Puppy Fever

I promise she's as excited as I am.

As a child, I was not much of an animal person, much to the dismay of my mother. She had worked for a veterinarian throughout high school and college and had kept pets consistently ever since. Even though I always had dogs growing up (as well as hermit crabs, a cat, guinea pigs, a rabbit, a hedgehog, and countless goldfish...) I never formed a close connection with them. Though I was fond of them, they were just bodies around the house.

One of the changes I have gone through this year is realizing how much I took my dogs for granted. The more I see 4-Paws therapy dogs around campus, the more I miss my own pup. Over spring break, Easter, and my sickness, my dog has sat loyally by my side and offered me unprecedented comfort. Deeka is a pure bred mutt, with no discernable features from any particular breed. She is extremely gentle and loves affection. Her hobbies include but are not limited to: sleeping, lying in the sunlight, getting her belly rubbed, and chasing groundhogs. She is the smallest dog I have ever had, weighing in at a meager 45 lbs, but thinks she is big enough to get in fights with her late sister, a Rottweiler twice her size. I firmly believe that, if I were a dog, I would be just like her.

Nowadays when I'm feeling down, I seek out the therapy dogs on campus (Babs is my favorite but please do not tell Primrose). When that does not work out, I look up pictures of puppies or other cute animals to help cheer myself up. I have not quite pinpointed what it is that changed my attitude towards animals, but I am certainly not complaining.

Do you all have pets? What are they? What are their names? I want to hear all about them!

Until next time!

Kathryn