What Makes Your Pet Unique?

By Linda Cole

What I love about Facebook is seeing friends talk about their pets. The other day, I read a post from someone laughing about her dog racing around the house chasing a fly. Since that's one of Keikei's go-to activities when she can't find anything else to do while the cats are all asleep, it made me stop and think about the things my pets have done over the years that make them unique and special.

Keikei loves to learn and will do anything for her CANIDAE Tidnips treats. She watches me like a hawk and plops her bottom down before I can get some treats out. There's a little quirk she has that makes me smile every time I see her doing it. When she sleeps, she has to have her back legs leaning up against a wall, unless she's sleeping on the couch. It's almost as if she's bracing herself and she goes through a ritual to get her feet placed just right against the wall.

Buddy was a kitty who always sat and watched me mop the dining room floor. When I was finished, he'd go to the far end of the living room, crouch down, stare at my clean floor, wiggle his behind, and then race full steam towards the dining room. He loved to slide across my freshly mopped floor and leave a ‘Buddy’ streak the entire length of the room.

My Siberian Husky Jake was usually very dignified and regal, except when he felt I needed a talking to, which was usually when I made him get out of my chair so I could sit down. Jake always planted himself right in front of me, looked me straight in the eye and gave me a series of stern woo, woo, woos (as only a Husky can do) to make it clear the chair was his and I was totally out of line by making him move.

My cat Pogo has a playful attitude and makes me laugh all the time. He was born with a hip deformity and one back leg is shorter than the others, causing him to walk with a slight limp. Every so often, he breaks out into his own special dance. It's spontaneous and I've never been able to get a picture when he's doing it. He'll be lying still and then all of a sudden hop up and start to dance on his hind legs. You'd never know one leg was shorter. He started this ‘kitty break dancing’ as a kitten, and it always makes me think of someone hopping on a pogo stick when he's hopping around. Hence the name Pogo.

Riley is a terrier mix. She likes to lay under my desk while I'm working, on a foot stool with a pillow on it. The pillow is for my comfort, but she knows I'll share. She rests her head on my leg and stares at me from under my desk. She also likes to sit outside and just stare up into the sky. I'm still trying to figure out what she sees. When she is looking up, her ears flap out, and she looks sort of like Yoda in Star Wars.

Figaro is a cat who thinks shoulders are made for sitting on, especially mine. It's not so bad during the winter when I'm wearing a sweatshirt or heavy shirt, but summers can be painful for me. I never know when he needs a shoulder to sit on, and he's always sneaking up and making his leap before I'm aware he's even around. Sometimes, his leap is short; but then, that's what those nifty claws are for – grabbing on! Once he's settled on my shoulder, I get a “Sorry about that clawing thing” purr and head butts to prove he means it.

Zenia is a pit bull mix rescued off the street. She hates going outside in the rain and has her own special look that says, “Are you crazy! You do know it's raining, right?” She will begrudgingly tiptoe through the grass, but I can tell she's not a happy camper. As soon as she's finished, she races back to the door and demands to be let in. I get a sideways look as she hurries inside. “Now my feet are wet. I hope you're happy!”

Most of my pets were rescued off the street or came from a home that no longer wanted them. I catch myself sitting and watching them sometimes, wondering how their former owner missed seeing what I see: personalities that are unique and special. Do your pets have quirks that make you laugh?

Photo by Joanna Appleby

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