So here we go with List #1: List Pets You've Had and Their Names
Nicky- Parent's poodle (around before I was born, but I remember when she passed away. My first experience with death)
Ted- Guinea Pig (kept me awake at night plus I wasn't so good at taking care of him so we gave him to my first grade class and then raffled him off at the end of the year. Then he became Matt Fliger's guinea pig)
Tiger- Cat. Best cat in the world. Had kittens, which was the thrill of my elementary school life.
Zach- Cat. Tiger's son. Gray. Named after a frozen yogurt establishment.
Buddy- Cat. Also best cat in the world. A stray who found us. Was my dog Maggie's best friend.
Chon- Bichon Frise. Cranky. Was allergic to himself and blind. Was the butt of many jokes from my extended family, but he loved my mom and she loved him.
Wiggles- Dwarf Rabbit. Convinced my parents I needed a rabbit for Easter. Dad built it a deluxe hutch, but Wiggles proved not to be that much fun and just bit and scratched me a lot. Sold him and the hutch to some people I rode the school bus with.
Midnight and Daylight- Goldfish. These two lovers lived a really long time for goldfish until Midnight committed suicide and I found him at the foot of my bed one morning after having jumped out of his tank. Daylight soon followed from a broken heart.
Maggie- Golden Retriever. Amazing dog with a big heart. Lived 15 years!
Clair- Miniature Poodle. Best thing that has happened to me in my adult life. She's been there for me through some really hard times and has helped me purge my shoe collection by eating some pairs.
I think that is it. I'd love to hear about the animal friends who have shaped your past and helped you become the wonderful person you are today.
Aww, I remember a lot of those guys!
ReplyDeleteAlso, I feel the exact same way about my dog as you do about Clair. I don't think I would have made it through my move to Colorado without her unconditional puppy love.
In vague chronological order:
ReplyDeleteLou the Bird -- Who we got from my great grandfather who owned a speakeasy, took the fall for the mob, and was the father of my psuedo famous blind (lounge singing) grandmother.
George the Fish -- Brother Colin's fish that my neighbor famously killed by sticking his hand in the tank. George died a day later. It could have been a coincidence.
Pipsie and Poopsie the Guinea Pigs -- My sister and I had matching girl guinea pigs. Until they had babies and we realized one was not a girl. However, I didn't fully realize this as I was too young.
Mopsie the Gerbil -- The trend in naming comes from my sister who also originally owned this gerbil who lived a shockingly long two years. His siblings were all suicidal and jumped out of their cages from high, high heights at very young ages.
Trappie the Fish and Baby the Fish -- My very own first real pets. They were gold fish. Baby was tiny, thus named Baby. She was tiny because she was a feeder fish. (I bought her because she was so cheap and as a child things like 50 cents matters.) One day Baby became ill and I believe Trappie began to eat her. My brothers took care of this incident of traumatic horror -- but I decorated her coffin. Also, Trappie's when his time came.
Goldfish Won at Grade School Fair -- Self-explanatory. Died quickly. Though not as quickly as my mom would have liked.
Diggin the Dog -- Named after our relatives in Ireland. They were not pleased. We called him Diggin, Dog Philosopher, because he was really, really stupid. And a Cocker Spaniel.
Bear the Chihuahua -- Clair's No. 1 Frenemy. Need I say more?