2019 Year in Review

So, I did a horrible job of blogging in 2019 - I was busy with other things - writing books, working, life in general. Perhaps 2020 will be better.

In 2019 we experienced some losses - our sweet Agatha kitty passed at the ripe old age of 23. She is missed greatly:

We also lost our Emma dog - she would have been 17 on her next birthday. This one is still new and difficult to think about as her passing was on the 23rd of December:

We were also fortunate to experience a somewhat status quo year for our other critters which is nothing to take for granted given that some of them are getting up there in age.

Miss Madison - our eldest ferret. She turned 8 years old this year which is quite old for a ferret. While she does have adrenal disease it is well controlled with a implant under her skin. She has a bit of hind leg weakness but it doesn't slow her down one bit. She is always first in line for a meal and is quite active and happy for a little old lady:

Theo - my eldest male ferret - he turns 7 years old on January 6. He is in exceptional health and a sweet and mellow boy. He is the patriarch of the group of ferrets, always looking after anyone who is unwell:

Violet - my lovely girl who has both adrenal and insulinoma (low blood sugar). She is on medication two times a day for the blood sugar issues and has the adrenal implant and we are quite fortunate that she has been very stable all year. We work hard to keep her blood sugar steady throughout the day (and night) and we have settled into a great routine. I hope 2020 goes as well for my girl - she also turns 7 on January 6.

Kai - my ornery boy - even at 6 years old he is a pistol. I love his enthusiastic kisses and his desperate need to try to remove your toenails. He is such fun, always ready for a wrestle or a cuddle or both. Life is an adventure with this boy around:

Tabby - my elusive and somewhat aloof girl Tabitha. She is Miss Independent - has little need for humans but is quite attached to each of her ferret siblings. Tabby is sweet and gentle but is much more geared to the critter side of life. The only exception was earlier this year when she had a bit of a respiratory bug. She wanted her mom and I was happy to oblige. Once she felt better - she was done with me:

Bash - my baby boy - he is going to be five this year. Bash is a big guy but is quite shy and a bit fearful of new things and loud noises. He is very affectionate and loves to play. He is attached to his brothers and the three of them are often found cuddled up together, snoozing their days away:

Fiona - my youngest girl. She is the mellowest of the ferrets, loves to be held, is very affectionate and is determined to make a jail break from her area every time I enter. Fiona is always good for a kiss and is quite content to be carried around while I complete all my critterly duties:

I do adore this little group of ferrets and hope that 2020 is a great year for each of them.

Phoebe - our lone kitty. She and Aggie were not particularly close and she has adjusted well to being an only feline. Her health is good - just a touch of hyperthyroid - she has been on the same dose of the medication for years and is doing well for a kitty who will turn 15 this year.

 

Then we have the three pups. I am so thankful for them as they have distracted us from the heartbreak of losing Emma. These three keep us on our toes. We have the instigator - Charli, the protector - Tango and the pleaser - Juliett. It's fascinating how three siblings from the same litter can be so different. We love these three and can't imagine our days without them:

And last - but most definitely not least - our Winston. He is 5 years old and such a character. He continues to mellow out as he gets older and we are fortunate that he is a pretty well behaved pig. He is constantly learning new things - his big accomplishment this year was learning to let me file his tusks with a dremel like tool (only quieter). It didn't take long for him to figure out what we were asking and while he doesn't like it much - he is good about letting me work on his tusks. He also lets me use the file on his hooves which is new as well. 

All in all our 2019 was good - we are blessed to share our world with these amazing critters. While our hearts hurt with the loss of Aggie and Emma we were so fortunate to have had them with us for well longer than the normal kitty and pup life expectancy. I'm sure our 2020 will be filled with many more critter adventures that we can't wait to share. 

Happy New Year from our Zoo Crew to you!

Emma - 2003 - 2019 Rest in Peace Sweet Girl

Now that the holidays have passed and we've had a few days to let this sink in, I am very sad to share that on December 23rd we made the terribly difficult decision to help our Divine Miss Em cross the rainbow bridge. Emma would have been seventeen on her next birthday in March. She was fortunate to have good health for the bulk of her life. It was only in the last year or so that she experienced a slow decline in her mobility due to muscle atrophy in her hind legs.

She was a bright and fun loving dog who had quite the life, sharing her days with many different species and openly loving them all. She was well traveled, visiting 14 states and spending lots of time at her favorite place - the beach.

Emma came to us when she was sixteen weeks old and we have enjoyed every moment of our time with her. Our hearts are broken and our household feels incomplete but we know that she is no longer shackled by the body that failed her. Our lives were made so much better because of her companionship and loyalty and she will be fondly remembered every day.

We miss you, my sweet girl, and love you more than you could ever know.

Wylie - our resident coyote

We have a coyote that lives in our woods somewhere and we often see it wandering through the meadow. I am unsure as to whether it is male or female. If I had to guess I would say its a girl because its not all that big. Wylie is a good name - it could go either way.

Wylie is respectful of us, never getting too close to the yard, the dogs or the pig. Whenever the humans are out he/she goes in the other direction. Its a peaceful, symbiotic relationship. If he/she could step it up on snakes and mice I would be greatly appreciative!  :)

The camera traps often snap some great pictures of this gorgeous creature. These were all taken between mid April and today.

Agatha - 1997 - 2019 - Rest in Peace Sweet Girl

It brings me such sadness to share that yesterday morning we lost our sweet Aggie kitty. I had gotten up early (4:30 am) to feed Miss Violet (ferret) and at that point Aggie was fine. She ate, got some loves, gave me some purrs and found a spot to snooze on her bed. When I went in around 8:30 am I found her in her forever sleep. She was comfortable, had been basking in the sun and slipped away peacefully to the rainbow bridge. It was quick and painless and she no illnesses or aliments - I wish that for all my critters, family and friends - a long life with no issues and a peaceful passing.

Aggie has been with me literally for half my life. She came to me as a three week old kitten when I was 26 years old. She has lived with me in three states, and five residences. She has survived me getting my 26 year old act together and finding my way to being an adult. She warmly accepted having a dad - my husband - and grudgingly dealt with the stream of new critters that found their way into our lives. She has known all of my critters from my first kitty Isabel to the latest addition of the three pups. While she wasn't always a fan she was a pretty go with the flow cat and always adjusted well.

Aggie was incredibly healthy - I never had to take her to the vet for anything other than routine checks, shots, etc. She has never been sick or taken medication. There was no indication that yesterday was to be her last day. I think her almost 24 year old body just gave out. While we have known that this day was coming and we have tried to prepare ourselves, it doesn't really feel easier now that she's gone. Our family feels incomplete.

We have been paying some extra special attention to Phoebe. She is our only kitty now and while she and Aggie weren't particularly close she is still having to adjust. Yesterday had me out of sorts for the bulk of the day. I wasn't overwrought with sadness, but more feeling an emptiness that something important is missing. It's so hard to lose your furry kids. I take comfort in the fact that Aggie had an incredibly long life. She was healthy up to the very end and she was spoiled rotten for the duration.

I will miss you terribly sweet kitty girl. Thank you for a lifetime of companionship and love.

Dremel Training

Winston is so good about maintenance things like filing his hooves, cleaning his ears and eyes and clearing out his scent glands that I decided I would see how he would react to the Dremel. I would love to get him comfortable enough with it that I could work on his fast growing tusks and when necessary on his hooves.

When he was a piglet we taught him two commands that come in handy for this training. The first is touch which means to touch something with his snout. We started with the Dremel off and did touch several times, then turned it on and did it several more times. He doesn't love anything that makes noise (vacuum cleaner, mopper, etc) but he is motivated by cookies so he played along. The second command is take which means he should open his mouth and put it around whatever you are asking him to take. While I didn't actually let him take the Dremel I did want him to feel what it would be like in and around his mouth. He did very well with it both on and off.

Over the next few weeks we will spend short training sessions getting familiar with the tool touching him while on and we will eventually work up to touching his tusks while its on. We have a ways to  go for sure but I am optimistic with how well the first session went today.

An Open Letter to Pet Dumpers

To Whom it May Concern -

I am writing to address the rampant dumping of pets that is happening in this nation and likely all over the world. It is my humble opinion that when you get a pet it is a lifelong commitment, a promise to them that you will stick by them through good and bad, thick and thin. Sadly, I am in the minority. I fear many people find their pets are disposable and that when their life situations change its fine just to dump and run. I get it - life happens and its hard. But, quite honestly, I stand in judgement of these folks. Maybe I am the one who is wrong but I just don't get it. There is simply no circumstance that would result in me dumping one of my animals.

We have cats, my husband has become more and more allergic as he has gotten older. Did we ever consider getting rid of them? No, we tried to find a solution of keeping the kitties confined to a specific part of the house so there is limited exposure for my husband. Pigs, pigs are incredibly hard. They are incredibly rewarding, but incredibly hard. Winston went through a destructive phase. Did we want to send him to the shelter? No. When he got almost four times bigger than the breeder told us he would get - again we never considered sending him away. When we got the puppies we had issues with the pig and the dogs interfacing. Get rid of the dogs or the pig? No! We worked out a solution where they never interface. Is it hard? Yes! Is it a pain in the ass? Yes? Is it my obligation to come up with solutions that keep them safe? Yes! We have a fifteen year old dog - she is ailing, she has accidents in the house, she makes me a tiny bit crazy. Am I going to dump her at a shelter? NO! I am going to care for her until her quality of life is such that we make that terrible choice to send her over the rainbow bridge or until she passes away, whichever comes first. I adopted her as a puppy, she dedicated her life to bringing our family joy and it's the least I can do for her.

Having animals is an expensive, sometimes stressful endeavor. They bring so much joy but there are challenges. If you aren't willing to work through the challenges the don't get them. Think ahead. Ask yourself - 'Can I keep this (insert animal here) if I have a baby?' 'Can we take (insert animal here) if we move?' 'Can I figure out solutions to difficult behavioral problems when they arise?' 'Can I make a unbreakable promise to watch over (insert animal here) for the duration of their life - no matter what?' If you can't make a lifelong commitment - then skip it.

Did you know that only 1 in 4 pigs is with their original owner? Seriously? 75% give up. Shelters and sanctuaries are bursting. And breeders, don't get me started - how about if you suspend breeding until every one if those pigs has a forever home? Did you know November is Adopt a Senior Dog month? The problem of dumping your senior dog is so bad that we now have a month dedicated to getting them adopted? Really? This is my 'pet peeve' - pun intended.

Please make the right decision, think of all possible scenarios and skip adopting the critter if you aren't in for the long haul -

End of rant!

Happy Birthday Bash and Fiona!!

I can't believe that my baby ferrets are four years old!!  Time goes too fast.  These two are our youngest of the bunch. Fiona is engaged, playful and affectionate. Bash is a bit shy at first but then he wants to play rough and tumble. He is all boy!  I love these two crazy kids and am so thankful they are a part of our family.  Happy Birthday little ones!!

The beautiful Miss Fiona

The handsome Bash