5 After 5, Pets Edition

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It's time for another round of 5 After 5!  In case you missed it, last week's list was 5 messy things you love and if you're new to this series, you can read more about it here.


Today I've got my list of 5 to share, as well as next week's topic for you to stew about over the upcoming days.

And if you've posted your own 5 After 5 list on your blog, I've turned this series into a link party - so be sure to get your own 5 things added below (or leave your answers in today's comments if you're not a blogger).  I loved reading everyone's comments from last week and I really can't wait to see what you share today!


List 5 Pets You Have Had


Our application to adopt a rescue dog was recently approved, so now we're just waiting to be matched up with the perfect pup for our family.  Since we've got pets on the brain at the moment, I figured it would be fun to highlight some critters of the past in a post:

1.  Fish


I know some people have incredible aquariums in their homes and really get into all sorts of fancy fish, but in our house, fish were just a way to try and pacify a little girl's request for a dog.  They're what seem like the perfect gateway pet: simple and cheap, right?  All you need is a bowl, some water, and a little food...except once you get Fred & Wilma (or Fred & Wilma 2, or 3, or 4) installed in a little corner of your bathroom, you realize that fish are far from the easiest pet to have.  Oh, the number of toilet funerals we had...before realizing that not only can fish be a pain to care for (cleaning out the fishbowl constantly), they're just not a very fun pet to have.

Even changing their names to Barney & Betty didn't help these two survive...

2.  Rodents


You can't cuddle a fish, so it wasn't long before we entered the world of hamsters and gerbils (I still begged for a dog).  For some reason, cleaning the cage didn't seem quite as bad as the gunky fishbowl, but, like the fish, these little friends also all met untimely deaths...



3.  A Wild Bird


After all the countless goldfish swirled down the drain and rodents met an untimely demise, we decided to stick with pets that didn't need our help in order to survive.  That meant enjoying other people's pets who would wander into the yard looking for a handout (like the Michelob the cat, from next door), or claiming random yard critters as our own.

That's what happened to a tiny sparrow who mistakenly flew into our garage to perch upon my dad's lawnmower one Saturday.  After being called out to witness this new little friend's arrival, I immediately dubbed him "Tweety" and decided to make him my new pet.

He actually stuck around for quite a while, leaving the garage when we opened the door to pull the car out and returning when we pulled back in later in the day, but eventually, he flew away to find greater excitement in the world.

Tweet, tweet
Michelob


4.  Finally, a Dog!


My parents finally broke down during my last year of elementary school and let me get a dog...we found the perfect little ball of Yorkie/Pomeranian fluff and named her Taffy and she and I became fast friends.  She was a wonderful dog, despite the pain of trying to brush through all that thick fur.


The only hair harder to brush than my own!



The things that poor dog had to endure...

5.  Bishnu


When it came time to consider getting a dog as an adult, I researched like mad to find the perfect breed for me.  I wanted a small dog, but not one that was yippy.  It needed to be a cuddler, but still enjoy going on adventures.  And the less hair, the better...


Bishnu was an Italian Greyhound, and the best little dog ever.  Even though we're hoping to find a new little IG to welcome into our home, I'm not quite sure there could ever be a replacement for this special guy:




For next week:


List 5 Beautiful Places You've Been

After some of the comments and questions I received following my Unique Places post, I figured this next list would help convince others to add a particular destination to their bucket list.  What specific location do you think that will be? 

What's your list?  I'd love to hear!  Either leave a comment below or email me at lisahealy (at) outlook (dot) com.

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