Home Check!

I am going on a home check...Wish me luck!

There is something profoundly sincere about owning an older pet. Your decision being the first thing. The result being the second. The response is the third.

First, by choosing and older pet, you've granted yourself a chance at being part of a life that had memory and circumstance not your own, which makes the event exciting, new and intriguing. You'll get to know a critter who has grown and adapted to life, maybe not such a good one, and they'll better appreciate the one you give to them. You'll also be choosing to grant security and faith in a critter who has perhaps lost those values in their experiences. Least of all, you are making a selfless act in that what you are creating is a home for a pet, which has lost theirs due to unforeseen or perhaps terrible circumstances. It's a raw emotion for them as well as you, the likes of which are really strong and just.

What you get is apprehension followed by loyalty. It's that apprehensive period, however, that connects you to them. You both learn good and bad feelings, how to manage them and then how to overcome them. As in, our cat B came to us very shy of touch, but it was only after a vet visit that we learned why. Severe arthritis. The poor kid was just in pain. It wasn't that he disliked being held, more that we had to learn how to hold him without causing him pain. Also, Levi: we had to recognize that his situation often left him hungry, so his overeating was something we had to monitor, not something for which to berate him. Being hungry or in pain all the time makes a critter reactive. They respond like us, don't they?

Last, the result. Adoration. Joy. Trust. Critters who have been neglected or abused, abandoned or lost, turn to you to seek comfort. What solace it brings to the heart knowing you've given them peace. Enjoy it.

I know Tyson will find his home. And I'm grateful for the people who have considered being his care-givers. I've delighted in the possibility and struggled with the denial, but I get it. When you want to adopt him or others like him, you think to yourself, "Am I the best fit?". It's honest. It's sincere. It's noteworthy and admirable.

We all have our places in life. And he will find his. I'm sure of it. In fact, he already has. He is loved. Cared for. Warmed and fed. Without fear. With love. Tyson is in a good place. He is. Ted and I, like many, just want his health and happiness. He's already there. Still. I look for his Norman Rockwell life, beside the hearth, with loving parents, and a warm, soft bed.

Good night, my sweet. You are loved by many, and soon, you be loved more ardently by one. Sleep well, my dear. Tomorrow is another day.

Squeaky Clean

I met the best people today.  Connie's husband, Bill, at the Pet Groomer in Sultan bathed Tyson today, knowing I would return with cash next week and with kudos across the board.  The Sultan Vet Clinic trimmed his nails without charge, because of his excellent behavior.  Salt of the Earth people...

Now, Tyson is squeaky clean and ready to meet his forever home.  Outside the tremendous joy I got to experience by being near him, there will be even greater joy when his forever home adopts him.  Tyson deserves this.

See you next week, sweetheart!

Bye bye sweet one.

I just got an email from Pasado's about little Trigger's passing.  This is a photo from that email of her--isn't she beautiful...

Extending a Paw

This is a photo of the first time we met Tyson.  He wasn't quite sure about me yet, but he was already hamming it up for Ted.

"Do you still see Tyson?" was the question tonight at work.

"Of course!" I exclaimed and then repeated.

Because we have 2 pups does not mean we neglect "the boy."

I think about Tyson every day, twice or ten times daily. I've even adopted his status as "juvie" in the house...as in, "Tyson can't come home because of bad behavior;)"

Tyson is an amazing pup. He fills me with joy and hope. If Tyson were to receive treatment and become okay with felines, he'd be in our home now. Immediately. No question.

It's been nearly a year now. I've hoped for his arrival into our home without issue for many, many months. And I never grow weary that he'll find one.

Though our visitation has gone from weekly to bi monthly, it doesn't mean we care or think anything less of our boy. Only that we are busy, making plans and "doing" for the future.

Granted that pups take hold and remind us to be homeward bound, we still converse with the Pasado's staff as often or more often than is usual, likely annoying them with our questions.

I'm totally in love with Tyson. Nothing will change that.