I am an animal lover. I think everyone knows that. Ok, some people might call me a hoarder, but I'm really not! Yes, I have 12 dogs, 7 housecats, a goat, 3 horses, and the population of cats in the barn rises and falls all the time, since it is spring it will be on the rise very soon. But animal hoarders are people who do not know when to stop and can not take care of the animals they have. If it came to that for me, I would find new homes for all of them.....I would not keep them and make them suffer because I couldn't let go. And just for the record, several of the animals I have did not start out as "mine." My parents had two cats and a 11 year old lab when my Mom passed away last year and my Dad went into the nursing home. Since all 3 of them came from the Humane Society and I was able to just add them to our household I kept them. I also have a pitbull in the house who belongs to my son, and he will be moving into a house soon and will take his dog back (I love my granddog, but I will be happy when he is back with my son.) Then there is the Blue Heeler my son and his wife got as a puppy a few years ago, they will not be taking her, she belongs on a farm and she loves nothing better than to herd my goat around the yard. I am not sure if I will keep her, I would like to find her another home, with an older farm couple who lets her come in the house and sit on the sofa with them, takes her for rides in the car because she loves rides, and lets her hang out with them when they are working outside.
I will say that my animals are all characters, each one different from another and when I'm having a bad day they can make me laugh. When I'm feeling down, they seem to know and will try to make me feel better.
My 11 year old mare scared the heck out of me earlier today. I could hear her carrying on outside like crazy. My horses vocalize on occassion, but not the way she was doing it, I thought something was wrong and rushed outside to see what was going on. When I got outside, I had to laugh.
My husband left the barn door open this morning because my 20 something gelding did not want to go out in the freezing rain and wind and he (the husband) got tired of arguing with him. Storm, my young mare was standing in front of the barn door, pacing back and forth and "yelling" at her mother. Her mother is about 30 and was standing, quite comfortably, in her run in shelter out of the wind and rain. The gelding, who had come out earlier, had gone back into the barn and was standing in the doorway. It was obvious that Storm wanted to go into the barn but she would not go in without her mother. Her mother snorted in answer several times, but Storm would not give up, so her mother finally plodded over and into the barn and Storm happily followed her in and quieted down.
An hour or so later my son was outside. I had told him what Storm had done earlier. He could hear her carrying on again so he went to check on her. Storm's mother and the gelding were at their bale feeder and Storm was going in and out of the barn, yelling at them again. Her mother's ears were pinned back and she was obviously irritated but she finally gave in and plodded back to the barn with the gelding in tow. Storm reminds me very much of a recalitrant teenage human who refuses to give up until she gets her way!
I know people do not believe that our animals understand us when we talk to them, but I am not always so sure, and I believe that sometimes I know exactly what my animals are saying to me. A few minutes after Storm had gotten her mother and her "uncle" into the barn with her, I was outside again. When she saw me, she started "yelling" at me. I looked over at her, she was looking out of the barn door at me. "What," I said. She "yelled" at me again. I knew what she wanted. They were all in the barn, and she was "demanding" that I come close the door and get their hay and oats. So I answered her...."No, I am not slogging out there to shut the door and feed you this early in the afternoon." She rolled her eyes at me, and turned back inside the barn. Recalcitrant teenager, I'm telling you!
So the next time YOUR furry family members have something to say to you....listen, have a conversation, you might be surprised at how much they have to say and how much they understand YOU!
HAVE A GREAT DAY!
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