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gandle

Pets

gandle
12 years ago

Remembering different pets from childhhod. When I lived with my grandparents there was just a sucession of terriers and a cat named Buttermilk. Oh yes, I had a pet chicken..One I had picked up when it was just a baby chicken and it would follow me anywhere when I let it out of the chicken yard. But when I went to live with my father and step-mother things sure changed. Sister waas responsible for most of the pets we made but we found out hat young guineas don't make a good pet. The don't bond with people. We had pet ducks, geese a pet goat and a lamb and even Runty the pig. There were always the barn cats plus ahouse cat and so many dogs that only a couple stand out in my memory The most memorable was named Boss and I have posted about him several years earlier. He was the one that waited for me by the culvert in front of our lane and would greet me when I came home. He even waited for me when I wwent in the navy but then I've already written about that.

I forgot about the pet turkey. He was named Tom, guess it didn't take much thought to come up with that name. Don't remember how he escaped being the main course on Thanksgiving but he must have been 10 years old before he keeled over. Certainly wasn't a cuddly pet in fact he was rather mean and sometimes would attack for no reason and then stalk off. He had the run of the entire farm and could fly short distances but always come running and gobbling when sis or I would have a treat for him. Usually just a slice of bread. Dad was too soft hearted to kill or sell any of the animals that sis and I made pets out of in fact he kind of went along with it. He was proud of the billy goat Alfred, he was a handsome animal but he sure stunk and was unpredictable except with dad. He sometimes would attack any of the other animals on the place, he didn't hurt them but he wanted to be the big shot and he pretty much was except for a couple of the dogs that didn't think he was the big shot.

We even had a baby squirrel that somehow fell out the nest, that didn't last long he was even as a baby a wild animal.. I forgot to mention the name of the pet duck we had, her name was Prunella and she would follow sis or I just like a dog, some of the dogs seemed to resent that. Enough

Comments (8)

  • don_socal
    12 years ago

    Pets fill a space in our existence.

  • lindie_mi
    12 years ago

    How nice that Tom made it through all those Thanksgivings. And a billy goat! You make our occasional cats seem quite boring. Gandle, your posts are fun to read!

  • meldy_nva
    12 years ago

    I remember a tuxedo cat named Mrs. McAfee after a woman I liked. I was quite small at the time and would sling her front paws over my shoulder while she kept balance by putting her back paws on top of my feet (there was a photo showing this, but that album was lost by the movers). There were always cats around but the next that I remember as being 'mine' was a Manx who adopted us when he was not too much more than a kitten. That's the one who used to bring home stray kittens, raise and train them and then find a new home for each. He had firm ideas on proper cattish behavior which included mouse hunting, lap sitting, and loud purrs but never obsequiousness or clawing of friends. My brothers had dogs, my father rabbits, my mother goats, and the other creatures were not pets even though mum gave each a name.

  • west_gardener
    12 years ago

    I lived in a city growing up and I did not have any pets.
    Once I got married, had children and moved to the "burbs", there was Super Dog, Pusekat(cat) Sockey (cat) and DD's canary.
    It was a perfect time for pets.
    At this time we have chosen not to have any pets in our old age, that may change.

  • anneliese_32
    12 years ago

    We always have some pets which adopt me. The fastest adoption was when we got transferred to an overseas army post, got quarters, opened the door and with us in moved a grey and white tom. Nobody in the neighborhood had ever seen him and the people who lived in the apartment before us were allergic to cats. He moved back with us to the States and died of old age.

  • gardenkat
    12 years ago

    I have always had pets for as long as I can remember. Can't imagine life without them! Of my two current dogs, Jack made the trip with me from Detroit here to Guatemala. Oso was a street pup that we adopted last year. My partner T recently bought a baby bull to raise and sell for meat. The bull lives on a friend's property. I told T that any animal that comes on our property is going to have a name and be a pet. Gandle, I love reading your posts. Thanks for this one.

  • rob333 (zone 7b)
    12 years ago

    I've always had cats, my whole life. It's probably why I couldn't handle the unbearably destitute feeling left when Keegan Kitty died, had to have fur by my head. First, there were Tunia and Tonya, twin tuxedos. Then, there was Tiger. He was big enough, that if he grew tired of my brother's antics, he could whomp him to the floor and hold him down with his paws. After that it was Thomas, Little Punk(in) (an orange cat, obviously!), Indy Joe (he hated snakes like the character of Indiana Jones in the Raiders of the Lost Ark movie), Big Guy (also known as Cringer, that's from He Man and Battle Cat cartoons. He had markings that looked like he wore a helmet. And he did Cringe at everything!), Missy, KitKat, and then Keegan kitty, followed by Maggie Moo and Murphy Patrick O'Brien (that ol' firey redhead!). Every moment, from the time I was born. A hamster here and there, a few fish every now and again, but that's it.

  • lilosophie
    12 years ago

    The Pet cemetery
    In the 27 years this property was developed and occupied by Joann and myself, we have been blessed with the company of many animals and have buried quite a few. There is a designated place we call the "Pet Cemetery", most of our four-legged, furred friends are resting there, circumstances dictated a few were put in the ground elsewhere.

    There are three horses, Mira and Ralph, our cherished Arabians, and MG, a short time boarder, a big, mellow Morgan.

    there are four milk-goats and Caprice, the first pigmy, Daphne has joined them now and as of Nov.13 two more: Raja and Lucy have joined, they were murdered by dogs who apparently found a way to dig under the fence.

    Five dogs of Joann's and four of mine and quite a few cats, though some of mine are buried in my garden.

    All those spirits roam the pasture and the woods, one can sometimes feel their presence.

    The area is on a slope and is topped by a meditation bench, donated by MG's owner.

    I said "just wrap me in a sheet and call the guy with the backhoe, I would love to join them", unfortunately it's definitely not legal - but my ashes can be planted there.

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