Pets

Written for https://pcguyiv.wordpress.com/2024/01/16/truthful-tuesday-january-16th-2024/

Do you now have, or have you ever had, a pet? If not, is it because of health reasons, such as allergies, restrictions based on where you live, or something else? If so, is it a cat or dog or something else? Was there any special reason for choosing the kind of pet you have? Did you “choose” your pet or did your pet “choose” you?

I have always had pets. The first cat I looked after, was my sister’s cat. She got married when I was four and asked me to take care of it. Candy was always there for me, and would meet me from school to make sure I was safe. I’m not sure how, but I reckon she knew her company was needed. She was sixteen when she died. We got another cat, called Fluffy, but only had her for a few months.

I hated dogs and was afraid of them until I met my husband.

Scamp, a mongrel mixed with White German Shephard, definitely chose me. Someone at work told me about a litter of puppies. When I went with my husband to see them, I was prepared to walk away. Especially when the his dad barked at me from the kitchen.

Watching the pups with their mum, led me to feel a little more reassured. There was one, smaller than his siblings. I picked him up, and his golden eyes opened. We belonged together, and throughout his fourteen year life, he never went anywhere without me. He chose me. Even when he was at the vets, he hated being apart, and never spent a night there.

The decision about putting him down was hard. For a long period of time his back legs were failing. (he was taking so many tablets). I didn’t want to lose him. However, it was for his sake, we put him down. I was in the room, allowing him to sleep for the last time.

Our present Shottie holds a similar piece of my heart, and given an option will stay with me. Although, he makes sure my granddaughter is safe. When he goes on a off lead walk, he will run to the park to make sure she is okay.