Pets

I hope everyone had a great Father's Day.....seems like this summer has been flying by fast thus far. Today's blog will be about "pets"....and sharing a bit of humor in regards to our beloved furry family members.

Long before Taz was born, hubby & I decided to adopt a pet from the local animal shelter. Ok, when I say "hubby & I"....I really mean that it was just me -- I never really discussed the idea with him...just sort of surprised him with the cat. I went in that day to drop off our huge stack of newspapers that the recycle company "forgot" to pick up....and decided to walk through the rows of cages and check out the various animals. Since we lived in an apartment at the time, adopting a dog of any type was out of the question....so I went into the "cat room". The shelter was over capacity for cats -- they were crammed 8+ into the metal cages that lined the walls of the cat room.

I remember stopping in front of one cage while talking to one of the employees about how they were over capacity, when suddenly this scrawny poop-covered kitten reached it's paws through the bars of the cage and tried to grab my shoulder, as if to say "hey pick me -- yeah me, the one covered in poop!" I have to admit, at first that kitten was UGLY....not to mention, very tiny and covered head to tail in poop. Suffice to say, he didn't "smell" that great either....but there was something about the way he kept reaching through the bars at me, trying to get my attention -- and meowing that sad little meow sound. I told the employee -- "I'll take that one", the employee looked at me and said "which one?" -- I pointed to poopie paws and said "that one, covered in poop." The employee told me to go out to the desk to fill out the adoption paperwork while they took "Mr. Poopie Paws" back to be cleaned up & given his first set of shots. In what seemed like just a few minutes, the employee brought out this tiny, cut, furry kitten....I paused for a moment before reaching out to take ahold of him, uncertain as to if it was the same kitten I had picked out....because to be honest, he looked completely different once he was actually clean.

I took "Mr. Poopie Paws" home with me....at first hubby wasn't thrilled, but he quickly warmed up to him. Who wouldn't love a little ball of fur that just wanted to snuggle? And he was beyond cute....his tail was as long as his entire body! Somehow, as we struggled to find a name for him....he managed to show us that "Mr. Poopie" seemed to be the perfect fit. He had a very unique and yet somewhat quirky personality, and in the beginning....some extremely horrible GAS issues. Yes you read that correctly....I believe he was the only cat on the planet capable of passing gas. It seemed like every step he took, he would "fart"....and not some cute little kitten fart, I'm talking a fart that could peal the paint right off the walls! It was funny in some ways, because it took hubby and I a few days to figure out that it was the cat....each time we'd smell the "odor", we'd blame each other for "breaking wind" without warning. Finally we discovered that the smell was coming from the cat. It took a few trips to the vet to discover the cause of his gas issues -- turns out he was allergic to the type of cat food I was buying. Who knew cats could be allergic to seafood flavored cat food?!? After changing brands, the gas issue went away....however the name "Mr. Poopie" stuck.

As I said, "Mr. Poopie" was very unique and had a quirky personality. He would do all sorts of "tricks" as well....like run and pull the cord for the closet light in the bedroom when the alarm clock went off in the morning.....and try to hide in my fern plants (remember that Bugs Bunny cartoon where the natives pop out from behind the bush just as 'doctor Livingston' a.k.a. Bugs Bunny comes walking through the jungle?) -- well that was him, and he was so cute and comical about it....just cracked us up. He would also perch himself on the top of the recliner chair, and hover over the shoulder of anyone silly enough to sit in said chair....almost like a parrot on the shoulder of a pirate. When Taz was born, "Mr. Poopie" acted as if he were his baby and not ours....he would sleep right next to the crib, and if Taz made the slightest sound....he would come running into our room....jump on the bed and howl and bite at us until we got up. (Picture "Lassie" as a cat -- that was "Mr. Poopie"). Mr. Poopie was so gentle with all of the kids....and so protective too, almost like a guard dog in many ways.

I remember once a bee got into the house somehow.....son #3 was just a baby, and I had him laying on his blanket on the living room floor. The bee landed next to him and was crawling across the blanket towards him -- suddenly "Mr. Poopie" sprinted across the room and snatched that bee up into his mouth before I could swat at it with the fly swatter. That cat sat there with his jaws clenched shut, allowing the bee to sting him over and over again in his mouth -- just long enough for me to move the baby out of the way. Then "Mr. Poopie" proceeded to "chew" the bee -- and refused to open his mouth until the bee was dead. Of course bees weren't the only thing "Mr. Poopie" liked to eat.....he loved Doritos! I remember one night hearing this horrible sound in the kitchen....I walked out, turned on the light and there was "Mr. Poopie" completely inside the bag of Doritos -- his tail was the only thing sticking out of the family sized bag of chips! As I tried to pull him out of the bag, he dug his paws in and was fighting to stay in it -- trying to devour as many chips as possible before I was successful in pulling him out of the bag. He was covered head to butt in orange chip dust.....I swear he sprained his tongue trying to lick that stuff off his fur as fast as possible!

He also loved that shiny silver tinsel stuff that you put on the Christmas trees....and balloons.....yes, he ate both items and that is why they are no longer allowed in our house! There is something very funny about seeing a cat run across the room with shiny silver string and/or a balloon hanging out of his rear end! And yes, I did take him to the vet to make sure he "passed" everything and there were no blockages. "Mr. Poopie" lived a long and happy life....he was with us up until 2 years ago, when he developed feline leukemia. When his illness got to the point where we realized there was nothing more the vet could do to help him, we decided it was time to have him put to sleep to avoid any suffering or pain. It was a difficult choice to make -- and of course we were all heartbroken. Over the years "Mr. Poopie" became more than a pet.....he was part of the family. Thus when he passed, we decided to hold a funeral -- complete with a kitty sized home-made coffin, a few of his favorite toys and treats added inside.....and we had our neighbor come over with their backhoe (one nice thing about living in the country) and dig a hole to bury "Mr. Poopie" in.....we wanted something deep enough so no other animals could dig him up. After he was buried and we had our little graveside memorial service, hubby and the kids found a HUGE field rock (a large boulder) and with the help of the neighbor and their backhoe, it was moved to our yard and placed on top of "Mr. Poopie's" grave....then the kids & I used craft paint to write his name & the dates on it, just like a real tombstone.

Over the years other pets have come & gone, but none have stuck around for very long due to one reason or another....seems like "Mr. Poopie" was the only one. After he died, we decided to adopt another cat. She looks a lot like "Mr. Poopie"....same markings, etc and similar personality. Our little "Princess" is a real diva....always wants to snuggle and be the center of attention. After my mom died, we adopted her cat as well....but thus far "Princess" doesn't get along very well with him. He is a huge orange cat....when I say huge, I mean FAT.....reminds me in many ways of the cartoon cat Garfield. And of course, "Garfield" a.k.a. "Mr. Fatty" has a unique personality as well and can be very entertaining.

Over the years we've tried adopting a few dogs....but none ever seemed to work out or stick around for very long for one reason or another. The first dog ran off.....the second was a destructive chewing machine and had to find a new home, and the third was jealous of everyone and everything -- thus he went away too. Hubby decided after "Mr. Poopie" died, we needed a new guardian.....thus he talked me into giving the idea of "getting a dog" another try. Now, I've never been a fan of Labs.....not sure why, just really don't care for them.....I think part of it is because every Lab I've ever met has been hyper and annoying. Anyhow, we responded to an ad in the newspaper....the person claimed that this puppy was a German Shepherd or some other type of breed, but when I got there it was very obvious that the puppy was indeed a Black Lab....actually a Lab and "short hair" mixed mutt. When I first saw it, part of me wanted to say "umm, no thanks" and get back into the car and drive home....but the kids were with me, and of course the guy showed them the puppy....thus there was no getting out of this -- it was coming home with us whether I liked it or not.

Now, although I'm not a fan of Labs....there was something about "Moses" that I found interesting. From the moment he and Taz met, there seemed to be an instant bond....it was as if "Moses" could sense something. I had read somewhere that Labs were being used as service dogs for Autistic children, thus I thought I'd try training "Moses" to work with Taz. Although this dog has it's quirks (can be hyper at times and loves to chew things he shouldn't), he has been an AMAZING guard dog -- and has developed into a pretty good service dog if I do say so myself, especially considering the only "training" he's had has been through what I've taught him.

About 6 months after we got "Moses", Taz started going through this phase of trying to sneak out of the house. Although "Moses" was technically still only a puppy, he was quite large for his age and breed. Whenever Taz would try to sneak out, not only would "Moses" bark this strange bark -- a unique bark that he only used when Taz was doing something he shouldn't -- but "Moses" would also chase after him. One day Taz tried to sneak out into the backyard, and "Moses" was hot on his heels.....he had him on the ground before he could reach and unlock the gate. Of course "Moses" didn't hurt him, he just sort of football player style tackled him, and then sat on top of him barking. A few days later while hubby was outside working in the garden, Taz decided to try to sneak out....but once again, "Moses" stopped him -- parking his big butt right in front of the door and barking every time Taz tried to get him to move. After that, Taz quickly realized that "Moses" would never let him go outside alone, and would always tattle on him by barking.

Since then the two of them have developed a strong bond...."Moses" seems to understand that there is something "special" about Taz, and Taz has learned that "Moses" will always be there to protect him and keep him safe. In the process of forming their bond, and what little bit of training I've done....Taz has taught "Moses" a few tricks....like how to fetch, shake hands, sit, etc. "Moses" has been good for Taz.....not to mention he's been a great guard dog. At age 2, he is HUGE...when he stands on his hind legs, he's almost as tall as a grown man.....and he's all muscle too. He has several different barks....still that one special one for Taz. In many ways, "Moses" is a big baby....he still tries to sit on our laps like he did when he was a puppy, and is full of energy! Yet even though he can be so sweet and gentle, I have no doubt that he would rip someone apart if they ever tried to hurt one of the kids....especially Taz.

A few weeks ago, we had a salesman pull into the driveway, all of us were in the yard at the time...and of course Taz went running over to see what was in the truck (it looked like a big ice cream truck). Out here in the country we get all sorts of weird sales people showing up -- and this guy was some type of meat salesman. Seriously -- he had all types of meat in his truck, like the bulk packaged stuff. The guy took ahold of Taz's arm to tell him that -- no, he couldn't climb into the truck -- and when "Moses" saw the guy holding Taz's arm, he flipped out and jumped the fence (a 6 foot high fence)! He was barking & running towards the two of them at full speed.....I was less than a foot from them. I screamed at the guy to let go of Taz's arm. He saw "Moses" running towards them -- quickly let go of Taz -- and jumped back into his truck. Once we put "Moses" inside, the guy asked me if he would have bitten him....I just smiled and said "I don't know -- but I guarantee if you wouldn't have let go of my son, that dog would have ripped your arm from the socket."

Now I'm not 100% sure as to if "Moses" would have actually bitten the guy or not....he's never bitten anyone before, however since he's very protective of the kids, especially Taz.....I think that IF he thought someone was trying to hurt Taz or one of the other kids, then he probably would rip that person apart. I remember the guy asked why we named him "Moses" -- I honestly don't remember how we came up with that name -- but I told the guy: "because if anyone touches my kids, then just like Moses from the Bible -- he will send you to the promised land!" I've never seen a grown man's face turn white like that before....in some ways it was funny. I told him that since he grabbed my son's arm like that, I'm pretty sure the dog will never forget it -- thus it's probably a good idea if he never comes back to try to sell the crap he had on his truck, because more than likely the dog will go after him if he ever returns. I guess that is one way to get rid of a door-to-door salesman and guarantee that they won't return.

For those who may be considering a service dog or some other type of pet....I highly recommend getting one. Not only will it be a good way to teach your child responsibility (by having them help with taking care of the pet -- feeding, watering, etc), but it will help with the socialization skills as well. Since I grew up on a farm and have trained a lot of dogs, horses, etc. I feel that I'm capable of training a "service dog", however training might not be as easy for someone else, thus I suggest finding a good company to deal with or a dog that has already been trained by a professional.