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Saturday, June 12, 2021

A Quick "Hello" to Meet the Pets

Hmph! I am STILL trying to repair whatever it was that happened to Blogger about a month back. If you do not see your blog on the Blogs I Follow list, please let me know! I found TWO MORE of the blogs I love that were inexplicably off the list again. I have missed some very nice posts! Ugh!

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But here's the pet family, as of the moment. All of the pets are "rescues." 

Another charging cable bites the dust
Morgie sleeping

The one who is newest and "poorly" is little Morgus the cat. No vet can find out why he is so thin or why his eyes water. We got Morgie two years ago. He seems happy and energetic. I ply him with treats constantly, but he doesn't gain and he barely nibbles. I think I have tried every food, restaurant food, home-cooked food, vet food, and fancy concoction known to PetSmart and man. I'm afraid one vet was right: He was likely a malnourished feral kitten, and will have lifelong impacts. He was very ill and crawling across an interstate when my son stopped his big work truck and put him into the cab. Of course, he ended up with me...He is standoffish and likes the back porch most of the time, and we have him a good setup back there. We sit on the ottomans because "the chairs are Morgie's." While I would like Morgie to stay inside, like Red does, he is wild at heart and becomes distressed inside after a bit.

Morgie on one of his chairs

You have heard of Red already. Red was so emaciated he was just days from death. However, unlike Morgie, Red fattened up nicely! Red and Morgie look similar, but there is over a 20-pound difference. Red has been with us for 12 years and never was a sweeter, more mild creature encountered. Here's Red's dating profile, although he has no interest in any such activity. All our pets are neutered! 

"Hi, I'm Red. I'm a big boy and I am monochromatic from my eyes to my toe beans. I enjoy snoozing, napping, sleeping, dozing, and eating. I like birdwatching from a special perch at the living room window during the 30 minutes I am awake each day. Other activities include purring, tapping humans with my paw to get my chin scratched, and gazing into the water bucket."

Red is a big boi


Sophie is the reason my husband is alive, I feel. With his friends all dying of old age, with the world changing in ways that are wounding and confusing, with his own health troubles, he was slipping away. And then came Sophie. Suddenly, he had a reason to live, to get up, to stay up. If I cannot implore him to seek medical care, I must play The Sophie Card: "What about Sophie if something happens to you?" I love Sophie, too, but my husband loves her with such an intensity. They bonded immediately, when my son pulled out a tiny puppy from his jacket on what turned out to be the coldest day of the year. He rescued her from a box with "free" written on it, set out by a curb. She was so chilled she had stopped shivering. Under the heated blanket she went with my husband, and just like that he found a reason to live. Sophie is a maniac for "the ball." She is rarely without a tennis ball in her mouth. She will even bark with one in her mouth, and when she sleeps, there is always one near her that fell out. Sophie must be hand-fed. She will not eat food unless it is fed to her one tiny piece at a time, and that is a job my husband likes to do.


A very muddy Sophie -- she cannot resist a mud puddle...

Champie was an abuse case before rescue, and I will just say he has a bad back leg, greatly deformed due to the abuse, but the vet says it no longer hurts him. He uses it like a peg-leg. He lived on the end of a chain, no shelter, without a name, for almost two years before a rescue group saved him. He then was adopted and returned within a day three times (shockingly, people are pretty shallow about his appearance and his guarding of food) before I walked into a Petco store and had a large, intimidating woman call me over. She said, "You need this dog" and placed Champie (as they had named him) into my arms. His poor little leg hung down, but his eyes were serene and sweet. I still am not sure what happened, as I was NOT in the market for another dog, much less a stinky, constantly shedding chiweenie, but he went for a "sleepover" with me to see how he and Sophie would do (she ignores him), and then he was mine. Champie has ramps all over the house, so that he can participate in getting to the beds, benches, dog door, chairs, etc. Champie has no idea he is differently abled. He loves everyone, everything. He is always willing to go anywhere. There is one caveat about Champie: Do not touch him while he is eating. He will snap. 



Showing that awful chihuahua-shaped head on a fat dachshund body...
Red and Champie

If you have a moment, please tell me about your pets, past and present! 

21 comments :

  1. I am so very honored and pleased to meet your fur kids....I can tell from your descriptions that each and every one is truly and deeply loved and well-cared for....errr....spoiled??? ;-) They truly won the cat/dog lotto to end up with your family. Bless your heart for welcoming them into your home and heart.... And your son...bless his loving and kind heart as well. I had to laugh at the charging cable....I had a cat (Sasha) who did the same thing....and not just charging cables...but cords of any kind. I was always worried he was going to chew through an electrical cord. You asked us to tell you about our pets...ahh, that would be a book unto itself I think. I have been blessed with many, and have lost many.... Right now, it is just me, Snowdog, Liza Bean and Rajah Roo. I think I understand your husband's bond with Sophie....mine with Snowdog is the same....and I'm not even a dog person. (I tend to fancy felines more)...but he stole my heart and has been my best, and most often, only, companion and friend. ~Robin~

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  2. What fine pets you have! We rescued a wild kitty once. He is now 8 years old. We love him to death just like our other kitty and dog. So glad each of you have a favorite pet too! I so believe they chose us...not the other way around. Janice

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  3. That's quite an introduction to your furry family...and enjoyable too. Everyone who has read my blog knows my Millie. She and all the cats were rescued. I wouldn't even consider any other.

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  4. I am so glad you shared all of this with us I read every single word and read it slowly and I am so glad to hear that all of these rescue cats and dogs ended up living with you. We have had six dogs in our 37 years of marriage and all of them were rescues. I actually teared up while reading the last part about you rescuing the differently-abled dog from Petco. God bless both of you and I am so glad that your hubby bonded with one and you bonded with one and that you have given a home to all of these Felines and canines

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  5. I forgot to say our second dog baby girl was parts Ridgeback. When we found her sleeping in a hole at the rescue the lady did not want to let us adopt her when we fell instantly in love with her. She said she was badly abused for all of her 10 months of life and that she had adopted her out twice and both times they brought her back. I said I swear to you that we will not bring this dog back and she said please if you can't keep her and want to bring her back please bring her back to me and don't give it to anybody else. She told us that she had decided to keep her and to never adopt her out. We had her for 16 years

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  6. I had a red cat named Max I loved him we tried to save him, even had radiotherapy in Paris, but he died of a cancer. I had many dogs especially colley dogs, one I brought from England and we rescued a cave lier king-charles she was t’en and had a heart problem she was called Tornade ( tornado) but she was very slow!
    When my husband retires we will try to go on the coast 150 km from where I live. My daughter lives in Rouen but my son live in Dubai. We must not go too far when he lands in Paris airport.
    If we want to sell the house a reasonable price we have to do these changes before.
    I really hope I can live by the sea one day.
    I love your post about your animals. Bandit my dog sleeps in our bed, at the moment he is gone for a walk with his dad.
    Have a nice week!

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  7. Lovely bios of your beloved pets. My family has had so many pets over the years that I could not begin to name them all. Most were rescues. Who can resist an animal in need? We have had dogs, cats, mice, hamsters, gerbils, fish, several different kinds of birds, rabbits, skunks, mink, tarantulas, lizards, turtles, pigs, goats, and horses. I hope I didn't leave any out.

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  8. Oh what dears and each with their own character :-) We both grew up on ranches so lots of critters, but now we just have a rescue bunny "Hucklebunny" who was found on a busy road in town and "Rip" a boxer/ridgeback that was about 9 wks old and so emaciated that his ears touched in front. Both are now healthy.

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  9. What wonderful stories of all your sweet fur babies! They certainly were blessed the day they found you or vice versa...God was certainly watching over them to lead them to your door. We don't have any pets currently, except our two grand-puppies, Sugar and Spice...the sweetest Pekingnese pups you'd ever meet. And Spice especially is also attached to a tennis ball, much like your doggie. They have their unique personalities even tho they are litter mates. Sugar is an albino and she is a bit of a pig when it comes to eating. Spice is more finicky and they have to be separated by a closed door when eating or Sugar will eat Spice's food too before Spice even gets a chance. We've had a few doggies in the past, but we moved to much during those years and it was difficult to keep them so we gave up trying. Besides it hurts too much to say "good bye". I wouldn't mind having a kitten, but hubby says no. So we enjoy watching the birds and a couple of neighborhood cats that stroll through the yard on their daily route. I enjoyed your post very much. You are blessed.

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  10. Thanks for featuring your beloved pets in this post.
    Through the years we've had assorted cats and dogs but at this time I have my bunny Cinnamon Bun. That's it. But in the other half of the house where middle son and family live are 3 cats and their own (very large) rabbit.

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  11. Wonderful back stories of all these beautiful rescued members of your family. I can tell they are really loved and cared for. What sad lives they had before you walked into theirs. You are blessed.

    I had a cat named Dog and a dog named Bear. Bear was a champion Chesapeake Bay Retriever. Bear and Dog loved each other and they were always together. I took them everywhere I traveled. Dog sat in the passenger seat and Bear had the back seat. We went all over the country and I always said Dog was my copilot. When Bear got stolen, Dog mourned for months. He never accepted any other animals I tried to bring into his life. Dog was nearly 21 years old when he died. Just two months short of 21. Dog was my first pet ever. He was even leash trained. It took me over a year before I accepted another cat in my life.

    Then Bleubeard, given to me as a Christmas gift, came into my life and I fell in love with him. We talk to each other all the time. He tells me how much he doesn't like Squiggles and Squiggles just wants to be near me where ever I go, although he has never been outside, except in a carrier. Thanks for allowing me to open up to my animals like you have opened up about yours.

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  12. Nice to meet you, and your pets. I had a big boy like Red. I miss him dearly. They are all so cute and adorable and I like how your kitties and pups sleep together.

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  13. All your pets are sweet, Holly, and very dear to you. I loved hearing the story about Sophie and your husband. It's wonderful that they are so close. She looks just like our old dog, Jake, which was such a good dog. Champie is a cutie. Wow, he's part chihuahua and part dachshund? I've never seen that before.

    I've had dogs all throughout my life.....Golden Retriever, Lab, Mut, but my very favorite was my dog Cinnamon. She was a Dachshund, and I really loved her. She was an indoor dog, unlike the others, and I loved to pet her and snuggle, and she even stayed by my side during naptime.

    You are truly special to take in all your rescue dogs. All the dogs that Nel has had were rescue dogs also. You are fortunate to have these special animals, and they are fortunate to have you, Holly. : )

    ~Sheri

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  14. I was glad to hear about your pets and how Sophie is such a blessing to your hubby. My hubby went home to be with the Lord almost eight years ago. He was a farm boy growing up, so we always had horses, cows, goats, chickens, cats, dogs, etc. Now that I'm alone and retired I'm petless, but I do feed the barn cats and occasionally water the horses that belong to my daughter and her family. The grandkids are supposed to take care of the horse watering and the chickens, but I do it just for fun now and then. I'll be praying for your hubby. I know mine would never go to the doctor. :)

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  15. I loved this post. I am so thankful for people like your family.
    I am in shock at how many abuse cases we have in our area. It breaks my heart. A friend just recused a little dog who was used for breeding. She had 5 litters of pups and was struggling with birthing number 6. The owners where just going to get rid of her. My friend rescued her.

    Keep up the good work.
    Love, Carla

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  16. What a heartwarming post. Thank you so much for introducing your furbabies and God bless you for rescuing them. There is a special place in heaven for you.
    xoxo

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  17. So many pets, wonderful! The only one I ever had was a budgie when I was about 12 years old, and a quarter of a year a cat, which was killed by a lorry.
    Later I moved a lot - (still do between Berlin and Bavaria and the Netherlands) so it was too difficult.
    But I love especially cats.
    Just as an information: I think I do not see my blog on the list - but as you comment often my posts I might have overlooked it.

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  18. wonderful happy pets in your house. Right now we have no pets. We had a cat who adopted us as a kitten she was with us for 20 years and it was so heart wrenching for my husband when the end came he declared no more pets it hurts to much to lose them. I do think when I retire I will get a dog most likely a rescue as most of ours has been
    Cathy

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  19. Thank you so much for sharing their beautiful lives with you and their stories. Most of the pets we had were rescues too and enriched our lives so much. Sophie touched my heart.

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