I've made no secret of the fact that I love my pets. My German Shepherds- Bella and Zeus, and my kitties - Cece Pea and Gabby are my children. For the most part they have been home-schooled, although Bella did attend obedience classes at Petsmart when she was 6 months old. There is very little evidence that she learned anything except how to irritate the instructor, her classmates and all of their owners!

They are fed the best food I can afford, lavished with toys and until both Bella and Zeus's physical ailments precluded them from jumping up on my bed, they slept with me every night. I grow catnip specifically so my cats get the fresh stuff (which they love) all spring and summer long. Yes, I buy the cats lots of toys too and make sure they have plenty of cozy beds all over the basement because they spend most of their time there.

Photo by Patty Dee
Photo by Patty Dee
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I have had several pets with major medical issues. The first German Shepherd, (Baci) which was all mine, (and not a family pet) was a gift from co-workers. I fell in love with this beautiful puppy the moment I saw her and she came complete with a laundry list of health issues. She had one hip surgery before she was a year old and the second shortly after she turned 18 months, all down in Ames, IA, and all at great expense! But she was the most loyal, loving dog I could ever have imagined and I will miss her forever.

In years past, I also inherited the care of two cats from family members.Toby, an irritable striped fellow with a severe urinary tract illness required an extremely expensive food and medication daily, and Rusty, a sweet-natured orange tabby who developed diabetes and needed insulin injections for two years and lived to almost 19.

Courtesy Anthony Wright/ Facebook
Courtesy Anthony Wright/ Facebook
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My Bella just recently had her second knee surgery and yes, it was incredibly expensive. Our digital guru Tony has a beloved Bella in his life too. (That is Tony and Bella at the Falls, just above). She is a huge Anatolian Shepherd who is also about to have the first of her two knee surgeries. We were comparing financial notes this morning and lamenting the fact that because we love our "kids" we are hemorrhaging monetarily. Is it worth it? For us, the unequivocal answer is, "Yes, absolutely!".

 

 

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