Pamper Them While You Can

Plush & Comfortable Pet Beds

I know people think we are crazy about our furbabies, but I don’t care!

I was grooming and cleaning several of our ‘nursing home’ babies and sighing to myself about how old and fragile they are getting.  Eye drops every morning and special grooming needs take extra time but they are well worth it. My babies love the special attention and it makes for a precious few moments of care and attention I can devote to them daily. Snuggling and cuddling is just as important for our oldsters as for the babies.

As I cleaned and put the drops in CoCo’s eyes this morning, I remembered how strong and active she was as a young Poodle.  And I remembered how special she and her sister ChaCha were to me from the day they came to live with me as puppies, 15 years ago.

You see, Don & I used to sleep in a beautiful and ornately-carved, four-poster ‘rice bed’. These are famous in the South as they were used on plantations because they allowed the owners to sleep set high up off the floor, to keep them up & out of reach of creepy crawlies (back in the days before air conditioning and exterminators). I loved that rice bed, but the day that CoCo fell off it as a puppy, was the day I packed it up and changed our bed to be closer to the floor. I have never regretted it and I’ve never had to worry about any of our kids falling off from that great height again.

NOTE: I still have the rice bed and if there is ever a time when I don’t have little doggies in my life (can’t imagine it!), I’ll have my rice bed set back up with crocheted canopy & coverlet, mosquito netting and the works.  Otherwise, I’ll just leave it to my granddaughter. No big deal!

As I look at some of our ‘veterans’, I realize I will soon lose many of them. From experience, I know I will be sad for each loss, but I know it will be easier to bear knowing I have made their lives as wonderful as I can while they are with me.

I started this post with pictures of some cuddly dog and cat beds, and even some over-the-top models. I have to admit that the pink chiffon and blue satin is a little too ‘froufrou’ for my bunch BUT it is comforting to know that I make my babies as comfortable as I possibly can.

Today, I’d like to encourage you to take the extra time to tell your four-legged loved one just how much they mean to you.  Maybe you don’t want to go buy a fancy cuddler bed, but you can add an extra cuddle blankie to their sleeping place if the weather is cold where you are.

Believe me, time goes by so fast in a dog and cat’s life. Make the most of it!

I’ll share a thought that a dear friend used to end all of her emails with:

“Dogs lives are too short! It’s their only flaw really.”

And the same holds true for our feline companions, as well.

 Enjoy and treasure them while they are with you.

PuppyLove