I AM THANKFUL FOR..................... Pets

Hi Everyone,
On this second day of November I thought I would honor all the pets my family and I have had over the years.When I was growing up I had a lot of cats but our household also had a variety of pets. Some were normal and other were a little more exotic. My brother Jesse though had a very different kind of pet when I was little. He first had an iguana named Paco. I honestly thought this thing was the creepiest thing ever but as time went on though I grew to love Paco as much as my brother did. I grew to think he was really cool. He would sit on your shoulder or on the beams across the house. Paco was never mean to you if you didnt scare him. Sadly I can remember when Paco died. My brother Jesse was holding him in the bathtub. No vet around here knew about lizards and there wasn't the internet. It was the first time I had seen my brother cry :(  The years went on and he got another iguana but the next wasnt as nice as Paco. He would wipe hes tail at you and bite. That one disappeared and later we found it had gotten too cold and died.

This isnt Paco but I wanted to show what he kinda looked like :) 

Through the years we had a few dogs while I was living at my parents house. I can remember Shadow, a beagle that was very sweet. Annie, a German Shepard we only had a for a few because she ate my rabbits, that I was showing for Fair. There is one dog though will forever be in my heart because he was like my best friend. He was actually gotten for my brother Joe but he became one of my best friends. Max was a black lab. He was a fetch dog for sure. He would be there if we needed a friend or he would play all day. I can remember crying in my room one day after having a terrible day at school. He sat by me and I hugged him and it made me feel better. Max was so lovable, he was one of the greatest dogs in the world! My heart is still broken since the day Max died. He was such a huge part of my childhood. He will never be forgotten! RIP MAX!

After a few, my parents decided to get another dog. My dad and brothers came up with the idea to get mom  a dog for her birthday/Christmas. We found a French Mastiff. He came home a few years back. He is a sweet dog. Big but very sweet. He loves attention. His name is Napoleon or most of us call him Moose because he is like one :).

This is a recent picture of Napoleon./Moose :) 

I have always been a cat person. I have had so many cats to even remember them all and I have had many litter born of cats due to I would always keep a girl cat. Well the last litter of kittens, my parents told me I had to keep a male so I did. He was one of the best friends I ever had. As a kitten he was very playful and love to get into things. George was there when I moved out of my parents house. He would keep me company on those lonely nights and was a great cat. As the years went on though, George became to get more and more into wanting to find a mate. He would sometime escape which would literally break my heart thinking he would never come back. The last time he got out he was gone for about three weeks. But I remember the night, I was laying in bed alone, crying. All of a sudden I heard a MEOW outside my window. He had came back! My dad had started on my new apartment downstairs and got it to a point I could move in. I was so glad George was back to come live in my new apartment with me. It made it less scary. But as time went on George began to spray on things. I knew in my heart that it was time to let him go but it killed me. I had my mom take him to a farm. I know he would be happier there. That day though I felt like I lost my best friend! :( I miss him to this day because I had him since he was a born but I believe he is happy where ever he is and he will forever be in my heart.  

After a  few months of George's departure (about May 2011), I was really wishes I had a pet to keep me company. As a girl that lives alone and having depression, I just knew I needed a pet. Well, I finally convince my dad, who at the time was my landlord to let me invest in a small dog. Lets just say this wasnt a little decision for any of us. I was so use to cats and they used a litter box so cleaning up after them was easy. Well I did a little investigating on which dog would be perfect. I really wanted a Chihuahua because they were small and easy to take care of. There are a lot of stereotypes out there about Chihuahuas but I believe every animal needs a chance. I looked at internet for one and found one but the problem was that it was in Jackson MI and would cost me gas money and $50 bucks for the dog if I wanted it. The day before I wanted to go look at it though, a friend of mine that worked in the bakery was talking about her neighbor having what she thought was a long-haired chihuahua. She said she that he was looking for someone to take her. She thought she was 6mos. My friend told me he would just give her to me if I wanted her and that she would bring her over in the morning for me to check her out. I thought that would be perfect and less expensive for me. 

My friend brought her over in the morning. She was so cute! It was like she was just waiting for someone to love her. I told my friend, Yes! She was very scared for the first couple of weeks but warmed up to me after a day or so. I named her Tinkerbelle (Belle for short). Little did I know I would get the surprise of my life in a month or so. :)

Here is Belle the day I got her  May 2011

Belle goes everywhere with me. She never is out of my sight normally. She even would keep me company in the Caboose when I was still working for the bakery. We go to the park and hang out. She is very content but lovable  She is a dog that you have to be patient with. She gets scared of people easy and it takes a while for her to trust. About early June 2011, I notice Belle was putting on weight. My family and I thought it was probably me just feeding her a lot. The middle of June my mom looked at me and said I think Belle is pregnant. I thought she was nuts because it would mean she would have been pregnant when I got her and wouldn't her previous owner have known that. Apparently not.  On June 30th, Belle gave birth to two female puppies. I knew it would be challenge but they were so cute. Love at first sight kinda thing :) 

This picture was taken a few weeks after the puppies were born. 2011

As they were growing, we talked about my options with the puppies but three dogs is rough for one person. We went through ideas like selling them to giving them away. I am a person that gets attached really easy to things so I was unsure of all of it. When they were old enough my mom decided to take one of the puppies (the larger one) to her house to get me use to one of the gone. We had decided that two I could handle. Lets just say my parents are the best because they decided that they loved "Lucy" too much especially my dad. I think it is funny because they have a :Moose and a Lucy now.  I named the other one Princess because she was so small and looked like a Princess. They are now a year and half old now. If you looked at Princess and Lucy though you wouldnt think they were the same age. Lucy is almost as big as Belle and Princess is a wee 2.5lbs. She is growing slowly though :) 

Lucy is in green , Belle is laying down, and Princess is in pink and purple :) This picture was taken at Christmas in 2011. 

I am so glad I have Belle and Princess today! They are my best friends. They are here when I am sad and need company. They protect me and make me safe. I love them with all my heart! Animals are just like people they need love and acceptance. An animal is not born bad, if treated right they can be the most loving thing ever. They say an animal loves you more than you love them and I believe that with my whole heart. 

This is Princess. All 2.5lbs of Sassy! <3 

My brother Jesse and his wife Mallissa have 3 dogs of their own so Christmas at my parents house is very interesting because yes that is a total of 7 dogs!! They have Piper, a chow mix, Ziva, a mix of something, and Tegan. I was also introduce to one of my brothers Joe's roomates Bulldog Bo a few months back so if he brings him home for the holidays this could be interesting! :) 

Animals shouldn't not under any situation be harm in any way unless they are aggressive (especially dogs need to understood more). They are just like humans! Please help those in need. If you know an animal is being abused please call the authorities! If you see a animal lost or scared call someone! They need your help they cant do it alone!! 

Thank you for reading! TTFN, Dream Girl