Pets…
Growing up we’ve always had animals in the
house. We have owned anything from cats to dogs to hamster to fish and even a
frog. Some of these animals are no longer with us, but they have all been great
pets.
Tigger, my lovely calico cat has been in our family
since I was 5 years old. She will turn 16 in May 2008! She was the runt of her
litter and I picked her out especially because she was so small. A few weeks
after we got her, Tigger ran away. We put an ad in the paper and it turned out
that a family across the interstate had somehow found her. She killed their
guppy. Later in her life, Tigger ran away again, only this time when she got
out, she slipped down the sewer drain. I was terrified as I watched her fall.
She always comes running to me at the sound of my grade school instrument, the
recorder. I grabbed my recorder, bolted outside, and laid down on the snow
covered street playing my recorder alongside my sister who was reaching down
into the sewer, fishing for my cat. Eventually she snagged her neck and pulled Tigger
out of the sewer.
Zena passed away a few years ago from cancer, but she
was the best dog I ever had (despite the fact that she is the only dog
I’ve ever had!) Zena was a German Shepard mix, gorgeous colors. We
adopted her from the Animal Rescue League when she was about 2-3 years old. We
went there looking for a puppy, but the minute we laid eyes on Zena’s big
brown eyes, we had to have her. She had the calmest temperament, especially for
being a German Shepard mix and over 100 lbs. most of her life. Zena never hurt
a fly (just a bird); she was the friendliest dog, loving every minute of
attention you would give her. One day, a bird was flying in and out of the
garage (her territory) repeatedly, trying to pluck away at her food. Zena had
had enough so she reached out her snout and bit that bird right out of the air.
Oh, Finnigan. What can I say, you’re a fish.
This guy grew so big for a goldfish. He was outgrowing his tank so I decided to
give him to a family friend who had a heated outdoor pond. I bet he’s
huge by now.