Our Mommyhood

We have pets. Currently, we own two dogs and are tolerated by one cat. There is no denying we are pet people – we’ve always had animals. When my husband and I met, we each owned a dog, both Dalmatians. Shortly after we purchased our first home, with its lovely fenced in back yard, a friend of mine contacted us about a beautiful, gentle Sharpei-Lab mix he had rescued but didn’t have anywhere to keep. By the time our oldest son was born, Layla (his dog), Delenn (my dog), and Bart (our dog) were comfortably entrenched in our hearts and home.

That same son was how we acquired a kitten, after our child care provider’s cat became a momma. He was pretty attached, and she needed to find homes for the kittens. Tipper came to live at our house, too.

Over time, each of the dogs has passed on, with Layla being the last. When we lost her in March of last year, we were left a dog-free home for the first time. It broke my heart. We knew that a new dog was in our future, we just needed to find the right one.

We also knew exactly where to look. Not to a pet store, or a breeder, but to our local animal shelter. They post pictures of adoptable pets to their website, and we checked it every few days, waiting for the face that would draw us in. It was May when I saw it.

That face hit the site, and my heart skipped a beat. We quickly made arrangements to have my Brother-in-Law come stay with the kids while we went to go meet her. (Even I am not crazy enough to take my children into the animal shelter. We’d come home with every furry thing there!) She was perfect. Curious, playful, but laid back, Effie was exactly what we wanted in a new friend. We filled out the paperwork, and were approved on the spot. Effie came home with us that very day.

It was only a few months later when the kids and I were on our way home from church and rounded a corner to find a short, fat little thing standing in the road.  I stopped, waiting on her to move, and finally got out of my vehicle to try to send her on her way. She rolled over for me to rub her belly. We loaded her in the car, and spent the rest of the afternoon trying to find her family, to no avail. No tags, no microchip, no responses to signs and notes, and my husband decided she should stay with us. Pretty Girl, or P.G., was our latest adoption.

Given half a chance, I would probably take in every little stray, and rescue every fuzzy face at our shelter. Our latest discussions have been around fostering animals – our shelter has a foster program where we could be instrumental in rehabilitating, socializing and nurturing animals until they are ready to be permanently placed. I want to do this, but won’t lie. I’m afraid I’ll end up having a hard time letting go!

Our pets are as much a part of our family as our children, and I love knowing we’ve rescued animals from negative situations. My kids are learning responsibility by taking part in caring for the animals, including being involved in the training process, daily feeding, and vet visits. Being pet people carries a fair amount of challenge with it, but the rewards, in our minds and hearts, are worth every bit.

Are you pet people? Are your children involved in the care of the pets? What do you love (and hate!) about owning animals?