Just a little less than two years ago, when I was still staying at home with Alex, the Naughton family consisted of three humans, three dogs, four cats, two goats, two rats, and a dozen aquarium fish. Caring for such a collection of life forms was fun, but demanding. Whenever we wanted to go out of town or take a vacation, the list of petsitters willing to commit to the care of our pets was very short.
Flash forward to today. All of the cats are gone. Two disappeared and two live happily at my mom's. Our beloved dog Jake passed into the next life as did Bella the goat. Now, Bella's brother Ferdie is feeling quite lonely without her, so we felt like it would be in his best interest to find him a new home where other goats live. The parents of Bethany's friend Jennifer have two pygmy goats currently and have graciously agreed to provide a loving forever home for our sad little Ferdie. This will be his last week at our home.
From a peak of eleven mammalian pets we will soon be down to four (two dogs and two rats.) Travel plans will be easier to make from now on. On trips that we take the dogs with us, a pet sitter will only have to come feed the fish and rats every other day or so rather than make three trips a day to our house to let dogs out, feed everybody, and clean up after an incontinent Jake.
I will always cherish the days when we had a virtual petting zoo. Strolls through the woods were always fun with dogs, cats, goats, and Alex walking in a bizarre looking procession on our trails. Alex developed a love for animals during that time that I imagine he will always possess. I miss our furry friends that we've lost, but we still have a few left to spoil. I hope that the dogs will still be around for another decade or so. By then, Alex will be getting close to leaving for college. As much as I love animals, it is possible that we could be without pets (or children) living in our house ten years from now. Would I be lonely? Of course. But Bethany and I would be in our mid-40's by then, completely debt-free including the house, with a nice nest-egg saved up. Our situation would be similar to when we were newlyweds except we'll be financially secure. Without a bunch of mouths to feed we would be free to travel at will. We could buy an RV and see the country. The possibilites...
Of course along the way to this empty nest Utopia a stray dog will show up on our doorstep. A barn cat will have kittens in our garage. We may actually end up adopting a child. And the next thing you know we'll be caring for another menagerie. Whatever the Universe throws at us we can handle. But can our petsitter?
1 comment:
The fun part has been the mix of personalities. From a highly neurotic dog, to one that throws up if she doesn't get fed in a timely manner, to one rat that has a tendency to bite, to the other one who loves peeps. To two goats that were a hoot to watch run and romp, and escape the confines of their pen. Then throw in the humans that live in the Hartsburg woods, and you have 24/7 entertainment. Who could ask for anything more??
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