Living with my pets

Have you ever thought to live with pets?

After my birth, my family decided to throw away their cat feeling that it will be safer for the new baby to not be in touch with animals. What was that kitten’s sin? She came to sleep close to the baby…
Well… that baby was grown up without a pet. It was forbidden by the family but... that baby loved so much the animals…

I lived a life that forced me to change homes every 1-2 years in different areas of Greece, of Europe, oversees… Not the perfect life to have pets but… I had always a small animal in home. Birds and a big aquarium with fishes were the start of the pets raid in my family’s life.

15 years ago, still a student in a college, having 3 kids to take care and a permanent shortage of money I met a hair ball in a pet shop…

Sylvester was a Persian male cat, the most wonderful creature I have ever met until that time. Our love was love at first sight…

Sylvester brought Roxanne, a female kitten and they offer us plenty of happy years. My children adored them and they have learned living with them that the most important in life is to share and love.

Sylvester & Roxanne were part of my family and followed us in every new place. We were a military family and we had to move all around the world. They were with me after the divorce and the setting of my new life.

After a robbery in my home, Paris, a stubborn sharpie male puppy came to be part of my family too. We needed somebody to protect me and my daughter. Time to learn living with a dog…

For Paris, I was always his toy. He wanted to play with me and after the first year I had forgotten the idea to train him. He was the male of the house and he made me mad when I discovered that my stuff like  shoes or eye lenses were bitten and destroyed by him.

So… I started to adjust my life with him, offering him plenty of love and spoiling him a lot. After all… Despina, my daughter,  was his boss, I was his pal…

Sylvester died after an accident in 2010 and I felt I lost a kid. I cried a lot for a long period but as I had to care for Roxanne who came very close to death after a problem with her bladder I had to recover from the grief.

I spent the last money I had for her surgery. I was unemployment for more than a year and with legal problems as in order for my old company to not pay compensation ought to me tried to accuse me with whatever you imagine…

About our legal system… forget it… if you don’t have money to pay you will never find justice for you. That’s Greece my friends… corruption everywhere…

By the way, I spent even my last euro to see Roxanne healthy again.

The day of my birthday in 2011, Divonne came in my life. Divonne is a ragdoll kitten with the most amazing eyes I have ever seen. She was born in France, she did her duty to bring in life many kitten and as it was time to retire I was there to pick up her and welcome her to my family.

During summer, tired from the life in Athens, really disappointed from my business life (the second company at the same year that fired me as it had no money for my salary… still waiting to be paid…) I decided to go back to my birthplace, Samos and renovate by my own hands the family apartment.

Trying to move all the old stuff at the garbage, a Saturday night of August 2011 I discovered a baby cat crying inside the garbage bin. He was so tiny and his cry was so loud. I felt so sorry for him and for those who preferred to treat him as garbage…
I took him in my hug and he stopped crying. I brought him in my new kitchen offering him some food and water and I took the decision to keep him. Life was so taught for him but he offered him a new chance with me.

I had to fight using antibiotics and the help of a veterinarian in order to keep him alive and I gave him a name that represents his presence in my home. He is my Spooky!!!

On December 2011 I started thinking to adopt a dog too. I live alone and I wanted to have a company and something to push me walking around. The island is so beautiful and I have decided to enjoy it as much as I can…

I needed also a dog for protection. Oh yes… life is getting difficult in my country and crime is lurking where ever you live. People who need money try to gain them using illegal methods and plenty of my friends have been awakened some day in their homes discovering thieves threaten their lives in order to grab their money.

A month ago, one of my friend, Marianna, a graphic artist too and a person who loves animal as much as I do, wrote me to asking help in order to find a home to a Labrador dog abandoned from his owners. This Labrador was alone for almost a month at the area of Marianna’s home at Penteli Mountain in Attiki.
Marianna and her husband found this dog to search for food in garbage bins and took him to their home, made him a medical checkup and decided to find him a new home.

It was a sign from God for me… he was my dog. After a few weeks this sweet & huge Labrador came to me. He is another present bringing love and courage to me. My children and I gave him the name “Pluto” which means wealth in Greek language and I believe he will bring me luck and happiness.

He was adjusted immediately in my home, made himself the pal I needed and my company at my long walks around the island. He is another creature of this world that felt the abandonment of those he loved.

For my surprise… Pluto stayed close to Spooky after his surgery and he was with him all day helping him to recover. He understood that Spooky needed support and as I watch now the photos I have taken with them at those moments, I could not believe the affection and love I can see in Pluto’s eyes. He was only a week in home with Spooky but for him he was his family and he was there to support him.

That is the miracle of life. Love! Just Love!

Have you ever thought to share your life with a pet?

If no… you miss a lot.

If yes… please think a lot before you adopt a pet. Be responsible & accept that your life is going to change and you should share a lot of time taking care this new pal. If you feel you cannot keep your pets in your home, don’t abandon them.

Find them a new home.

Give them the opportunity to be loved the same way they spread their love to you.

Don’t make them feel unwanted and lonely.