Saturday, May 7, 2011
Thursday, June 10, 2010

Jacque, our green cheeked Conure, has only been with us a few weeks. It took A LOT of talking and discussing with the hubby!! He only had memories of our last messy parakeet. Everyday, I would tell him a fun tidbit about this breed of bird. They are relatively quiet birds, not messy, they can be potty trained, taught to talk somewhat, and LOVE attention!! A week later, my poor, sweet husband finally gave in and actually came to the store to help me bring him home. He even surprised me by pulling items off the shelf that Jacque "needed." Too funny!!

What do you think of your new home, Jacque?
You ever heard of ‘birds of paradise’? I think this is the place they must be talking about! This place rocks! I have two furry friends. At night we have this little thing going. Coco or Gabby will make a whining sound and I copy them. It only takes a short time, but our little conversation is all about getting me out of that cage for a bit! When I’m out, if I fluff up my feathers real nice and bend my head a tad, I get awesome head and neck scratches...ahhhh! What a life! I even get my favorite treat...millet! Yummy! At first I tried to get them to share their human food with me, but they’re pretty protective of it, so I just go into my own cage and eat my treats while they eat theirs.
My mom makes things...shiny things. I love to watch her. I’d like to give it a try sometime. Maybe I could make some cool decorations for my cage! There’s so many things to see and do here...I just LOVE my new home!

Gabby, a 5 year old Border Collie mix
This is Gabby! She is a Border Collie mix. We got her in February of 2005 while I was pregnant with my 2nd child. Our purebred American Eskimo that was the love of our lives, had passed away a few years earlier. We grieved and said we could never replace her so...NO MORE DOGS!! Nevertheless, our family began yearning for another dog a few years later, especially our 8 year old daughter. So one day, while I was big and pregnant, I saw an ad in the paper that LaPaw, a local pet rescue organization, would be hosting an adoption day at our old vet's office. We headed over, warning our daughter that we would NOT be getting a dog unless they had a terrier, which would be the least irritating for my allergies. Of course, there were no terriers. But Naomi spotted little Gabby, and it was love at first sight. She held and walked her for 30 minutes. But, alas, she had already been promised to another-even though that was weeks ago and they never came to get her. After the director saw how much Naomi loved this puppy, she agreed that Gabby could be ours IF we took her home that day. Now remember I am pregnant! Sooo, I went to the car, had a good cry, came back out and said YES!
Gabby has been a fabulous dog!! She has grown into a long legged, smarty pants, is extremely intelligent, and we love her dearly!!!

My neighbor’s dog had puppies in the fall of 2007. The mother is a purebred Shih Tzu, but the daddy, wellll, not so sure! My neighbor had to go away for the weekend and left ME in charge of the mom and all her pups! So several times a day, we walked across the street and tended the little family. And of course, one pup stood out from the rest and I fell in love! That first day, I kept my mouth shut, knowing the moment I mentioned my love to my daughter that the begging would begin! On the second day, I could no longer stand it. I mentioned how sweet and adorable Coco was and my daughter looked up at me with those big, beautiful eyes of hers and said, "She is my favorite too!!" Thus the begging began!! This time it was my dear husband that needed major convincing. (Naomi was 10 that year and Benjamin was 2.) We ALL worked on my husband for a week! Even the 2 year old was in on it!!
One day my neighbor called. She was fed up and going crazy with all the pups! She said she had them in the backyard and was so tired, she didn't care if a big hawk came down and scooped the puppies up for supper!!! Ahhhh!! I told my husband that was it, done, over…. we were getting a 2nd dog and NOW! He laughed and said, "Go get her!" So we acquired Coco, named after Coco Chanel, in October of 2007.
She is not as smart as Gabby, but she has a sweet and playful spirit!! If you want to wrestle, she's your girl. But be careful because she is ruthless!!
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