Puppies or Kittens? #AKwritingChallenge Day 22

I'm an animal lover. There are some that consider themselves to be cat people, others who are most definitely dog people. I grew up with a lot of both and get all overcome at the sight of both puppies and kittens.

This is Ladybug. Poor kitty. The smile on my face proves just how sweet this feline actually was (and maybe how devilish I was?) Why am I hugging her while in the bathtub? Why is my mom taking this photo instead of rescuing Ladybug? I don't know. My only guess is that Mom felt confident that this cat wouldn't hurt me. It all turned out well. We both made it out of the tub alive.

Puppies!

 

Okay ... this is a cheat because you can see here that this is not a puppy - this is a full grown dog. His name was Killer. Of course there's a story that goes behind that. My dad worked at a gas station off of Speer Boulevard in downtown Denver when I was little. I can't remember if it was a Texaco or an Aamco ... but this dog belonged to the owner. He'd named him Killer thinking that if there was ever a break in and he yelled "Get 'em, Killer!" that it might scare the would be burglars off. That's the story that I recall hearing. Anyway, this dog was anything but a killer. He used to sit in the back seat of my parents Volkswagen Beetle with me. All I remember was being in this small, confined space with a whole lot of hair. I absolutely loved this dog.

Here's Pandora. She was one of the many kittens I had. She was a love - probably one of the sweetest kitties I've ever known.

Here's a real, honest to goodness puppy. I was seven, and my grandmother, Mimi, surprised me with this adorable bundle of fur. She brought her to me in a picnic basket. My mom wasn't excited about having a dog. I didn't understand that then, but I totally get it now. They're a lot of responsibility and work. I named this puppy Gretchen. Why? I haven't a single clue. I just looked at her and that's what came to mind. Mimi didn't question it, and Gretchen was a part of my life until we had to put her to sleep when I was nineteen. She'd developed cancer, and Mimi had paid for at least one surgery and a bunch of medication. When we couldn't keep her comfortable anymore, we had to say goodbye. Oh, that was so, so, hard. I grew up with this dog for twelve years of my life.

My boyfriend at the time wanted to help me get over the loss of Gretchen, so he surprised me with another puppy.

Meet Toby. Yikes. This dog had so much energy. He was like four puppies rolled into one. Toby was wild. Toby ate everything in sight. Toby wore me out, but, boy, was he was adorable.

I had other pets over the years ... but the next puppy wasn't until we got Joey.

Sweet, lovable Joey. We lost him last summer after ten years. He was my kids' first pet, (not including fish). I still miss Joey.

Joey shared his home with Mouse. Mouse was a few months old when we adopted him.

This cat. He's spoiled. But not rotten.

And then came Phoebe and Ursula.

Two puppies are soooooo much harder than one - but look at them. I love them. They're my girls.

So, basically, this was a post about whether I like puppies or kittens better. I did say at the beginning that I was both a cat and a dog lover. This was just one big excuse to post a bunch of pictures of some of my beloved pets. I can't choose. I love them both.