We love our furry relatives

I've had a couple of friends this week who have had to "put down" their beloved dogs. This can be heart-wrenching for a pet lover. That dog is family, and when you lose a member of your family you grieve. And when you look back - you have all kinds of stories about the greatest dog you ever had. Now, I myself am a dog person, but I have had cats and love them too. Dogs are high maintenance - you have to be home to let them out, take them for walks, etc. With cats, not so much. You can leave a big bowl of food and the water tank (and a clean litter box), and your good for at least a 3-day vacation. You just take your chances that your towels or curtains (or something you've JUST knitted) haven't become a new shred toy!

And I've talked before about my "babies." I've included a video of my "water baby," Melody. But I've had some great cats in the past - Cadenza, she loved to pretend she was a dog (especially a prairie dog) somedays. And other days I would find her curled up inside hangers hanging in the closet. That cat could jump from floor to the top of the door - no fooling! And there was Varmit who knew how to box with you - and he would shove me out of bed at night. Ahh, and my true baby, Lilly. She used my outstretched arm for a pillow every night when we went to bed - like we were "spooning" (drove my ex crazy!).

And for dogs - I remember Hot Dog the dachshund, and Candy, the beagle, from my grandparents when I was little. Of course, their names came from what they ate the most! Candy loved to ride in Papaw's big rig too. And Duke - he was the beagle/basset hound of my aunt & uncle's. He threw up on me on his first ride home. But he was a good huntin dog and loved to play and be rubbed. Ol Sis was my ex-stepdad's prize champion coondog - she got to come in every year at thanksgiving. She had a lot of pups, but two were the favorites - Lefty and Sugar. Now Lefty was a brute - but he got loose and got hit by a car - his back leg had to be amputated. The doctors said he would never hunt. He went on to win a few trophies. He and we were so oblivious to him only having 3 legs...he would drag us around the yard when he was leashed! Now Sugar - she was a little crazy. I think because she was so spoiled. She was Sis' last pup. Oh, then there was Blackie - he could start a push mower by pulling the cord! But the ultimate was Pee-Wee. She was born without the "balls" in her hip sockets. She had surgeries - and another prediction of no hunting from the goofy doctors. This was the dog who would hunt anything and everything all night long. She would tree a coon - come back to the house if noone came to her - then make you go with her just to see that she STILL had it treed. She also was tricky when it came to having new pups around. She would "train" them, take them across the creek far enough, and when they were distracted, she would come back home leaving them to find their own way back! And if she was tired of playing with kids - the furry or human kind - she would just play dead!

And then there's all the animals I get to be an "aunt" to. There was the Barth's Humphrey & Grace & Gottleib the cat. Pastor Steve's Tommy-girl. My aunt & uncle's Princess, Legend and now Dottie. Barry Brewer's Boomer the cat, Sissie and her pup Baxter, and Moo the kitty. (Moo I think is Melody's mom). And now I get to have a doggie-fix when I visit Rebecca and Ricky's house! Sydney, Zoe, Buffy, and Bruno just get so excited when I walk in the door. Now, I'm not stupid - they just love people (just like their parents), but that feeling you get when someone is excited to see you! I love it! I need to get over there again soon!

And I had this video sent to me - so I thought I would do this posting in tribute to all of our furry-babies. It's about 6-8 minutes, so watch The Amazing Skidboot when you have time.