Critter Care

You know that Miss MoneyPenny is one of those bleeding heart, tree hugging animal lovers and so are my family and friends.  I pretty much structure my life around them and they give me so much back.  The deal with my babies is that they are the wild card in my budget.  When you are in the middle of an animal emergency, all sense goes out the window.  I pretty much have to be told that there is absolutely no hope before I give up and that can really be expensive.  Since you never know when something is going to happen, you can't plan for it.  I have a category in my budget for pet care which covers their shots, teeth cleanings, grooming and moderate emergencies.  That is the best I can do.  Anything worse than that has to come out of savings.

I believe in maintenance instead of repair with all things, including the girls.  They have regular vet visits and get their annual vaccines.  I buy their food from PetSmart and pay a real premium for it, and I measure it out.  They gain weight easily just like me.  This is going to get you, but I brush their teeth after paying some really expensive vet bills for removal of teeth.  I feel bad when I think of how awful a toothache is and what a big baby I am when I get one.  I also buy those expensive chewy things from the vet to help keep their teeth clean.

Probably the most important thing that I do is to provide a fenced in yard for their safety.  I go crazy when pet owners think that it is okay to either tie up their dog or let it run free.  I'm talking about my neighbors here.  I just know that if I'm not the one who runs over it, I'll have to see it get run over.  What are these people thinking?  I feel so sorry for their dogs.

On a lighter note, Miss Isadora the Bohemian, who is the proud owner of two pugs, tells me that you can go to the Seattle Pug Rescue site and take advantage of their Seniors for Seniors program.  The deal is you have to be over 60 to adopt a rescue pug over the age of eight.  There is a reduced adoption fee, and here is the best part, all vet fees are paid for the life of your new baby.  I think that this is a great deal...for the dog and you.  It would be worth checking to see if other breed rescue organizations have a similar deal if you aren't interested in a pug, but they are so cute and very sweet.  How could you resist?