Days 76-81 *Everything I learned I learned from my animals* (almost everything)

I was looking through old pictures tonight.  I stumbled upon some pictures from my childhood.  I can't help but smile when I view the photos.  What a childhood it was!

I grew up in Kentucky.  We raised rabbits and teddy bear hamsters.  Our entire backyard was full of rabbit cages.  Litters were being born at an astouding rate.  Bunnies do "do it" a lot!  The bunnies were as cute as can be.  We had solid white ones with pink eyes, brown rabbits with big brown eyes, and gorgous black and white rabbits with deep, round black eyes.  I would feed and water them, and I would spend some time with them; however, I knew not to spend too much time!  I knew that these rabbits were not my pets.  They were our food, and they provided food for many other families as well. 

When we began raising rabbits, I was young, probably about five, and I wasn't sure what to expect.  Honestly, I think I just assumed that mom and dad were being generous in the "pet department."  That idea quickly changed one morning when I looked out the kitchen window and saw my dad butchering one of the brown rabbits.  Quickly, I learned what the rabbits were for.  I learned that their purpose was not so that I could have 75 rabbits to play with.  I realized that these rabbits were food to people who would come over and purchase them.  They were food for us.  Before long, it didn't bother me anymore.  I understood and appreciated it.  I would sit in the backyard carrying on a conversation with my dad about my school day as he butchered rabbits.  It was humane, quick, and I learned a lot about life from raising rabbits.

My dad traveled as a construction worker.  He was gone a lot.  During those times, my mom and I took care of the rabbits.  That meant feeding and watering 50 or more rabbits a couple of times per day.  It didn't matter what kind of weather we were having.  Rabbits still get hungry and thirsty!  The winters were dreadful!  My mom would get me up early before school, while it was still dark outside.  We would wrap scarves around our heads, and put on hats, gloves, heavy coats, and boots as we would make our way down to the rabbit cages.  Every bowl had frozen water...which means thirsty and dehydrated bunnies.  We would keep going inside and boiling water in order to thaw out the heavy bowls.  The ice would begin to crack, and we'd get a stick and beat the rest of the ice out.  Finally, we would pour in fresh water, put pellets in their metal feeders, and return to our warm home for breakfast.
I learned about hard work and that a family is supposed to pull together to accomplish their tasks.

Several times, I remember vividly waking up from a deep sleep due to hearing what resembled children screaming.  It wasn't children.  It was our rabbits.  Wild dogs get hungry, too.  They would come in the middle of the night and attack the rabbits.  They would press their sharp teeth through the cages and it woud send our rabbits into panic.  If you have never hard rabbits "scream," it is eerie.  My mom and I would run outside yelling.   The dogs would run off, but the damage had already been done.  Some of our rabbits would be lying on their sides, because their feet had literally been eaten off.  Other rabbits were still, already dead, because the dogs had ripped out pieces of their small bodies.  It was heartbreaking.  There was only one thing to do in this situation.  The rabbits, in pain, needed to be "put down" right away.  They were hurting, and it was unfair.
I learned that life is not always fair.  Nature can be so cruel.  As vicious as it seemed, the wild dogs were not at fault.  It's just the way it is.


One day, a beautiful litter was born.  Our of all the bunnies, there was one solid white one, and it was big!  My parents allowed me to choose one as a pet.  It would be my rabbit that was stricly for fun.  I chose the big white bunny and named him Thumper.  He was one cool bunny.  He grew very large.  I walked him on a leash and taught him a few tricks.  For instance, I'd snap my fingers above his head and he would balance on his hind legs and I would give him a leaf and he would hold it in his mouth as he was balancing!  It was quite amazing. 
I learned that my parents knew that I had a true love for animals, and they were determined to give me opportunities to foster that love.  I also learned that rabbits are much smarter than we think they are!

I had ducks.  They were something else.  Creatively, I named them Wacky and Quacky.  Our backyard was surrounded by woods.  There were several large ditches deep in the woods.  I would carry Wacky and Quacky into the woods and let them swim around in the deep ditches.  Or, I would fill up a huge tin dog tub with water and let them hang out in there.  They were interesting pets.  They were also dirty!  I still can't believe my parents let me attempt to be a duck owner.  Nonetheless, they did!  I enjoyed it and took care of them to the very best of my ability.
I learned that my parents trusted me.  They were willing to let me take chances.  Ducks were fun, cute, and filthy. 

We were raising rabbits, and that was successful.  I enjoyed my ducks.  So, I decided it was time for me to raise an animal all on my own.  I chose teddy bear hamsters.  They were small, furry, and I could fit lots of cages in my bedroom.  Keep in mind that we did not own a television. We didn't have video games.  We had to be creative, and our parents allowed us these opportunities. 
My room began to fill with cages.  I had several females and a couple of males.  I would breed these hamsters and they would create these adorable jelly-bean like babies.  They had no hair.  If I accidentally touched the small baby, the mother would eat it.  My mom helped me with the cage cleaning.  I'm sure she dreaded it, but she did help me with it.  I began selling my baby teddy bear hamsters to a local pet shop.
One afternoon, I took a batch of weaned hamsters to the pet shop.  Usually, the owner woud take them from me, pay me $0.25 per hamster, and I'd be on my way; however, the afternoon with my dad was different.  The owner paid me for my little babies, and walked away with them.  I followed him.  He took them to a back room, and literally tossed them in a ten gallon aquarium FULL of other hamsters.  The hamsters were three and four deep!  My babies were just lost in the masses!  I believe they were going to be used for snake food.
I stood in disbelief and cried.  There was nothing I could do but walk away.  He paid for them and they were no longer mine anyway.
I learned that things are not always as though they appear.  They were my baby teddy bear hamsters, my responsibility, and it was my "hamster business."  I should have asked more questions and scoped out the pet shop better.  I also learned that sometimes we just have to move on.  There is nothing we can do.  We have to suck it up and keep moving.

We also had an enormous orange cat, again, with a very creative name:  Tiger.  My dad always despised cats.  One sunny afternoon, a scrawny, half-dead looking kitten approached.  I was instantly in love.  I knew he needed us, or else he'd die.  I also knew that my dad HATED cats.  There was nothing he liked about them.  I went to him and just begged.  I pleaded my case.  He said, "Yes, you can keep him, but he's not coming in the house."  We took the scrawny cat home and fattened him up.  It started to get cold.
"Dad, can he please come in for a little while?" I asked.
"For awhile."  he said.
Within six months, my dad had quite a buddy.  Dad woud get home from work and it was obvious how excited he was to see his pal, Tiger.  Dad and I would go fishing and I'd use a net and catch baby bluegill, bass, and tiny catfish.  We decided to start an aquarium of lake fish.  We would feed them pieces of worms and insects.  That was an amazing project for a kid!  Tiger would balance on top of the ten gallon aquarium and put his giant paw into the water and flop our fish right out onto the floor. 
Tiger was a wonderful asset to our family for many years.
I learned that parents, so often, put the love of their children before themselves.  I learned that things that start out ugly, skrawny, and unloved, can have that all turned around if someone is willing to love them.  This is true for people as well.

My one true love was Nicky.  I rode home from elementary school every day with a boy named Shawn's mom.   One afternoon, she picked us up from school and there were three puppies in the back of her station wagon.  One puppy was black and white and covered with wirey hair. She had a pink and black nose.  Could it get any cuter?  Her hair almost completely covered her big brown eyes. Shawn's mother was taking me home and then taking the puppies to the pet shelter.  I had to have that black and white puppy!  She would make my little farm complete.
I took the puppy out of the car and headed up to my front door.  My mom came out and, at first, shook her head "no."  I showed her this precious pooch and she said, "Go out to the backyard.  Your dad is out there.  Show him the puppy and look up to him with your puppy dog eyes and say, "Please, daddy."
That's what I did.  Dad picked up the puppy by the scruff of her neck.  He held her up and looked her over really well. 
"I guess we'll keep her.  She looks like a fine dog."
Looking back now, I know what a gift she was for me.  Intuitively, dad knew that.  He knew just by looking at her that we would make an awesome pair.
I named her Nicky.  My middle name is Nicole, so, I named her after me!
For years, we were a match made in heaven.  She was that childhood dog that one never, ever forgets.
I learned that sometimes, even if we're not thrilled to give in to a request to our kids, just do it anyway, within reason.  I learned about the love of a dog and what it means to a kid.  I learned about unconditional love and that everything and everybody, for the most part, deserves a second chance.  I was Nicky's second chance.  She made me a very happy little girl.

When I was ten, my dad got a more permanant job in Illinois.  The job meant that we would all be together as a family...my parents, two sister and I; however, we would be moving into an apartment in an unfamiliar area.  We knew not one single person in our new location.  So, ultimately, it meant that my "farming" days were over.  I had to find new homes for all of my loves.  I was crushed.  My sadness was overwhelming and I hurt all over.  Even so, I knew it must be done.  Knowing that my family would all be together made it worth it...as painful as it was, I knew it was the right thing to do.
I learned that family is everything.  Pets are extremely important, too; however, a family sticks together, even in the most difficult times.  I learned that parents, as well as children, ache.  When they see their children hurt, they hurt even more. 

Dad handled all of the rabbits.  I'm not sure where they all went; however, Thumper was my responsibility.  I asked my mom's dad if he would be willing to take Thumper.  He agreed.  He lived in the country.  Thumper lived there with him for several years.  He had complete freedom.  There was a wooden ladder leading into his cage, and he could enter and exit as he pleased.  Eventually, he was just gone.  He was never to be seen again.

We found homes for all of the teddy bear hamsters.

Our fat orange cat, Tiger, went to a family that we knew pretty well.  The wife had been one of my sister's teacher.  Tiger was a wonderful pet to that family for many years.  They fell in love with him and his antics, just as we had.  About three years after we moved, my dad sit us all down and said that he had something to tell us.  I remember his words exactly. 
He said, "A member of our family has died."  My mom, sisters and I just stared at him wide-eyed and scared.  He told us that Tiger had lived a great life with his new family, but he was hit by a car and he died instantly.  All five of us sit there and cried.  It had been three years, and even so, we all cried.  I believe we weren't just crying due to Tiger's death.  We were crying because we had been through a lot.  We picked up, left our extended family, left our precious animals, and moved, so that we could all be together as a family, with dad at home with us.  A precious piece of our past was gone, and it was heartbreaing.

We drove my ducks, Wacky and Quacky out to a farm.  There was a big pond and other animals roaming around.  I kept seeing this big dog running freely.  Right before we left the farm I distinctly remember saying, "I hope that dog doesn't hurt one of my ducks."  Well, he enjoyed not one duck, but both of them.

Last, but certainly not least, was Nicky.  I had to find her a home.  I loved her so much.  My dad's friend told us that his parents had a dog named Nicky that had recently died of old age.  We asked if they were interested, and they were.  My mom and I went out and bought Nicky a new pink collar and leash so that she would look beautiful when we handed her over to her new owners.  I remember the drive as if it were yesterday.  I had Nicky's leash and we got out of the car.  We walked up to the lady.  As I began to hand over the leash, I began sobbing uncontrollably and just ran back to the car.  I never looked back.  I think I cried for days. 
About a year later, I had a dream that something was wrong with Nicky and I pleaded with my mom to call her owner.  Sure enough, Nicky had been hit by a car and lost one of her legs.  She was managing, though.  She ended up living out her last years with them.  They would send me pictures of my girl, and I still have them. 

What did I learn from all of that?  Life is hard, but it is also FABULOUS!  I'm sure you've heard the quote, "It's better to have loved and lost, then to never have loved at all."  How true that is!
As much as we would love to change things...some things just can't be changed.  We have to accept certain things, and then move on. 
I learned that kids can grow up with no television, or name brand clothes, or video games, and still thrive!
I learned that sometimes, the things we go through in life that are the most difficult, make us stronger, smarter, and more sensitive to others.
I learned that family is everything.  Families must stick together, work together, laugh together, and even cry together. 
I learned that children are capeable of work.  They need to know that hard work is important.  It will not hurt them.  It will make them strong and capeable members of society.
Some things in life are just simply unfair.  It's just that simple.
I certainly learned the value of a dollar. 

On a lighter not, I learned about the breeding habits of rabbits and hamsters.  I learned that when rabbits are mating, the male begins to stomp so hard that the noise can be heard from a great distance!  I learned that, unfortunatley, sometimes animal mommy's can be more nurturing than human mommys.  I can easily tell you every internal organ of a rabbit, show you how to butcher them, skin them, and fry them. 
I learned how it feels, as a young girl, to get home and have a wirey-haired black and white mutt be so happy to see you that she couldn't contain herself!  The fact that I was home, was all she needed.

I learned that my parents thought I was pretty special to let me learn all of these great things.  I wouldn't trade any of it for anything.


**Ten years ago, we took our daughter to an animal shelter.  She picked out a skrawny orange kitten.  Out of all the names in the world, she named him, Tiger!  It was time for us to move to New York.  The vet worried about a cat Tiger's age traveling such a distance.  So...time to find a home for another cat that we loved so dearly...one named Tiger!  Graciously, my parents said, "We'll take Tiger."  It was music to my ears.  Even if they weren't consciously thinking of it, I believe, in their hearts, they remember very well the pain we all felt when we moved from Kentucky 25 years ago, and had to give our very own Tiger away. 
So, now, they are caring for my daughter's cat, Tiger.  They are spoiling him rotten, and he is driving them crazy, but they love him, and that's all I need to know!