Question #119 - What pets have I had? Which one was my favorite?

My first pet was a hamster. I don't remember its name. I don't really remember how old I was when I had it. Well, we had it. Lisa and Mandy were around when we had it, but I don't remember if Joan was yet. Actually, she may have been a wee little one. So I'd say I would have had to be around the age of 8 or so. Anyway, I always get picked on about this, but for SOME REASON, I decided it would be cool to see what would happen if I hit the hamster on the head with it's water dish. Well, the poor hamster stopped moving, and I saw some red near it's mouth. Yes, stupid little 8yr old Colleen killed the hamster!! I still feel bad about that, and I actually still remember my insides shaking when I had to explain what happened to the poor little guy. I believe the hamster is buried in the backyard at my parents' house. Sorry little hamster!!!

We used to have a big aquarium for awhile in the dining room, and lots of cool fish. My favorite one was a silver dollar named George. He lasted awhile, even after the aquarium was taken down. He was then put in a big bowl on the shelf in the living room until he died. I think it's where my love of all things aquatic started!!

The next pet I remember getting is a black rabbit one Christmas. I can still remember my dad leaving for the basement, and coming back a few minutes later with this furry thing in his arms. He put it in the living room and we were so surprised! Shockingly, we named the rabbit.....Blacky!! Blacky stayed with us for a few years. He lived outside in a big wire cage during the summer, near the broccoli my mom would plant (big mistake, Blacky wasn't too happy that he couldn't reach the leaves, and I'd hear him thumping his foot!!). In the winter, we kept him in the basement. I remember letting Blacky run around the basement to get exercise, and one time he hid under my dad's workbench area. I tried to get him, and he bit me! It was the worst pain, it felt like an electrical charge went through me. I actually thought I had hit a loose wire, until I saw the bit marks!! Blacky was a nice pet, though, but sadly he eventually had to be given away. My dad was really allergic to him, and a couple of my sisters as well. We were told Blacky went to my dad's friend's farm. It really was kinda sad!

When I was in middle school, we got a parakeet. I don't remember exactly how long we had it, but I used to let the bird sit in its cage on the front porch in the summer, to get fresh air! One day, Lisa was playing with the cage, and the next thing I knew, the bird flew out. I was beyond upset! I remember going up and down the street on my bike, looking to the trees, to see if I could find it. Like it really would have come back! My parents took me that night to the pet store to pick out another bird, and I got a yellow one, and named her Melon. Melon lasted a loooooong time, at least 8 years believe. I remember having her all through high school and part of college. Melon was kind of a soulmate. She taught herself to get out of her cage and fly to me. She used to nap with me on my pillow. I just loved that bird! I used to have to twist tie the cage doors shut when my Grandma would visit so Melon wouldn't get out and fly around, because my Grandma hates birds. Melon started getting sick one year, and it got to the point where I had to keep her in a shoebox and feed her with a dropper because she would keep falling off her perch. When Melon died, I was incredibly sad. I never had a pet that was so attached to me before, and vice versa. My mom got me another bird the next day, but that one (Mokey) just was never the same!

Our family got our first dog in 1994, a couple months after my grandpa had died. I remember going to Lewiston with my mom and one of my sisters (Mandy maybe??), and sitting in a car while our mom went into a house for several minutes. We thought it had something to do with grandpa, but when she came out with a puppy in her arms, we wondered what the heck was going on! Mom said the puppy was coming home with us! WHAT?????? We got home with the puppy, and kept her on the porch for a bit, trying to feed her milk, and showing her off to the neighbors. My mom brought the puppy into the house, and into the bedroom where my dad was. He didn't look too pleased about it! It was rather strange, because my mom never really wanted a dog when we were growing up, and here she brought it home and my dad was acting if-fy about it! Anyway, my mom named the puppy Lady. Lady was a black Lab, with some white in her chest and on her nose, and with 2 different colored eyes. Lady loved all of us, and we all loved her, but I would have to say my dad became her biggest fan. Lady, sadly, only lived to be about 4 years old because she got really sick (we think by eating the sprayed grass from the lady next door). My parents brought her to the vet several times, and they tried to help her, but there wasn't much they could do. My parents finally decided to have Lady put to sleep, but the night before they were to take her, Lady crawled into the hallway to my parents' bedroom. My dad sat down with her, and Lady crawled into his lap and died. I was sick at that time, and coughing my brains out, and I was going to go down for medicine, but my mom came upstairs with some. She told me that Lady had just died, and she didn't want me to go down there. It was just an awfully sad situation. Lady is still missed today, we reminisce about her every once in awhile!!

Our next family pet was another dog, originally named Maggie. This little mutt (seriously, even the vet wasn't sure what she consisted of!) came to us by way of my Uncle Bob. Uncle Bob drove up from Horseheads, NY with this little mutt to see if we wanted her. She was cuuuuuuuuuute!! We decided to keep her, but her name had to go! Since my mom got to name Lady, my sisters and I wanted to name this dog, and we decided on Shelby, from our favorite movie, Steel Magnolias! Shelby is still around today, living down the street with my parents. Although she is not a puppy (I think she is 9), she still acts like it sometimes because she's a little dog!! She's got more energy than I do!!

When I moved into my apartment, I brought Mokey along with me, and I kept him in my bedroom. I tried to get Mokey to come out of the cage, but when he was out, he just wasn't a happy camper. He certainly wasn't anything like Melon was, and I didn't feel so attached, but one morning when I got up, I realized Mokey wasn't chirping or moving around as usual. I got my glasses on, took the blanket off the cage, and there he was, laying on the bottom. He had died some time during the night. And for not totally loving this bird as much as I had my other one, I cried so hard. I called my best friend at the time, because I was just so upset about it. I ended up getting rid of the cage and everything, and said that I had had it with birds!!

Three days after Mokey died, I got an early Christmas present. My best friend (now) Erin called me to ask if I was going to be home for awhile, and when I said yes, she said she was coming over with my Christmas gift. I hung up the phone, and started shaking a little. The only gift I thought she could be giving me that early before Christmas was a cat. Half an hour later, the doorbell rings. Erin and her fiance (at the time, they are now married) were at the door. Erin was holding something up near her neck, and when they got in the house, there was a tiny orange ball of fluff! Erin HAD gotten me a kitten, and all the stuff for it, too!! I held the kitten for at least 45 minutes, because there are certain cats that I have been sort of allergic to, and I wanted to make sure this one wouldn't be one of them! But, I never had a problem. After an hour, Erin and Mike left me alone with my brand new pet. A cat. An animal I had always loved and wanted when I was growing up, but never could have because half my family are allergic to them! I didn't know what to name the kitty, so I just played with him (her?? it was too young to know what it actually was yet!) for awhile before I had to leave for a concert I was going to that night. Yep, I left that kitty alone for a few hours while I sang and danced with the Barenaked Ladies (a Canadian band)!! I got home, and while I was getting ready to go out for a little bit to a bar, the little kitty was at my feet staring up at me. I studied it for a bit....mostly orange fur, with white paws and a white chest. Since it was around the holidays, and since I didn't want to name it a girly or boyish name since I didn't know what it was yet, I decided on Mittens. Well, Mittens ended up being a boy, and he's also been the "love of my life" in the almost 8 years that I got him. Mittens got HUGE, and he is my mini-lion! I adore the little man (I am going through many of his acquired nicknames here lol), and I thank God every day for letting this bundle of fur into my life.

Besides all of the pets above, I have also had many betta fish over the last 7 years or so. I just love them, they are beautiful fish!! Since they can only live one fish per tank, or bowl, I have become addicted to glassware!

Well, out of all my pets, I really would have to say Mittens has been my favorite so far. I think that is because he has been the first pet I've had since being on my own. He's been there since I had to quit working. He's been around when I've felt crappy, or sad. He is like my kid, only with a ton of fur and 4 legs. Like I said earlier, I am so thankful he is in my life, and I sure hope he will be for many more years!!

(Holy cow, this post is long!!!! LOL! Guess I must really love my pets to remember this much!!)