Why I Love My Pets

I love my pets because they make me feel good! If I'm tired from work, etc., and go home, my pets are there waiting for me. They are so happy to see me. What a good felling that is to know that someone is waiting for you and is happy to see you. When I come in the door my cat runs to me and waits for me to pet him then he likes to run around and have me chase him. My dog, Precious, jumps on me and wags her tail. Then she proceeds to take each of my shoes and runs to her bed or to the bedroom. It's a ritual each day! So, as soon as I come in I take off my shoes because she waits to get them. Sometimes if I don't take my shoes off fast enough she will find whatever is around and take that to her bed. After all this I play with my pets, and take Precious out for a walk. By this time I have forgotten my troubles. So, just as my pets are happy to see me, I am happy to see them as well!!

Personalities

Krusty

Krusty has a warm and friendly personality. However, if a stranger comes he first stands away and looks. Once he sees that I am friendly he will sometimes come over. Also, sometimes he does not like to be around a lot of people. If I have a lot of company Krusty gets scarce and I don't see him until after the company is gone. There is one guest he loves and that is my friend David. Whenever David comes over Krusty comes up to him waits for him to sit down and Krusty sits down next to him. (I tell David that Krusty is his buddy). I can truly say that Krusty chooses who he will be friendly to. Krusty is also so very sweet and gentle. When I am playing with him he tries not to scratch me. If I am walking and accidentally step on Precious foot, he will come over to her and sniff her to see if she is all right. (He loves Precious dearly which I call her his sister). Even if I have accidentally hurt myself he will come to see what happened. He is very sweet! Krusty is also very nosy and curious. When Precious is barking he comes to see what is going on. One main characteristic of Krusty is that he listens to me quite well. If I see him getting into something and I tell him to stop he will stop immediately. Though I still have to figure out why he won't always come when I call him! (This is definitely a characteristic of cats)!

Precious

Precious has a more outgoing personality than Krusty. However, she too is wary of strangers. Most times she will only act friendly if I do. There are a few occasions when she will want to befriend a dog but she takes her cue from me. Precious loves to know what is going on. Like Krusty, she too is very warm and friendly. (Though she is a bit more sensitive than Krusty). Precious really enjoys the warm weather and prefers to go outside when it is warm. Like Krusty, she too is very sweet and gentle. Precious is also very loyal and protective of me. She even acts like she will hurt Krusty if she thinks he's hurting me when we are playing. Precious responds very well to kindness and in return she will love you forever!

Our Home

Our home is a small apartment. It is nestled in a quiet apartment community of friendly people and yes, dog and cat lovers! Typically the community consists of your friendly neighborhood animal lovers! My pets and I recently moved to this apartment a year ago, and we love it! It's warm and cozy but has enough action to keep Precious barking and Krusty sight seeing, i.e., looking out the window. In the summer I open the windows and Krusty loves to sit on his cat tower to watch the birds, squirrels and other passerbys. The apartment is also situated to receive lots of sunlight, which adds a cozy look and feel. Krusty loves to lay on the floor and let the sun beam down on him. (I call this his sun-bathing moments). Precious loves to lay on her pillow and rest and listen to unwanted or loud sounds, so she can bark. I love our home for all the reasons mentioned and especially because I can watch my cable in peace!

Living as a Family

I consider Krusty my son and my main man. I consider Precious my daughter or my baby girl. I am considered the head of the family. My pets know this quite well. They look for me to feed them, care for them, and keep their things neat and clean. (Something most mothers do). I take them to the doctors (vet) regularly for their shots and teeth cleaning. (Don't regular mothers do this for their children, measles, chicken pots, vaccination shots)? I send Precious and Krusty to the groomer regularly. (Precious goes every 3 to 4 months, Krusty goes twice a year). I play with my pets, brush their hair, etc. I make sure their life is good. My pets know my work schedule as well. I know I don't need an alarm clock because Krusty wakes me every morning between 4:30-5:30. (Though I wish he would wake me closer to 5:30). Then when I get up Krusty decides its time for him to sleep. Precious usually waits for me to return from the bathroom before she is ready to get down off the bed. After I'm dressed I go into the kitchen and Precious is right there waiting for her morning tidbit. Most times I take her out, it depends on the time. But, when it's time for me to leave my pets are sitting in the living room. I say good-bye and say be good, and for some strange reason I always think they have this look that says 'yea, she's gone, now we can really have some fun'! When I come home it's our daily ritual as described in the previous paragraph. When it's time for bed I turn off the bedroom light and say 'bedtime', Precious is usually first to get up on the bed. (For some years I have to pick her up--the old age kicking in). Then soon Krusty joins us and we are off to a good night's sleep!

Comments

I believe animals are precious and give so much joy to people. What, pets in particular, give is so much more than we (humans) can give back. Animals are the only species that continually, unconditionally give. I'm using the word give a lot because this is what animals do. I believe this is their purpose for our lives. To give us love, solace, happiness, trust, loyalty, etc. Animals certainly teach us the meaning of all of these things. With that said I want to add that I do not condone animal abuse of any kind. I believe we need to regard animals (pets in particular) as precious living creatures, which have feelings and intelligence. Animals are a gift from God and we need to treat them as such!

Sharon Ballard, June 25, 2004 contact me