Our Furry Children

I first heard the term "fur children" when I was working at a very cool upscale store while putting myself through graduate school and a career change that didn't pay very much. This store, while extremely overpriced, has gorgeous furniture and fun novelty items that kept the customers and their salespeople easily amused for hours on end. Can you guess which store? Surprisingly, unlike so many public places, they encourage their customers to bring in their dogs to try out the sofas before purchasing since Fido, the fur child, was going to end up sleeping on it anyway! I love that concept!

Fur children, fur babies, the kids, the zoo, or whatever term of endearment you may use, that's what our pets are to us. For many of us, these fluffy, fuzzy, and even scaly creatures started out as pets but quickly found a place in our hearts. They have been there for us to hug on, love on, and cry on. They are always happy to see us even when we are down so far in the dumps that a smile is impossible.

My own fur children are Sam and Sashi, my two beloved golden retrievers. Sam came with DH when I married him; I tease that Sam actually helped seal the deal when in reality, he was the cherry on the hot fudge sundae! Sam was there for me when I first was blindsided with the news that I was infertile - delivered by a doctor, over the phone with no bedside manner whatsoever, while my DH was away on deployment while living in Japan, far away from family and close friends. I had no way to get in touch with my DH except by sending an email and waiting for a reply, and with the time difference, I couldn't call anyone back in the USA. I literally crumpled to the floor sobbing and there was Sam, right beside me giving me snuffles. I've hugged on this big ol' bear so much, and it breaks my heart to see his chin and snout growing whiter each day. He's my link to DH when he is not home and he loves me right back. The only time he fusses at me is when it's time for dinner! Sam will always be the best dog ever in my eyes!

Sam, doing what he does best!

Sashi is our other fur child. She is a rescue puppy. We received Sashi when she was 12 months old with all her bad habits fully ingrained so she is our "problem child". She challenges me constantly and drives me crazy with her ability to grab anything that isn't nailed down. She is oppositional-ly defiant and will refuse to come out of her crate if I call her or she'll lay down when I tell her to sit. She finds anything to grab and run with hope that I will chase her whenever I attempt to get something done. This dog can actually pout and sulk - I kid you not! I joke that she is my grandmother reincarnated coming back to taunt me (Grammy did practice Buddhism at one point so anything's possible!) Sashi is full of love and just craves attention so much that I will never give up on her. In time she will be a great dog - right now we've hit a 30% improvement rate since we adopted Sashi!

Sashi cleaning up her "own" mess - I only wish! In reality, she grabbed the dustpan when I wasn't paying attention to her. About 20 minutes later, I managed to get it back!

Here is a pic of Kim, our Editor in Chief, and her fur baby, Spot.

And our other Editor, April, her DH and their fur children,
Daisy the dog and Dash the cat.
Don't you think Dash's expression here is priceless?!!

So, now it's your turn - we want to see and get to know your "children". If you'd like to add you and your fur children to our album, you can email photos and any info to Kim at: mrskimberlynelson AT gmail.com (replace @ for AT). Also, we are adding a button to the homepage so you can come back to visit or submit photos at any time. Send us a photo, then give your furries a snuggle!