Pet Crazy

As a kid we always had pets. Usually more than one at a time. We had cats, dogs, fish, mice, gerbils, even sea monkeys.

My hubby has never been an animal person but has always gone along with whatever pet I brought home.

Our first pet was a parakeet. It didn't take me long to realize that was a mistake. There were so many times when I thought for sure I'd set it free off our apartment balcony if it didn't stop squawking. And cleaning up after it was no picnic either. Naturally that thing lived to be as old as it possibly could. I remember the day I came home from work and it was upside down in the cage. On the outside I was sad, on the inside I was celebrating.

We got a cat in 1998. She was my first baby. Yep, I was one of those people who had framed pictures of their cat all over the house. She has lived through two children and two moves. She's now 12 years old and is still going strong.

Those who know me or are my Facebook friend know that through the years we have had a lot of pets and that I can be quite impulsive when it comes to adding pets to our family.

Last May we got four guinea pigs. Yes, I said four. Why four? Well because they are social animals and do better with a buddy. So we started with two boys, then while at the pet store fell in love with a female and then realized she would need a friend.....long story short, big mistake. If you ever think you may want guinea pigs let me know and I'll talk you out of it. They're great pets, especially for kids but they are MESSY and STINKY!

I never really considered getting a dog because I just knew I was never up to the amount of work they would create for me. Plus, we had the cat, I didn't know what to expect with the kids, blah, blah, blah. So it was almost a surprise to myself when one day I decided I wanted a dog.

I remember when my best friend as a kid got a puppy. It was a Bichon Frise and was just like a little white ball of fluffiness. I remember it being such a great little dog and knew that if I ever got a dog that would be one of my top choices.

So I did some research and looked at a couple breeders and before I knew it we were visiting puppies! I knew that I had to be pretty sure before going to see them. Turns out that the breeder I chose would not sell a puppy by itself to a family who was away all day (like ours). So we decided if we were getting a dog we'd be getting two. It made sense. It wouldn't be right to leave a puppy alone all day with no one. So we made the decision and the next day went to pick up our boys! They were two eight week old Bichon Frise puppies who we named Jackson and O'Malley.

They are such great puppies! They are so sweet, great with potty training, super smart and just wonderful, perfect dogs. They are now almost 4 months old and I think I love them more every day!

We LOVE to cuddle together!

The Boys after their first trip to the groomer! So handsome!