Normally people assume that taking care of pets is easier than human babies but animals & humans are scarily similar, I used to feel the same until I got my first dog & babysat my friend’s baby. Being a mother of 6 ( 3 cats, 2 dogs & 1 fish) has made me realize that humans and animals are indeed so similar. The same way raising human children involves feeding, bathing, hugging, patting them to sleep, lots of reassurance, laughter, poopy cleaning & lots of love, it is the same with having animals.

I learn that day on day with my own kids; hug one more & get the wrath of the other, constantly comparing their food dishes with each other (they all feel that the other has better food), will chide you for ignoring them for too long (Too long : more than 5 minutes), do funny things to make you smile. Raising these guys reminds me how delicate & innocent every creature’s heart is. Almost every night one of the kittens usually Diana gets cranky and needs me to pat her to sleep, she will start meowing unnecessarily & get my attention by nibbling my toes or fingers. Muffin is the more insecure puppy so she hates it when you touch any other baby when she is around, she uses her paw to whack her victim. Delphi usually walks away when she gets whacked but Diana never lets Muffin boss her around. The tom, Castor is a serial nuzzler… He loves to rub his nose on my chin every time he wants something. The most common thing we go through with our kids is being woken up by them for food or water right?… Well, Castor knows how to do this without hurting me or making my ears bleed. He starts rubbing his nose on my chin until I change my position slightly then depending how comatose I am he will either squeeze himself into my arms or nibble on my nose. He sometimes places his paw on my nose, my usual counter attack is to pull the blanket over my face. But Castor without breaking a sweat simply pulls the blanket off my face and starts the nuzzle attack again.

Diana is more aggressive, she starts by nibbling on my little finger then progressing to my toes. If all fails she will grab my ear lobe and tug on it until I either jump off my bed or offer her my ring finger as a bribe to get her from gnawing my ear lobe off. Cleo wakes me up when she gets bored or needs to go potty, she will grab my leg with her claws and keep biting on it until I take her where ever she wants.

Ever played referee when your kids fought?? Sure you have.. I am sure you are pulling out your red & yellow cards right now. I sure as hell am, apparently Diana & Muffin got into a scuffle over a cookie so here I am with Diana and Muffin both talking sense to them while being given guilty (Muffin) & insulted (Diana) eyes. Every time a fight breaks out or the kids fall down they look all embarrassed running to Mommy to complain about how their sibling beat them up or cry about how they fell down. At that moment all they want is a hug & lots of reassurance. Even when they do something wrong, they will sit all guilty in front of me wiggling their bottoms or trying to pacify me with a lick… Even my fishy has a personality of his own, he loves it when I talk to him & comes to the top when I show him food. He sometimes nibbles on my finger but he mostly answers every time I call him ^_^

As a mother, I am responsible for their health, sleep, food & hygiene so there are many a times when my dogs/cats want to eat some dead animal or another but if it’s not good for them I am forced to remove it from their eager mouths and dispose of it. After the disposal I am subjected to lots of complaining & forced hand shakes which makes me feel guilty. I also see my share of tantrums and bratty behavior when it comes to taking their pills or having a bath. How much I have to cajole & call before they agree to come here, once they do come near I spend another 20 minutes trying to lasso my wild animals XD

But the bottom line is that kids whether with four legs, 2 legs or no legs are pure, filled with love and want to be loved by you. I try to make sure to deal with them with nothing but positivity sharing with them my very existence because every one loves it when they are involved in a person’s life.

One of the most relaxing & enjoyable exercise in this world has to be walking your dog(s), to some it is a nightmare but no one will deny the fact that daily walks make your canine happy & healhy not to mention how clean your house stays But like humans each dog is different from another therefore to some walking their dog is like taking a relaxing horse ride, to others they see not a dog but a toddler on a pogostick  hopping on the roads, people, other dogs & mainly on you.  Typically you either have a quiet little pony, a bomb sniffer, a cart horse or the grasshopper.

I personally have one little pony (Delphi)  and a grasshopper (Muffin). Ponies basically are quiet, mellow little creatures who make the ideal walking partners while the grasshopper spends half the time bouncing & weaving and the other half trying to explore as much as possible. My previous dog, an Alsatian was a cart horse… He used to take me for walks instead of the other way around. His partner a Pomeranian was a bomb sniffer who would not leave anything unsniffed. Cart horses can be small or big, they love to yank you whether you are 5 feet tall or 7 feet tall you simply take long strides and enjoy the ride while watching your step. The bomb sniffer so easier to control is really boring, you simply cannot spend 3 hours in your driveway XD

You should also be careful while mixing them because they will emulate each other like with Delphi & Muffin. I take them out at the same time, the usually gentle and slow Delphi turns into a cart horse sniffer mix while Muffin turns into a carthorse grasshopper Mix. The result? I have one dog yanking south while the other goes north leaving me outstretched and giggling. Sometimes they join forces and I end up holding onto trees, rocks, my best friend, digging my feet into the ground… Sometimes I wish I could carry an anchor around

Now typically people wonder how they can make their dog walks more relaxed, more fun or faster. I will share with you what I have learn t so far.

1. Let the dog choose the direction but you walk at your pace.

If your dog walks towards the left or right, you simply follow but you make sure that the dog does not make you speed. Be firm with your dog even if you hear those choking sounds, they will slow down after the first few times.

2. The energy you emit decides the mood of the walk.

During the entire walk, your dog will feed off your mood/energy so if your dog is a carthorse make sure that your energy is calming and relaxed. For your sniffer get happy & bouncy. Maintaining your energy helps you manage your dog when you are in sticky situations (Bumping into unfriendly dogs, your doggy sniffing wrong spots or he/she starts yanking you).

3. Don’t get frustrated if your dog turns you into a rag doll or sniffs at a bum.

What we do wrong is that the instant our dog misbehaves we yell or beat the dog. Avoid that and instead chide him like you would to your toddler or a kid. It works better and the chances of them listening is much more.

4. Avoid negativity before, during and after the walks.

If you are angry, regretful or plain sad during a walk your dog will pick up the energy and end up in the same mood as you. It ends up making the dog restless & more prone to misbehave or start a fight.

5. Let your dog decide when to go home, if you cannot try stretching it for as long as you can.

Unlike us, our dogs don’t get as much exercise as they would like so when you take your dog(s) out for a walk make sure to have a lot of time & energy on your hands. There are times where my dogs take me for 5 – 10 minute walks and there are other days where I end up walking for 45 minutes. Especially if your dog is overly energetic, letting it decide the walk releases all the excess energy thus making it less troublesome at home. I have a bad knee and bad back but ever since I started taking my dogs out again, he pain has reduced a lot. If you worry about overworking your body, don’t worry simply trust your mutt & it will know when to give you a break. My knee and back improved only after I started walking with my dogs, till then no therapy, cream or exercise helped. The positive energy & trust makes the healing process go smoothly and in balance.

6. Talk to your pet while walking, they are always listening

Whether people look at you or not, talk to your canine pal. They love listening to you because they feel loved and pampered. When they find something interesting ask them what they found and you will see the wagging tails Keep asking them whether they want to go home or still keep walking, ask them how the walk is going on.. Tell them about your day, ask them about their day… After some time they will respond. Muffin responds when I talk about my day while Diana my cat loves talking with me when I am stuck at some decision or another.

So, next time you take your pup out for a walk have fun even if it is a chore. Take an ipod, a friend or talk to them. I hope you have fun with your dog as much as I do with mine.

- Critter