They both bring me such joy and it thrills me to know that they are both healthy and happy.

My folks were cat people, and as a child I had cats. I learned kittens do better in pairs and older cats are fine on their own. When I married, after a month or so, we got a dog. Then when we moved into the house a few months later, my love of animals was allowed to blossom. Before we had children, we had two cats, three dogs, and a Mexican red-kneed tarantula named Charlie. Time and children changed the animal household. Animals passed away. Charlie went to the zoo. Having a curious toddler and a tarantula together made me uncomfortable. The Ft. Worth Zoo was happy to have him, as his species had become “threatened.”

For a while, we were down to Greta as our only pet.

As with the ebb and flow of life in general, our menagerie has expanded. First came the guinea pig. His name is simply “Pig.” His love of his cage mate left a friend with an infant, a toddler, two adult and several teenaged guinea pigs. He has a cute little personality and loves spinach.

Next came two little koi fish — after a month of Invisi-Fish as an aquarium “conditioned.”

Now we have a bit of a menagerie.

We have canine, rodent, fish — and now a feline. Today a cat joined our household. His name is Bat and he is beginning to settle into the family. He is a rescue kitty and has spent the last three months in a shelter. He will need to adjust, but will in time. I have faith.

Happy Thursday.

Bouviers were bred to be work animals and spent their time herding cattle and pulling milk drays.   They flourished, up until World War I, when the French used the sturdy animals to assist in pulling injured soldiers out of trenches as well as to carry messages to the front lines.  The Germans, you see, realized the work the dogs were doing and it wasn’t unusal for snipers to take out dogs.  A casualty of war.  Thanks to a concerted effort, the breed has thankfully survivied.  The breed is loyal, strong-willed, agressive, protective, and loving.

Most people can walk int our home and be greeted affectionately.  She carefully watches how we greet a stranger and follows in kind.   That was something that was not in her nature, to be honest, but careful socialization in her puppy days gave us this trust of the family as her guide to the trustworthiness of strangers. She is, however, a protective dog.  Recently, a strange dog ran towards as at the park and she jumped in between us, ready to attack and defend me.    The other dog owner (trailing behind with the leash the dog should have been wearing) was offended by her aggression, never understanding that she didn’t know his dog “just wanted to play”  and I had to explain to him that she had seen it as an attack on me (and that he needed to leash his dog!).

One of the things about being home lately has been getting to spend some time with her – like our daily walks as well as know that she is there, sleeping at the foot of my bed.  I guess I’ve realized, too, that she is moving slower and my time with her may be limited.  I’m just thankful I’ve had any time with her.  She truly is one of a kind…

Time for school.  Hope you are having a good Monday. It’s certainly a Monday in my world…..