Saturday, December 22, 2018

Parade of Pets Day Seven

Boots and Callie!


This is Callie the dog and Boots the cat.


Boots was my first pet. In school away from home, I had the great idea of fostering lots of pets. My first fosters were two tiny 8-week-old kittens.

Socks was the sweet and a good girl. Boots was far-out bizarre.

At two pounds, Boots would crawl up the baby gate to escape her room. She came when I called and would come galloping down the hall to greet me.

When I would study, I'd sit on the floor and chuck my highlighter down the apartment hall. She'd go bounding after it and bring it back in her little mouth.

 When Socks the Sweet Normal Cat was adopted, it was hard to watch her go. I realized I couldn't bear to part with Boots... You can guess what happened. We've been together for over a decade.

She's gotten much lazier in her older age (see pic), but she still knows her name and will chirrup when I speak it. She's not the brightest --once, she wailed sadly, over and over, at my reflection in the fireplace glass, till I called her name and her little head whipped around --and she is vindictive and torments the dog, but I have always been her person, and I love her dearly.


Callie is the dog. I picked her up from the shelter ten years ago. All the other dogs there were so excited to get out, and I made sure to spend some time with them, too.

But Callie had only eyes for me. She'd sniff half a second, then come and stare up at me, and press her body against my legs. She is still that way. She will let me --or any kid, or cat --do anything to her. She has been adorned with bows and princess blankets and caps and surrounded by neighbor happy kid riots over the years.

Reader note: pics! pics! pics!

She's afraid of the rain and loud noises, but will come through them or settle if I tell her to. Her only defense is those doleful eyes you see in the picture. Notice who got the 60-lb bed and who got the cat bed. I swear she understands everything I tell her, or at least she tries her best. She is my soulmate.

13 comments:

nightsmusic said...

Awwww. So cute! Callie almost fits in that bed, haha. We have that going on. Once the cat slept on the dog's blankie and now, the dog won't lay on the blankie anymore. *sigh*

And a foster fail. That would be why I hesitate to foster. I'd want to keep them all.

Lucky you :)

Amy Johnson said...

What a pair--a cat that played fetch in her youth and a dog that plays dress-up. From the pic, it does appear Boots is the boss.

Melanie Sue Bowles said...

Aww... I just love these two. They both sound as though they have wonderful, and entertaining, personalities. That cracked me up about Boots wailing woefully at your reflection in the glass. HA!

So many animal lovers here. YAY!

Julie Weathers said...

What a wonderful pair and yes, I perfectly believe the cat has the dog bed. They really are jerks at times. I mean that in the most loving way.

Jen said...

Love this story of your beautiful family members. Thank you for sharing it!

Claire Bobrow said...

Great story, and a wonderful duo you have there. Boots looks regal and Callie looks snug (but her expression is priceless).

Lennon Faris said...

Love these cute creatures!

Craig F said...

I understand crazy cats, one of ours is names Scruluce, and he earns that name daily.

I also understand cats that take over the middle of the bed. It is an amazing thing, how unmovable nine and a half pounds of cat can be.

I hope my eyes don't look that forsaken when I have to sleep around a bed cat.

Congrats on your pledge to better the world of a few fuzzy animals. It can be fun, rewarding and a pain, all at once.

KDJames said...

I love Callie's expression! Like she knows she shouldn't be in the cat's bed, but what choice does she have? One of my sisters-in-law had a cat who would retrieve small things, her favourite being a crumpled up ball of aluminum foil. Pets can be so delightfully weird.

I've been enjoying all the Parade of Pets posts but haven't had time/energy to comment (BUSY WEEK). I do wish more people would identify themselves as belonging to these lovely creatures. If you're a dedicated lurker and feel hesitant about commenting, talking about your critters is a great ice-breaker!

Beth Carpenter said...

What a wonderful story. They both sound like wonderful housemates. You're lucky to have each other.

Joseph S. said...

Wonderful. I needed this report.

Jennifer R. Donohue said...

What a pair! Callie is the sweetest (and my favorite dog colors, of course!) and Boots, oh Boots~ :)

Valerie said...

These 2 are adorable! Love their story.