Pets

by Liam Rust

There are a lot of things in my life that are important, but after reflecting on it, my pets are some of the biggest ones. They comfort me, they care about me, they're cute and endearing in their own ways, and I think they've helped shape me into who I am today. So, in no particular order, here are my four pets and what makes each of them special.

Trish

Trish, holding one of her precious toys

Trish, capsized

Trish is one of our two dogs, and though she may bark at everything that comes within a 5 mile radius of our home (especially squirrels), she will roll over onto her back the second you meet her. She is very sweet, so sweet that if a dog toy makes a squeaking noise, instead of chewing it, she will protect it, keeping it safe from any other dog (and she will get very concerned if she accidentally makes it squeak). She also, like many dogs, loves food. In fact, her favorite food is, paradoxically as she is a dog, chocolate. She also likes to steal our beds and couches, either to sleep on or to keep watch for squirrels on. She's our big, sweet, lovable girl.


Raylan

We got Raylan about a year and a couple months ago, and he is... well... he's odd. He is a dog, but he has a lot of weird qualities. First of all, he likes to sit on things. He sits on normal things like other dogs (like the floor or a couch) and on weirder things (like chairs), and then...

Yep. He sits on me and even my chair. He likes to think he's a lap dog, but he is not. Trust me, I would know.

Other than the whole sitting thing, his tongue sticks out about 50% of the time (as you can see in the first image of him sitting in my chair), and if you don't pay attention to him when he wants you to, he will whine at you, sit next to you, and paw at you, getting steadily more insistent if you keep ignoring him. He's a weird one, but we love him.

Pumpkin

Pumpkin is the type of cat people think of when they think of cats. He isn't all that affectionate, and even when he is, at random, he will attack you and run off. He then comes back 5 minutes later wanting more love like nothing ever happened. When he's loving us, though, he is sweet and, for some reason, drools. It's weird. He likes to cuddle with Raylan for some reason, which freaks Raylan out because 1. he hasn't quite figured out what cats are yet and 2. Pumpkin kneads on him, which basically means that he gets poked with his claws, which spooks him a lot. Pumpkin also likes the family members who don't like him that much, which is counter-intuitive. So, Pumpkin is like a standard cat - confusing and a bit mean. We love him all the same.

Dalsa

 

l o a f

Dalsa is the opposite of the standard cat. She's very, very affectionate, and never swats us (unlike Pumpkin). Most of her time is spent in boxes or in polar fleece. She has especially loved me over the past week with my fever, snuggling up to me in my bed to absorb my warmth. She is definitely the laziest of our animals, and has gotten a little fat. It's quite pathetic, now. She can't make the jump from the floor to the counter anymore for food (She probably could, but instead, she makes one of us pick her up because she knows we will and she doesn't want to put the effort in), and she fails at other normal "cat" things because of her, let's say, "lack of agility." She makes up for it with her sweetness.