Four Old Pets

The Holidays have come and gone I too am just as succeptible to the feelings of nostalgia and sentimentality that the season brings. With each passing year it becomes more and more obvious that the children are growing up, myself and my friends are all approaching middle age, and our pets are ageing right along with us. There are 4 homes with pets that I visit regularly every Christmas. At each of these houses there is an old animal that has been right there through it all, sharing in the delights, the good times and the bad, offering unconditional love and support, and being just as much a part of the family as any of the human members. This is a tribute to those four old animals.

I have dubbed them Sir Shroeder of the Scrunchy Face, Madame MaeMae of the Sandpaper Nose, Lady Lacy of the Shivers and Shakes, and Izm the Eternal. Three dogs. One cat. In that order. The three dogs are all right around the same age of 10 years. Izm, the cat, is the eldest of these four. She's an old kitty that's seen quite a bit in her 16 years and has been on some fun rides (one of these rides was in a dryer!).

There are reasons why they've been given these whacky monikers:

Schroeder the Boston Terrier is a lover. The scrunchy face is the face he makes when he's greeting you at the door and when you wake up in the morning. It's a Schroeder smile. He crinkles up his face and shows you all of his teeth. Well, almost all of them. There are a few gaps in the front where ones have gone missing from years of playing tug of war with old socks. Another one of his names is "The Original Love Bug". He's a cuddler, a snuggler, a get under the covers buddy. He wants to be right by your side and will follow you wherever you go. Sometimes to the point of annoyance. But he just loves you so much!

MaeMae (a.k.a. Megan) is an old lady chocolate lab that resides with my inlaws, the Cochrans. We've had the privilege of dog sitting her a few times. She's a sweet, low maintenance, laid back, if not somewhat hairy (by this I mean really hairy. Like hair everywhere hairy. It's like a cloud of chocolate fluff that settles wherever MaeMae has been or has thought of being) lady dog. I'm sure I cannot even convey the joy that MaeMae has brought to her family over the years. As she's grown older her once moist nose has grown dry, become quite cracked, and is incredibly rough. She still uses it to greet you but what once used to be a wet, cold nose to the hand or exposed leg is now a rough, scratchy poke. It's her favorite way of acknowledging that she knows about that piece of food in your hand.

Lady Lacy. She's a Boston Terrier too and lives with my Mom. Bostons are a family thing. We've always had them. The only time I remember our house not being shared with at least one Boston is when we were overseas. But it always seemed the minute we came home, we had a Boston. But I digress... Lady Lacy of the Shivers and Shakes. Lacy is a bit high strung. Who isn't? She's the sweetest most nervous dog in the world. Lacy was white faced and grey early on due to her high anxieties. She always greets you with a "baby" (one of her stuffed animals) in her mouth, epileptically shivering the entire time. Once she's calmed down a bit she'll then proceed to uncontrollably lick you every time you pet her. Or she'll just sit at your feet and lick your legs until theres a wet spot on your pants or, if you're wearing shorts, until your leg hair is thoroughly matted to your skin.

And last but not least, Izm. She is a beautiful half persian, short haired, calico cat that is currently living at my brothers house. Izm has been around for 16 years now. She's been in indoor cat. She's been an outdoor cat. She's lived at my parents house. She's lived in my basement. Izm has gone missing for weeks and just when we figured she was gone forever she popped back up. I mentioned earlier that Izm went for a ride in a dryer. No joke. She was accidentally shut in the dryer and sent on the permanent press ride of her life. She suffered a bit of a concussion and has had a crick in her tail ever since. She's worked hard for her Eternal title.

So there you have it. Four old pets that have seen us through our trials and tribulations all the while offering us moments of tenderness and comfort exactly when we needed them the most. These pets have been some of our best friends and often it's through them that we are truly able to be honest with our emotions. I know I've laid more problems into Schroeders ears than with most people I know. He's the best listener ever.