Cats & Dogs: Hair Today, Gone Tomorrow

We've had a little drama in the house this past week regarding two furry friends.

The Cat

First, it was decided by yours truly that after five years, it was time for Chester the cat to adopt a new family. First, Sadie has always been allergic, but lately her allergies have gotten worse. Secondly, I'm tired of people saying they can't come to our house because they are allergic to cats. And thirdly, I've never been fond of cats. I wanted Chester to be an outside cat, but he would meow at the window and put holes in the screens whenever he wanted in. So he's an official inside/outside cat. This does not work when you have allergies.

OK...So there are my reasons! I have to put all the reasons out there, so that when you read the next part you won't think I'm a cruel animal hater.

I put the cat on KSL.com and a few days later, a woman in her 50's named Jackie called and said she wanted him. We had to wait for her and her husband to return from a trip before they came to get him, about a week later.

This was a traumatic experience for Sadie when they came to pick him up. Not only did she have to say goodbye to her beloved cat (she's the only one attached to him)but she also had to witness the cat trying everything in his power not to go.

As Jackie's big, strong husband (who incidentally sounds like a chain smoker, which worries me a bit) picked Chester up to take him out to the car,the cat started getting real nervous. by the time they got out to the car, he wiggled, clawed and BIT his way right out of his arms. Not hard for a 25 pound cat with sharp claws to do. He immediately ran to the back of the house and hid under the deck. Good place for him to hide. There's no way in heck you can get him out from under the deck if he doesn't want to come out. It's no-mans land.

So the adoptive parents decided to go take a drive around town for an hour while Chester relaxed enough to come back out. Finally after about an hour, the poor kitty trusted me enough to come out. We opened a can of tuna with the electric can opener, which made him think we were going to give him a treat for being so mean to him.

On the contrary, I was actually a little cruel. I ended up taking the Christmas lights out of a big plastic storage bin, luring him into the box with a little tuna fish, then closing the lid. Sadie was nearly in tears, worrying that Chester was suffocating while we carried the box out to Jackie's car. The husband opened the lid of the box as soon as they had the doors and windows all shut. Sadly, the last sight we had of our dear cat was him jumping on Jackie's shoulders as she drove away.

So Sadie has been a bit depressed and angry the last 24 hours. And she has every right to be. I feel like the meanest mom on the planet right now.

The Dog

Here we have Iggy the Dog. This was Landon's early birthday present. He and Sadie have begged us to get a dog for years. But we live in a home owner's association and the houses that back up to the park are not allowed to have fences. So we got rid of our Cocker Spaniel, Licorice when we moved here, and have always accepted the fact that we would not have a dog while living here.

When I told the kids the cat was going, they immediately started singing the "poor us" song. Now we won't have a pet, etc. etc. etc.

Of course. I felt bad for my kiddos because I grew up with dogs and I love them (as opposed to cats.) I remember as a 10-year-old girl getting into a fight with my best friend once. My dog, Bucky comforted me when no one else seemed to care. Dogs are just what young tweens and teenagers need when they feel like no one understands their feelings. The dog has unconditional love for his owner. He doesn't care if you are naughty, or if you aren't popular, or even if you stink. He loves you no matter what.

So, with all this in mind, and knowing that some of our neighbors who live on the park have dogs, I thought just maybe we could make it work. We could put him on a chain when he needs to be outside for whatever reason, and let him stay in the house most of the day.

When I found Iggy on KSL for only $100, I was excited. He's a purebred Shih Tzu. And when I called to ask about him, I was even more excited! He doesn't bark at the doorbell or beg for food. He's fully house trained, neutered, loves kids and is only 3 years old. Perfect.

The kids immediately fell in love. They were SOOO happy. And it brought Jeremy and I great joy to see them interact with Iggy and get a kick out of every little thing he did.

Alas, it only took 24 hours to learn that our reservations about having no fence were not in vain. Iggy liked being outside. And every time the door opened (a million times at least,) he headed straight for it. One time he squeezed his way out and ran down the street. Jeremy had to run after him. He returned home with him and announced that that was the last time he would ever do that.

We got a stake with a chain for the back yard, and it was immediately evident that Iggy had never been chained up before. He barked. And we knew it would only be a matter of days before our beloved older neighbors would be over to complain.

With five kids under the age of 13, I really don't have the time to try to train the dog not to bark, or stay in our yard. And I don't want to do an invisible dog fence, either. That seems a little cruel.

So, we suggested to Landon that it may not work after all. He tearfully agreed that Iggy would not be real happy at our house because he wouldn't be free to run and play outside. He came upstairs the next morning and said that he prayed about it and knew that it was best to have someone else adopt him.

I was so proud of Landon. This was really hard for him to admit because he has wanted a dog for years and he FINALLY got one. Now he had to give him away. It broke my heart to see him cry when he talked about it. So sad.

Well, little Iggy is now a member of our Bishop's family, down the street. They live across the street from the park and have a fenced-in back yard. They also have 5 boys who have been begging for a dog. Their mom just happened to be secretly watching KSL for an affordable Shih Tzu just that week. So it was a perfect match. And he fits into their family perfectly.

Now I have to wonder if maybe we need to move into a different house just so we can get a dog. Is that a good enough reason to move? Actually we hate our small garage, too. And I would like to have more space for our kitchen table. But that's beside the point.

Anyway, I thought our pet drama would be funny to look back on some day, though it's not a bit funny right now. Poor kids.