These are random musings of my life journey, the people, animals, places, and events which have woven, and continue to weave, a tapestry that is me. We all know there is no real destination, only the ongoing experiences which blend together, creating the trail. Each step gives a glimpse of what is to come, without allowing me to see the end result. It is exciting. I have a home base that is mine, that gives me a place to rest. This is it. This is where my heart is, no matter where I journey...................

Thursday, July 17, 2008

Thursday Thoughts

I had a visit here from Eve (link is to just one of her blogs), a new reader. I made a quick visit of her blog and look forward to going back to read more and look at her other blogs. She commented here with a couple things that made me think a little more deeply about some of my own words.



First, dogs .... or cats or any other pets .... and their personalities. As you all know by now, there isn't an animal I've met that I don't like. Well, no, that's not totally true. A few pit bulls that I didn't get close enough to know if I could like them, and a handful of other generic critters fall into that same category. But I love the four-leggers of this world.

As I am watching these new family members in my house and seeing them grow, I'm enjoying seeing their personalities blossom. Each one is special, has endearing qualities, as well as a few strange quirks, and is like no other animal in the world. I love that!

This morning, my ponderings lead me to thinking about their pasts. Most of the pets I have owned had a "history" that I knew. I knew at least the mama-kitty which hung out at my parent's home for years and years, or the neighbor's dog who birthed the puppies I brought home. When I was a child I brought home strays all the time, but since my teens, I've known the pets' stories.

Sam's past I know a little about (puppy mill, then dumped on the street), but there isn't enough to say I understand all of the reasons for his neurosis. Max and Joey have no known history before I met them. I watch them play, and I work with them to make them compliant with household expectations, and I see their sweet personalities, feel their love, see evidence that they have been "housed pets" in the past. And I can't imagine someone not wanting these precious pups in their lives. How could someone have had them in their homes, looked in those eyes, watched them frisk, touched their soft fur .... and not kept them safe? How could they let these beautiful little doggy-souls wander away ... or, worse, throw them away?

I'm still working on the house training, with Max and Sam doing pretty well. Joey is a challenge. He seems to be more stubborn, willing to walk a half mile or to sit at my feet for as much as thirty minutes, holding it in, even when I know he must be about to pop! And, yes, he will walk back in the house once I give up and decide he isn't going to pee, and before I can put him back in the crate .... pee a half-gallon on my carpet! It is exasperating! But I'm not giving up! After all, I've had him here just three weeks, and it will take time. It took time to house train every young puppy I ever had. It is part of the sharing of my life with him, my commitment that I will stick it out and make us both happy and comfortable together. Is that why someone left him, freshly groomed, loving and affectionate, with his little lady, on the street? Did they bring him home expecting him to train himself while they were at work? Did they give up on him when they didn't keep their responsibilities "up to code"?

All three are as sweet, cute, funny as can be and I struggle with the knowledge that other humans have neglected them in whatever ways they did. I'm extremely happy to have them with me .... but embarrassed that they got here as they did.





The second thought is more light and humorous, at least it is for me. Eve commented that I am saving a bundle that might be spent at a gym for exercise by doing my own yard work. And chasing these dogs around, too, I might add!! She speculated about people who pay others to do yard work, then spend more at the gym for exercise. We are a funny lot, aren't we? I guess there is something to be said in favor of having a limited, fixed income! I have no choice but to exercise in the yard, if I want my house to look like a civilized person lives here!

Anyway, I began wondering about that. How many of you pay someone to do something that could be good exercise for you? And do you spend more money going to the gym? Be honest now .... if you indulge yourself in the gym, is there anything that you could be substituting? Just curious, so feed my nosey hunger!!!

8 comments:

  1. I will never ever understand people's indifference and sometimes downright cruelty to animals. I hope there is a special circle reserved in hell for them.

    I also can't fathom how people can so casually get rid of their pets when they are inconvenient. So sad. I'm so glad those babies have a forever home with you. So so so so glad!

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  2. MQ, I know you feel much like I do. I like your idea of a special circle in hell. They should be in that circle, being despised even by the others in hell.

    I'm glad they are here, too. They complete my life. :')

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  3. i love your musings on animal personalities. i have a cat who was adopted off the street when she was around 2yrs old. recently i started eating cereal with rice milk for the first time since i adopted her. she goes wild when i eat from a bowl. she begs aggressively and usually she is a quiet laid back soul. she must have had some experience with cereal eaters before i adopted her.

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  4. this is the second year of owning a house for me. last year i mowed the lawn (.23 acres) myself with a push mower. this year i hired someone to mow it. next year i think i will do a combo..have the landscapers clean it up maybe twice. they have an edger and a weed wacker...then mow the lawn myself the rest of the summer.

    i currently belong to the YMCA.so i am guilty of paying to work out but not working out in my own yard.

    for me the gym is a place to be around people and also, a place to work out on machines i wouldn't or couldn't have at home.

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  5. we have rescued two cats that were kittens that were going to be destroyed because they were unwanted.Then of course there is pepper who ate two pair of glasses,used the dining room for personal bathroom dug up the kitchen floor in front of the door and the upstairs carpet in front of our bedroom.Although she is evil we still love her and keep working with her which involved a giant crate to keep her safe when we are not home. Never would I abuse or understand how people can abuse animals.

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  6. M, LOL! What a cute story! I love how they sometime tell us a little about their past with their behaviors. :)

    :) I understand the part about being around people, for sure. When I decided to retire, I really didn't doubt that I would get out and meet people, but the part-time job assures me of that. Sometimes we have to do things to make us be more social, I think, or we might become hermits.

    Redfrog, I agree with you. Even the most unlikeable pet I can remember had redeeming traits, and I wouldn't have hurt him or deserted him or neglected his needs for anything in the world.

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  7. Guilty as charged. I have someone who does my yard. I am not fond of working outside and not really good at it. I use the gym on our Navy Base. I don't have to pay anything for it because I am married to a retired Navy Commander. Even if I did have to pay, I would because the gym helps to hold back depression, keeps me limber, and slows down my osteporosis. It is also a great social time because I have many friends who go at about the same time. We often go for coffee after a workout. It is a gift I give myself.

    I once had a beautiful little black and white dog named Jake. I loved him so much and was broken-hearted when he was either lost or stolen from my daughter's yard during a visit with her. We searched and searched, but to no avail. I had Jake from the time he was 8 weeks old until he was three or four. Jake was never chased or hit with a broom. We never teased him with one, but he had a major phobia about brooms. Just bring one out and he would disappear. For years, I hoped someone kind had my baby and then I would have to smile because I could just hear them say, "We rescued him and he must have lived with someone who beat him with a broom. He is petrified of brooms!" Guess it is hard to ever fiqure out the real story.

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  8. Maria, well, explaining it as you do, I guess we can over look it. This time! LOL!

    It is interesting what we deduce from their behaviors, isn't it? We have to assume that what we see is accurate because we have no other choice, but your story shows just how wrong our superior human logic could be!!

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If you have something to say about it, just stick out your thumb, and I'll slow down so you can hop aboard! But hang on, 'cause I'm movin' on down the road!!! No time to waste!!!