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Our pets have always been an important part of our lives, beginning as soon as we owned our own home and didn't have to depend upon a landlord's tolerance. Within three weeks of moving into our townhouse, we added our first four-footed family member. This was Sunshine, an old, old hound of baffling origin. There was no telling how many breeds were in his background! Sunshine had numerous health problems, including severe allergies, arthritis, and mega-esophagus, in addition to normal deterioration associated with aging. Sunshine was followed quickly by Snuggles. Since Sunshine had been one of several dogs and cats before joining our family, we were concerned that he was lonely. A trip to our local animal shelter remedied that situation! We brought Snuggles home only a few days after Sunshine had joined us. After that things remained serene for about eighteen months, when we heard about some "oops" puppies that had been born. An accidental mating had occurred between a pure-bred Shetland sheepdog and a travelin' feller. And so Cricket joined us. She was and is a happy, loving little thing, always eager for attention--or at least a cookie. It was only seven short months later that Sunshine had to be helped to the Rainbow Bridge. I still miss his gleefully wagging tail and laughing eyes. But his pain by then was severe and most of the joy had gone from his life. We did not add another pet for five years. Cricket and Snuggles were quite content with each other and really there wasn't a lot of room in a townhouse for any more. When we moved to a single-family home with much more land, though, we began to look for a puppy. And did we ever find one! Shadow, my darling, beautiful Monster Puppy, was everything I could have hoped for when I found her. She came to me from a reputable breeder of German shepherds. Unfortunately, even good dogs can throw a puppy with a hereditary defect, and although she has many excellent characteristics, Shadow also suffers from some genetic flaws. She has CHD (Canine Hip Dysplasia) and she is fear-aggressive. It has been my task to help her learn to behave appropriately in a world where everything frightens her and to make sure she harms no one. It's been a long haul--while intensive training and behavior modification techniques helped a little bit, it has only been with the aid of medication prescribed by a veterinary behaviorist that we've been able to make any significant progress. You may read about Shadow in more detail on our Background & Training page. In the fall of 1996, Snuggles was diagnosed with IBD (inflammatory bowel disease) and the following year with CRF (chronic renal failure). On April 3, 1999, after a battle of over two years, Snuggles lost the fight with his illnesses and had to be helped to the Rainbow Bridge. Rest peacefully, small one. Cricket, too, is in failing health. Her hearing has deteriorated considerably, and she also was diagnosed with renal failure in May 2000. As it was with Snuggles, her condition is terminal. She is still a joyful little thing, and we hope she'll have a few more good months with us. Finally, two years after Snuggles' death, we felt ready to add a cat back into the mix. His name is J.R., and he is a rescue from Save a Dog, Save a Cat. He joined us in April 2000 and we felt our family was complete. Little did we know our hearts would be captured by two more. Cass joined us in Nov. 2001 and Hudson a month later. These two were part of a feral cat colony living behind our property. Cass was particularly difficult to tame. Please take a look at Taming the Wildcat, which describes the methods I used to accomplish that goal. Early in Jan. 2002, Cricket joined Sunshine and Snuggles at the Rainbow Bridge. Rest well, my little girl. You will always be missed. These are our furry family members! They have their good days and their bad days just like the rest of us, and we cherish the time we have with them. |
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Go to Jo & Co. in VA. |