Worth It, But Be Ready

- Private group -
Wed, 02/10/2016 - 11:30pm

Our pets keep us on our toes. Two of our dogs are farm collies. We actually spent a good amount of time researching the perfect farm dog. Ben, who proves pretty perfect, is a close relation to Ellie. Separated by ten years, Ben and Ellie are clearly from opposite sides of the gene pool; easy enough to say just by looking at them. Ben is a super laid back, loves-everyone kinda guy. He’s a big boy, healthy, happy, big smile, not terribly quick-witted, but affable with everyone. Ellie is a tiny girl, healthy too, sweet faced, sharp as a tack, overbearing, and down right mean to the other dogs. The addition of Ellie into our lives makes me wonder about my own intelligence, humbles me, in fact. I had thought it a great plan, bringing a pup into our lives to take over for an aging Ben. Ben would be a good mentor, like his own predecessor, River. Ah, River was a good boy, and he tried to teach Ben well. River’s fierce loyalty, quiet nature, and excellent farm savvy almost all transferred to Ben. The farm savvy part didn’t. Ben tries, and he is perfect in every other way, but he was eleven years old before he figured out the fox was in the barn after the chickens, not somewhere in the front yard. So what was I thinking? Enter Ellie. She’s very savvy, very driven. Too driven, I dare say. Once the fox has been run off, she heads back to the barn to chase the chickens herself. The point of all this is that you never know, even after careful research, what you are getting when you accept a pet into your life. Much like bringing a child into your life, you must know there is a long, bumpy, funny, sweet, frustrating, glorious road ahead. And not for a couple months, or a couple years, but for a lifetime. Their whole lifetime. But, most importantly, the reward is great. Our pets are here to challenge us to be good people. We are better friends, better parents, better at everything because we have their approval and have gained confidence as we learned. So, think. Think hard about bringing a pet home. Not just about whether they need you, because they all do, but about if you are ready for the added challenge to an already busy life. Dogs can bark, bite, shed, and poop in the hallway. Cats can scratch, throw up hair balls in the middle of the Tupperware party, and make your husband sneeze. And it’s all worth it when we get a loving nudge with a cold wet nose after a long day!! But, be ready. Be very ready, and if you need support, give us a shout! Housecalls Pet Care is here to help. 542-8654 contact@housecallspetcare.us  www.housecallspetcare.us