I’ve always been an animal person. At age five I won an art contest for my drawing titled “Dancing Kitty” and even had my name in the newspaper. At age seven I rescued my first cat, a grey and black tabby huddled next to marble steps near Patterson Park. My mother told me not to touch it, but I scooped him up anyway, took him home and named him Casey. We had lots of cats growing up, all rescued from the streets, all wonderful companions. In fact, I can’t remember a time in my life when I haven’t been surrounded by animals. And that got me thinking about how much of an influence pets have had in my life and how much I’ve learned from them along the way.
As I travel back in time, every memory whether good or bad is accompanied by an animal. When I was 14 my parents allowed me to have a puppy. Her name was Shelby and she was a beautiful husky mix. We had her for about a month before I was forced to give her away to a family who lived in the county after she chewed my father’s glasses for the third time. Shelby taught me responsibility and how to do the right thing no matter how much it hurts. At age 16, after a particularly ugly argument with my father, I stormed out of our house with my clothes in a trash bag. I stayed at my brother’s house that night. I was crying, distraught and afraid. His two cats, Jonson and Henry, curled up next to me on the floor and comforted me throughout the evening. They showed me what friendship is really all about. After I had moved out officially at 18 and had my own place, I adopted two kittens from my mother. She had neglected to spay and neuter some of her rescues and had 2 litters to find homes for. Rodney and Rudy came home with me, and are still part of my family 12 years later. They’ve warmed up my legs with a brush of their fur on cold mornings, purred on my lap when my heart was broken, brought countless smiles to my face with their frantic meows at dinner time and have shown me the meaning of unconditional love.
While working at Johns Hopkins I started collecting money in an attempt to save the reptile exhibit at the Baltimore Zoo. I raised $60, chump change compared to what I raise now, but I was so proud. This was my first attempt at fundraising and I learned quickly how difficult it is to get others to care as much as I do. When a maintenance man at Hopkins told me about a kitten he had found outside that looked poisoned, I used my lunch break to take the kitten to Eastern Animal Hospital. They informed me that he was too far gone and that it would be best to euthanize him. They didn’t charge me and thanked me for bringing him in. I thought of Shelby and how difficult it was to give her to that family and reminded myself that I had just saved this kitten from unnecessary suffering. Though I only knew him for about an hour, he taught me compassion and strength. A few months later, while watching television in my apartment, I heard a faint “meow” coming from the snow covered ground outside. I opened the door and saw a tiny calico cat taking refuge under a car. I filled a bowl with cat food, stepped outside in my PJ’s and coaxed her closer. She let me lift her up and spent the night sleeping on my pillow. The next day I took her to my parent’s house and after hours of name searching, they settled on Reese. She was the last pet that my father would have and brought him great comfort and happiness before he passed. She still enriches my mother’s life today.
Layla entered my life at a critical time. My father had just passed and my husband was in Kuwait. Loneliness was looming until I found Layla. I had no idea that a rambunctious pit mix puppy could change my life so drastically. She became my best friend. From her I have learned patience, resilience and how to live life fully each day. Then came Evey – another pit bull destined for life in a shelter. We brought her home as a friend for Layla, but got the sweetest, friendliest, most loyal companion on the planet. Evey has taught me that taking risks are worth it. A few months later and about a week into my job at a local animal shelter, six puppies arrived without their mother. They were two weeks old and needed to be bottle fed or they would be euthanized. Unable to let that happen and at the risk of becoming divorced, I took them home. My husband graciously helped me care for the puppies until they were old enough to be adopted. After six weeks, I returned five of them to the shelter to find their forever homes. We kept number six and named her Wolverine. She has cheated death twice, sleeps at the foot of our bed every night and has taught me that anything is possible. When I asked for an orange cat two years ago I thought my husband would kill me, but he gave in and we welcomed Ripken into our home. He’s broken nearly everything made of glass that he’s come into contact with and tortures the dogs on a regular basis, but he’s always sad to see us leave the house, keeps my spot on the couch warm and reminds me to always have fun.
Lots of people see pets as a nuisance and a responsibility that they’d rather do without, but I say it’s worth every second of aggravation. My pets have gotten me through some of the toughest times of my life. They’ve been there through tears, breakdowns, smiles and laughter and I’ve learned more life lessons from them than most of the people I’ve encountered. I believe that they love me just as much as I love them. And, I’d like to think that when my dogs are licking me with that twinkle in their eyes they are really saying “Thanks mom for saving my life!” In fact, I know they “know”. Because whether you’re human or animal, you feel the same energy when someone loves you and treats you humanely. And we all deserve to feel that at least once in our lives.
If you haven’t experienced the pet effect in your life yet, perhaps it’s time to do just that! Shelters are always fuller than capacity with thousands of wonderful, loving animals who are just hoping for a permanent place to call home. And if you can’t adopt a pet right now, consider volunteering once a month (or more often) at a shelter or rescue close to where you live. Your volunteer time will enrich the lives of the shelter animals as well as your own.
Evey, Layla, and Wolvie
Rodney
