"Do
you mean to tell me, your pets get their own page?
Isn't that a bit much?"
Nope!
Not a bit. They are "family" too!
Lisa
and Jennifer made me a poster with pictures of my
two dogs (Fred & Jeni) I had before we met. The
center piece was a list of "Things That I Learned
from Fred and Jeni". I can't find the original
author to give proper credit, but still felt it was
valuable enough to put here. So....
Things
That I Learned From Fred and Jeni
Never
pretend to be something you are not.
If
something you want lies buried, dig until you find
it.
When
loved ones come home, always run to greet them.
Be
loyal.
When
someone is having a bad day, be silent, sit close
by and nuzzle them gently.
Delight
in the simple joy of a long walk.
Thrive
on attention and let people touch you.
Avoid
biting when a simple growl will do.
Take
lots of naps and always stretch before rising.
When
you are happy, dance around and wag your whole body.
Never
pass up the opportunity to go for a joy ride.
Allow
the experience of fresh air and the wind in your face
to be pure ecstasy.
When
it is in your best interest, always practice obedience.
Let
others know when they have invaded your territory.
Run,
romp, and play daily.
On
hot days, drink lots of water and lie under a shady
tree.
No
matter how often you are criticized, don't buy into
the guilt thing and pout; run right back and make
friends.
"Priscilla"
(Queen of the Family)
We
currently have 3 pets, two dogs and 1 cat.
Lisa
is always stopping to help dogs she sees while driving
around. Priscilla joined our family in the summer
of 2002. Lisa found her lying by the road, too tired
and weak to run or walk away. Based on her behavior,
we suspect she was abused. We guessed she had been
out on her own for two to three months. Just skin
and bones and matted hair. Our veterinarian tells
us she is probably about 5 years old. She was
a little
less than 35 pounds when we found her. Now, she's
a healthy, happy 50. We named her Priscilla in
an loony
moment based on a movie we had just seen (Priscilla,
Queen of the Desert). But.. the name stuck.
It is so rewarding to see her personality blossom
as
we shower her with affection and praise. We feel
very lucky to have her in our family.
"Dewey"
(rocket boy)
The
other little guy (dog) is named Dewey. He is also
a rescue dog. One of our favorite charities is New
Leash on Life. They rehabilitate dogs and find
them good homes. Dewey and his six brothers and sisters
were rescued from the pound when he was two weeks
old. Their mother was also rescued. We wanted to get
a puppy so Jennifer could have that experience and
we worked it that Dewey would join our family. As
I write this, he is a healthy, crazy, happy puppy.
It is so fun to watch the two dogs play and play and
play!
The
two "kids" listening to Mark talk about
Real Estate
We
have one cat named Twinkie. Twink
looks like
a “twinkie” (the food product), orange
on the outside and white oozing out underneath.
"Twinkie"
(fell asleep watching TV again)
The cats were an experiment. Jennifer was 7 years
old and wanted a pet. I (Lisa) had always had dogs,
but being a single mom, I didn’t want the responsibility
of a dog. A friend at work had just rescued 3 sister
kittens that were six weeks old, from a family cat
that had gone feral and had a litter under the house.
She had given one away already and had two left. People
had told me that it was almost easier to have two
cats than one, so I took both sisters. Twinkie and
Grace.
"Grace"
(staying on top of the to-do list)
Grace
started out as a beautiful white kitten with ice
blue eyes. Reminded us of Grace Kelly, and the fact
that she is the most “un-graceful” cat
on the planet, just made the name appropriately funny.
I'm sad to say, Grace has passed away. We miss her.
Thank you, Grace.
It
is really interesting for a self-admitted dog person
to raise kittens to cats. Feral kittens to boot. Long
story short…..(too late) they are both the classic
cat personality. "Affection when we want, where
we want, how we want. The world revolves around us
and we like to be left alone...except when we don't."
They are 8 years old and do not know their names (or
at least don’t let me know that they know!).
They are just now warming up to Mark (after 6 ½
years). But, we love them and their quirks. We keep
them healthy and safe. They keep us happy.
There
are two more dogs we have to mention. They both passed
away recently, but they are still a very big part
of who we are.
"Fred"
(taking himself for a walk)
Edward
Frederick Winchester Stewart, III (Ed Fred for short)
was the first dog I (Mark) had as an adult. He was
wonderful! The happiest dog I have ever known. He
would rather play than anything and was a great listener
and fantastic companion. As many pure breed dogs,
he had serious health problems near the end of his
life, but never let it get him down. Fred, we love
you and miss you. Thank you for your many gifts.
"Jeni"
(thinking about eating the mailman)
I
got Jennifer Winifred Stewart (Jeni Wini for short)
so Fred would have a companion. She was a pure breed
beagle. She had a beautiful star on her head. What
a stately girl. Smart as a tack and very strong willed.
She was "daddy's girl". I loved our long
walks and long talks. Jeni, we love you and miss you.
Thank you for your many gifts.
