's weird to believe that it's October and autumn! This is the season that the animals here love. The cats watch the scenery from the window and Tips loves jumping in and out of leaf piles. It's getting cooler, so they are also huddling near the heaters and blankets.
My husband, Brian, and I treat these three furry creatures as part of our family. We grew up with animals, both cats and dogs. Brian had a snake when he was in the Air Force. My parents had a cat and two dogs when I was born. Over the years, the amount has increased and decreased in size.

This is ours.
When I left my parents' house in early 2012, I took my cat, Tabitha, with us to Maine. She was the first pet we had living together. She was old when we moved, and she died six months after we settled in our new home. Brian had no pets when we started living together because he had been homeless.

Some weeks later, Brian's brother (from another mother) said his cat had kittens. When she was weaned, we went over and allowed Calvin to sit with the kittens. Only one came to him - a calico, who we named Myra. Her life was short. She passed before Christmas the year we moved into our current home. Another cat living here found her.
The cats we have now were abandoned by their previous owners. We allowed people we thought were friends to

come live with us. We thought they were in trouble. When we found out they lied, they were told to leave. They did not take much with them past 2/4 cats they brought with them. This is how we got Rory (fat orange tabby) and Skaara (skinny calico asshole). Rory is my son's cat and Skaara is...well, not really into people unless he comes to you and rubs.
Earlier this year, I had an itch, something my husband mentioned he wanted: a dog. We could not afford the prices of a shelter and found several free pet groups online. Mostly, there were pit bulls and small mobile footballs. I found Drako and immediately fell in love. I did not care if he was a pit bull/bulldog mix. He was a cuddly baby and he was mine.

Drako had a problem, though: too much walking made him tired. No matter how much water I gave him, it was never enough. Vet mentioning keeping him out of the humidity and keeping him cool. All of us thought it was an overheating issue...not cancer. The previous holders did not tell us about the cancerous lump on his leg.
Calvin and I were walking him to Price Rite. We wanted to get some snacks. Drako was getting tired every few feet. We had to stop and let him rest or, I sometimes picked him up. By the time we reached the shade of the store, Drako was shaking and weak. I thought it was the normal problems...
We could not go without a dog now. Calvin had gotten so used to that routine and was freaking out enough that I checked the Facebook groups again for another furry friend. Lo and behold, we found another pit bull: Tips. We brought him home 2 days after Drako died.
For me, it was a bad choice. I felt immense guilt and pain about this decision. It was too soon for me. I had been crying nonstop on and off. Sometimes, when I disciplined Tips, I thought it was too rough - the yelling, the tears and the frustration bubbling underneath.
It's been over 2 months since that time. I have gotten better with my anger and grief. Tips is a part of this family, as much as Skaara and Rory are. We will always be open to more.
And that is all we need.
Namaste!
Comments