Pets and Kids

Second Friday of the month:  Family and Pets

"Mommy, let's buy an angel fish."
"Daddy, I want a bunny...now!"
"Mommy, let's get a new doggie and I'll name him Buster."

The kids actually said those words.
Since we moved to our current abode two years ago, with our pet poodle in tow, our home has never been lacking of some friendly creatures of all shapes and sizes.

I grew up with a couple of dogs and they made great playmates for me and my bother, and as guard dogs too!  Now that I have kids of my own, I also wanted them to have a similar experience with having their own pets to care for and play with. So here's our pet gallery:


SUSHI. Our first family pet. He is a red toy poodle.

I was really happy that my children got introduced to Sushi at an early age. Well, it was actually the other way around -- Sushi was already with us when the kids were born so it was a bigger adjustment for him! (",)  Being with a dog took out some of the fear from the kids when they encounter other animals. And he proved to be a very sweet and lovable playmate for the tykes.  Sadly, Sushi went on to dog-heaven just before new year's day. He was with us for 8 years.

RED, the Fighting Fish. And RED-2.

My boy was almost 3 when got his first pet fish in 2006, a giveaway from a children's party we attended. He loved it! It was a deep red fighting fish and it came with it's own fish bowl. For obvious reasons, we named him by his color. He never missed peeking in the bowl and enjoyed feeding it fish flakes and breadcrumbs. Red went down the toilet after a year and a half.  Red-2 was for the girl. She got it from my sis-in-law before her 3rd birthday party. It only lived a couple of months.

We also had several tropical fishes that came and went.

HERMIT Crabs, Big one and Small one.

These critters were the most unlucky of our pets. Nameless, we just referred to them as the 'big one' and 'small one'.  I did not even know there was a 'small one' until the shell flipped and they swapped 'houses'!  They arrived as a surprise gift and we were just clueless on how to play and care for them. The kids were just interested with the decorative and fun shells they live in.  They got stiff after a week!  Okay, it was my fault -- I did everything right, except, it never occurred to me to give them a dish of water (bonking my head)!  :-(

SKYLER and RENEE, the bunnies.

Meet Renee, the brown 'boy' bunny, and the white 'girl' bunny named Skyler.  The kids insisted on the gender-bender names.  These super cute and cuddly hoppers are their current 'play things'.  I think it was due to my husband's influence that the girl was nagging me to buy her a bunny after her fish, Red-2, "got sick and died". Note the print on the blouse of my girl.

I was hesitant at first. I was just not ready to take care of another walking animal. But hubby had pet rabbits when he was younger so I trusted him to know more about caring for these adorable creatures. We got the pair last April.

These bunnies proved to be so irresistible, especially for my girl who loves to feed them with green leafy veggies.  But no luck for her brown bunny Renee (4th photo), who did not last a month. We suspected diarrhea.  Bunny rabbits need companions, and so no time to grieve. He was quickly replaced.

Here's Renee-2, a look-a-like (below) with a white streak on his head.  This one also croaked after a few weeks! We're still figuring out if the white bunny, who's grown bigger now, has anything to do with these series of unfortunate events. In the meantime, no replacement for Renee-2.

Having a house pet (or pets) brings a lot joy to any welcoming family. Kids will learn to be responsible for caring and nurturing the pet.  It will teach them to be sensitive and gentle. It will teach them respect and friendship.  But having one is also a big responsibility for the children, as well as the adults.  Parents and kids cannot simply decide on a whim, and here are some points you should consider before bringing home a pet:

• Age of the child - small children must be supervised, older kids should be taught proper pet care
• Safety - kids' safety from animals that may bite or sting, and animal's safety under living conditions you will provide
  
• Allergies that any family member may have - animal hair/fur may aggravate your condition
  
• What kind of animal would fit your household - allocate enough space, indoor or outdoor, neighbor concerns
  
• Cost of caring for the chosen pet - food, shelter/cage, bedding, toys, vet, etc.
  
• Time you can spend with the pet - time to feed, to play and interact, to groom, to clean cages, etc.
• Animal life-span - how to deal or prepare when losing a pet

After a poodle, tens of fishes, a pair of crabs, and brown bunnies, we are now left with two algae eater fish, and a lone white bunny...for now.

If live animals are not your thing, then the stuffed ones can still deliver some cuddle factor.

Aren't they cute? Stuffed replicas of Skyler and Renee that the kids go to bed with.

What's your pet? Or are you ready for one?

You may also want to read my dedicated post for our late poodle Sushi here.
More about rabbits as pets here.
Caring tips for hermit crabs here.

Aquatic pets / Fish:
Pet Zone
Ground Floor, The Promenade
Wilson cor. P. Guevarra St.
San Juan


Dogs, Rabbits, and more:
Bio Research Pet Store
 - SM Megamall
 - Lost Eden Park, Sucat Road, Parañaque

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Welcome 2010 With Joy and Remembrance

A new year brings new resolutions, new goals, new challenges, new discoveries, new blessings.

It took me two days contemplating on what I will write about on my first new year entry.  And this is the first time I missed my Friday post. I want to begin by saying 'Thank You', and welcome 2010 with renewed hope and joy -- hopeful for new opportunities that may come our way, joyful for the coming events in my family.

But with joy comes sadness. In the morning of December 30th, Sushi went to dog heaven. We greeted the new year without him. He was 8 years old (x7 + 7 = 63 in dog years). So today's post is all about Sushi.

In memory of our beloved pet poodle.

Sushi is a pure-bred red toy poodle. J and I bought him when he was 2 months old from a pet store one afternoon at the mall.  I named him so because Japanese was our fave cuisine when we were dating and Sushi has a nice ring to it...much better than Maki! :-)

Sushi stayed with J and his family who I eventually became a part of when we got married a year after, and so we were happily reintroduced.

Sushi was very intelligent and sweet.  He has endeared himself to all of us, and with his playful personality he was spoiled rotten.  He was the baby of the family, specifically my in-laws.  Then a real baby came.

 

Sushi's first competition is my baby boy. His cries and presence made Sushi so curious that he would always try to sneak in to the off-limits baby's room, poke around the crib and pee in the corner! Maybe he got a little jealous at first, with all the attention on the baby, but soon, he became used to the regular cries and came to befriend the tot.

Several haircuts, doggie shots, and a few diet changes along the way, another baby came.  Sushi now has two naughty and annoying playmates to escape from. And yet, we know he enjoys it when the kids are around.

 

Sushi is truly a blessing to our family.  He brought cheer and unconditional love.  This was priceless.  Having pet dogs as I was growing up, I am so thankful that my kids got to experience having a pet as well.  I just regret not spending more time with him.

The few times they walked him was bonding time for us, and quite therapeutic as well.  There's a certain calm among the kids when they are with Sushi.  Check out Sushi here eyeing my girl's skirt last Holloween and this one afternoon date walk, just hanging out on the street (below).

Sushi loves to be massaged and rubbed on the tummy.  He loves chicken meat. He enjoys being fed by hand and is friendly with the birds who finishes all the rice he leaves in his bowl. He pees everywhere.

Last November, Sushi became very sick, with internal complications. It was too late when we discovered his illness. To make the long story short, despite the medications and a few more visits to the doctor, he became weaker, and less responsive. Surgery will not help either. We were told he will not live long.

What was harder was telling the kids of Sushi's condition. They knew he was sick and they were praying for him to get better. Not being so attached to Sushi, I guess, made it easier for them to accept that our dog is gone and will not come back. I think hubby explained it better to them because they now want a new white dog named Buster. Sorry kids, not anytime soon. I am not even sure I want another dog.

We were not with him when he moved on. And I did shed a tear for him. But I know we gave him a good and comfortable life, with lots of love from the whole family. He was there during the most important events of my life and I will never forget him. 

The new year is for being grateful about the past and welcoming new beginnings.  Maybe he already served his purpose in bringing joy and love in our family, and for that I am grateful. He lived a full life. Though he now rests, I can still hear his barks as I go out the front door.

Thank you and farewell Sushi. We will miss you.

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'Ironman' and 'Tinkerbell' Missed The Treats

 
Who were you wearing for Holloween?

We missed sending the kids to 'Trick or Treat' yesterday. Sad, yes. We did had a plan for the day. But it was not meant to be. And with the early morning howler winds banging on our roof, gate and windows, electricity was cut off across the region with the expected typhoon over the weekend. And it was just too bad for us having those automatic, electronic roll-up gates, and therefore, we can't get the car out so we're on house arrest for the day. Although we can crank it up manually in cases of emergencies, we just opted to stay put and have some family bonding time.

By noon yesterday, the boy and girl were cajoled by dad to change into their costumes just to keep their spirits up. We knew they were really counting the days, 10 months to be exact, 'til Holloween just to be able to wear their costumes ever since they received them as gifts in December of 2008. Thanks to my dear cousin Avie, they became their fantasy characters for a day.  Let the pictures do the talking.

Hmm...notice anything odd?  Who's waving some magic here?!?!

It seems Tinkerbell thew a fit and does not want to share the spotlight with Ironman...watch out Ironman, she may zap you to pieces with that mighty toothbrush!

This was actually the second time my boy wore his Ironman costume. The first time was on a sunny Sunday in September at my mom's place, it was just for kicks. He can't stop posing in it!  Excuse the Crocs sandals here...shiny red boots would have been more fierce.

Having a monologue while still holding on to the new pink toothbrush we just bought a day earlier.

 

I just love the effect of the tulle-layered skirt and the detachable fancy wings of this frothy number by Disney.

My little fairy being playful with our poodle Sushi...actually, she was shooing the dog away as it got fixated with the tulle on her skirt and want to have a bite of it! Hehehe...

After the run-around, Sushi can still pose for the camera!

Our stay-at-home Holloween turned out pretty nice after all despite missing out on the glitz and treats, and spending the day sans power. We did manage to give the kids some good old-fashioned fun -- teasing and running with the dog, giving horsey rides, rough-housing in bed, playing video games, settling down with a few good books while munching on cheesy tortilla chips, and finally, dinner with a bucket of savory, finger-lickin' good KFC with mashed potatoes on the side! Pure, simple joys.

Thankfully, the typhoon waned and we did have a happy holloween after all, and all is well at the homefront.

P.S.
We were wondering why Tinkerbell's wings were not flapping...it was worn upside down! And we just realized it when she requested to wear it again today, Nov. 2. 
Now it's flapping as she prances around. See and compare from the shots above ;)

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