Must Love Dogs....and Cats

For some reason I have always surrounded myself with animals. When I was 16 I brought home without asking permission - on two different occasions - puppies. My beautiful Keeshond, Suki, got a brain tumor and had to be put to sleep several months after I got her. This lead to me bringing home a black lab mix that I named Wilkes (after Ashley Wilkes in Gone with the Wind). Wilkes grew into a big dog with many "issues" that my mom had to deal with for many years after I left home. My mother, thankfully, was a big animal lover as well. It would not go over nearly as well if my 16 year old started bringing home puppies!

A home just doesn't seem complete without an animal or two (or four...). However my husband is not of the same mind-set and before our marriage always had outside animals only. We started with a beautiful golden retriever - aptly named Grace. The "noble steed" of the family - our family pet.

Despite Grace's delightful personality, after a few years that wasn't quite "full" enough for me and I decided I wanted a kitty to sit in my lap and cuddle with me. So we drove to Los Banos to get Zoe - a flat faced tabby Persian. She is beautiful but so skitterish that moments of petting are rare and there is no cuddling. It took some doing but I convinced my husband that we needed another cat to help socialize Zoe - and I was sure that this one would be my cuddler. Enter Sox. My boys love Sox - he is a big grey tomcat that loves to sprawl, belly up in the middle of the room or in front of the fireplace. He has helped Zoe interact better (a bit) but he is not a lap cat either.

Shortly after Sox's arrival I began to think it might be a good idea to get a small dog. I researched small dog breeds as I did not want one that barked recreationally or had a snappy disposition. I talked to people that I met with small dogs. After several years of wearing down my "happy with one animal" husband he graciously realized how important this was to me and we found Jackson - a Schnoodle (mini-Schnauzer, mini-Poodle mix). He is like a white teddy bear come to life (although a bit more work than a teddy bear). He loves just to be with me - he follows me around sweetly, he cuddles up next to me, he looks at my with these big black eyes and truly wants to please me. This is truly a blessing in my life with Kendal gone to school and living with two wonderful but somewhat distanced teenage boys. Jackson has brought me tremendous joy and my search has ended. The "ark" is full.