I'm not talking pounds here ... although, yes, they aren't easy to lose either. I'm proof of that! I'm talking pets. I am a crazy, insane animal lover. I've had my house full of animals ranging from rats to guinea pigs, cats, dogs, angel fish ... no matter their size, colour or way of communicating, I've loved them all. So allow me to spill from my heart in today's blog ...
A couple of years ago a dear friend of mine gave me the nickname "The Zookeeper" as I had acquired 5 fur children: a dog, a cat, 2 rats and a guinea pig. Austen, Daizee-Mae, Spot, Delilah and Wendel were all my pride and joy, I loved each one equally. Austen (a yellow lab) passed away almost 2 years ago after battling cancer for almost 4 years ... with the help of a dear friend of mine who is a Holistic Therapist, I nursed her through the cancer using homemade diet and herbal remedies. I can't believe it's been 2 years since she left us. The day we held her as the vet put her to sleep was one of the weirdest and saddest days of my life. I miss her everyday, but now I have a delightful 1 1/2 yr. old yellow lab, Sierra, bouncing around the house who has mended my broken heart. Daizee-Mae, a beautiful, orange "tabby-like" feline with major cattitude is still with us, ruling the roost in her arrogant sort of way. She is almost 6. Wendel, a quiet little guinea pig, joined our family when I turned 40, as a birthday gift from close friends. He was my delight, listening to his squeals and coos and I held him. He only lived to be 2, he passed away after a short illness this past October. Again, I was heartbroken. Spot, our male rat, passed away unexpectedly while we were on vacation last summer. I never thought I'd ever be able to hold a rat ... their tails freaked me out as they remind me of a snake (the one animal I'll NEVER own, I'm terrified of them). But when Brittany brought Spot home, he was the cutest thing I'd ever seen, and quickly stole my heart. We soon acquired a little girlfriend for Spot ... Delilah joined him (in a separate cage, thankfully, or we would have had 25 rats!). Delilah developed a tumour last year (after Spot died) which grew to an unbelievable size ... she was a real fighter, many days I thought she was fading, but she would rally and keep going. Rats are friendly, affectionate and very responsive to their keepers. I had grown very attached to this little girl after Brittany left for University last fall. Unfortunately Delilah passed away yesterday morning, she was only 2 1/2, but had been so brave. Each critter we lose is never easy to say goodbye to ... they have each held a little piece of my heart, silly as it may sound. Each time we lose a pet, I figure the more I deal with "animal death" the easier it will become ... but it never does. We hold them in our hearts and memories, and even though we may "replace" them, they will always be special to us!
So now I'm down to 2. Feels kinda weird. Of course it's less work, but animals have kinda become my "hobby". The joy I feel at giving affection to them and taking care of them is more than I can describe. When I walk into a home without a pet, whether it's by the homeowner's choice or by necessity due to allergies, I feel a sense of saddness and emptiness in the house. Many people think I'm crazy, and I guess it's only something another crazy animal lover can relate to.
Will I get more? Probably not ... Terry doesn't share my love for animals ... he "tolerates" them because he knows how special it is to me. Amazing man for putting up with my critters. But I will keep my blog followers up-to-date should he change his mind and my "Zoo Keeper" status changes anytime soon!!
Thanks for reading,
Janet xo
A couple of years ago a dear friend of mine gave me the nickname "The Zookeeper" as I had acquired 5 fur children: a dog, a cat, 2 rats and a guinea pig. Austen, Daizee-Mae, Spot, Delilah and Wendel were all my pride and joy, I loved each one equally. Austen (a yellow lab) passed away almost 2 years ago after battling cancer for almost 4 years ... with the help of a dear friend of mine who is a Holistic Therapist, I nursed her through the cancer using homemade diet and herbal remedies. I can't believe it's been 2 years since she left us. The day we held her as the vet put her to sleep was one of the weirdest and saddest days of my life. I miss her everyday, but now I have a delightful 1 1/2 yr. old yellow lab, Sierra, bouncing around the house who has mended my broken heart. Daizee-Mae, a beautiful, orange "tabby-like" feline with major cattitude is still with us, ruling the roost in her arrogant sort of way. She is almost 6. Wendel, a quiet little guinea pig, joined our family when I turned 40, as a birthday gift from close friends. He was my delight, listening to his squeals and coos and I held him. He only lived to be 2, he passed away after a short illness this past October. Again, I was heartbroken. Spot, our male rat, passed away unexpectedly while we were on vacation last summer. I never thought I'd ever be able to hold a rat ... their tails freaked me out as they remind me of a snake (the one animal I'll NEVER own, I'm terrified of them). But when Brittany brought Spot home, he was the cutest thing I'd ever seen, and quickly stole my heart. We soon acquired a little girlfriend for Spot ... Delilah joined him (in a separate cage, thankfully, or we would have had 25 rats!). Delilah developed a tumour last year (after Spot died) which grew to an unbelievable size ... she was a real fighter, many days I thought she was fading, but she would rally and keep going. Rats are friendly, affectionate and very responsive to their keepers. I had grown very attached to this little girl after Brittany left for University last fall. Unfortunately Delilah passed away yesterday morning, she was only 2 1/2, but had been so brave. Each critter we lose is never easy to say goodbye to ... they have each held a little piece of my heart, silly as it may sound. Each time we lose a pet, I figure the more I deal with "animal death" the easier it will become ... but it never does. We hold them in our hearts and memories, and even though we may "replace" them, they will always be special to us!
So now I'm down to 2. Feels kinda weird. Of course it's less work, but animals have kinda become my "hobby". The joy I feel at giving affection to them and taking care of them is more than I can describe. When I walk into a home without a pet, whether it's by the homeowner's choice or by necessity due to allergies, I feel a sense of saddness and emptiness in the house. Many people think I'm crazy, and I guess it's only something another crazy animal lover can relate to.
Will I get more? Probably not ... Terry doesn't share my love for animals ... he "tolerates" them because he knows how special it is to me. Amazing man for putting up with my critters. But I will keep my blog followers up-to-date should he change his mind and my "Zoo Keeper" status changes anytime soon!!
Thanks for reading,
Janet xo
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