Woman Vs. Beast

Many of you know I'm an animal lover. I would seriously LOVE to open a shelter. Or a Doggie Daycare. But most of you also know I love to do a lot of other things and my tragic flaw is that I can't really make up my mind on what I want to do when I grow up. But that's another post, where we can analyze the inner-workings of my unreliable and indecisive brain. Maybe if I share some thoughts here, I won't have to pay a therapist. Heh.
Anyway, I love dogs and cats and horses and bunnies and fish, and just about everything except reptiles. And I don't hate reptiles, either, I just don't want to have any in my house. When I lived in Georgia, I had geckos in my living room, occasionally, and that was enough of an experience to last a lifetime. At this moment, I am the proud mama of 3 dogs: Sarge, Maddie, and Yukon, 2 cats: Izzy and Charlie, and 2 fish (which are really my son's, see the post called Fish Miracles): Ryan and Marlin.
Izzy is my oldest guy. Originally named Isachar, but soon changed to a less serious version, Izzy was a timid, alien-eyed kitten I just had to rescue from the shelter in Savannah. He's now still timid and alien-eyed, but he's of monstrous size, weighing about 17lbs. Charlie is our little black and white kitten. He's about 9 months old now, I'd guess. I adopted him when I was pregnant with Ella, because I had doctor's orders to stay on the couch (pity!) and I figured having a kitten cuddled up on my lap would make the time pass quicker. I was right, Charlie was a lap cat right away. However, now that I'm constantly up and about, rushing from pillar to post, I don't have the same amount of time to sit with a kitty on my lap. So he's made great friends with Isaac. Isaac can sit and watch cartoons, and Charlie can lay in his lap.
Sarge deserves a whole post to himself...he's my best buddy. He is a 9 year old German Shepherd mix that I adopted when I was on my own, scared of life and I needed comfort and reassurance. Sarge was just what I needed. He was like me...lonely and afraid of the world ahead. Sarge had been abused and he didn't trust anyone. I remember sitting in his kennel with him, 8 and a half years ago, telling him it was okay, I didn't really trust anyone either. I told him we'd figure it all out. And we did. He became my sidekick and from that point on, we did everything together. I sold Savannah Real Estate and Sarge rode along with me to showings. He came to the office with me daily, and camped out under my desk. Everyone who met Sarge loved him...in fact, many people asked if I'd bring him inside houses for showings. Of course he was a perfect gentleman, walking at my side, seeming to listen as I pointed out features of a potential sale. He made the move up north with me, suffering through the 22 hour drive, sleeping between the boxes shoved full of my life, stopping at desolate rest areas. These days, Sarge is older, slower, more tired and a bit grouchy. I say, rightfully so. He's had a long and full life. I honestly don't know how much time I have left with my old man. His muzzle is gray, but his eyes are still full of life and affection. I know, though, that I've had a relationship with this dog that I'll never, ever forget. He's been the rock I've clung to when the rest of the world was slipping away.
I adopted Maddie in 2006, after I had been in Indiana for about a year. She was a little runt, the last of a litter in a kennel at the Humane Society. She was antsy and obnoxious, desperate to have a home to romp around in, and children to play with. That's just what she got. She spent the greater portion of the first year of her life kissing Isaac's face and wrestling him in his bed. She'll be a little runt all her life; she's the submissive one in the family. She sits on the haunches of her petite 51 lb. Lab frame and waits for the big boys to take the lead on walks, at dinner time, and when it's time for treats. She's even the last one to go to her bed at night. I used to feel sad for her, being last all the time, but it really seems that she prefers it this way, having the big dogs show her the way.
Finally, Yukon. The reason for the title: "Woman Vs. Beast." Yukon is, in fact, a beast. He is an oversized white Samoyed/Husky mix that I brought home a week or so ago. He's a big baby, but his stature is a little intimidating. While he isn't the hugest dog on earth, he acts like he is and has a bark to match. I believe that rescue dogs attach to their masters like no other dog will. They love you and appreciate you for life...and Yukon displayed this right away. I can't even take a shower alone. Although I think I have him convinced not to jump in with me, he still has to have his head on the ledge of the tub. He has decided he would like to be the pack leader around here, and it's rather humorous. Sarge is obviously not going to give up his own rank, and even Sarge knows he must "report" to me. Yukon figures he can bypass all of that and be King of the Forest. His bossy tendencies are amusing. He tries to assume the job of telling Maddie and Sarge when to eat, by going back and forth to each of their food bowls and barking. When told "no," he promptly howls like a child and paws his huge white feet against my leg. He tries to "tell" the cats to play with him, and cries under the table when they want nothing to do with him. In many ways, this beast is like raising a toddler. Well, I suppose he is a toddler; he's not quite a year old.
Some people think I'm genuinely nuts, having three kids at home, three big dogs and two cats. Some people are right, I am probably certifiably nuts. But, what I've learned, is that there are two things in life that will give you unconditional joy and affection: children, and animals. Neither, usually, have had the contamination of the cruel world to jade their opinion of you. So, pondering that, you may consider me to be one of those people with some psychiatric disorder...you know, "she wasn't loved as a child"....or, "she's missing something in life and has to fill a void"....but I think I just really love kids, both human and furry....and if you'll excuse me, I have a lot of "kids" who want me to come play right now.