Spoiled dogs and cats

It never ceases to amaze me at just how spoiled our dogs are. The inside dogs think that they are human children. They expect a snack every day, they expect new chew bones every few days and they all want attention and to play 24/7. The problem is that we have five inside dogs! Each has a particular place to sleep and their own beds. Each has a certain spot where they love to lay around on the floor. When I am cooking, every single one of them are up under my feet and in the way. Heaven forbid if I scold one! They think it is the end of the world! Often, they will run to their crates to hide and pout like little children. They have a fenced in area right outside our back sliding glass door so that we don't have to walk them, but Heaven forbid if it is raining or too cold to suit their prissy ways!

My two outside dogs are another story. They have a large kennel with an insulated dog house. We take extreme measures to make sure that there is a tarp over the top of the kennel to keep rain and snow out of their area as much as possible. These dogs are positioned so that they have a north wind break in the winter and shade in the summer. They get fresh straw every few days in their kennel, fresh water two to four times a day, fed at least once a day, and treats and chew bones every few days! Sometimes, they get table scraps and leftovers as a real treat! In the winter, we put a heat lamp above the dog house so that they are not too cold. In the summer, they have a bug zapper to help keep bugs away from them. I am now seriously considering hanging a fan in their kennel so that they have more air stirring to help keep them cooler. I wonder how many outside dogs have things that good!

The cats, ah yes, those aloof spoiled brats! All of our cats are indoor creatures as well. We have four of the snobby fur bags. They have toys, they have scratching posts, they MUST have a particular brand of food or they turn their noses up at it and give you the most reproachful look! They expect us to turn on the water faucet for them so that they may get a drink of running water. Sheesh! Each has their own litter box, and will certainly let me know all about it if I forget to clean it! Each cat has claimed a spot in the house to sleep. My oldest cat, a calico, sleeps on my computer desk during the day and at the foot of my bed at night. My next oldest cat, a black beauty, sleeps in a rocking chair 24/7. You just don't sit in her chair or she will tell you all about that too. She's a very vocal cat. The youngest two cats, a pretty black and white cat and a pretty cream colored kitten have claimed my son's room to sleep in. They think they must sleep on his bed whether he is home or not. During the day these two youngsters are apt to be found sleeping on a shelf and disturbing my plants, my ornaments, my nick-knacks, and other things. The wind chimes that hang inside my home seem to be their favorite toys, even though they get into trouble for swatting at them.

I sometimes feel like I live in a zoo around here. We also have a cage of parakeets (much to the fascination of the cats), a tank of fish (again a favorite of the cats), goats and pigs. Of course, we also feed all the wild birds and take in any stray that comes around here. You know what, I wouldn't have it any other way!