Pets Make Our World Special

Most of us have pets – dogs, cats, birds, horses, goats, even pigs. They add so much enjoyment to our lives. What an empty world it would be without them, don’t you think?

I grew up around horses. My Morgan horse, Rascal, became my friend and confidant. 

Everything in life seemed better when I crawled on his back and went for a ride. I loved sitting in the hay barn, enjoying the smell of hay. I’d pour out my heart to my Rascal as he ate from the manager. I knew he was listening because his ears would move back and forth as I talked. Every once in awhile he’d lean up and nuzzle me as if tell me everything will be okay.

He was born on our property, and I started breaking him to ride when he was just two. For over 28 years, he was there for me, and I have so many special memories of spending time with him.  I’ll never forget the day my dad called and told me he’d died.  I lost a special friend that day.

I remember the day my son bought our first yellow lab and named him Max. He was a little six-week old puppy, round ball of fur. We had so much fun with him. When my son decided to get married and couldn’t keep him, we inherited him. He was my husband’s companion after he retired. I don't think my husband went anywhere without that little dog.  He was always part of the family. He loved going for rides with us on our ATVs, and I’ll never forget the time we loaded up the 4-wheelers. Max knew something was up and he crawled up on the trailer, onto the 4-wheeler and he spent the night there. He made sure he wasn’t left behind when we went for rides.

Today we have another yellow lab named Shilo.

He’s three and just getting past the puppy stage. He’s my buddy, and its always amazing to me that I can be busy and not play with him for a day or so, but whenever I go out, he’s there, wagging his tail, thrilled to see me.

My most unique pet was a young turkey. His name became Beep Beep because when he was little, every time we went by the box we kept him in, he’d make a chirping sound like Beep Beep. As he got older, we’d call him and he would coming running and follow us around.

Pets become part of our families, adding happiness, and becoming an integral part of our lives. As I write my stories, you’ll notice that my hero and heroines nearly always have animals in them. A story wouldn’t be real if it didn’t have a dog wagging its tail or a horse wanting to have his neck rubbed. Wouldn’t you agree?

Do you have a special pet? I'd love to hear about it.

K. R. Bailey

http://KRBailey.com