Our stoic lil Bailey! These were taken last Wednesday night when Bailey was sitting so pretty. I was so happy he posed long enough for a few snapshots.
Category Archives: Pets
366 of Me: Day 110
Snapped these last Sunday. Riley was sitting so pretty and the light from the window was just right. Couldn’t resist a quick snapshot.
366 of Me: Day 95
This is the last of our 3 dogs, but he’s actually the middle baby. This is Bailey! Bailey is J’s lap buddy, and the motherly of the 3. Sadly, he is also going blind. He’s been fighting eye problems for a year and a half now and has to take 2 kinds of special eyedrops several times a day to help with eye pressure. He is the sweetest thing though and loves to terrorize the neighbors dogs through the fence, or come inside and chew on a stuffed animal.
Cherished: 21 Writers on Animals They Have Loved and Lost edited by Barbara Abercrombie
I should have known better than to read this book. Old Yeller, My Dog Skip, Marley & Me, Eight Below, even The Fox and the Hound..I’m a sucker for a good hearted animal book or movie. This book has lots of heart, but all 21 stories have the same ending so be sure to grab a box of tissues.
Despite having closure, every story is about dealing with the grief from the death or loss of a pet. Therefore, this would be the perfect book for a vet to suggest to someone having trouble with their loss, or even for a friend or family member to share with a loved one after the death of a beloved cat or dog. There are even a few horse stories and one pig included in the collection.
I found myself underlining passages like this one from “Hope” by Robin Romm: “…when a parent dies, the loss is often too large for the mind to comprehend. But when a pet dies, we understand it. We see the finality. We experience the loss in small, more accessible ways.”
Or this from “Mr. T’s Heart” by Jane Smiley: “We stayed with him long enough to recognize that he was not there, that his body was like a car he had driven and now had gotten out of…We have to experience the absence of life in order to accept it.”
Despite the loss of pets, we also see the writers facing other turmoils in life for which the pet might have provided some type of foundation – divorce, the death of a spouse or relative, moving to a new state or new home, or a new job, and also how children are affected. They also face the ridicule of others who obviously don’t know the joy a pet can give to our lives. “Have you killed another pet yet?” one coworker says to one of the writers, attempting a sad joke. Just as all dogs and cats are different and have a different effect on our lives, the way we process their absence is also different and that’s what makes these stories so unique.
I particularly enjoyed two stories by married couple Judith Lewis and Billy Mernit. Each of their tales is about a different pet and from a different point of view, but the bond between the two is indeed special. “This Dog’s Life” by Anne Lamott (acclaimed author of Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life), the only author I’d ever read before this anthology, was also one of my favorites.
This bit from “Winesburg” by the editor, Barbara Abercrombie, pretty much sums it up for the reader: “But here’s the thing about losing an animal that I have had to learn over and over again – when I let myself grieve I come to the end of it. And finally the tears open my heart to the animals who follow.”
These 21 tales are special and unique. Just be warned. The tales aren’t always wagging.
Winter Scenes from a Writer’s Window
Took these on Sunday from the window next to my desk as the snow was coming down again, on top of the 11 inches we still had on the ground from Wednesday night.
BoBo thinks he’d like to go outside and play in the snow, but I beg to differ. Don’t let that sad face deceive you.
Happy Easter to You!
Me oh my, there’s a lot to buy
There is shopping I must do
Happy Easter to you
I wanted to dye eggs this year. Can’t remember the last time I’ve done that. But I didn’t. And as I sit here now and watch the Today Show showing me how to make an Easter Brunch cocktail, I’m amazed at what Easter has become through the years. Even a customer on the phone told me on Friday, “Does anyone celebrate Easter anymore?”
Growing up, for me, there was always an Easter basket waiting for me when I grew up though I stopped believing in the Easter Bunny way before Santa Claus. We always dyed a few eggs, though like most kids, I thought the dye somehow turned the insides to candy and I was sorely disappointed to have Dad peel an egg for me and then discover it was just a plain deviled egg when I bit into it. Funny that we call those deviled eggs at Easter time of all times!
We then went to church to listen to the Easter Cantata.
Then, there was lunch at Grandma’s for several years, followed by an Easter Egg hunt in the front yard. My sister or an aunt usually hid the eggs for the kids, or sometimes it was just me. The cobwebs of my brain remember attending a church sponsored Easter egg hunt when I was very small and ending up with mostly handfuls of jelly beans wrapped in tin foil.
When I was around 8 or 9 ,I guess, we made a trip to Pennington Seed Supply where I was allowed to pick out a baby rabbit. He was white with black patches on his eyes and black ears. I named him, appropriately, Easter. He lived a good six or seven years and fathered several baby bunnies with other Girl rabbits that were also Easter gifts during different years. The immediate year after Easter the rabbit came to live with us, I was allowed to have a duck. He was the soft fuzzy yellow kind but grew to be smooth and white with just orange feet and an orange beak. I loved to sit out in the yard and pick clover for him to eat out of my hand. He’d curl up between my legs and nap. I don’t remember his name, or if I ever named him. He got a friend or two over time or the following year, and we eventually had a small farm out in the back yard with rabbits in hutches, a small gaggle of hand raised ducks, and some chickens were eventually added to the mix.
One Easter, my father released three or four solid white rabbits from their hutches and let them wander around the yard for good. So, we had white rabbits in our yard for several months. They could often be found resting beneath the green bean vines in Mom’s garden. An elderly neighbor who helped pick the beans would kneel to pet them and talk to them. They eventually wandered off or might have feel victim to dogs in the night.
Although most of the other animals died also over time and found a final resting place in the pet cemetery under the dogwood tree in the side yard, the few that were left were given away just before I moved off to college. That’s when Easter changed for me.
Like I said, I haven’t dyed or hidden eggs in years. I haven’t heard a Cantata or gone to church for that matter since then either. If I think about it too hard, I laugh at the thought of children being excited about a rabbit that lays eggs. Such an odd and funny tradition!
But I still like Easter and keep the fond memories close to heart. Easter, for me, also meant Spring time, and it usually fell a few weeks before my birthday. Once, it was on my birthday. And birthdays are just as special for children. So, April was a double celebration for me.
Never saw such a lovely day
Happy Easter
Everything seems to come your way
Happy Easter
My oh me, what a kick to be
On the well-known avenue
Me oh my, you’re a lucky guy
Happy Easter to you
Happy Easter
Happy Easter
Happy Easter to you
Not cool…
My Dear Bailey
Last night we almost lost our dear Bailey. I had let them out for their usual evening business and had just stepped back inside for a moment. Then, I went back outside to call them in. Zander, our littlest one, immediately ran to the door. I stepped out onto the deck because our back neighbor had just let his dogs out and ours often run to the fence to bark at them. I called their names before they’d reached the fence to start barking and Riley came running toward me. Bailey approached the fence and had just started barking, but when I yelled at him he turned and started walking back toward me. That’s when our neighbor’s pit bull/bull dog jumped the fence and attacked Bailey. He rolled Bailey a few times in the yard. I ran toward them yelling and slinging my arms. Luckily, Bailey got away and ran toward the porch. I put myself between him and the larger dog, still yelling. The dog charged me, but stayed a few feet away just standing there growling and snapping. At that time, the neighbor jumped the fence and grabbed his dog. Obscenities were yelled. Blood pressure raised. Hearts beat faster. J was upset. I was upset. We called Animal Control because others have had problems with this dog. But in the end, our Bailey was just roughed up a bit and dirty. Luckily, he had no wounds, scratches, or broken bones. Our dogs are our lives, our children, so if it had been any worse I don’t know how I’d cope. Thankfully, I went back outside to call them in when I did or it could have been worse. And thankfully a little angel was looking out for Bailey last night.
The Children: Part 3
It’s been quite a while since I updated with my next Pet Post, so here we go…
Riley is the oldest of our 3 rat terriers and has been a part of the family the longest out of all 3 dogs. We 
bought him the following Spring after J and I met. We both loved animals and wanted a dog. You could almost say, Riley chose us. He was on clearance because he was older and getting bigger. He was 6 months when we got him. They took him out of his cage and we went into a small room to play with him. J and I both went teary eyed over this dog. He had so much energy and just ran circles around us like a race horse. He immediately picked up a stuffed toy in the room and wanted to play. And that’s Riley.
He loves to play. We often have to warn company not to throw the ball no matter how bad you want to, because Riley will nonchalatantly bring a toy to you. But when you throw it, it’s a game that never ends. He will bring it back to you again and again and again even if you’ve just tossed it a few feet away.
Riley loves to sleep later than the other two dogs. When I get up at 6am through the week to let them out, Riley will jump into bed in my spot and lay there like he wants to stay in bed. On the weekends, I usually let him sleep in with J.
Riley is the last to eat. I’ve never seen a dog eat like him. Most dogs gobble up their food within seconds of being fed. Not Riley. He can make a bowl of food last all day. He’s also very dainty when it comes to treats. The others grab them out of your hand and almost bite a finger. Riley will gently take the treat from you and walk away to eat it.
He’s the largest of the three, but the most gentle. He never growls or gets mad. He often lets the other 2 take toys away from him or even bite on him, and he never seems to care. He really is the most gentle dog I’ve ever known, and with so much personality with one floppy ear and the other that stands straight up.
When he cries for a toy, he sounds like a baby or a hyenna. And if the toy rolls under the sofa, he will lie there and beg for your help. His favorite game is to chase a tennis ball outside. Again, he never gets tired of that game.
Unfortunately, Riley suffers from a strange summer allergy. He scratches his snout and chews on his legs quite a bit, so in the extreme part of summer going into fall (right now) he’s face and legs often look a mess. But to watch him play and run around the house with his two brothers, or roll around on the floor to scratch his back on one of his toys just brings a smile to my face. He’s definitely a fun bit of happy in my life.
That’s our Riley.
The Children: Part 1
Pets have always been an important part of my life. They make me happy, and have always been something I look forward to coming home to each and every day. No matter how bad the day went, a pet can quickly make you forget all about it. J and I have several…cats, dogs, and fish. So, I thought I’d spend a few posts introducing the other parts of our family that make up our lil household.
Bon Jour is the lucky first to be introduced. He’s a mysterious kitty that I acquired from a coworker back in 2000. She (the coworker) met a man on the internet, married him, and moved off to England. With no one to take her two full grown aging cats, I came into work one day and found her crying. No one wanted both of them, and no animal shelter or pet place could guarantee they wouldn’t be split up. She wanted them to stay together, and knew Bon Jour would probably not survive being quarantined to go overseas. Having never met this odd cat, I felt sorry for her and agreed to take both of them from her and keep them together.
I quickly learned WHY no one wanted both of them. Bon Jour was a finicky cat who would not let anyone but her touch him. If someone knocked on her door, he ran and hid under her bed. Most people didn’t even know she had two cats. On the day I went to pick them up, I took Avery (the other cat who I will talk about next) home and had to come back later to get Bon Jour. She could not coax him out from under the sink. So, I left her alone with him. She borrowed a neighbor’s crate (which was for a dalmatian) and called me several hours later when Bon Jour was ready to go. After fighting to get the crate in my car and into my home, I pushed it up against my bed and opened the door. Bon Jour quickly ran out and under my bed, and that’s where he stayed for about a month.
I put food on one side and a litter box on the other, and never saw him until one night when I was sitting at the computer. Bon Jour, desperate for human contact, ventured out and took one look at me. He jumped up on the desk with caution, but allowed me to gently stroke his neck. We’ve been best friends ever since.
Now, Bon Jour, being a French kitty still had quite a bit of attitude, and still had all his claws. He still ran when company came over, but I had a roommate that Bon Jour had to become accustomed to. When another friend moved in for a few months, Bon Jour quickly adapted to being around men and being around more than one person. His kitty shell was quickly broken, and although today he is still a bit timid, like all cats he goes off and does his own thing. But he will come out and visit strangers now at least when we have company, taking his time to sniff them and rub on their feet and allow them to touch him. That’s something he never did when my coworker friend owned him.
Bon Jour loves to sit at my feet and stretch up over my chair and lick my wrist while I’m typing, as he is doing right now. He wants my attention and usually wants in my lap. He loves to watch birds in the window sill, but panics if he ventures outside onto the deck. So, he never gets out much. His front claws were removed a few years ago in order to bring peace to the furniture. He likes to eat pizza crust, Doritos chips, and Wendy’s French fries, and KFC chicken nibblies, all in very small portions of course. Don’t forget tuna can juice, and he will beg for a saucer of milk if you are standing in the kitchen.
To be such a fierce looking cat, supposedly a Maine coon, he has the saddest squeak for a meow, but he is a very loving cat that at the end of each day comes running to lay next to me on the bed when I go to sleep. He’s my Bo Bo kitty!
In my Part 2 post, you’ll meet Avery. He is Bon Jour’s brother, and was an entirely different cat than Bon Jour was when we first met.
