November 25 ~ Today I am thankful for pets. I’ve had many pets throughout my life … dogs, cats, birds, hamsters, fish, and turtles. Our dog, Tiny, is one of my earliest pet memories from when I was little more than a toddler. I also remember a parakeet named Boomer.

During my teenaged years, we had many parrots. My uncle (who my Grandma and I lived with after my Grandpa passed away) wanted to become a breeder of exotic birds … Cockatiels, Macaws, Cockatoos, African Greys. We had one African Grey, Boogie (remember it was the 70’s), who had a condition that caused her to pluck out her chest feathers. From behind her plumage was beautiful … but from the front, she was pretty much bald. She became one of my favorite pets. African Greys are known for their ability to talk. She said all kinds of things … sometimes repeating things we wish she hadn’t picked up  (my uncle’s language wasn’t always what you would call G rated). One of my clearest memories is that my Grandma would send Boogie to wake me up in the morning. She would land on my head and pull strands of my hair saying “Get Up … Get Up … Get Up” over and over until I did just that 🙂

In my adult life, it’s mostly been dogs and cats. When my kids were growing up, we had Cocoa, a Chesapeake Bay retriever. She was the best dog ever. She was so smart and friendly, so gentle with the kids. She was also very protective of the whole family. I learned to trust her instincts, I truly believe that animals can sense when things aren’t safe. Sadly, she passed away a few years ago, but I’ll always remember her with love.

These days, we have cats … 3 of them. They don’t have the typical stand-offish personalities that are characteristic of cats. They are friendly and usually don’t run to hide when company comes over. Actually, I think 2 of them may that they are dogs 🙂 Smokey begs for food and knocks over the garbage can for bones; Jack plays fetch and does tricks to get treats. Noel definitely has more of a feline personality … she thinks she’s a princess and usually only comes out when she wants to be petted or fed. All three are quite vocal … they seem to answer when you talk to them. I just love our furry family 🙂

♥ Today I am thankful for pets ♥