Sweet friends…thanks for joining me for this month’s Where Bloggers Live 02.2022: My Fine Furry Friends. In this month’s edition the gals and I are sharing our furry family members with you. Seems only fair that you finally know the pets behind the blog. I mean, you’ve met my master bedroom and bath, peeked at my junque, and had a look in my trunk. You already know nothing’s off-limits with this series!!
Pets, present and past, have been more like members of the family rather than animals that just happened to live with me. Let me introduce you to everyone real quick and then I will tell you a story about 2 precious pets.
WHERE BLOGGERS LIVE 02.2022
As a child, I didn’t really have pets. Unless you count the 2 ‘male’ mice my father rescued and brought home from his research lab who promptly proceeded to have a litter of 10 ‘pups’. Which strongly suggested they weren’t both males after all.
When we moved to our ‘forever’ home in Memphis when I was 10, my parents decided to get a Beagle in hopes that my sister would overcome her extreme fear of dogs. Poor Buckshot had a true dog’s life. Valerie never became comfortable with him, so Bucky was sentenced to life in a small pen in the backyard. I wish I could have a do-over for that sweet pup. He deserved so much better.
After Buckshot, I didn’t have pets until I was an adult, married with a home of my own.
Furry Family Past and Present
I adopted my first very own pet in Panama. A tiny baby kitten that had been abandoned by its mother in the interior of Panama. I had never seen or held a cat before in my life. After Celeste, it was a constant stream of canines and felines, and the occasional rabbit.
Celeste – kitty; Chim-chim – kitty; Polo – Siberian husky; Princess – Siberian husky; Taffy Ann – kitty; Mickey – kitty; 10 strays baby kitties I found homes for; litters of pups between Polo and Princes totaling 17 dogs who lived with me until we found them homes; 2 tropical birds whose names have escaped me; Midnight – kitty; Shiagra – kitty; Halloween – stray kitty; Licorice – kitty; Cinnamon – kitty; Quik (as in Nestle’s Quik) – kitty; Cocoa – kitty; Doughnut – kitty; Pepsi – bunny; Dr. Pepper – bunny; DJ Brownie Mix – bunny; S’more – bunny; Cinn-a-bun – bunny; Bootsie – stray kitty; Cici – poodle-husky-sheep dog mix; Cheyenne – wolf-husky/Pyrenees mix; Piggy – corgi-chow-chow mix; Silly Cat – kitty. Mixed in, here and there, are tropical fish, including those who lived in an aquarium in my library.
The Pups
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Although I have had more kitties than pups, I consider myself a dog person. These days I am making a little extra money doing drop-in visits and dog walks through Rover.com. It is a wonderful way to be around pups without having the 24-hour responsibility of another pet.
Panamanian Pups
Polo and Princess were AKC registered Siberian huskies we purchased in Panama – an unlikely climate for the breed. We had our own kennel name for the puppies they had together, Tennapan…because I was from Tennessee and my (now ex-) husband was Panamanian. They were beautiful dogs, and I was devastated when they died. For almost 7 years, I lived in Panama away from all family and friends while my daughters’ father was stationed there with the Army. Polo and Princess were my family, my best friends. And my babies when I thought I couldn’t have my own babies.
El Paso Pups
In 1994, the girls and I adopted what was advertised as a husky mix for $35.00, here in El Paso. Cici was a fluffy bundle of fur who, from the start, looked more like a sheep dog than a husky. Cheyenne was a freebie. Our next-door neighbor had a litter of wolf-husky/Pyrenees? pups and we took one to keep Cici company while we were gone to work and school each day.
Where Cici was absolutely crazy, Cheyenne was loyal and loving to the core. I had the tiniest galley kitchen in our little house. So small that you couldn’t open the refrigerator doors and walk through the kitchen at the same time. You couldn’t load the dishwasher, then stop to check something in the oven simultaneously. The doors to the appliances couldn’t be down at the same time. But I cooked every single dinner with Cici and Cheyenne underfoot. As underfoot as they could be in that shotgun kitchen.
Piggy entered the picture shortly before PC and I were married. We were at a pet store where they were having an animal adoption. Paul wandered by Piggy’s cage and was instantly enchanted by this stocky red-haired pup who wouldn’t meet his gaze. Although Piggy’s official name was Rusty, we called him Rusty the Pig-Dog or Piggy, for short, because he oinked, grunted, and rolled around like a pig.
Present Pets
My current pets include Purrsimmony – kitty; Purrsnickitty – kitty; Fluff – stray kitty. And Brennyn’s cats, my grandkitties, Baelish and Sansa and Lauren’s dog, Pumpkin, my grandpuppy.
I’ve shared photos of Sim and Snick many times on my blog and Instagram feed. Simmie was a tiny 3-day old stray who a teacher friend found out in a rare El Paso rainstorm. Brenda brought Simmie to school and I was in love. We adopted Snick a few days later to keep Sim company.
And a few months later, I had to retire and have neck surgery. My kitties became my lifesavers. I bought a pet stroller and would load up both little kitties for short walks around the block until I regained my strength. After being in public education for 25 years, I was sitting home alone with an empty nest day after day. Sim and Snick became my surrogate daughters, students and friends.
Fluff is a neighborhood kitty that adopted us when her family threw her out. Only the coldest and hottest days, Fluff comes in to warm up or cool down. But Sim and Snick are not terribly hospitable. We have been feeding and loving Fluff for over 3 years now. She has a heated house on our patio for winter nights when we can’t coax her inside.
A Story
I have a story to share about Cici and Pumpkin but this post has gone too long already. And I want to give the story some thought. So, I will write it up this weekend to share as a Part 2 to this post. And as an installment for #write28days. It is very uplifting. Hope you will stop back by for it.
YOUR TURN
The Where Bloggers Live series is kind of like HGTV’s “Celebrities at Home,” but…with bloggers! These posts have been some of my most popular. And they are fun to write!! The creator of this series, Bettye from Fashion Schlub has put together a list of fun themes for Where Bloggers Live in 2022. It should be a very good year!!
What was your first pet? Are you more a pup or kitty person? Any rare or exotic animals in your menagerie? Then please join me in visiting the blogs of my Where Bloggers Live buddies.
Daenel at Living Outside the Stacks
Bettye at Fashion Schlub
Em at Dust and Doghair
Leslie at Once Upon a Time & Happily Ever After
Iris at Iris’ Original Ramblings
Jodie at Jodie’s Touch of Style
Have managed to write for 11 days. Only 17 days left to the #write28days challenge. But hope by the end of the month, writing will be part of my every day agenda.
Thank you, dear ones, for popping in today. What’s on the docket for your weekend? I have to do a drop-in visit for Lucas, then hoping PC and I can have a date night tonight. Tomorrow, Saturday, we are going to have Cami and Cia come over for a play date. Hoping to heaven we can get back to church on Sunday.
Off to start the day.
Hugs and kisses,
Em d
I don’t think i ever realized that you not only had, but also bred dogs…and huskies to boot! Knock me over with a feather, Leslie!!!
They’re such beautiful dogs, and i hear they are fairly headstrong…making your tale quite impressive!
I have always been intrigued by cats but thought i was too needy for such an independent animal. But they are soooo soft and comforting and i love when they snuggle. Someday, purrhaps!
Grateful Snick and Sim got you through your surgery and new life…. Looking forward to part 2!
Joanne
Wow! That is a lot of pets… I think my husband and I have had 3 cats. Alec had a fish tank with too many fish to count as they were like a revolving door of death and “new” replacements that never lasted very long. I don’t even think we named them after the first batch. Ian had a turtle for a few years and now we haven’t had any for several years.
Retirement Reflections
Such sweet pets you have and had! I greatly look forward to your story about Cici and Pumpkin!
Marsha Banks
We always had tiger cats when I was a kid. They all had the same name…Tiny Stripes so they went by the name Tiny! Later, Mom got an American Eskimo Spitz called Mindy. We had a series of dogs which left us for one reason or another…a black cocker named Beau who liked the neighbors better, an Irish Setter who was shot and killed in a field, an English Setter Spaniel called Emma who was adopted by a former student, a Chow Chow called Buster, and then a series of Westies, Max, Pete, and currently Jack. When the kids were little, we had a wonderful grey tiger named Oscar who succumbed to feline leukemia before much was known about it. Max and Pete are in tins on the dresser waiting to be mixed in with Nigel and me when the time comes. I imagine Jack will join the four of us, also!
Leanne | www.crestingthehill.com.au
I especially loved the kitten pictures at the end Leslie – nothing (and I mean nothing) beats a sweet little kitten – especially if you’re feeling cut off and lonely. We have two lovely fur-girls (both cats) and they bring us a lot of joy in our empty nest (and the grandgirls love them).
Leslie Roberts Clingan
PC would love to get a baby kitty but I am hoping we can begin traveling before too long. And we need to hold off on new pets until our traveling days are behind us. And then I want a pup. Our kitties are very snuggly with us but don’t like anyone else so are very standoffish with our grandgirls. The stray we care for is much friendlier.
Veronica Lee
I enjoyed reading about your furry family.
Love the punny kitty names Purrsimmony and Purrsnickitty.
My first pet was a kitty and her name was Pussy! LOL!
Leslie Roberts Clingan
LOL for some reason we have named many of our pets after foods. Or drinks. Don’t know where that came from. Pussy is a perfectly appropriate name for your kitten!!
jodie filogomo
Rover.com…what a great idea. I haven’t had a dog in ages, and I keep trying to twist Rob’s arm. One of these days it will happen, but that could be an interesting option.
Don’t you love reminiscing about our previous fur babies?? They just make life so heartwarming.
XOXO
Jodie
http://www.jtouchofstyle.com
Leslie Roberts Clingan
I would like to have a dog again someday but have hopes that we will finally get beyond having to help with grandchildren so much and will be able to travel. Then when we settle down again and are ready to stay home, maybe we can get a pup. For now I am enjoying my Rover.com gigs and playing with my grandpup Pumpkin.
Bettye L Rainwater
Oooohhh kittens in the sink!
Ha ha, I also considered breaking mine into two posts but in the end I was like JUST RIP THE BAND-AID OFF AND LET THE PEOPLE GET ON WITH THEIR LIVES, ha ha.
My daughter has two huskies in Florida and I just KNOW they’d rather be up here in the cold and snow. Maybe her next move will take them someplace cold. For now they enjoy going in the pool 🙂
I just can’t wrap my head around people who throw animals out. I think that’s how our Clyde (aka Bootsy) ended up with us – it was SO cold that winter and they wouldn’t let him in the house (and why not? he was a perfect gentleman), I guess my screened-in porch with soft cushiony porch furniture was better than that. Or he just KNEW. He KNEW we’d take him in.
Looking forward to part two!
Bettye
Leslie Roberts Clingan
These babies do just know who will take care of them. Poor Fluff was tossed out because they got a new kitty who didn’t like Fluff. I just don’t get that. She is the sweetest soul. She hangs around at our house almost all day everyday now. And that’s just fine!!
Iris
Goodness, you’ve had a LOT of furkids too. My list looks incredibly short next to yours. But they’re all adorable and I love the names you picked. Looking forward to that story too.
Iris
Leslie Roberts Clingan
Thank you, Iris. Your comments always make me smile.
Daenel T.
Your pets had/have the best names. I wish we’d been a little more creative in our naming….
Dara
You’ve had lots of pets in your life! I’ve always been a dog person and have only ever had one dog at a time. Of course, having foster dogs is adding many new dogs to my life, which I’m loving!