People who aren’t pets aren’t flawed, they just haven’t met the right pet yet!
I have been laughed at, patronized, and pitied by non-pets. I may have been irritated, frustrated, or upset, but now I feel sorry for them. No Pet-Peeps does not understand Pet-Peeps and vice versa. It’s not until that unexpected and inexplicable connection is made between a person and his pet that the bond can finally be validated. No Pet-Peeps just haven’t met the right pet yet! They have not experienced Pet-Power.
My own initiation to Pet-Power came after I graduated from college. I had always liked animals and much preferred them, even in my toys. We had a Collie named Maggie, who I don’t really remember. I had my first horse when I was a thirteen year old girl. We spent almost ten great years together. But still, it took that special pet to help me finally experience Pet-Power.
Moving to Detroit gave me a bit of anxiety. I was worried about my safety. Therefore, my solution… get a dog. I was directed to a local vet who in turn gave me a phone number for a free 5 1/2 month old female husky. My best friend, Heidi, and I jumped into my little maroon Civic 4-door. With Heidi’s navigational help, we reached our destination.
The spot in front of us was a small aluminum trailer that was in dire need of repair. Old things were scattered everywhere. As Heidi and I tentatively got out of the car, the front door opened to reveal a woman in her forties, dressed in oddly colored sweatshirts, smoking a cigarette. She peeked out the door and narrowed her eyes at us.
“Are you here for a dog?” she asked with a hint of suspicion.
“Oh yeah…” I started.
“Well, let’s go then.”
I guess we passed the test and moved to follow her to the back of the trailer. Walking cautiously, we follow the thin, scruffy figure. A large, furry, brown and black animal with enormous golden eyes, whimpered and jumped, pulling on its chain.
“That’s Nikki.” The woman pointed to the beast. “She’s a German Shepherd and something.”
“Australian Shepherd, I think.” A man had appeared.
“Whatever,” our hostess snapped. “We also have a ton of puppies.”
Not wanting to be rushed or rude, I followed the lady a little further with Heidi hot on my heels. We come across two scruffy mutts chained to their respective tiny doghouses, with a swarm of puppies crawling around and on them. I wondered fleetingly if any pups wandered off without the safety of their chained mothers… I had to banish the annoying thought. The pups were cute, but my attention was diverted by the lonely whine of the furry beast we’d first encountered. It was my downfall. The poor thing wanted so much attention…
“I want Nikki,” I told the couple. “I promise to give her a good home and I’ll leave my address and phone number so you can check on her.”
The woman smiled at my last comment but the man smiled and nodded. I realized as I got closer, that there was no collar and that the chain was tight around the animal’s neck. I felt angry and determined.
“Wait a second”. The man left and reappeared with a pair of pliers.
Once the chain was released, Nikki was in motion. She took off like a shot, running for the life of her. I followed Heidi back to the Honda and opened the back door. To everyone’s astonishment, the huge ball of fur shot out of the opening, turned around in the backseat in front of me, and planted itself firmly against the maroon upholstery. She lay down with her chin on her paws and looked at me. Her eyes seemed to beg: “Please take me with you.”
For fourteen years and at least ten house moves, Nikki and I shared our lives. I never felt alone with my great wolf-like friend and protector. She was a great lovable companion and a delicious reason to go home every night. Although she looked fierce with her black face and golden eyes, Nikki was actually a big baby who loved to snuggle in your lap. I only saw her “go crazy” on one occasion. As I had the doors wide open and Nikki strapped to the side to stay while I packed up the moving truck, an unknown man started walking up behind me. Nikki went crazy. The man stepped back even though my great protector couldn’t have reached him.
Nikki taught me Pet-Power. She also taught me about unconditional love and acceptance. That dog gave me more than I could have given him. I have wondered who saved whom. She will always have a very special place in my heart and because of her, I became in love with rescue dogs and have been rescuing dogs ever since.
Aisha is a determined and no-nonsense businesswoman that I know personally and have worked with professionally. A bit of a neat freak and very well organized, she has a place and a system for everything. I know she thought she was a little sentimental when she made me sentimental about my dogs or if she made a comment about a puppy she passed. She was a good sport and she put up with it, but I know deep down she was thinking, “Okay, whatever…it’s just Janus.”
I knew Aisha had a large black Lab mix growing up, so I was a bit taken aback by her lack of desire for dogs, but I chalked it up to her Non Pet-Peep personality. So imagine my surprise and delight when a tiny black Lab captured his heart and turned this tough Non Pet-Peep into a card with Pet Parent Freak. He has even brought in two more big dogs for a total of three big Lab-Mixes (one of them being his old childhood dog, Lucky). His perfect existence became an adorable squishy mess of love and stray dogs. He now stops to go ‘oooh’ and ‘aaaw’ with every pup that passes by and has to have Labrador calendars and pictures of the ‘girls’ of him in the office. If Aisha had the room and the funds, he would rescue as many dogs as possible. Pet-Power hit her hard!
Big D is another perfectionist; clean car, clean house to the point of OCD. He is a big, gruff guy who scares most people until they get to know him. Imagine my horror when I helped him adopt a puppy for his children and the frightened little animal promptly projected his last meal onto his immaculate leather backseat. From that day on he put up with my dogs to put up with me, but he never touched one of them on purpose. He tolerated my addiction and even played with them his way. He and Nikki would chase each other around the house. Big D even walked me to the ER to have Nikki and Rusty put down. I could tell how big his heart was breaking, but he still didn’t want a dog of his own. That was all my nonsense.
Well, nothing turns a daddy like his youngest son and when Kalli wanted a Pomeranian puppy, she had to give in. Big D escorted his daughter to a wonderful breeding couple who had three little balls from a champion lineage. Kalli chose the puppy in the middle; not too shy but not too aggressive. For Kalli, he now had a cute little accessory to show off. For Big D, something else happened. The little Pomeranian, Jack, dropped his little butt in front of the big man’s recliner and yelled at him. He continued to bark until the astonished Big D reached down to pick up the demanding pup. Jack immediately licked the big guy up and snuggled into his arms to fall asleep. Big D looked pretty helpless and distraught for a minute or two, but he relaxed and smiled as the little cloud of fur dozed off into a perfect sleep. Jack’s tiny puppy sides rose and fell against his big human pillow. D melted to mush, his eyes shining with love and wonder as Jack forced his way into the great man’s heart.
Though no one would have expected it, when Big D and Kalli separated homes, Jack went with Big D. He’s more than just his little friend, though. He is the only “thing” capable of waking up Big D with a smile and a giggle and is the only sure medicine that makes the big man feel better through his battles. Talk about successful therapy! Jack saw his big daddy at her worst. Pet-Power strikes again!
So the next time you come across a Non Pet-Peep, don’t despair. They just haven’t met the right pet yet!
