My Real Life Family < 3
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Ginger - Cocker Spaniel (August 1998-May 2011)
Ever since I could speak I would go on about wanting to be a vet. All I did was watch Animal Planet, collect and cherish stuffed animals, beanie babies, little toy animals and model kits, drew nothing but animals and dinosaurs, and would always be the dog when I played house. And I wanted a real dog SO BAD. All I had were fish.. which I would try to name, but then I'd get confused because we had like 10 of each kind. And they died so fast and I'd cry and beg for them not to be flushed down the toilet :C A dog was what I really wanted. I'd catch those little wishy things that float around and wish 100 times on each one for a puppy. So finally, when I was 8, my grandma took me to a lady's house which also served primarily as a cocker spaniel rescue. Anyone who knows me knows that I'm a HUGE fan of big, tough-looking dogs. I honestly don't enjoy the look of cocker spaniels all that much. So I wasn't like 100% excited, but still about 99%. I was really set on this floofy 5 year old white one that was really calm and put his big paw on the cage when I went over to him. What a heartbreaker ): But my grandma and aunt were looking at this little 1 year old red one that was wiggling in all sorts of weird shapes with a little squeaky ladybug toy hanging out of her mouth. I wasn't going to argue because both seemed fine, and the red one didn't remind me of the typical sad-face, droopy looking spaniel. She was a cutie. So we took home the red one, and it was for sure the best thing that's ever happened to me. We were both young, her being 1 and myself 8 years old at the time. We became super protective of each other. Any time my grandma would yell, she'd come running to me and would hide under my feet / desk because she knew she was safe there. If someone hugged me or tried to grab me, she'd get really jealous and protective and would growl. Not a real growl where she'd actually maul you, but you'd know that it bothered her because she wasn't sure what they were doing to me. Even when she bit the nose off of my favorite horse toy/model and I balled my eyes out, I couldn't hate her one bit. She'd constantly follow you around back and forth through the house, her nails clicking across the floor in a very annoying manner. But now that she's gone, I miss the little things. When I open up a yogurt, I get all emotional because she used to lick the lid for me. If food falls on the floor I can no longer expect her to clean up. I don't have to worry about fixing the couch and getting her off the very top of it anymore before my grandma comes home. And it's way too quiet without her nails tapping around. I'm now 20 years old.. I had her for 12 years, from the time I was young through adulthood. Unfortunately, she grew a cancerous tumor which was too risky to remove. Things were getting rough, but she was holding up. What a trooper. While I was at school, my aunt accidentally texted me when she texted everyone else the news that Ginger finally had to be put down. I certainly wasn't expecting to find out like that, but I put my phone back down and carried on with my morning routine. Normally I can hold in my feelings and calmly tell a person when someone has passed. But I was so close to her and it was my first really major loss at an age where I could fully understand what had happened. 5 minutes after the text I balled my eyes out. I feel really guilty for not being there for her final breath because she's always been there for me :'( She passed away May 2011. Truly my best friend. She taught me so much. R.I.P. Ginger, I love you < 3
I'm a firm believer that dogs look like their owners LOL. Reddish-blonde hair, brown eyes.. hmm
These pictures were from when she was younger and furrier and had boy collar colors. We would shave her fur a little closer later on (her ears would look shorter too as they were also trimmed closer) and got her a pretty pink and black collar with hearts. I think her fur got lighter too. I don't currently have any of those photos online though :C
I'm a firm believer that dogs look like their owners LOL. Reddish-blonde hair, brown eyes.. hmm
These pictures were from when she was younger and furrier and had boy collar colors. We would shave her fur a little closer later on (her ears would look shorter too as they were also trimmed closer) and got her a pretty pink and black collar with hearts. I think her fur got lighter too. I don't currently have any of those photos online though :C
Tiger - Black and White Cat
Tiger is the silly cat on the floor (under the chair) in the picture at the top of this page. I went with my dad to one of his civil war reenactments many years ago (yes I dressed up for it at the time, felt like little house on the prairie) and walked past a tent in which a man called out to me. Turns out he had some kittens in there and he wanted me to take the black and white one and walk around with it to see if anyone might be interested. As soon as I picked him up I had other plans. As I walked around people commented and I acted as though he was my cat lol. Finally brought him over to my dad and his buddies and we all fell in love with him. He became the camp mascot for the day. Looking at him now, I can't believe he fit in one of the men's hats. Cat in the hat tehe. He has similar coloring to Dr. Seuss' Cat in the Hat too, and also has that nutty, trouble-making personality. The original owner told me his name was Houdini because he was the first to climb out of his box, and would continuously do so. Didn't take long to confirm that. On our way home, I decided to call him Stormy because we got caught in a terrible storm in which we were only able to move like 10 mph on the highway. I'm not sure why my mom decided to name him Tiger because he's.. not the color of a tiger. But he does get kinda mean sometimes so I can see it now lol. He begs for you to scratch him and play with him and then he mauls you and/or chases your legs and attacks. But he can also be sweet and funny. Acts more like a dog than anything, especially now that he's king of the castle. Follows you around, goes nuts trying to stick his paw and/or face in your cereal bowl or dinner, meows / begs for his food from 3-4:30 when he knows he doesn't get fed until 4:30, and is constantly seeking attention. I certainly made a wrong assumption thinking cats were solitary creatures and he wouldn't be much trouble. But I love him. He's my buddy < 3
Lucky - Black Cat (??-May 2011)
Lucky is the thin little black cat, with a tiny white chest marking, on top of the chair in the picture at the top of this page. He was found in a pile of leaves outside of my mom's previous residence. I'm assuming he was the runt and may have been left there since he was so tiny. So we took him in. He couldn't get enough of me when he was little. I'd kneel on the floor and he'd walk across and over me, back and forth, all around. Maybe I tried to handle him too much or something because he was so cute, but when he got a little older he decided he was actually scared of everyone and made it hard to get a hold of him. So I didn't grow as attached to the little guy :( But him and Tiger got along.. Tiger usually chased him around, but once in a while Lucky grew balls and would chase the big guy. Tiger sort of took him in too and would lick him clean when he rubbed up against him. He had to be put down a few days before my dog though :'( R.I.P. Lucky < 3