When I was given the task of writing a pet related blog, my first thought was, “what, who me? Why?” The response was simple; I can write (a little), type (even less), and I own a pet. So, with that ringing endorsement, here we go!
As I began to look at this assignment, I took an inventory of my real qualifications and realized a couple of things quickly. First, I am getting old! In my life, I have had 8 dogs (2 long haired doxies, a short hair doxie, a Pomeranian, and 4 boxers), 2 cats, 4 hermit crabs, a rat, an anole, 2 parakeets, a rabbit, a gold fish, and, yes, a snail named Slimeny (in the name of complete disclosure my emotional connection to Slimeny was somewhat limited, after all he was a taker and not a giver). To be honest, some of these were when I was a kid, some as an adult, and I am currently a proud pet grandparent (yep, I’d probably display a bumper sticker stating “Proud Grandparent of an Honor Pet”, okay maybe not quite that far!) Now for some of you, that may not seem like a lot, however in my case, there were seldom more than 2 of these animals at any one time in my life.
Secondly, I have strong memories attached to each of these pets. They were all a significant presence in my life and represented a wide variety of emotional experiences. We have dealt with rescue situations, births, injuries and illnesses, escapes, property destructions, and unfailing loyalty to our family. We have watched our ‘old lady’ boxer (who was never a mother) take my daughters boxer pup and raise her as her own. I realized that I have a rich history of stories and experiences that have created a unique tapestry (I promise to never use that word in a blog again!) from which to draw.
Finally, as each of these animals passed through my life, I experienced loss and heart break when they were no longer a part of our family. I have had pets which have been lost, never to be seen again. I have lost a pet due to accident. And I have held a very dear animal while she was ‘put to sleep’; a gut wrenching decision which, even to this day, brings a tear to my eye. I have missed them and cried over them; I loved them all. What I discovered is: I AM AN ANIMAL LOVER!
In this blog, my goal is to be informative and discuss pet issues, share stories and entertain, as well help you discover how Pet Extreme can be a part of your ‘pet lifestyle’ (have to make sure to get that in for the bosses sake!) I hope you enjoy and choose to be a part of it!
