Nov. 14, 2006 - Pets
We have loved our pets so much. We have not had many. I will start out with the pet we had the longest. 
Though not the best picture to see what she looked like, this is my favorite picture of our border collie, Mindy. She fell asleep with her paw on a page in an open Disney book. The page has a picture of a dog! Mindy was wonderful. We had her for 13 wonderful years. She was blind the last few years of her life, but generally got around well. She even walked well on a leash. Jesse would take her out and guide her around, and she loved that. She was such a protective dog! She played basketball in her sighted days, barking and hitting the ball to one of the kids with great accuracy, using both her front paws to hit the ball. You could see the joy in her when she played basketball. 
Ok, yes, I admit it. We actually had a cat named Poopie. Seth found him at a beach hot spot one night and brought him home. He plastered the area with posters declaring that we had found a cat, but it was a month before the owner saw one and called. He said the cat was often gone for weeks, and that the cat did not like their dog--if we were happy with him, we could keep him. He was not named Poopie from the start. That came about because of his attitude. The dear cat was a grouch! We loved him, though, and he adopted Grace, and became her cat. As you can see in the picture, he was a tad bit plump!
All of our cats have been rescues. This is Herbie, the love of our lives, sleeping on the couch on the porch. He was such a lover, but on the other hand he was quite a killer, too. Herbie could catch any bird around. Herbie came to us from a house across the street. They had thrown him out as a kitten, and he lived on his own before he found us. When Herbie came to us he was skinny, yellow with sparse hair, and his legs went out of joint at the hips when he walked. He looked so awful that I was afraid to let the kids touch him, for fear that he "had something". Our compassion soon took over, though, and we began feeding him. He gained weight, his color changed to orange, and his hips strengthened, never to bother him again. Herbie is the only pet we ever lost. He went to visit Grace at her apartment, and got lost.  I still feel guilt over him getting lost. Our poor kitty. 
Maynard came to us by way of Animal Control. The people who had originally owned him were tired of him! I cannot imagine, because he is a fabulous cat. He is big, independent, and can leap over tall buildings in a single bound! Wow, can this cat jump! He is not a killer like Herbie. If he finds a bug he will play with it, but any killings are completely accidental. Maynard is more the lover. His favorite toy is a long, black shoe string that he especially likes when my grandson Hunter is on the other end of it. Hunter will play with Maynard until Maynard is tired. Most other people play with Maynard until they are tired. There is a difference.
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