Friday, October 7, 2011

Animal House

Kelly, over at Kelly's Korner, is asking us to write about our beloved pets today.

If you are visiting me from Kelly's Korner, welcome! Feel free to stay awhile, and take a look around my blog :)

We love animals at this house. L-O-V-E. LOVE!

Up first, is our adorable little Yorkie dog named Benji.



I call him my little shadow. Where I go, he goes. If I get up, he gets up. He wants to be wherever I am!





He likes nothing better than to sit or lay on your lap. He can often be found like this.



Here he is, cuddled up with Hubs while he drinks his coffee.





Hubs got me Benji for my birthday almost 6 years ago.




He is the gift that keeps on giving. He loves sitting right next to me. In fact, as I am typing this post, he is glued to my leg. He is my little snuggle buddy, and he is ALWAYS happy to see me.



When we go to Florida, the other pets stay with family or friends. But, not my Benji boy. He comes with me! I could never leave him for that length of time. I think the feeling is mutual.


Here is what he looks like after a bath. All of his fluffiness goes away, and he looks like a skinny, scrawny chicken!




He sleeps in bed with Hubs and I. Thankfully, he doesn't shed.



I know, your pets should not sleep in bed with you.



But, how can you resist this cute little face?




Next, is our 11 year old cat named Bitty.


Her real name is Flower. Well, that is what my oldest daughter named her anyway. It never seemed to fit her, and since she was just a little thing when we got her, I started calling her "Bitty".

Bitty was a stray cat, who meowed her way into our hearts, and our home. I am not really a cat person, but I do love my Bitty.



Don't let this picture fool you. Bitty and Benji are NOT friends. Benji likes to torment Bitty whenever he can. But sometimes, they can be found together, like this. Kind of like a temporary truce.






Our newest pet is Howie the cockatiel.




When we were in Florida this winter, we visited a pet store, and I fell in love with the cockatiels they had there. I told Hubs I wanted one, so for my anniversary this year, I received Howie as a present. I guess you could say that I like presents that leave "presents". Ha!



He loves riding around on our shoulders. This is when we first got him, and he didn't have any tail feathers.


Howie doesn't talk, but he does whistle and sing. He knows "Shave and a Haircut", and we are working on "The Andy Griffith Song". He also has some rockin' tunes of his own that are pretty cool too.

It is very flattering to have him wolf-whistle at you when you walk by. It's like having a very polite construction worker in the house.

It has been so much fun having a bird!




I have always wanted a bird, but I never thought I would ever actually own one. People told me that birds are too messy, but we have a cage with a seed catcher on it, and it really does it's job. He can get a bit "dusty", but we give him regular baths, and I vacuum almost every day anyway, so it's not really a big deal.


He is quite the entertainment when we have people over. He thinks the bird in the mirror is his girlfriend, and he will whistle, sing, and flirt with "her".




We have a goldfish named Derby, that is a year old, and is the biggest year old goldfish I have ever seen! Everyone who comes over remarks over how big he is. My youngest got him at the fair last year, and I warned her that "fair" fish usually weren't very hardy, and he may not even make it through the night. Derby, however, is alive and thriving! We may have to get him a bigger tank (again) if he keeps on growing.

Sorry, no pictures of Derby. Goldfish in tanks are not easy to take pictures of!

Finally, on a sad note, just this Wednesday, my middle daughter's rabbit, Princess, passed away. She was a family favorite, and will be greatly missed.





She was 7 years old. We think she may have had a stroke, as she showed signs of one, but we aren't sure.




She died at home in my arms.

My daughter and I decorated a shoe box to put her in.



Here is the finished product.



We buried her out in the back yard, next to the fire pit where we have bonfires.

We like to imagine that she is happily hopping around Heaven, feasting on tender, sweet hay, and munching on all the carrots her little heart desires.


“You know, sometimes the world seems like a pretty mean place. That's why animals are so soft and huggy.”
― Bill Watterson



I couldn't have said it better myself...




10 comments:

  1. Beautiful post Amiee! I love all the photos:) I hope your daughter is ok,it is very hard losing a pet. Have a lovely weekend:)
    ~Anne

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  2. Your Yorkie is cute! They really are great companions :)

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  3. Such a great post!!! Thank you for stopping by my blog!! Benji is just too cute!!!!! I love the temporary truce picture and too funny about the bird in the mirror!!! My brother and sister in law have Jeffrey and he likes to go up to where the pots and pans are and admire himself!!! So sad about princess, so sorry to read that!

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  4. Anne, she is doing OK, but it was a very sad bunny burial :(

    Catie, I agree with you on that! I just wish he got along well with other dogs. It's a good thing we only have him. He is definitely the KING. Ha!

    Charbelle, thanks for your comments :) Howie also likes to look in his stainless steel dishes and "sing" to them. At first, we thought he was singing to his food. Then, we realized he could see himself in the bottom of the dish!

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  5. I LOVE the picture of Benji in your husband's shirt! That is hilarious! And I love how many different animals you have- I bet it keeps everyday interesting! I'm a huge animal lover but have never been too sure of birds, but Howie is definitely changing my opinion! And thanks so much for stopping by my blog! :)

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  6. Our little shitzu sleeps with us too! Their little faces are irresistable! Such fun pets you have!

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  7. You have some cute animals.
    Bitty looks just like our cat Smokey.
    Smokey weighs about 12 - 15 lbs.
    Our vet calls him a little panther.
    Anyhoo, Smokey loves to sleep with hubby and I.
    He likes to steal the blankets so he sleeps on hubby's side of the bed :)

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  8. Julie, it is definitely interesting at our house with the pets! You would like having a bird. They are so much fun :)

    Meagan, I can't imagine Benji not sleeping with us! He makes the best little teddy bear ;)

    Michelle, Smokey sounds just like Bitty! Only Bitty sleeps with my daughters (she takes turns) instead of Hubs and I, because of Benji. Benji does NOT share well, and will chase her if she even dares to come in our room :/

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  9. Sorry about Princess. You have a lot of pets. Do you put your dog & cat away when the bird is out? I had a lovebird who lived for 13 years. We did a little box for our Kiwi (lovebird) and buried her under a bird of paradise plant.
    Just love your Benji.

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  10. Benji is a cutie! And oh my goodness! I think Wookie could have a girlfriend in Bitty! I am sorry for the loss of Princess. I had a little brown bunny named Twain that died due to eating his shavings and it blocked his tummy. They are really sweet animals to have though. I wouldn't trust my cat with a bird though.

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