The Fuzzies

There are some days when I prefer the company of animals to the company of humans! Ok, actually that would be most days. People are rude, obnoxious, and selfish. Now, don't get me wrong, I still have a great deal of faith in humanity; there are so many more good people in the world than those to whom I just referred. But on busy days at the Pharmacy when every little thing takes a great deal of time and energy, I appreciate animals so much more.

Over the course of my life, we have had four dogs, two of which are still with us. Ever since the age of three when we got our first dog, I have been a dog lover. I couldn't say for sure whether or not I am a cat lover, since we never have had any, but I have always enjoyed being around other people's cats. My love of these cute little fuzzies has spread to other animals, both wild and domestic, so that now I am just an all-around animal lover.

Obviously it's easier to love cute, fuzzy, small things because hello, they're adorable! It's harder to love something that's scaly, feathery, or slimy. Now to be honest, I don't particularly like snakes, spiders, and many other "bugs," but I still value their place in the animal kingdom, of which we are part! Each animal has a unique role in our world, whether they are pollinators like birds, bees, or bats, or as food for larger animals. I'm not as extreme about animals as someone in PETA, but I will always stand up for fair treatment for those that have no voice.

At any rate, I wanted to devote this blog post to our two current dogs, Halo and Skye. We got Halo right after I started the eighth grade, from the local shelter. She was only a few months old, and had been a stray on the streets of Knoxville. She was a very shy puppy, and we believe that at one point she was abused due to how she behaved around humans at first. Any time we would go to pet her, she would cower as if we were going to hit her. But after we spent some time with her and saw how sad she looked in that cage, we had to have her. Her personality came out soon after that, and she began to trust us and behave naturally around us.

At first, and I hate to admit this, I didn't want another dog. One of our dogs at the time had died, and I wasn't prepared to replace her. But now I couldn't imagine my life without Halo. She sleeps with me, I take care of her, and she gives me the unconditional love only an animal can give. She is always happy when any of us comes home, even if it has only been a few minutes since we left. She is now eleven years old, but she still acts just like a puppy! Sometimes caring for a pet can be a challenge, but oh now rewarding having Halo has been!

The other dog we currently have is named Skye, and she is a full-bred border collie. She came to us after our neighbor bred her border collie and gave away/sold the puppies. We were lucky enough to get the chance to get Skye when she was only a few weeks old, and she was still able to visit with her mother and the remaining brothers and sisters. Of course, having a brand new puppy has it's many challenges: chewing, whining, and most especially leaving messes all over the place. We were spoiled by the fact that Halo came to us house-trained, and had to figure out how to get Skye to be a good girl. We knew from the get-go that having a border collie would be interesting, given that those dogs are so smart and extremely energetic! We soon found that there was no way she could stay inside.

Although Skye isn't as lovey dovey as Halo is, she still has her ways of being affectionate. We now keep her in an outdoor pen, and give her the chance to run around and play whenever we can. On those opportunities, or whenever we go out to feed her, she affectionately lays her head on us and looks up with her big brown eyes. She is very playful and spunky, and acts like the stereotypical border collie. We call her the "border baby," and even though she is an outdoor dog, we still try to include her whenever we can. She's a little wild, but I guess that's what happens when you live outside all the time! Plus, she is the perfect watch dog, and she barks to let us know whenever anyone comes near the house. Even though she can get noisy at times, I still enjoy having her around; watching her fetch a toy or a ball is just a fun experience.

In short, I love our fuzzies! I couldn't imagine my life without them, and I'm so glad we have these canine companions. It's such a rewarding experience to own pets, even though it can be difficult and tiring at times. It's especially rewarding to come home after a long, frustrating day and see those happy faces and wagging tails. How can you be mad at that cute little face???