I love animals.
Cats are my people, so to speak. Dogs and I get along for the most part, but they can get smelly. I’ve tried fish a few times, but they always die.
But just because I have an affinity with my four-legged friends doesn’t mean I want to share everything with them. In fact, our pets — at current count one dog and two cats — have some boundary issues.
I wake up in the shape of a crime scene victim every morning with a cat on the legs and one under an arm. I live by the clock of a German shepherd’s bathroom cycle. I am enslaved to kibble, twice yearly shedding and endless kitty litter sifting.
The animals are just a part of our family, so it wasn’t much of a surprise when my son started taking an interest in our critters. It began with a squeal of delight whenever they would enter the room. Then it progressed with approaching them and trying to touch and pet them.
Yesterday I walked into the room with my son sticking his entire hand into our dog’s mouth.
Now, I trust my pooch, but even I’m not naïve enough to think any dog isn’t capable of reaching his breaking point and snapping at a mischievous child.
Now my job as a mom has expanded ever further to mind all my children a little more closely. I need to be vigilant about a dog tail knocking over the kid, the kid chasing the cats, the cats sneaking into the boy’s room and the circle goes on and on.
One bright spot is that all four of my “children” have an affinity for treats, including hot dogs and cheese. So when I am cooking, it’s not unusual to have several sets of eyes peeking through the baby gate trying to see what nibbles potentially await them.
And the best feeling in the world is seeing all of the critters lying in the living room relaxing before bedtime. There is something that just makes me melt when I see a little blond boy using his dog as a pillow and the shepherd slumbering peacefully all the while.
Yes, some days life is just perfect and it’s all because of my four-legged friends.
— Sarah Leach is editor of The Holland Sentinel. Contact her at (616) 546-4279 or sarah.leach@hollandsentinel.com.
Cats are my people, so to speak. Dogs and I get along for the most part, but they can get smelly. I’ve tried fish a few times, but they always die.
But just because I have an affinity with my four-legged friends doesn’t mean I want to share everything with them. In fact, our pets — at current count one dog and two cats — have some boundary issues.
I wake up in the shape of a crime scene victim every morning with a cat on the legs and one under an arm. I live by the clock of a German shepherd’s bathroom cycle. I am enslaved to kibble, twice yearly shedding and endless kitty litter sifting.
The animals are just a part of our family, so it wasn’t much of a surprise when my son started taking an interest in our critters. It began with a squeal of delight whenever they would enter the room. Then it progressed with approaching them and trying to touch and pet them.
Yesterday I walked into the room with my son sticking his entire hand into our dog’s mouth.
Now, I trust my pooch, but even I’m not naïve enough to think any dog isn’t capable of reaching his breaking point and snapping at a mischievous child.
Now my job as a mom has expanded ever further to mind all my children a little more closely. I need to be vigilant about a dog tail knocking over the kid, the kid chasing the cats, the cats sneaking into the boy’s room and the circle goes on and on.
One bright spot is that all four of my “children” have an affinity for treats, including hot dogs and cheese. So when I am cooking, it’s not unusual to have several sets of eyes peeking through the baby gate trying to see what nibbles potentially await them.
And the best feeling in the world is seeing all of the critters lying in the living room relaxing before bedtime. There is something that just makes me melt when I see a little blond boy using his dog as a pillow and the shepherd slumbering peacefully all the while.
Yes, some days life is just perfect and it’s all because of my four-legged friends.
— Sarah Leach is editor of The Holland Sentinel. Contact her at (616) 546-4279 or sarah.leach@hollandsentinel.com.
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