Little Beings of Fur, Whimsy and CHOMP CHOMP

So my Pickies are err...picky and wonderful and exhausting, but the little furry beings that take up my heart are another story.

Hubby and I LOVE animals (duh) and when we were dating back in the day, we went to California and came home with a Boston Terrier pup.  We were such responsible adults; we not only brought her home on the airplane cross country, but we lived in an apartment with a pretty strict "no pet" clause.  Kali was sweet but she had a mean bite ("CHOMP, CHOMP!") and she did eat my first ever pair of expensive Steve Madden boots.  But we loved her anyway.

We continued our quest of responsibility when we rescued Pugsley (surprise-a pug!) from a puppy mill.  She came home the size of my palm and I loved her with every ounce of my being.  Of course she came to that "no pet" apartment where she and Kali became best buddies.  OK, not really, but they loved and tolerated one another amongst chewed-up carpet (hey, it wasn't ours!) and puppy pee pads.

Nine years went by with no issue; we moved, we had kids, the little beings carved out their places on couch cushions and in the laundry room.  Pugsley lost one of her eyes in a freak gasoline fight (shout-out to "Zoolander")-no, not really, but she had an accident and had to have it removed.  And for the next two years, she was the sweetest, kindest, most patient dog on the planet.  

A year later, we rescued Winnie the Pug and she brought an interesting energy to the house.  See, we knew that the girls were getting older and we were afraid that if one of them passed, the other would be miserable.  So Winnie, at seven months old, brought the playful side out of Pugsley and the persnickety side of Kali.

Pugsley passed away this past October and we buried her in the backyard and sang "Let it Be".  

Two months later in pure "The Notebook" fashion, we lost Kali as well.  We spread her ashes in the same area as Pugs, and we sang "Let it Be" again.  Sidenote:  My kids now get sad when they hear this song.  Lesson?  Don't use perfectly beautiful songs for animal funerals if you want to keep liking them.

We spent this winter with one dog-the first time in over ten years.  And we eagerly anticipated getting Winnie another little furry being to play, romp and create mischief.

And there is our Ruby.  She is 2 1/2 months old and she is teething something awful.  Pity the animal, human or article of clothing that comes towards her mouth because CHOMP, CHOMP, she gets it.  Hoping this is a quick phase.

It is extraordinary how these little beings conquer our hearts and how much the grief physically hurts when they are gone.  Not only for us adults, but the Pickies talk a lot about them, too.  I'm so glad that they are able to experience the love and compassion of animal companionship-even if it means I'm mad at the pup for biting my favorite dress (or two!).

We will always have these little beings and their stories in our hearts.  What are YOUR animal stories?