Sunday, February 28, 2016

How Pets Can Make a House a Home

FUR BABIES!


I am going to be brutally honest.
My life is a piece of CRAZY pie!
I have three teenagers.
I work full-time as a fourth grade teacher
at a low-income public school.
We live in Santa Barbara, but my husband works
in Los Angeles 4 days a week -
so I am a sort of "single mom" half of the week.


Oh, yeah.
And, I have 3 animals -
otherwise known as the fur babies.


These pets bring with them a lot of work and responsibility.
 Sometimes, when I've been really down, they have "saved" me from loneliness... despair.
They give unconditional love.
Isn't that what makes a house a home?


When I see that little pug mug looking at me with such
hope and anticipation,
I cannot imagine not having my fur babies in my life.




First, meet Nemo.
Yes, he is named after a famous fish - and perhaps that his given him a bit of an inferiority complex.  He seems to be the most "needy" of all our fur babies.
My daughter named her new kitten Nemo on Christmas Day because, at first, his one ear was smaller than the other.

He just wants LOVE (except he wants it ALL the time).
 Nemo likes to curl up on my lap and he is always a true-blue companion.
He has the run of my home.


Then, there is Nemo's sister, Lollipop.
She is beautiful - her coloring is so unusual!
Like most gorgeous girls, she is aloof and indifferent to most.
However, she LOVES truly and deeply...
my daughter, Abby.
Lollipop wants to be with Abby constantly.
She will snuggle her, lie on her head... anything just to be close.  The great thing is that Abby loves Lollipop just as fiercely.
When Abby goes away for a night or weekend,
Lollipop paces in front of Abby's bedroom door.
She looks at me like, "What have YOU done with her???"
Although Lolly is aloof, she will come and snuggle me from time to time.  She PURRS!  Loudly!
Lollipop helps remind me to take time to enjoy the simple pleasures.


And then there is this little chunky-monkey!!!
This is Toodles, my other daughter's dog.
Maggie was obsessed with pugs for the entire year 
in 1st grade.
She made every school picture, story, or poem relate to "her" pug - no matter what the prompt!
When Toodles was given to Maggie as a Christmas gift,
it was the MOST excited I have ever seen her.


When Baby Toodles came to us, she was the size
of a Webkinz stuffed animal.  TINY!
Well, her "womanly figure" has grown a bit since then.
However, as her belly has increased, so has her sweetness.
Toodles is a love bug.  She adores everyone.
She is the perfect family dog.

In reality, Toodles is kinda "my dog".
She has really attached to me - much to Maggie's chagrin.
Toodles goes CRAZY when I come home -
and many times, after a hard day teaching, that simple love is a remedy for almost all that ails me.


I try to hit a "happy medium" when it comes to my animals' place in my life.
I have a hubby & 3 kids... and they come FIRST.
I don't like to treat my fur babies like humans - or even close.
Still, they mean a lot to me...
and to my whole family.


Having pets is a big choice -
and many times it can be tough
(like the time, recently, when Toodles was skunked!!!).




They are HERE and I am happy for it.


I really believe that
LOVE
makes a house a home.
My family & I love our fur babies...
and they love us in return.

2 comments:

  1. You could not be MORE right!!!! We have a pound kitty who rules the roost. When we are both home and I go outside, hubby says the princess cat howls like a demon until she can see me out a window.....
    Animals are such special friends, and yours are all beautiful!
    Blessings to you and your menagerie,
    J

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