milo.

Friends, we’ve had some pet drama in 2019. And there’s been so much else going on that I haven’t even updated the blog.

Allow me to fill you in.

First of all, one of the chickens, Scarlett, was attacked by a dog while David and I were in North Africa in June. Grandpa and Mum-Mum were heroes for comforting distraught children and bandaging the ugly-looking wound. Then Grandpa sent David and I a very detailed email about the experience which made us laugh until we cried. And Scarlett lived!

When we got home from our Gentino reunion in the mountains in July, Amie’s beloved pet python, Luna, died. We woke up Sunday morning and David had already left for church when we discovered it. There were mass hysterics from three of our children (I’ll let you guess which ones). I was exhausted from arriving home to a kitchen renovation and immediately burst into tears myself.

I called David’s parents, sobbing, and said “Luna died. I can’t deal with this. Please come over.”

They arrived in five minutes to comfort all of us, then took Gabe and Noah with them so Amie could have a quiet moment to grieve.

Poor Amie. She has such a big heart for both people and animals, and this was her first pet heartbreak. So naturally my heart was broken too. And the little boys were hysterical because she was hysterical.

 

 

It was sweet that David’s aunts, Pat and Cathy, and his cousin Annie, were still in town from Seattle to help comfort her, and her sweet friends at church wrote her notes and gave her lots of hugs, and her cousin Lina Facetimed her right away.

 

 

We still don’t know what happened with Luna, but I stressed about that snake more than anyone ever should should stress about a snake. She would just never eat. They’re supposed to eat frozen baby mice, which is its own strange experience (confession: This summer I definitely did a quick grocery shop in Publix with a box of frozen mice in my purse, because I was afraid they’d thaw in the car).

But Luna did not want to eat frozen baby mice. And who can blame her? We tried over and over. We called the person who sold her to us. We visited the pet store. We rolled them in used hamster shavings so they would smell more “real.” We searched online.

My Google searches for the summer included, “brass pendant lights,” and “Sherwin Williams white paint colors,” and “my baby python won’t eat.”

So anyway. It was very sad when she died but also, frankly, a bit of a relief.

Since Amie spent her own money on the snake, David promised her a new pet, but stipulated that it absolutely could not be a snake. Our family needs a break from reptiles. And it needed to be a pet she could keep in her room.

She planned on choosing a hamster, but we had several trips scheduled this fall, so she decided to wait until mid-October for her purchase.

In the meantime, two of our chickens got attacked by what we think was a possum — but could have been a raccoon — and died. Another trauma.

This brings me to our chicken update.

Can you believe they’re officially done with their egg-laying years? We’ve had our girls for two and a half years. Of the original eight, four are still living. We’re trying to decide what to do from here. David reminds her over and over “The chickens are not pets. They are work animals. They provide food for us.”

I enjoy watching him try to convince our passionate, 10-year-old, animal-lover of that very reasonable fact. She says, “But Dad, I just have so much love to give!!!”

 

 

 

Our friend Barb talked Amie into getting a guinea pig instead of a hamster, because they’re more social and move slowly. Which makes them much easier to cuddle with.

So a few weeks ago, we made a family trip to PetSmart so Amie could pick out her new pet.

 

 

Isn’t he cute?

His name is Milo, and we all love him. Well, with the exception of Judah, who isn’t really an animal person.

Milo lives in a cage in Amie’s room and eats hay, pellets, and vegetables. He enjoys being held and talked to, and to poke around and explore the back porch. He also squeaks at us! And responds when we talk to him.

It’s pretty adorable.

The kids and I love the book Capyboppy, by Bill Peet, and decided that Milo reminds us a little bit of a miniature capybara.

 

 

If you’re wondering why we only talk about Amie and her pets, it’s because our family rule is “You can have a pet when you’re able to be completely responsible for it.” So I feel certain that Gabe and Noah’s pet years will come. Right now we’re working on remembering to brush our teeth and make our beds.

 

 

Now that I finish up this blog post, I realize it’s basically a photo shoot of my daughter with different pets.

Ah well, we’ll want to remember these days! I’ve learned so much from living with her. I enjoyed animals when I was a kid, but didn’t have nearly the joy and exuberance for them that she does. She already has a very small, informal neighborhood pet-sitting business, which is perfect for her.

Being around animals feeds Amie’s soul, and I love that.

She’s also the truest extrovert in our family and told David and me, “Now that I have Milo, I never have to be alone! Even when I’m in playtime I have someone to hang out with.”