Animal Farm
I'm not sure how this addiction started. I grew up as a normal child, in a two-story house with parents who never divorced, and one sister. Our mom and dad tested the pet ownership waters by starting with a goldfish... and then more fish. In grade school, we graduated to hamsters, gerbils and guinea pigs (not necessarily in that order). Unfortunately, my sister's gerbil got out of the cage one night, and he was no match for my dad's boot. No, it's not what you're thinking. My dad did not INTENTIONALLY squash the helpless furball. It ran across the floor as my dad was walking in the door. I think my sister forgave him... 4 years later. Needless to say, this was the end of the rodent saga. My sister then insisted upon getting a garter snake and a horse. Of course, they are a natural match, right? I'm not sure what happened with the snake, but I always shed a tear when it was feeding time. It was either a small mouse or a couple of goldfish. Watching Gertie the Garter Snake consume them was both fascinating and downright creepy.
Enter cats. I remember seeing an ad somewhere for free kittens. Of course, my sister and I joined forces, and didn't stop the begging train until it pulled into the kitty station. When we walked into the house where the kittens lived, my sister went right to hers, and deemed her "Muffin," and there was instant kismet. I, on the other hand, was a very shy and timid kid. The voice in my head started rambling random thoughts: "Oh, no! What am I going to do?" "Cats hate me." "It's not fair." "I have to pick a cat!" Just as the last thought vanished, a pudgy little black and white tom cat wrapped its body around my legs and purred. From that very moment, it was love at first sight! Over the years, we went through a litter or so of random cats, including a stray we named "Punky" (after Punky Brewster) that some high school punks were threatening to throw off of a balcony!
Cats were cool, and cats were nice. I definitely considered myself a cat person. Yeah, one of those weirdos. It wasn't until about 10 years ago when I dated a guy with dogs that the tables suddenly turned. He had three Chihuahuas! I used to think that the breed was funny looking, and had Bette Davis eyes, but there was just something about those little guys. They were so loving and giving, and made perfect bed warmers. At this point, there was no turning back. I was a converted dog person. I bet you can guess what type of dog my first one was; that's right: a Chihuahua. I got him 10 years ago on Christmas Eve, and he has been my best friend ever since. He survived riding in my purse when he was a puppy, and all of the countless outfits he was forced to model. When he was about 6 months old, I decided he needed a friend to keep him company when I was at work. My friend told me that she knew about a 4-year-old long-haired female Chihuahua that needed to be rescued from a bad situation, or that dog would end up at the pound. :( Of course I could not let this happen, so I took her in. The first four days were rough. She refused to even come out of her crate, but I left it open. She finally came out, but is relatively timid to this day. She's a very loving soul, but I know that she will never fully trust anyone. She is now 14, and I would not trade her, or my first Chihuahua, for anything!
I carried this dog love over into charity work. I volunteered with the Town Lake Animal Center as a member of the Dog Manners Group, teaching manners to rescues in hopes of making them more adoptable. This was a great experience, but they were not a no-kill shelter, so I could not bear it when a dog I had grown close to was put down. I still wanted to be involved with non-profits and dogs, so I signed up with Austin Dog Rescue. They have tolerated me for over eight years now. I started with just doing website postings for adoptable fosters a few times a week. Just recently, I led a group of volunteers to create and produce a 2016 charity calendar featuring local Austin musicians paired with current and former ADR fosters. It was a huge undertaking, but turned out so unbelievably awesome. We far exceeded our initial fundraising goals, which means we can save more dogs. This makes my heart happy.
So there you have it. The story of how I became a dog person. I won't say that it's all rainbows and lollypops, but life without dogs is pretty damn dull. I could do without cleaning up the poop and pee, but I can't do without all the love, kisses and affection from my little fur babies. I truly see them as little people, almost like my children. One of them even sings along with the intro to "The Simpsons." It doesn't get any better than this. :)
