Day Nine

Party Time!

The grands spent the night! It's always a big deal, especially for the fur kids. Starting with Jack and Rooney who greet them with tails wagging and huge paws quick-stepping up and down. They have been trained to keep their "feet on the floor" because who wants a 175# dog jumping up on them?!  Even with all four feet on the ground, Jack towers over most kids. We trust him completely, but still keep a close eye on him because he likes to keep things under control.

Our granddaughter loves all creatures, human and otherwise. She is particularly good with animals. She was a baby when Poco was part of our lives. When we introduced the two of them, Poco took a long whiff of baby smell. Horses, especially mares, seem to really like babies. Poco loved all babies, from her own to the baby goat, Buddy, we got to keep her company, to the sick calf we were caring for in the stall next to hers. I wanted my granddaughter to have an appreciation for animals, and she was born to love them all. Our grandson, on the other hand, has been taught to respect animals, but he isn't really an animal lover. He's more of a Legos Lover!

Petey, the hamster, even gets in on the action. His life is pretty boring until the grands arrive. He seems to recognize our granddaughter's voice and he peeks out of his cubby and looks around for the inevitable tiny hand to reach in and take him on an adventure. He also knows treats are coming - anything from raisins to birthday cake!

Last night, Fancy did the unexpected. He climbed up on the chair our granddaughter was in and curled up on her lap! This was a huge deal because Fancy avoids most people other than me. He stayed on her lap for quite awhile, enjoying chin rubs. Sweet girl was so excited she could barely take it!  Her fantasy is to be covered in kittens!

I think the things Jack and Rooney most associate with the grands' arrival are the blueberry pancakes the next morning. They know there will be a pancake for them as well. Jack sits in front of the griddle, because he has the best view. Rooney takes her cue from him and waits patiently until their pancake cools. It doesn't have the maple syrup and powdered sugar on it, like the others, but they don't mind. We have to put towels down in the kitchen because pancakes are especially drool-worthy.

I mentioned that our grandson respects animals, and that's because he's been taught to do so. From the moment could walk and carry a weapon of sorts, they were prey to him. A stick cat toy with a toy dangling from it, was a "fishing pole" at first, then seemed to make a great sword. Pretty much everything became a sword. The cats were terrified of him. He quickly learned that Gigi (their name for me) does not tolerate even a hint of animal abuse. I've read too many articles about serial killers who start out as children torturing animals. No serial killers in this house!

In a perfect world, everyone would teach children to love and respect animals. In my opinion (and there are studies to support this) children who are raised taking care of animals properly, grow into more compassionate, loving adults. There are countless lessons to be learned from responsibility to the cycle of life. From a tiny goldfish, to a majestic horse and everything in between, they have love to give and lessons to teach.