Me and Mr. Jones: 30 Days of Thankfulness- Pets

After yesterday's hardcore post, and all the frustration that half the internet is apparently experiencing, I thought it would be nice to write about something lighthearted. Today's post is about cute, fuzzy animals. I am thankful for my pets.

I have always had pets in my home. My parents had a dog named Bear when I was born. bear was the best dog that has ever walked the face of the earth. bear was the kind of wonderful dog that professional authors write children's books about. He was that good. My first pet was a fish named Elbow. He was named Elbow because I desperately wanted my parents to name my baby brother Elbow. They got me a fish instead. We also had a cat named Pickles. She was quite flabby and very sweet. Kind of like me.

We started collecting pet birds shortly before I started 5th grade. Sometimes they were rescues from meanie pet stores. Sometimes they were breeders that weren't so great at the careers that were chosen for them. At one point I had four lovebirds, all in separate cages, stacked on my dresser.

We've had quite a few dogs over the years, too. We had a basset hound named Merlin. He sat on the porch with me sometimes and ate the bees that buzzed by- a real lifesaver. We got Ivan when I was in 4th grade. He was such a tiny, scared puppy, we gave him a big name to boost his confidence. It definitely worked. We have Wolfie, truly the dumbest and most loyal canine in the world. Diego, who didn't bark until he was at least 2, was such a circus dog when he was younger. We have a special bond. He slept in my room and when asked "where's Sissy? Go find Sissy!", he would come find me. We took little Polo in shortly after I graduated from high school. And then there's Elwood, the attention-starved, bow-legged nervous tinkler of a basset hound. We also got another cat, Oscar, when I was in high school, but he lives with another family now.

Moving from a house full of animals to an empty, quiet apartment was a monumental adjustment after I got married. We adopted Brandon's brother's guinea pig shortly after the wedding. Pig got a big new cage, and I became dead set on getting a pair of rats for my birthday. I found an ad on craigslist for a litter that was born on tax day (April 15), 2010. Quincy and Monster came to live with us at exactly one month of age. Quincy got her name because our last name is Jones. Monster was named in honor of Lady Gaga, a big favorite of mine at the time. It was pure coincidence that she turned out to be semi-hairless and have beady red eyes. Quincy and Monster were silly, sweet, mischievous and hilarious. Monster was and still is a daddy's girl, running around, rough-housing and wrestling Brandon's hand. Quincy was so cuddly, riding on my feet, kissing my ears and hiding under my hair.

On Quincy and Monster's 2nd birthday, Glitter and Cupcake came to live with us. They were born on St. Patrick's Day this year to a young momma rat belonging to a friend of mine. They were so tiny, and really skittish for the longest time- nowhere near as friendly as Q & M. But they're a lot better now.

It's been a hard year for our pets. Ivan died earlier this year. Quincy had a stroke this summer and we put a lot of time and effort into rehabilitating her. At the end of August, Pig died. Quincy followed about two weeks later. I miss Pig, but I really pine for Quincy. Oh, how I miss her.

I am thankful for the pets I have known, and I'm thankful for a family and a husband who love animals and have always been willing to share our home(s) with animal companions.