With National Pet Day celebrated on Tuesday, April 11, 2023, I wanted to discuss the love shared with our pets. I realize we all have favorite breeds of dogs or cats, rabbits or guinea pigs, birds, and so on. And they all have a special place in our hearts, especially once they transition over the rainbow bridge to heaven.
During my childhood, my parents broke down and purchased my sister and me a black, soon-to-turn gray toy poodle in Palmer Lake, Colorado, while visiting one of my parents’ friends, whom they ran around with during their single years. After he retired from his dental practice in Denver, Doc and his wife, Sissy, moved to this small town in the mountains outside Monument, Colorado. Before we arrived, one of Doc’s friends told him that his poodle mommy had just had a litter of two puppies eight weeks earlier, and one was still available for sale.
When we arrived, Doc thought it would be fun to see the puppy – allowing us young girls something to get excited about. Well, we did have so much fun playing with this rambunctious puppy. She probably weighed about two and one-half pounds at the time. Hugging and watching her bounce around on those four paws felt comfortable like a down pillow cuddled before sleeping.
The first answer from my parents was an adamant “NO.” They tried reasoning with my sister and me – explaining the issues that would arise - moving several times a year, and how will she adjust. Poddy training her indoors would be a must. They questioned whether we would care for her or would it be them. We came up with possible answers, and eventually, they caved in. We now had a female toy poodle named “Gigi,” since she was a French poodle.
At the time, we were living in Limon, Colorado, approximately 100 miles east of Denver. When we got home, we immediately designed and covered a box lid that would become her poddy box. Poddy pads were not around yet, so we did layer upon layer of two sheets of wax paper covered with two sheets of paper towels. The first “poddy palace.”
The idea was good and worked for a while, but we moved. We struggled with her using the poddy box, so we tried outside. Gigi was not having it. Then while staying at motels along the moving road, we would need to stay overnight, and most motels didn’t allow dogs or cats. So, the issue then became keeping Gigi from growling and barking at the new noises she heard. Leaving the motel room to eat became almost impossible. Fast food restaurants hadn’t been discovered yet. The challenges became numerous, so my mother gave Gigi away on one of the next trips through Denver. She said it was the best for her, but I was heartbroken.
There’s not a day that passes that pet owners don’t think about or care for their pets. And their companionship is underrated. We lived in the Denver Metro Area during the Columbine High School Shootings. One of the young girls shot outside Columbine was a youth group member. Following the tragedy, counselors came to our church and spoke with the parents and the youth separately. The counselor told the parents that having a pet around the house and your family is a positive thing. Pets can console us. Love us unconditionally. According to several studies, pets can provide emotional support. They can also help with the following:
- Fewer heart attacks,
- Lower rates of depression and levels of stress,
- Fewer doctor visits,
- Increased self-esteem,
- Less loneliness, and
- High survival rates.
As an adult, I have been blessed with several toy poodles. All have passed now, but I know how much joy and companionship they brought our lives.
Be sure to remember your local shelters. I’m sure they would love to get a donation from you. Several listed online could benefit from a bag of dog or cat food, dog bones, blankets, or pet toys.
And when getting a new pet, please be sure they get chipped so that if the need arises, they can be brought back to you should they get loose.
All my best,
Julie
Throw Kindness Around Like Confetti