Family, not Pets

Hey!

Have you ever had a pet that you consider family? Up until I was eight years old, all my pets had been simply that for me: pets. But when I turned ten years old, for Christmas, I received two Japanese Akita puppies. They became like my younger brother and sister, Kiara and Voodoo. They had seriously personality that no animal before them had possessed to me. Kiara was the outgoing, playful one. Voodoo was the tag-a-long. If Kiara went, Voodoo would follow. Unfortunately, one vacation while we were away with a family member to watch them, Kiara and Voodoo's chain got tangled up and Voodoo was unable to reach his water. It was a hot day and it was a sad day. When we returned home, there were many tears.

Still having Kiara, I decided to get pets that I could enjoy indoors: hamsters. The first hamster I got was a Panda Hamster whom I named William Hampton Shakespeare. He truly held my heart. I even gave him a voice and it was always funny to do for him when he was out and crawling around. The next hamster I got, I named after my grandmothers. Essie Catherine was quite the character and she was insanely mean, but I still loved her.

My first day of highschool, which had been exciting, I was coming home, chatting with my best friend. When we got to my backyard, we saw Kiara lying there, not moving. My best friend already knew that I was going to be troubled and upset, so he, not being good with tears, immediately headed for his own house. I cried for about two hours that day. William went next. I think, for me, that was possibly one of my saddest days. I cried for six straight hours and all my family could do was watch. Hamsters aren't predicted to live long, but I had William for almost three years before he passed. Essie Catherine followed shortly after. I cried about four hours that day, because for a moment, she looked like she was going to make it, but in the end, she died in my hands. These three pets were like my children close to the end. I absolutely adored them. My family and I vowed we'd never get any more animals.

...now we own a Pug named Charlie Murphy Singletary and a Chow mix named Sheba. It's funny how easily and quickly they wormed their way into my heart. I loved them both dearly. Like the other animals... They're family, not pets.

Do you have pets that you really think are family? :)