Animal Tales

I am thankful for a lot of things in my life but I want to take a special moment to be thankful for the animals who share our lives. This is Shadow, my 9 year old daughter's "baby". Shadow is a Russian Hamster. When we moved to another state during Christmas Break last year, my daughter had a really rough time. She is shy and to uproot everything and everyone she has ever known was especially difficult. She needed a friend. So she picked Shadow. Shadow has helped her tremendously by being her little buddy that she could confide in whenever she didn't feel safe to talk about her feelings and frustrations. As A. (my daughter) said, "Shadow gave me confidence".

We came home this holiday weekend to find that Shadow had passed away. She was struggling for a few weeks but it was heartbreaking when my daughter carried her hamster to me and said, "My baby has died." A. cried all night and most of the rest of the weekend. She talked that she wished she had one more moment with Shadow and also talked about how she wished she had given Shadow something special.

I told her that animals that share our lives are gifts. Shadow's gift to her was to give her support and confidence until she could make new friends and get comfortable in her new home. I told her that A's gift to Shadow was her heart. She cared and loved Shadow and gave her a good home and took good care of her. I told her that it hurts so much because we love so much and although that doesn't feel good right now, it is a good thing. So we will take one day at a time to ease the heartache and when A. feels she is ready for another "buddy", we'll find one. Mommy is as heartbroken as A.

Meet Jaguar (left) and Tigger the supercats. When my daughter was potty training, she was showing her obstinate side. We had an older cat, Gracie, then and A. wanted kittens so badly. However, she knew she wanted two and one had to be black. Dad promised her we'd find kittens if she would just use the potty. Well, potty training came and went and we could not find the "right" kittens. We looked everywhere and A. was not satisfied. My husband and I decided two kittens would be better because then they could keep each other company since Gracie was growing old.

We were travelling back from a park one night in late August. It had been raining the previous days and the air was cool in the 50's. It was dark and we were travelling a country road. Up ahead there were two sets of eyes in the middle of the road. I thought they were baby raccoons. Hubby stopped the car and went to investigate. There were two of the tiniest kittens huddled together to keep warm. They were not used to humans and wouldn't come. A french fry that the kids had left over was the bait. The poor things were starving. We bundled them up in a baby blanket and took them home.

Many weeks went into nursing these kittens back to health before they even had enough weight to be vaccinated. They were flea infested, had their whiskers chewed off, and were only an inch wide behind the ribcage. The vet said we found them just in time; they would not have made it through the night. Unbelievably, these were the kittens A. described and wanted and even more unbelievably, they were not from the same litter. They had found each other and had survived by keeping each other warm.

Both are very pampered housecats. Jaguar is the independent one but is a huge "lovey" whenever the kids go to bed or when A. is crying. Tigger, although now 18 lbs, is afraid of his own shadow and is a "Mama's Boy". He follows me around and talks to me until I sit down to pet him and snuggle. They have been wonderful and we love them so.

The cats' gift to me was being able to love and care for them during a difficult time in my life after my father died from cancer. I was lost and needed someone who needed me even if it was two little flea bitten kittens. They have been a blessing in more ways than one.

Simba, my 80 lb. gentle giant, is a Rough Coat Collie, just like Lassie. He is now 4 years old. I grew up with dogs but have always been more of a cat person until Simba. A. (my daughter) always wanted a dog. Let's face it; she would bring home anything that moves. Haha. J. (my son) never showed an interest when he was younger and also seemed to be afraid of dogs. But then again, J. was a serious young boy who tended to worry about a lot of things including playing outside by himself (until Simba came along). Eventhough he is two years older than his sister, when he was little, he relied on A. to always be by his side. She was like his protector.

Frequenting zoos and pet stores is a favorite past time of ours. We love animals. So one cold day in January, we stopped at a pet store while out running errands. We always love to pick our favorites. Well, Simba was mine. He was as small as our cats at the time and just a little bundle of fur. I asked if I could play with him and the most amazing thing happened. My son, who never showed an interest in dogs, could not wait to be lifted over the cage to play with the puppy. He laughed and he played and he said, "I could play with this one all day long." It was amazing.

After a few days of debating, and much to my husband's chagrin, I wanted to get Simba. We brought him home on a night with 26 below windchill factor and going outside with him every two hours was an event! He was so tiny that he could not climb the one porch step by himself. This dog was smart! He was bell trained, potty trained in about a week and he has learned so much. He is the only self disciplining dog I know who will put himself in his kennel if he does something wrong while we are out. Usually, he is feeling guilty for sleeping on the couch. Haha. Since we moved here, he has full reign of the couches so doesn't feel the guilt any more. He is also so well disciplined that he will not take people food that is placed right next to his nose until he is told he can do so. By the way, one of his favorites is watermelon. If we bring one home, he will follow you until you cut him a piece.

He has a natural herding instinct. In our old house he liked to herd the cats back upstairs, the kids to the couch and my mom to a certain couch. I kid you not. The kids were used to playing that game with him but with my mom, it was a different story. My husband travelled a lot and I was thankful to have Simba who made me feel protected. My mom came to visit one time when my husband was away. She would wake up earlier than I and come downstairs. Simba, not being aggressive by any means but also being protective of the kids and me, would gently nudge my mom to sit on the corner of the couch. When she would sit down, he would bring her his toys as a reward. Then he would patiently sit beside her and watch her until I came downstairs. I would have to tell him it was ok and he'd let mom move around the house. Too funny!

Here at the new house, he is "Guardian of the Hill". He loves to stand or to sit on our hill outside the front of the house and keep watch. He will herd deer back to the woods. He never crosses into the woods; he knows his boundaries with nothing more than being walked thru the yard and being told yes or no. So the deer don't pay too much attention to him when they are near the perimeter of the woods. However, he will chase them back in if they are in the yard. He is intelligent, beautiful, so very gentle and we love him dearly.

Simba's gift to me has been a sense of "peace and presence". He has always been there when my husband was travelling or when we were separated 6 months during our WI/IN move. I could sleep easier knowing that I was not "alone" in the house with two small children. Simba would alert me if something was amiss. As I said, he is my "gentle giant" who is all heart and soul and our guardian.

I feel blessed for not only the people who come into my life but also the animals who join my life. They are truly gifts.