I've got another A Bit of Me(Me) post this week (hosted by There's a Book).
The question for this week is "Are you an animal person?" I guess this is the part where I confess to being a librarian and not liking cats. I'm not really much of a dog person either. I'll admit a huge part of this is because I am allergic to most hairy animals. However, I have had pets in my life and I thought it would be fun to mention them.
I come from a big family, so my parents probably felt like taking care of eight kids was enough without a pet. Then came the day my sister got to take home the class guinea pigs. There were two of them - a black and white one with a crazy head cowlick, and a white, orange and grey one. She named them Wooshka and Booshka. Though we all enjoyed the squeaking and the fun we had with them in our back yard, my dad fell hardest of all for them. He would imitate their squeaks and talk to them like small children. He simply adored them. We even found some home video footage he took of himself squeaking and speaking to them while feeding them carrots. But, obviously, when they died rather violently at the paws of a neighborhood cat, none of us wanted to become quite so attached to the little creatures again. We did get my dad another, called Oynque, but after he died as well, there were no more. He prefers to stick with stuffed animal pigs - they don't die and break your heart. So, we've been a pretty pet-less family since then.
Oynque keeping our lawn trimmed.
My dad enjoying his stuffed pig.
What about you?
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Awe! That's so sad! I would hate to be allergic to animals (although, I'm pretty much allergic to everything else, so that's surprising). But at least you (and your dad) have found a happy alternative! :o)
ReplyDeleteCan't wait to read what your favorite word is next week!
I'm not a big pet person either, but in my case, there is a piece of me that really does think it's because I'm a little selfish. Is that crazy to admit, but true. My mom's cat is living with me, since she can't take him with her to Hawaii, and it has been a growing experience. I love the little fur ball, but the extra fur I'm cleaning up, the litter box, the scratching, and the howling can get to me at times. :) He's a cuddly little guy sometimes though, which can smooth over my angst over some of his other behaviors.
ReplyDeleteI think your dad's choice of pet works perfectly though. No mess, and all the cuddles! LOL.
Love that picture of your dad!
ReplyDeleteI'm more of an animal person than I'd to admit, but I agree. It's seems better not to have them at all, then to go through the heartbreak when they die. It's really traumatic.
I'm not a huge animal person, either.
ReplyDeleteI'm an animal person, myself.
ReplyDeleteYeah, I know what it's like to lose pets. I lost a basset hound that I knew all my life at the age of 14. Having a snobby cat named Princess didn't help things. Then we got a wonderful cat named Heather that is more dog than feline. My mom likes to think that Petunia sent her to us.
Then we "adopted" a neighborhood cat that was just as sweet as Heather. We knew her for about a year or two before she disappeared after the second blizzard this past winter.
Now there's another cat that occasionally lurks about. Hopefully she'll stick around.
Losing pets is a hard thing, but you know what? Life happens. Things die. But life goes on. I got several furry children to prove it.
And that's not saying when you lose a pet, you should just suck it up and go on like nothing happens. It's okay to have a good cry. It's okay to be sad. But don't let that prevent you from showing your love to all the other furry children in the world who would love to have your lap. Or a scratch on the ear. Or a big hug.
Because life happens, but God's got it under control. :)
1st daughter, thanks I love this new meme!
ReplyDeleteBecky, I can imagine I'd like the cuddling parts and not the cleaning up after them parts.
Suey, I'm reluctant to get them also for that reason. Though, really, a person has to die too, so having kids can be just as risky :)
NotNessie, I'm glad I'm not the only one!
Lauren, well said! We may have pets in the future (living in an apartment right now, so no pets for us), but I guess it just depends. It sounds like so many of you love having them!