My parents did not like animals.  I did.  My mother swore my first word
was "horsey".  I was allowed a couple of parakeets and some turtles and
fish as a child.  We occasionally "claimed" one of the neighbors
semi-feral cats for a while but they always ended up back at his house.
My dad was against having any pets ever.  Yet, he bought a pony for us.
He told his best friend to wait a few weeks till we quit taking care of
him and he could buy it for his grandkids.  We never failed to care for
him and finally outgrew him.  Then he took two larger ponies as down
payment on a land deal.  When we could no longer keep the ponies, he
bought me off by letting me get a dog (finally).  I was twelve or so.

When I was 17, I was allowed to go with friends on vacation ( which was
unheard of) and when I got back my dog was gone.  No one confessed to
knowing where my precious soulmate was, but a neighbor later told me my
dad called the pound and they picked him up.  He'd been euthanized by the
time I found out.  The same dad that did something that cruel had gone
toe to toe over the years with my mom to let me keep several ducks, and
snakes and an iguana.  I never figured that out.

I made up for lost time when I got married at 21.  I had horses and dogs
and cats and a parrot.  After moving to Texas, I had an Arabian horse
farm and bred and raised foals for several years.  Had chickens and goats
and a pet pig and a government adopt a burro on the farm and even a
nutria.  Finally realized my childhood dream of owning a bull terrier.
Got a mini schnauzer for the husband.  Divorced- got schnauzer.  She died
last year at 19 1/2 years old.

Havecared for many, many animals since then.  Most have been rescues
(iguanas, chameleons, and bunnies, dogs and cats) Raised a baby skunk on
a bottle and she died after being descented and spayed.  I never got over
that baby.  Since skunks are illegal in Texas now, I couldn't get another
one, so I got a ferret.  Yep, after years of seeing them and thinking
YUCK- I got one and the rest is history.  I am nuts about them.

I live alone with my pets.  I have one Sheltie, and one Brussels Griffon,
a Sphynx cat, 4 rats- 2 dumbos & 2 regular, 16 ferrets , 9 goldfish and a
baby bearded dragon whose toes got eaten by larger tank mates.  I ferret
sit several times a year for other people.  I volunteer on the rehabbers
hotline for the DFW Wildlife Coalition.

As far as my personality, I'm practical, tender-hearted, have a seriously
off-beat sense of humor, am not very touchy with a strong sense of
personal space, not artistic as such, but I love making things with my
hands, unquenchable thirst for knowledge and a need to know why and how
things work.  I have boundless patience with animals and very little
with people.  I like things orderly, but I am not necessarily a tidy
person.  I am strongly independent and self sufficient but am a sucker
for animals.  I need the animals in my life to make it worthwhile.  I
would be miserable living in a sterile environment devoid of living
creatures.

Bailey and the Dallas Weezababies
[Posted in FML issue 5272]