At my home here, I have two pets. A large brown and red dog named Rufus, and a black longhair cat named Frenzy.
Rufus came to us through the animal shelter in Manhattan, he was living at a foster home at the time. He was named Rufus when we got him, I wouldn't have been able to come up with such a perfect name for him on my own. Rufus quickly became a very large part of our family, mostly because he is roughly the size of a horse, but also because he is a very kind, if somewhat mislead, unselfish brute. I recall one fateful day that Rufus was right there to help me in my time of need. You see, I was climbing down from a ladder, this was while building our home, and while on the second rung or so I ended up putting my foot on a bucket and falling to the ground. You don't usually expect to step on a bucket while climbing off of a ladder. Thankfully Rufus was there in an instant to bestow as much unselfish love and attention on me as he could take advantage of, while I was laying on my back in pain, unselfishly he was nuzzling me and licking my face (his tongue is about the size of Rhode Island). What fun. That is a pretty decent summation of Rufus right there.
Frenzy came from the Manhattan shelter as well, again she was out of a foster home that a kind lady ran. This lady was highly recommended from June at church who had gotten several of her own cats from her. After signing all of the paperwork and picking the cat up, I took her to meet my wife Annie. Frenzy, at the time of adoption, was... well, she wasn't much to look at. She had lost most of her hair due to very bad nutrition and stress before being rescued, and as cats in cars are always like, she was meowing loudly and sinking her claws into anyone foolish enough to try and comfort her. I drove to Annie to show her our new pet and her first reaction was of revulsion, like I said, Frenzy didn't look the best. Well, today she is healthy, sleek, friendly and always ready to find a bird, mouse, or a skink (while supplies lasted) to bring onto our "Plaza della morte animale". Few things are better than finding something squishy under your foot as you go outside first thing in the morning.
Why am I introducing you to my pets? Because they are angels sent directly from heaven. Yes they have their faults, like barfing in the house, but their ultimate quality is that they have yet to even TRY to get even with my daughter. These animals have purely indefinite patience with her. Rufus has ears, they happen to be big and soft, (like his tongue is - only less swamp like) they also are very tender. If I were to ask you what part of the dog is the only part of the dog that Lizzie can find to pet (grab and pull) you might be baffled, so I will tell you. His ears. He at first softly whines as she twists on them, then he cries a bit and tries to pull away from her. Eventually he turns his head and basically swallows her arm in his slobbery maw which causes her to immediately let go. This is his defense, slobber. This also happens to be his way of showing affection, but thats a different story all on its own. Frenzy is also unbelievably tolerant of both of my children, but with Lizzie especially. David may grab and pull the cats tail to his mouth, but cats have a built in defense for that, its called loose hairs. Lizzie however likes to find the most uncomfortable way possible to hold the cat and then proceed to drag her around the house with mews of discontent spouting out at random. I have yet to hear Frenzy growl as if to defend herself. This cat is truly saintly about this abuse. She seems forever tolerant in her martyrdom of being yanked out of her cozy rest on the foot of the bed to be mercilessly pulled to and fro at the whim of a sweet & innocent two year old.
Frenzy and Rufus are undoubtedly a significant part of our family. If we are fortunate enough, then our pets will both be around long enough to indelibly ensconce themselves deep within my children's memories as some of my most venerate memories are filled with my childhood dog Duffer and our various cats. My hopes is that Lizzie and Bubs will be able to look back with deep fondness on these childhood pets of theirs and remember the amazing times they shared with these fantastic family members.
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