We've decided to look for a pet, and no, for my regular readers, it will not be a goat.
These were my two cats, Grimmy and Puck. I got them during my sophomore year in college (you do the math!), and they both passed away last year, about seven months apart. They pre-dated my husband and my child, and moved all over the damn country with me, and I miss them terribly. Honestly, I'm not entirely sure I'm ready to go looking for love again.
But lately, The-Four-Year-Old has been saying she misses them, too. She's been drawing lots of pictures with her and the cats, and her and animals in general. That, and the adorable pictures of Willowtree's zoo has been getting me thinking of sharing my home with animals again. So, we've been looking.
At the moment, we've been trying to decide between a dog or a cat (or multiple dogs and cats), and we've been weighing the pros and cons of each.
Pros of getting a dog:
It poops outside.
We can take it to the beach and the park.
Dogs are loyal.
It can eat the roosters keeping me awake.
It can scare away the ducks and buzzards hanging out on my lawn.
It can chase off the neighbour's chihuahua that keeps pooping in my yard.
Pros of getting a cat:
Usually quieter than a dog.
Won't kill off the grass in my yard with it's urine
Won't bug me for walk at 4 a.m.
Generally, cat poop is smaller than dog poop.
Cats have a better chance of hiding from The Four Year Old.
Won't snort guests' butt or crotch.
I've leave it y'all to come up with the cons. Alright, I'm being a little facetious. I like both dogs and cats, but we're still having a tough time deciding. TFYO is a little nervous around dogs, but I think it's just because she's only lived with cats. We also still don't have a fence around our backyard, but that hasn't stopped our neighbours who let their beasts roam at will. At the moment I'm leaning towards a dog, maybe one on the smaller side (beagle or basset hound-ish).
Either way, our new family member will be coming from the local shelter. There's actually a ton of shelters and rescue leagues in this area, and they all hang out at the PetsMart in Savannah. We went last weekend, and there were probably four or five groups there, with animals in every aisle. I was lucky to get out of there without TFYO taking every dog and cat in the place with her. I think we're going to the Savannah-Chatham Humane Society this weekend. Wish me luck. I'll post pics here when we finally make up our minds, or an animal makes up it's mind for us.
Oh, and as Bob Barker says "Spay or neuter your pet!"
