Canadutch
Ok first let me get the usual suspects aside. My husband, my friends, my family… goes without saying.
There’s something I have tried to live without that didn’t go very well, I was miserable.
When I first left home when I was 21, back in 1996, I lasted approximately three weeks without any pets. It was horrible! I wasn’t allowed to bring the horrid little dog that I had to the flat I was living in so I left her with my parents. I had no pets, just a dick boyfriend, I needed someone sweet to love.
That’s when Spencer came into the picture, and my life would never be the same again… He is, to date, the longest pet relationship I’ve ever had.
It’s been 14 years and the only time I was without pets since then was when I first got here to the Netherlands and was waiting for the cats to arrive.
Anyway, as I was saying, I could never imagine living a life without pets. They bring so much joy into my life, even if they do get on my nerves from time to time. I love animals and will always want them in my home.
These are the pets that are still living with us right now:
Bailey, our Yorkshire Terrier, will be eight years old this year. You will never find a more loving and faithful dog than he is. I wish I could go back to when he was a pup and do it all again. I never want him to leave me.
Pixel, our Wirehaired Dachshund / Chihuahua mix, will be three years old this year and she still looks like a puppy! She’s lethal and knows how to play us humans like a fiddle.
The Turtles… 
Frick, basking as a hatchling.
Lego, our newest addition just after we got him home.
Chip and Sydney, back before they had to be separated.
Sherman, our Greek Tortoise who loves to eat.
Some of the pets that were with us in the past…
Salem was rehomed almost two years ago. I miss him . Sometimes I wonder if I made the right decision in rehoming him, but when I see the change in Spencer I know I did. They fought a lot and Spencer is a lot less anxious without him here. Salem was happy to accept new owners but Spencer demands to be here with us. I know Salem’s new owners are giving him a wonderful life too, I just miss him sometimes…
Harley was our Africa Pygmy Hedgehog. Quite an interesting pet but I wouldn’t have one again. They are nocturnal and don’t really bother with you. They require a fair bit of space in their cage and can be quite dirty. Still though, he was an awesome little pet while we had him and he was very very cute and photogenic!
Cleo and Molly… yeah, we had rats. Another pet that we enjoyed while we had them but wouldn’t have again. We couldn’t really let them out of their cage because the cats would go bananas. Also keeping up with the cage cleaning got to be a bit much. Most of all though, their short life span is what I don’t like. I don’t like that about mostly all small and fuzzies, to be honest. I hate losing pets and that comes around way too quickly with these guys.
Turtles, some failed to thrive as hatchlings… which is very common unfortunately. Others died for unknown reasons. Always a risk when keeping turtles.
Radar, cause of death unknown. I was very sad when he died as I’d had him the longest.
Cupid, failed to thrive as a hatchling.
Stelo, cause of death unexplained. He died within a week of Radar. Was a bad week for me.
Phoenix, same species as Cupid and also failed to thrive as a hatchling. I swore to never get this type of turtle again.
Whew, yeah so I think that’s it. This post has made me a little sad to be honest, thinking of the pets I’ve lost along the way. I guess that’s all a part of choosing to have the pets that I do though. When you keep turtles there is always a chance they won’t make it as their care is so specific, and sometimes there are just things wrong with them that you aren’t aware of. With pets like hedgehogs and rats, their life expectancy is only 2-4 years, which doesn’t give you long to enjoy them.
Cats and dogs are where it’s at, they give you a bit better, time wise… I don’t even want to think of what I’ll do when the time ever comes I have to say goodbye to one of the dogs, or Spencer. Seriously, I’ll be a weep machine.
On that note, here’s something that made me giggle with my pets yesterday. Bailey howling his arse off at a siren going through the neighbourhood. Pixel still hasn’t ever howled, she just barks. As long as she makes sure she’s heard. Crazy little shits, they are…
Great post! So cool that you have had some unusual pets. I love the video of the dogs, would love to see more videos!
I really should take more videos of them, they do the funniest stuff sometimes :)
Why did the turtles have to be separated??
I love our pets too- just two fat cats and seven goldfish. My pets as a kid never lasted more than a year or two (coyotes and such always eating my kitties), but these two I have had for over seven years. I am pretty attached to them now!
I had to separate them because one was bullying the other. They both have very strong jaws and could easily bite each other’s leg off. They each have their own tanks now.
I never let my pets outside without me. That cuts down on the coyote eating. That, and we don’t have coyotes :P