No more Zoo......

Within 2 weeks of our marriage almost 18 years ago the Englishman and I had ourselves our first pet. Her name was Brinton's (named after the Englishman's favorite pub) a pretty white stray kitten that my Grandfather befriended and talked us into keeping. Brinton was de-clawed and very much an indoor cat. Our first house was on a very busy road and I was always petrified she would get out. Our first dog came about 18 months into our marriage. A sweet but rambunctious lab we called Hershey he came from a friend of a friend who had taken on more than she bargained for with a six month old very large lab. We had our first baby shortly after we got Hershey and tragically but I sometimes I think for a reason Hershey was hit by a car on that very busy street and killed almost instantly. We were heartbroken. However, it made us realize how incredibly dangerous that busy road was and very much aware of how "it only takes a second". This is "the reason" I was referring to. As Soccer girl grew from infant to toddler to preschooler we NEVER took our eyes off her and taught her over and over to NEVER go past the sidewalk. After that we adopted our first Golden Retriever "Guinness" after the Englishman's favorite beer. (notice a pattern here) we then gave our cat Brinton's to a dear friend who had just gotten her first apartment and had always said she loved our cat. Now normally I am not one to give part with animals once I have taken them in but Brinton's started to try to get outside a lot (may have had something to do with the new dog and new baby in the house) I was petrified that she would experience the same fate as Hershey so we let our friend take her where she lived to the ripe old age of 16 and was spoiled rotten her whole life. Guiness also lived a long happy life. Okay, I could go on and on about all the pets we had in between but I did have a point to this story and that being this: Currently, we have 1 dog (Jesse another Golden Retriever) two cats (Tuesday black and Dudley grey) 2 Rabbits (Rosebud and Baby) 2 hamsters (Ben and Jerry) and 1 bird (Blue) and the Englishman and I have said "No more Zoo" when these little darlings go on to animal heaven. We are so over pets it is not funny. While we love them (some more than others) it is so much work so much money and so much time. In addition, it is times like what is happening in the photo that I say to myself "what in the hell was I thinking" or better yet "what in the hell are they thinking" Do they not know that tops of refrigerators and cupboards are not where kitties should find themselves? So I say again NO MORE ZOO!!!! But then I remember it could take years they are all young and healthy that's a good thing right????