Pets

Well, if having 1 husband and 6 children is not enough, we have 4 pets. That's right, 4. We have a bunny, a cat, a dog and a mouse. We first got our bunny. His name is Scissors.



Back in September of 2008, Micah and I were going for a walk. When we were turning a corner he said, "Look Mom! There's a bunny!" I didn't believe him and said, "Oh, okay." He insisted. So, finally I looked, and there was a bunny there living in the culvert. I tried to catch him, but couldn't. And honestly, if I did, what would I have done with him? Strap him in the stroller with Micah?

Later that night, I drove past the same spot with my kids and the bunny was still there. Mark got out and caught him. Scissors peed on him right there in the car! Well, to make the story short, we kept the bunny and named him Scissors. We call him that for two reasons. One reason is because his ears go back and forth in a scissor motion and the second reason we discovered later. He chews everything! We would let him out to run around a lot in our tv room before we knew what he was doing. He chewed through our telephone cord, the vacuum cord, and the treadmill cord. It's a wonder he didn't get zapped and die! He also enjoys any kind of paper and clothes, too. Scissors' cage is in the basment where the dirty laundry lives. If a basket of clothes is near his cage and he can reach it, he will take a nibble. Mark has a couple of shirts with holes, as does John. I have some holes in my favorite workout pants! Darn bunny.

Scissors is a pretty low maintenance pet. Change his cage, feed him, water him, and take him outside. Now, catching him is another matter. Our backyard is pretty big and there are a lot of spots he can hide. It can be very tiring to catch him! It takes at least 2 people to round Scissors up.

Scissors also likes to fling poo. Isn't that nice? I'll go down in the basement and there's poo, flung on the floor. Good thing bunny poo looks like coco puffs and is pretty formed. Hee hee. Gross, nevertheless.

Next, we got our cat, Socks. Oh, Socks. We got him the day before Mark's birthday in May of 2009. I just couldn't pass him up. Outside of Walmart, there he was, being given away. Little did I know he would have a shoe fetish. If you're wondering about this, see an earlier post entitled "Socks and Shoes".



Socks is pretty nice...to me, John and Lincoln. Mark really knows how to get him riled up and hyper. (Thanks, Mark). He hides under the kitchen table and attacks little feet that wander by, minding their own business. (I'm referring to the cat here, not Mark).

Socks can never make up his mind whether he wants to be inside or out. I have to force him outside at times when he is especially amorous with a blanket we have, or John's work boots. Yuck. He likes to snuggle with me, too, which is sweet. But the other day, I was napping on the couch and I opened my eyes and THERE HE WAS, JUST STARING AT ME, INCHES FROM MY NOSE. It freaked me out.

The funny thing about Socks is that he is so calm around Lincoln. Whenever Lincoln cries, Socks comes running, seemingly curious about what is going on and how he can help. He usual does help! Lincoln loves Socks. He smiles and giggles when he sees him. He grabs his ear, or his tail or just a handful of fur and Socks does nothing. It is the sweetest thing.

Next we have Pluto. Pluto is our Beagle. This was my bright idea. Now, when I pictured us having a dog, it was very different from reality. I pictured the dog running carefree in the backyard, the kids running along side him, squealing. I imagined the kids playing fetch and teaching him how to sit and roll over. I imagined taking the dog for walks and taking him camping. This dog was to be a part of our family. Nowhere in my imagintion did I picture poop, and lots of it!



But, Pluto does poop. Did I mention that he poops a lot? When he was little, we had him inside. It was in October of 2009, so it wasn't cold out yet. So after maybe a week, he ended up outside. I can handle baby poo, but not doggy poo. I felt sorry for him, so John built him a home inside our detached garage and cut out a doggy door. Pluto also has his very own heater! So, he is now an outside dog, with luxury. But, he still poops. It is really gross. Thankfully Savannah cleans it up. She is such a good helper.

It is so ironic that the dog was my idea, but I don't really like him. He's sweet, but he smells...like dog. Also, he likes to lick. Okay, do you know where his tongue has been? I'm sorry, but I don't want his tongue to touch me. I don't mind patting his head, but as soon as I do, he flips on his back and wants me to rub his belly. Ewwww!!! I try to be nice and what does he do? He turns over and spreads his legs! John may have me convinced to get a female Beagle. I don't want another dog, but maybe if Pluto gets his jollies, I can pat his head without him taking it the wrong way!

Finally we have a *shutter* a mouse. Yuck. Ewwwww. I mean, really, what can I say? His name is Stormy and he is a rodent and he is gross. Savannah tried to get me to warm up to him, so she held him up over my lap so I could see how cute he is. And then he pooped in my lap. Not a good first impression. He is in a cage and he is in Savannah's room and that is where he shall remain all the days of his life if we are to live in the same house.



Pets are good, though. My kids have learned how to clean litter boxes, scoop poop in the backyard, and clean bunny and mouse cages. They feed and water the pets. They play with the pets, too. It has given them responsibility over another living thing. I admit, there have been times when it hasn't gone very smooth. I have to get after them to care for the animals. But they thoroughly enjoy these creatures that have become a part of our family! And Pluto is now trained to sit, stay, fetch and shake! It is so sweet. Maybe I like him after all...just a little.

Cynthia