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...