. . . in the distant, early morning . . .

Living in a multi-pet house-hold

I always wanted to have multiple pets.  It started with Mali, in 2005.  I decided she needed a companion and got Kayne for both of us.  The two of them played, cuddled, and slept together for the entire time that Kayne graced our lives.

After I moved to Oregon I decided to buy a house, knowing that the only reason I wanted a house was to have two dogs.  I got Elka shortly after I purchased my house, with the plan being to let her get to about 2 years old and trained before adding another dog.  This worked out, mostly, except that I fostered which I fell in love with.  Fostering dogs is a very rewarding experience.  Having the fosters was good for both Elka, and for myself.

When Elka was about 2.5 I fostered Milton for 2 months, ending with him becoming a permanent part of our family.

During the day, the dogs sleep while I work.  In the evenings, we sometimes walk, and we always play.  Elka and Milton chase each other around the yard, play tug with toys, and wrestle for hours every evening.  Watching Elka and Milton play brings me more joy than I can express.  It was the same watching Mali and Kayne play.  There’s something magical and uninhibited about how they interact and play.  How the communicate through body language and spoken language (woof, rrrr, yip!)

There’s also something magical about how they include me in that.  They both look to me every so often, making sure everything is ok.  They break off play to come visit or to incite me to play.  Milton likes me to throw a ball and Elka likes to run around and wrestle with me. 

Mali, Queen of all, watches from through the screen door. The dogs will go and sniff her too and sometimes even go in the house to say hi (and sometimes chase, but Mali is too smart for that).

I don’t think I’ll ever have children, but my pets are not replacement for children.  I do not dress them up, or indulge their every whim.  But they are my family - there is no denying that, and why would I want to?  They make my life whole and happy.  I know what it was like to live without pets, and I know now what it is to live with pets; and I don’t ever see myself living without pets again.  They just bring too much wonder and happiness to my life to not share my home and be part of my family.

-Lisa, on August 18, 2010 at 4:40 pm