LIFE AT THE COTTAGE

Monday, February 8, 2010

Fourteen Days of Love - Day 8 - Must Love Pets!


There is no question about it.
For most of us, our pets are very special parts of our families.


You're probably glancing at the image above, wondering if it's a mistake,
or if I actually have cows as pets.  No…on two counts!

Although, if it were up to me, I would have at least one cow as a pet.
I've been enchanted with that adorable species of mammal since I was a child—
and always thought hoped that someday I might just own one.

Well, I've lived on a small farm for over four years now,
and the Yankee and I still can't see eye to eye on that matter.
MOO MOO…I mean BOOHOO!   ; )

But, I have managed to have some very special pooches as pets.

This was Sasha. She was the very first pet I had when I left my parents' home
 to go out on my own. She was my "baby" before I ever had babies.


A sweet, yet timid little lady, her very favorite activity was
going for rides in the car with me.



Wasn't she a pretty princess?

When my daughter, Asheley, was seven, she received a Maltese
as a present from a dear family friend.

Tasha was only two months old when she came to live with us
 and would literally fit in the palm of my hand.


Ashe and Ta were totally inseparable for many years. And that
pretty little girl—the furry one—would let Asheley do just about anything to, and with, her.

It was not uncommon to find the two of them together in various
 comical situations—like Tasha donning doll clothes, while being wheeled around in a doll carriage by Ashe, both as content as could be.


Our son, Joshua, thought it quite unfair that his sister could have a pet
when he did not.  So, six months later, Samson, a sweet Labrador
 Retriever puppy, joined our family.


Samson and Tasha were six months apart in age—though worlds apart in size.
 Yet, the two played together as though they were from the same litter of pups.

Not only were these two canines the best pals for our children,
 they were best pals to one another.

When our children moved out on their own, Tasha and Samson moved to the farm with us.
I asked the Yankee to craft a sign for me that read:

FIRST YOU HAVE DOGS, THEN YOU HAVE KIDS, THEN YOU HAVE
THE KID'S DOGS.
Can anyone out there identify?   ; )


This sweet guy was a rescue. A visit to the veterinarian's office
determined him to be a German Shepherd/Basset Hound mix. With the torso of a
shepherd and the legs of a Basset Hound, he is quite a sight.

When we brought him home, daughter Asheley chose the perfect
name for him—Frodo, of the Lord of the Rings Trilogy. 
He's short, has furry feet and is totally lovable.


One of his favorite pastimes is playing fetch.
When he couldn't find a stick in this thick blanket of snow, he improvised and broke
 off the lower limb of a small tree!


Frodo is really a great name for him, although...
the way he likes to wander, Bilbo might have been a better choice.


This is really our son's dog, Ellie. But she is so adorable, I thought
 I would include her in the lineup. She's a purebred German Shepherd pup.

We're all hoping she soon grows into certain parts of her body!
Can you guess what they might be?   ; )


Do you believe that animals have personalities—all animals? Well, I do!
We had nine chickens the first few years here at the farm.

We found out very quickly that chickens indeed do have personalities. So much so,
that we were able to name each one and identify one from the other.


They dearly loved the Yankee and would follow him like he was the Pied Piper.
When he began constructing the small addition on the back of the cottage, they
 thought he was Prince Charming building a castle just for them.

They free-ranged on the farm and from sunup until sundown
would be scattered all around our eleven acres. But, if one of us left in a vehicle, 
upon our return they would run to greet us—just like dogs!


That's the back of the outbuilding near our long driveway that they're
running toward—to greet the Yankee. I shared a photo with you earlier of the side of
that building and part of our driveway in the snow pictures here.

And how many pets do we have right now?
Zero, nada, not one!

A temporary situation we are looking to correct very soon!   ; )

Today—the first day of the second week of the Valentine's party—
I will be adding a Cup O' Cats to the giveaway.

What? You're allergic to cats, you say! No problem.
These cuties won't make you sneeze, but they are guaranteed
to make you smile!


This box of 24 assorted Punch Studio Valentine's Cards is as sweet as it gets!

Reminder:  Please be sure to publish your
Valentine's post, before you link to the party. And
don't forget to mention the Brambleberry Cottage
in your post.

Remember to leave a comment to be entered in this
week's drawing for the giveaway!

1. Jenn Raley
2. Meghan
3. Marilyn
4. http://sweetnothingsbj.blogspot.com/2010/02/day-eight.html
5. http://beansiebabbles.blogspot.com/2010/02/some-superbowl-blues.html
6. Debbie
7. http://donna-sugarspicesouthernlife.blogspot.com/
8. lululiz
9. Pamela





10 comments:

  1. I ooh'd and aahhhh'd and omygoodnessed myself silly on this post - it was precious and funny and adorable. Love the words you came up for the sign! :) THanks, Jenn

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  2. This is the cutest post. Love those chickens..
    Sorry to be late here. I just can't seem to know when to link up with you, I guess. The last couple days have been terrible regarding my computer. I hope I have every thing fixed on the blog now. Whew!!
    I just posted my Day 9 and since I don't know just when you will have Mr. Linky up, I'll just pop back by in the afternoon. :)
    Thanks much for hosting..

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  3. OMGosh...mine showed up twice on Linky. Would you please delete the last one? So sorry....

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  4. What beautiful photos of all your pets, and I was most tickled hearing how chickens would run to greet you, just like a dog would! I would have never imagined, but sure!... Why not?! Chickens have feelings too, right?!! They were happy to see you! ADORABLE! I love it! ~tina

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  5. What a wonderful idea for a post. I love, love, love animals and those silly pets are family to me.

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  6. This post warms my heart! I love animals!!
    Blessings,
    Donna

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  7. Those are the cutest cards! I so need the Cup O' Cats cards. Please let me know where you purchased them! I hope you got my earlier comment.
    Blessings,
    Donna

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  8. Thoroughly enjoyable post. We love our two babies, two Rhodesian Ridgebacks, to bits. I suppose some people might consider us completely doolally when it comes to our dogs. And I still think of our first two dogs, Bobbie the Irish Red Setter and Harry the border collie/spaniel mix, every day. And miss them.

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  9. Oh dear, I have just waded in here totally blindfolded and with big awkward boots on, lol. It was suggested that I should link one of my posts here. I did try pleading complete incompetence and cluelessness, but I don't think I got away with it! I hope I have done it correctly, sigh, forgive me if I haven't. I'll try harder the next time....

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  10. I know I'm to late for the give away but I still wanted to show my sweeties with you. They are so cute together and show each other a lot of affection.

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Thank you so much for taking the time out of your busy schedule to comment.