There is no doubt in my mind we would do anything for our beloved fur-babies. They really are our children. In some cases, we have them instead of human children, right? Those of us who are pet owners lavish all manner of special attention on our four-legged kids. Many would say we spoil them rotten!
Some trainers warn spoiling our doggums is not in their best interest and doing so can negatively impact training. Maybe. I’m not in favor of carrying my chihuahuas everywhere I go so the darlings forget how to walk on their own. But some of the aforementioned lavish attention is fine. If we can’t spoil our babies a bit to show them how much we love them… well, where’s the fun in that?
I have two chihuahuas. They love to ride in the car. Sometimes, I take them for a drive through the neighborhood with the windows down so that they can enjoy the smells and the fresh air on their faces. I buy organic treats for them. I scour food labels with a fine-toothed comb to ensure they are getting only the healthiest ingredients in their kibble. I also sing to them. They each have their own unique song! These are just minor ways I show Ricky and Sammi how much I care.
A friend of mine gives his pups a special raw food diet that is quite expensive to buy and time-consuming to prepare, but he and his wife would have it no other way.
One of my pet-sitting clients has a chihuahua, a tabby cat, and six hens. Rooster, the cat, likes to be carried over one shoulder like a baby. The chihuahua, Pollyanna, loves to be pampered, so she basically “owns” all the softest blankets in the house; if she’s not on the blankets, she’s in one of her owners’ laps. And those six chickens all have names — and all love blueberries.
Said Emily, one of the owners, of her chickens’ diet: “We buy them fresh blueberries and greens every week. We combine them with worms and a mixture of seeds for a daily treat. They love them so much they jump up to peck the bowl as I’m bringing it out to them!”
I’ve sat for those hens. Let me tell you, they get more than that. The vitamins and supplements added to each feeding require an assembly line! I think it’s fantastic.
Heidi, our intrepid publisher, is a cat-lover. She has two gorgeous babies, Aeschylus and Virgil.
The former insists on having his canned food shaped into a ball in his own (not Virgil’s, mind you) special orange bowl. One of the kitties’ favorite flavors comes with peas in it, but they do not like peas. So, Heidi faithfully removes them when they eat that flavor. And, if Heidi does not place Aeschylus’s food on the kitchen island, Virgil will consider it his own and feel it must be a second course to be consumed after his own helping. A watchful eye is maintained during feeding time at the Frankel household!
OK, fess up now. What do you do for your pets when no one’s looking?
