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There is a Pet Gene

It’s a fact, it’s proven and I have it. I was given up for adoption when just a few days old to a wonderful family where I was raised with love and affection. But they were not true animal lovers. Yes, we had dogs: Sally, the Beagle and Minnie Pooh the Miniature Dachshund, but they did not absolutely adore them as I did. They were a huge part of my life growing up and so was every other animal I encountered.

Loving the “Bad Dog”

 From the time I could walk I chased every dog in the neighborhood and loved them all. I could not get enough. Even the neighborhood “bad dog” was my buddy. He was an overweight black lab that had a rather nasty temperament to everyone I saw near him.

 Starting as a toddler and through my childhood I would stand at the fence of the “baddest” dog and pet him while no one else would dare to go near. We were pals. I don’t think he received any other affection but from me. I must admit he was a barking maniac most of the time but he would calm when I was near and I would pet him and talk to him. I was warned, and probably threatened, by his owners to leave him alone but there was no stopping me. It’s been decades since then, and I don’t even remember his name, but I hope that he is in doggie heaven and thinks of me once in a while.

Starting my Love of German Shepherds

Then there was Gretchen, the German Shepherd. Gretchen lived two houses down from us and belonged to the family of one of my closest friends growing up, Molly. Everyone was a little wary of Gretchen, but not me. I played with Gretchen as often as I could. She was always with us. Molly and I would get in her swimming pool (OK, so it was a horse trough swimming pool but I think that qualifies) and I would always want Gretchen to get in too. I sprayed Gretchen with the hose and she would jump and bite at the water. Now, that was a little bit of doggie heaven on earth.

 Once grown and married with children, German Shepherds were my dog of choice. I started with one female that I obtained from a wonderful breeder in St. Louis. They (easily) talked me in to breeding her and we soon added eight puppies to our house. I sold all but one little darling we named Peaches.

Tears from Small Losses

My Dad once brought home a tadpole for me from one of his fishing trips. I think the little frog-to-be died after a matter of a day or two but I must have cried for twice that long.

I saved a baby bunny one time whose mother could not be found. I would not dare say that anything bad happened to the mother. I choose to think that she was taken by another pet lover to live in their home. I tried to feed the little bunny with a miniature bottle but the poor little thing did not make it. That was an event of catastrophic enormity.

These two went into my little pet cemetery where they joined a couple little sparrows and a turtle. It was a solemn little place where I could go and reflect on their little animal lives and wish them well. No one quite understood my continuing mourning.

Adult Pet Loves

As I grew and left home I always had pets: an Irish Setter, Great Dane, Australian Shepherd, two German Shepherds, cats, and now my treasured Golden Retrievers, Lucky and Penny and Maine Coon cat Zippy. My goal now is to have a horse. There are many ranches close to our home and at least a few times a month we drive by and watch them and I envision myself owning them and riding out into the desert near us.

The Gene Discovery

In 1988 I discovered that I had inherited the “pet gene”. In August of that year I met my “birth mother”. That is a whole other saga that I will not go into detail here.

My birth mother is not only a pet lover but a pet fanatic (don’t worry; she would be proud of that title). She has had even more pets than me, ranging from dogs, cats, ferrets, and birds. There are only three pets in her household now but I think that is a very low number from the norm. We live in the same town now and she pet sits for us when we go out of town. I was reprimanded by her the other day for having our cat’s fur shaved in October (she had some matted fur I couldn’t get out). So I did inherit the pet gene from her.

My half sister has it too (some say she is even too radical for PETA). We have a love for animals that has no bounds. My wonderful granddaughter Zoe is five years old now and she definitely love animals. She shows no fear and drags her cat around like a doll. She adores our two dogs and lays on them like pillows. What a pleasure it is to see her with “the gene”.

Family of Pet Friends

My fellow holders of the pet gene will understand what I’m talking about here. I’m sure there are also many pet lovers that know about it too. For those of you who were not lucky enough to inherit this, know that you are missing out on a world of comfort and fun. Animals are our friends, our love and we are at a loss if not surrounded by them. The pet gene is a bona fide fact and I am proud to have it in my blood.