Animal House!

My cat (Leo) and dog (Ellie).

As many of you know, I am the 23 year old adoptive mother of two: a cat and a dog. I'll never forget the day that my parents surprised me with Ellie. They called me from the road to tell me they had a "surprise" for me and that they'd be over to my place within an hour. I sat for a while and pondered the things it could possibly be -- it didn't take me long to figure out that they were bringing me a puppy. They had been talking about getting me one over the summer and, after all, I had always wanted a a cute, cuddly little puppy of my very own. However...

The realization hit me with an unexpected shock! When what they were doing became apparent to me, I began to panic as if I were a young teenage girl who had just found out she were pregnant! Thoughts like, "I'm too young to be a [puppy] parent," and "I'm not going to have a life anymore," and "Who will babysit for me when I go out of town?" began exploding throughout my mind. When my parents arrived at my place and rang the doorbell, it felt as if the trip to answer the door took a whopping 10 minutes (no, I don't live in a luxurious 40,000 sq. ft. mansion where that might really be possible)! When the door opened, there -- staring right back into my eyes -- was the cutest, most precious little puppy I had ever seen (well... not really... I think all puppies are the cutest!) My fears were gone (after a few hours). I named her Ellie (after a character on the popular Canadian tv show "Degrassi: The Next Generation") and we became instant buds.

I can't begin to explain how much I absolutely LOVE this dog. When I come in from class (I feel so bad for having to leave her here in the afternoons) she runs and jumps around and wags her tail as if I had been gone an entire month! Who wouldn't want a friend like that to come home to? Dogs really can be some of [wo]man's best friends! I remember my mom telling me, on the day they brought her to me, that this dog would probably be with me for 15-20 years. I remember selfishly thinking to myself "Dang -- 20 years of babysitting." Now, however, it makes me sad to think that she most likely won't live any longer than 15 or 20 years. She's like my kid. I love that dog!

To end this... there is also the cat. I am slowly working on being a cat person. My Dad was going to get rid of my brother's cat (they were keeping it for him until he got out of jail) because it kept bringing mice and birds in through the doggie door at their home. Myself, being an animal lover, stepped up and offered to take him. Oddly, I don't really like having a cat around. I don't like litter boxes. He jumps on everything. He's not declawed -- and my parents advised me not to get him declawed -- and he scratches stuff. He's friendly yet boring (Man... I'm glad God didn't give cats the ability to read). So, I'm working on it. I suppose I need to grow a little in that area. Whatever the case, it's fun living in an "animal house!"