Pet Talk

by Cathy Davis
    I can’t remember a time when I didn’t love animals. Digging through some old photos that my mother had in a dresser drawer, I came across a black and white photo of me at probably four years old, standing in front of the old clunker car, wearing my Sunday best dress, white ankle socks and Mary Jane shoes. My hair is neatly combed and since I had on a dress we must have been going somewhere special, maybe on our way to Church, maybe on our way to my grandmother’s.
    All dressed up, there I stood, and in my arms, a cat almost as big as me, his back legs hanging down just a tad, and I’m hugging him around his chest. He is facing the camera and the look on his face is one of pure tolerance.  Grumpy tolerance. This was Oscar, not my first kitty and certainly not my last.
    Several years later, one bright Christmas morning, my Aunt and Uncle came to visit while we were still opening gifts under the tree. Cousin Billy had something under his coat, I thought it was a skunk because back in those days you were allowed to de-scent a skunk and keep it for a pet and Billy had several. I just thought he brought a skunk to visit on Christmas morning (I was 9, this makes sense to a 9-year-old). 
    When Billy opened his coat, there it was, the most adorable little puppy you have ever seen in your entire life, and he was mine. Aunt and Uncle were giving me a puppy for Christmas. I’ve lived 60 Christmases and the only one that was better than that one was the year my hubby gave me my engagement ring.
    That puppy grew into a small shaggy dog, who was my constant companion. In the morning when my mother had a hard time getting me out of bed she would just tell Button “go get Cathy up” and in he would fly, land on my bed and proceed to dig and jump and wrestle with me so that every morning I woke up giggling. Not a small feat because I am NOT a morning person!
    Button and my dad had a nighttime routine. Dad would come home for work, stand inside the kitchen door and look at the dog. The dog would look at Dad. Dad would look at the dog. And when Button couldn’t stand it any longer, he would bark, and then Dad would smile and bend down and give him a much-deserved pat on the head.
    The only time I ever saw my mother cry was because of Button. She had just finished scrubbing the kitchen floor on her hands and knees. It was sparkling, beautiful, squeaky clean, and Button came running around the corner, chasing some imaginary creature, slammed into the bucket of dirty water and it cascaded across the floor like a tidal wave of mud. My mother was still on her knees, and she collapsed to the floor and just sat there in a puddle and cried. And then her tears turned to giggles and before I knew it she was laughing uncontrollably. God, I miss my mother. She thought everything was funny.
    My point is this; animals are so much a part of our lives, our children’s lives, our parents’ lives. If you have grown up with animals of any kind, you know how much love, entertainment, companionship and joy they bring.
    On May 7, we will be celebrating our animals, and raising money to help those without homes by hosting a walk-a-thon for you and your pet, or just you if you don’t have a pet. The time is 11:30 a.m. for registration in front of the library in Monument Park. 
    The cost of registration is $10 per dog, $15 total if more than two dogs, but if you bring in collected pledges of $100 or more, your registration fee is waived. At noon there will be alumni photos for all those who have walked with us in the past, and group photos, and then at 12:15 Melanie Greaves will be taking the group on a walk down-town, across the Gateway Bridge, up the River Front park trail and back into town.  
    The library staff will have a story time for the children, reading books about rescue dogs and hero dogs. There will be free t-shirts for each registrant. Lunch will be served when the walkers return. Karen’s K-9 will be on hand to do nail clipping for your pets and to show you her mobile grooming unit.
    There will be prizes for the family who brings in the most pledges and also prizes for various animal categories.
    All of the money raised goes to support the Houlton Humane Society animal shelter. Shelter dogs will be on hand and available for adoption, depending on how many we have at the time.
    If you would like a pledge form, please call the shelter at 532-2862 or call me at work at 532-2345 and we will fax one to you, email it to you, or mail it to you. Or you can pick up a form at the Varney Agency or at the animal shelter. We will walk rain or shine, remember that date is Saturday, May 7. Hope to see you there!