Unconditional Love

Pets really warm my heart. I'm an avid animal lover, as most people realize about me about 2 seconds into knowing me. I believe my fondness for animals really stems from the utter sense of unconditional love that you get from them. They put all their trust in you to care for them, and their love and silly antics are rewarding tenfold. You'll never hear an animal scream "I hate you" in frustration. Most pets want nothing more than to please their human counterparts, and I have some of the best companions one could hope for. I like to think that the pets I get realize how very much I care about them and that is why they turn out so good, so loving...but that might just be me patting myself on the back.

My pups are probably the most reciprocating of my affections. They are such sweet little fuzzballs, and they really try hard to be good dogs. I really get the warm and fuzzies when Piper lies on my chest looking at me with those soulful, puppy dog eyes. And nothing brings a smile to my face faster than when Tokie comes running over, tail wagging, happily panting for a hug and kiss. I can't imagine either of them ever turning against me.

The ferret is probably the funniest little pet we own. She is independent, but really likes checking things out on her own time. She spends her days in our bedroom, but even when she ventures downstairs to check on everything, we inevitably will find her back in her bed upstairs after only 10 minutes of exploring. We call her "The Gatekeeper" because she always blocks the door before we leave, insisting we give her a treat. But anytime I want kisses from the little rugrat, she's always willing to oblige. It's hard to imagine a sweeter, more well-behaved fuzzbutt.

My sugar gliders are my newest companions, and I wasn't sure how well they would get along with the humans. After doing research and talking to vets, they sounded like sweet little companions to have. They allow humans to be a part of their colony and bond with them as well as any dog. So, we started with 2 and ended up with 4 after we found out the female had joeys in her pouch. The 2 adults certainly seem to love us, but their affection doesn't compare to that of the babies. We got to experience something a lot of other glider owners haven't. We've been with those babies since they came out of the pouch, and they absolutely love us. They sometimes even groom us, and let me tell you, there is nothing more surprising than the feeling of a wet, glider tongue on your ear. But we really made a challenge for ourselves when we adopted another glider who needed a home. The family of 4 are not accepting him into their colony, but he seems content to be in a colony with just Cliff, him, and me, although Cliff is by far his preferred human. It's been a struggle, but he seems to be trusting us, cuddling with us at glider playtime, and sometimes grooming Cliff's facial hair. They really are such interesting little critters.

And last but not least, are the cats. Cats are a little tougher. They are more independent, so there are plenty of times where they don't reciprocate our affection. But when they want to be loved on, they are some of the most amazingly loving critters you could imagine. There's something calming about the way a cat will rub his face against you when he's in a loving mood. And although it's not the most pleasant sensation, you'll never see a more content animal than a cat who is lost in his kneading past time. I have 2 cats: Bingbong, who most often lets us be, and Misser Kitty, who is so grateful for an inside home that he lavishes us with lots of affection...sometimes in the middle of the night. Although they are some shedding beast, they'll always have a special place in my heart.