Pets...
If you have ever had a pet than you know how much they mean to you. We have been lucky to have the ones that we do, even though they sometimes have had some bad habits. Before Bob and I were even married we had a dog, Katie. She was rescued from the pound in January of 1990. She has truly been a member of our family for a long time. On January 11 she became so sick that we had to make the unhappy decision to have her put to sleep. It was a hard decision, but one that had to be made. We had to make that same decision for our German Shepard, Siggy, two years ago.
Towards then end of her life, Katie could barely walk and was probably deaf. Just about every morning Bob carried her out to the bathroom. He would have continued to do this indefinitely if he had to, because Katie was his best friend. I think he took her death much harder than I did, because I had a feeling that the end was near for her. I prayed that she would not die on his birthday and mericifully, she waited two days. She would have done anything for Bob, because he was her best friend, too.
We have always loved having pets and after Siggy died probably would have got another dog, but I truly felt that because Katie was over 13 years old at the time, it would not have been fair. She probably would have been fine, but I thought she should have some peace in her old age.
After she died, we wanted to get a new dog right away. We had the space in our home and hearts for a new friend. So I started to look online and eventually went to the Baltimore County Humane Society. I found a really neat dog there and unfortunately, he had a family that was coming back for him on the weekend. So on a friends suggestion, I went to the kennel where I used to board Siggy, to look at some hurricane Katrina puppies. By this point, I was fed up with the whole resue process. You have to wait at least a week at times, while they check vet references and personal references and in some cases do a home inspection. The problem with this seems to be that they have all of this red tape and make it hard to adopt a pet. After speaking to somebody who boards rescue animals, I was left with the impression that some rescue groups board the animals, but never find homes for them. This is truly annoying. Thankfully, the owner of the kennel remebered my dog Siggy and suggested that I call somebody regarding a dog that needed a home. I called that day and had the dog that evening.
Then comes Vinny...
Vinny is just over a year old and is a weird mix of German Shepard, Great Dane and Saint Bernard. He is not as big as you would think. Just like the other dogs we used to have, he has some annoying habits. He barks a good bit and is a chewer. These habits make him a bit hard to deal with (Sorry Amanda), but I think with proper training, he will become a much better dog. I have contacted a trainer and he will start obedience classes on March 2nd. I will keep you guys posted on his progress.
Having a pet is never easy, but honestly, the work that it takes is truly rewarded by a very good friend.
Towards then end of her life, Katie could barely walk and was probably deaf. Just about every morning Bob carried her out to the bathroom. He would have continued to do this indefinitely if he had to, because Katie was his best friend. I think he took her death much harder than I did, because I had a feeling that the end was near for her. I prayed that she would not die on his birthday and mericifully, she waited two days. She would have done anything for Bob, because he was her best friend, too.
We have always loved having pets and after Siggy died probably would have got another dog, but I truly felt that because Katie was over 13 years old at the time, it would not have been fair. She probably would have been fine, but I thought she should have some peace in her old age.
After she died, we wanted to get a new dog right away. We had the space in our home and hearts for a new friend. So I started to look online and eventually went to the Baltimore County Humane Society. I found a really neat dog there and unfortunately, he had a family that was coming back for him on the weekend. So on a friends suggestion, I went to the kennel where I used to board Siggy, to look at some hurricane Katrina puppies. By this point, I was fed up with the whole resue process. You have to wait at least a week at times, while they check vet references and personal references and in some cases do a home inspection. The problem with this seems to be that they have all of this red tape and make it hard to adopt a pet. After speaking to somebody who boards rescue animals, I was left with the impression that some rescue groups board the animals, but never find homes for them. This is truly annoying. Thankfully, the owner of the kennel remebered my dog Siggy and suggested that I call somebody regarding a dog that needed a home. I called that day and had the dog that evening.
Then comes Vinny...
Vinny is just over a year old and is a weird mix of German Shepard, Great Dane and Saint Bernard. He is not as big as you would think. Just like the other dogs we used to have, he has some annoying habits. He barks a good bit and is a chewer. These habits make him a bit hard to deal with (Sorry Amanda), but I think with proper training, he will become a much better dog. I have contacted a trainer and he will start obedience classes on March 2nd. I will keep you guys posted on his progress.
Having a pet is never easy, but honestly, the work that it takes is truly rewarded by a very good friend.
posted by Linda | 10:35 AM
2 Comments:
I'm glad you found Vinny (why Vinny BTW?). It seems weird there whould be so much red tape involved in adopting a pet when someone could just go out and buy one any time they want.
Anyway, loosing pets is hard. Almost to the point that I sort of don't want to become friends with an animal that I know I will out live.
Between my dog April and my ferret Athena, who died years apart, I think I've had my fill.
I still love the idea of one day having enough of a yard to get my alaskan malamute, but know I'm only looking at 10 to 15 years is a sad thought.
Anyway...
Otter
Vinny came with the name. It is not the name I would have chosen. Our other pets (if they were not already named) had literary names.
Siegfried - From "All Creatures Great and Small"
Tristan - From "All Creatures Great and Small"
Katie - Catherine Barkley from "A Farewell to Arms"
Forrest - From "Forrest Gump" (also just thought this was a funny name)
Byron - Lord Byron
Eliott - T S Eliott
We have one cat whose name is Harvest that we call Neal, but that has no literary connotation. Anyway, I just thought he might get confused if we changed it. Maybe I can find something from a book that fits Vinny.
The love you get from a pet far outweighs how you feel when you loose them. It is awesome to know that there is somebody in the world who loves you no matter how you look or what you do. Dogs are just awesome. Cats are okay, too, but I really love a big old dog.
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