And Then There Were Seven, by Christina Parsey

I grew up as a dog person, and I had a dog when I met my husband. Because of some unfortunate events in the past, he wasn’t a big fan of dogs. Fast forward a few years, and we had two young boys but still no dog. I always thought they would start asking for a dog at some point, but they never did. I was very good about respecting my husband’s feelings – I never whispered into their ears that they should ask for a dog (I promise!).

When my husband started a new job, he found himself surrounded by ‘dog people.’ And he realized he was outnumbered when they made it a mission to add a dog to our family. One day, he sent me a text that read, “Do you think we should get a dog?” It came completely out of the blue, and after picking myself up off the floor, I thought, “We better act quickly before he changes his mind!”

Meet Bailey

We went to Pets in Need the very next day. We were familiar with it because our sons had participated in summer camps there. As soon as Bailey was brought in, he went immediately to my husband and sat in his lap with a big doggie smile on his face. A very smart little dog ─ he knew right away who he needed to convince and that was pretty much it. His big ears and little turned-out feet were so endearing, we couldn’t wait to bring him home.

Fast forward and Bailey is 11 now. He was born in the shelter to a mom named Brandy, and all of her puppies were named after liqueurs. We think he’s part corgi because of the short legs, but he’s mostly terrier. The first year was a little rough because he was a chewer, but eventually he got over that.

He’s very sweet, loves his walks, and of course the boys adore him. My husband tolerates him (we all know he secretly loves him), and he’s been a wonderful addition to our family.

Tux and Trouble

During COVID, we went back to Pets in Need and adopted 2 kittens. They were brothers from the same litter ─ Tux, who is black and white, and Trouble, who is all black. They have gone from tiny kittens to about 17 lbs. each ─ definitely weightlifting material, very loving and 5 years old now.

In the beginning, it took a couple of weeks to get all of them used to each other, using lots of turkey treats and periods of separation mixed with short bits of time together. Now they all get along famously, and they’ve enriched our family in so many ways.

It’s very therapeutic to have animals, whether needed or not. And they keep us laughing with their fun antics and the pure joy that animals seem to bring.

Endlessly Entertaining

Bailey loves to have “sun time” in our backyard and is a pro at opening presents. He makes a lot of really interesting noises when he’s trying to get my attention, locking eyes with me and offering up all sorts of unique sounds that make us laugh.

Trouble has always lived up to his name. Also very talkative, he has made many star appearances while my husband is in a Zoom meeting. To show off his gymnastic skills, he can be on the floor one minute and looking down at us from a top shelf full of fragile glasses the next. How he does that without breaking anything is a mystery, or just one of those amazing feats that cats instinctively know how to do.

Tux has big eyes and always looks like he's “in awe” of everything around him ─ we like to say he's our reminder to “be present.” And he's even been in the online Sequoia Sentinel newsletter which I edited for a couple of years while our sons were in school there. At the start of every school year, we recruited new volunteers by placing an ad in the newsletter, which was usually accompanied by a “We Need You” graphic. One time my co-editor used a picture of Tux that I had sent her (peeking out from behind a chair). I think it caught people's attention because the ad turned out to be wildly successful!

Feeding Time

All three of them usually start “talking” to us about an hour before it’s actually time to eat. In this picture, they are all "talking to me" at the same time! 

After Tux finishes eating, he pauses on one side of the cat door. We call it “Tuxy TV,” and it’s our signal that they're finished eating and Bailey can lick the bowls!  

I recently brought home a huge bag of cat food, which I closed up in the shower so they couldn’t get to it (Tux has been known to eat into the bag). Here are the two of them staring longingly at it, just hoping that door will open and let them in.  

One Big Happy Family

As the years go by, we cherish every moment we share with our pets. They love us unconditionally and add so much joy to our lives. They're such an important part of our family, and it just wouldn’t be the same without them.