Hi everyone! I thought I would take this opportunity to introduce you to my current 4 legged family. I want to say first that I have never sought out a pet. I haven’t needed to. Dogs and cats (so far no other species of animals) just sort of show up in my life in one way or another, as you will soon see.
First up, my cat Iddy. He was about 8 weeks old when I got him and he will be 10 years old in March 2023. My friend showed up at my house with him one day and I instantly fell in love. My friend wanted to name him Chris Jr. (Chris is the friend’s name who brought me the kitten), and instead of saying heck no, I just gave him a nickname, and because he was so small, I nicknamed him Iddy for iddy biddy (or itty bitty) and it just stuck. He is a beautiful cat and I just adore him. He is loving and affectionate.
Second is my cat Oliver. When Iddy was about 8 months old, I had a petsitting client who did not want their cat. They had gotten the cat as a gift from a boyfriend and did not even like cats that much or was not even looking for a pet. **Do not give a pet as a gift! It rarely works out.** I could tell that this client did not want the cat so I offered to take him. I named him Oliver because she had named him Blue and I did not like that. Oliver was 9 months old when he moved in with me so he will be 10 years old in February 2023. He is loving and affectionate and loves to lay around and look out the window. Oliver and Iddy are best friends and have spent a lifetime playing and loving on each other.
Hawkeye…as a petsitter, I was not going to adopt or take any dog in because I was not home enough to take on a dog. I was perfectly content with my 2 cats and getting to hang out with all of my dog clients. One day, back in 2019, I saw a post on Facebook that someone had found a loose dog. She said that the dog looked in pretty bad shape and this person was hoping to find the owner. On the FB post, the owner was found and it somehow was communicated that she was willing to give up the dog. She didn’t even know the dog had gone missing. Something compelled me to say that I would take the dog and so the owner and Hawkeye came to my house; not for a trial run, but for me to take him. Hawkeye is his original name but who doesn’t love MASH so I didn’t change it. But I cannot believe that I got him sight unseen! What if he went aggressively after my cats? He was 10 when I got him and that was 3 years ago (as of 2022). According to his previous owner, he was a 100% outdoor dog. He was highly medically neglected. Half his body had no fur and his skin was infected. It was determined after an immediate vet visit that it was from fleas. His skin was oozing from infection. I can’t even imagine. He had 2 ear infections. He had an abscessed tooth that was leaking out of a hole below his eye. And he had some other minor problems but can’t remember them now. Hawkeye and I have a special connection that is hard to explain. He is spoiled rotten, is very demanding, and is very healthy. He is 13 but he acts like he is 5. He plays with my other dog (Molly) and he loves to go on off leash hikes and walks.
Molly…a friend (same friend that brought me Iddy) said that a friend of his picked up a dog that was walking down the side of a highway. His friend had her for a few months but my friend was concerned that they were not taking care of her. While they had good intentions by saving her from being hit by a car, they couldn’t afford anything for the dog. No food or flea medicine. They gave her scraps of people food and she was infested with fleas. I said yes immediately to taking her. Probably because she was/is a 15 lb. poodle. She couldn’t be that much work right? Before I picked her up we gave her a capstar and the fleas were flying off of her. Poor girl. The vet guessed her between 3 and 5 although she acts like she is a puppy. Just full of energy! She came into my life in September of 2020 and she is just an absolute joy! Just a happy girl! She hadn’t been spayed (I got her spayed) and so I always wonder what her life was like before she was found wandering down a highway. Was she a puppy mill dog? I think she was well cared for and I feel bad that someone was probably missing her. Miss Molly is deaf but that doesn’t slow her down a bit!
And last…Beckham. Beckham is my 7 year old 80 pound labradoodle that I adopted in October of 2021 when he was 6. I had been taking care of Beckham as his dogwalker since he was 4 months old and so when his family didn’t want him anymore, it was a no brainer that I take him. He is very high energy and very high maintenance. I feel like I say his name or tell him to sit or tell him no or do all 3 like 100 times a day!!! But my life would not be complete without him in my life. He is so sweet and loving.
