There is a variety of animals that reside here on my farm. Goats, rabbits, cats, dogs and, of course, horses. They all have their own individual personalities and curious little quirks that range from hilarious to down right annoying.

Bo, the Blue Heeler, who thinks he is master of the universe, constantly picks at the horses when a vehicle is moving down the driveway. He also thinks that he is master of the food bowl and has the right to decide who eats and when. Wrong!!  That’s my job. Most of the time Bo is a happy-go-lucky fellow who is always full of energy and wants, or demands, that someone play with him. That is until the weather gets bad. When a thunderstorm moves through the area, he is the biggest baby on Earth. Getting under my feet is not safe enough. He wants to be in my lap. At 45 pounds, he is just too big to be a lap dog, whatever the reason.

Sissy is a relatively new addition to the herd of dogs here. She is a cute little brown Pitt Bull mix, very loving and easy going. She is very quiet, not as active as some of the others are and has claimed her spot on the sofa. Despite Sissy’s laid back attitude, she has one major fault. She is a pack rat. Every day there will be a pile of items in the living room, ranging from shoes, vacuum cleaner attachments to hair brushes and clothes. Sissy has learned to put her feet up on something and snatch things from off counter tops. She rarely chews anything up but I can’t seem to get her to put the items back where she took them from!

Ella, who is as big as a pony, never makes a sound. She can be seen investigating the fields from time to time, but she never gets into any trouble. Her coat does hold a lot of dirt, so anywhere she lays down, she will leave a dust pile. From time to time, she will also get on the sofa and loves laying her head on the throw pillows.  Cammie, the Springer Spaniel, is also very quiet and well mannered. Other than tormenting the goose on occasion, she is seldom seen.

Winston, a young, gangly German Shepard, is my shadow. Every where I go, he goes. He is constantly under my feet. This can be annoying at times but he means well. He loves to play in the water. Whenever a sprinkler is on, he will run back and forth trying to catch the drops of water in his mouth. Winston also demands attention from the other dogs and enjoys a good game of tug-o-war.

Another new edition to the clan is Punky Brewster. She is an adorable little black dog of unknown heritage. At some time in her young life, her back was horribly scalded by boiling water or possibly hot grease. Half of her back is bald where she was scalded and her veterinarian says the hair will never grow back. Despite this horrific incident, Punky is very loving and craves attention. The only time she ever barks is when she sees a squirrel in a tree. When Punky sleeps, she snores like a freight train. I have never had a dog that snored before but Punky can really make some noise when she is in a deep sleep.

The cats are somewhat less adventurous than the dogs but they do sometimes get themselves into predicaments. Lilo, a handsome black and white short-hair who is no longer with us, decided one day he could catch a hummingbird. I had just changed the oil in my truck and had set the bucket of used oil aside. Lilo, in his dramatic leaps to catch the swift little birds, fell into that bucket of old oil. Covered from head to toe, he headed straight to “Momma’s” room and used my bedspread to roll on in his attempt to get the smelly mess off of his lovely coat.

One of the funniest things I think I have seen the dogs and cats do is to try to catch dragonflies in the summer. I’m sure they don’t know what they will do with the bug once they catch it, but watching them leap into the air for the evasive creatures will cause a person to roll on the ground in fits of laughter.

Animals are a huge responsibility. They are like children that never grow up. They have to be cared for daily, whereas a child will eventually move out of the house. I could not imagine my life without my animals. They are my “kids” and losing one is the same as losing a member of the family. They have free run of the house, go in and out through their ‘doggy door’ as they please and are allowed to sleep on the furniture. Despite having to sweep up dirt every day, pick up ‘toys’ that are left out and vacuum animal hair constantly, I wouldn’t have it any other way.

©2009SharonSoileau

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Tags: family, pets

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