Latest Stories
Most recently published stories in Petlife.
My Family - My Dog
Growing up in a small town in the middle of the MidWest of Canada, was interesting. Let's say that.....7 liquor stores and 7 churches. Everyone watched the same Soap Opera's and shopped at the same clothing stores; Mondetta, Club Monaco and Guess. I didn't follow the trend. I wasn't the type to follow the "crowd"...they always seemed to have their own personal agenda to push when you did become friends with them. I didn't really mesh with anyone, I thought a lot of it was real so I stayed focused on my life and my gifts and talents.
By Avril Doucette4 years ago in Petlife
Beast McBeast
I met the love of my life when I was nineteen years old. She was shy, loved the outdoors, and was obsessed with food. She loved people but hated cats, dogs, and anything else that moved on four legs. She was a snob about cheese and only ate imported cheese from Europe, leaving the plastic-wrapped American cheddar on the floor. She loved to sleep. The mere mention of the word "walk" would make her ears perk, and she'd immediately communicate, "yes, I'm ready, are YOU?!". Nahla had not one but three dog collars, depending on her mood and the occasion at hand.
By Katelyn Finnegan4 years ago in Petlife
For Jackson
“We do not need a damn dog!” I exclaimed for what seems like the thousandth time. This conversation had been a topic of my wife’s for awhile, and I understand. Our youngest was scared of dogs, even little ones, since she was barely walking. But getting tackled by a Great Dane and a Saint Bernard tends to be traumatic to a toddler. So if we got a dog, a small dog, maybe daily exposure would help with her fear.
By Mike Gingrich4 years ago in Petlife
The Day I Brought You Home
I remember the day I met our dog for the first time. My family and I received a pamphlet from an animal shelter looking for people to adopt mistreated cats and dogs. As a family, we concluded that it was time to add another member to the family. The day finally came, and it was time to go to the event the shelter organized. My siblings and I were overjoyed on the ride over and beamed with excitement as we looked over at the event. The shelter had hundreds of animals looking for new homes, ranging from every breed and age. We were specifically looking for a dog due to my parent's cat allergy and roamed the event looking for the right one. My attention was mostly focused on all the different breeds of puppies I came across. Although my siblings and I enjoyed playing with the puppies, our parents strictly told us we were looking for a grown dog. It was hard to overlook the puppies, but we knew they were often the first to go. We looked over many different dogs spanning from German Shepards, Poodles, Dalmations, and even a very mean Chihuahua. My siblings and I looked over some dogs more than once but couldn't seem to find the right one. We became worried that we would return home without a new friend. At one point my dad called my sister and me over-pointed at a dog and said, "What about this one?" My sister and I took one look and replied, "No, I don't think so." I remember looking over at the dog and thought that it wasn't the best-looking, and I couldn't even begin to comprehend the breed. The dog's fur was a long unkempt brown color with golden eyes. My sister and I weren't interested in bringing a mutt home and continued to look at other more presentable dogs. Eventually, my dad had convinced me to come over to meet the dog outside of the cage it occupied. When I arrived the dog was licking my dad's face as he kneeled to greet it. He looked over and said, "Her name is Tilly." I kneeled next to her and got a good whiff of the stench she radiated. As she took a look at me, I got a good look at those beautiful golden eyes she possessed. The next thing I knew, my face was covered in the saliva she engrossed onto my face. I don't think I ever smiled as big as I did then. It wasn't long before the rest of my family was welcomed by the same engross licking of our new family member. I don't think I've ever seen a dog as happy as she was then. We were told she was saved from the house of a dog hoarder who mistreated them and left the dogs in very unsanitary conditions. They told us they didn't know much about her and assumed she was around two years old. It didn't take long for us to decide to adopt her and fill out her adoption papers. My siblings and I happily skipped with her to our car and argued about who she was going to sit next to in our big minivan. Immediately we drove to the pet store and allowed her to pick out anything she wanted to take home with her. She picked out a nice big bed to sleep on, and a red collar to put around her neck. It wasn't until we arrived home that she had begun to come out of her shell. Intuitively I could tell how happy she was. She was zooming all around the house and on the furniture. It was exciting to watch her run around in our fenced-in backyard, where she showed us how fast she could run. Our dog Chan Tilly was finally allowed to run around freely without feeling cramped or neglected. The day we brought her home has become my favorite memory of her and I can guarantee it was the best day of her life.
By sarah neely4 years ago in Petlife
The Ballerina Tiger Whippet Incident Convinced Me Our 15 Pound Jackchi Thinks He Has 999 Lives to Spare
Our Jackchi, Nugget, is one year old, thinks he has 999 lives (take that, cats!), and has probably used a quarter of them up by now. Nugget again tried to prove his immortality to me this morning when I least expected it.
By Aimee Gramblin4 years ago in Petlife
Fallen Heroes, Furry Healers
Chapter One - Fallen Comrade Silence filled the room. Some looked down, others just stared. One or two opened their mouths, then shut them. Next to me, the chaplain shifted, head turning to look at the commander, standing in front of everyone. The scene was interrupted by only a single sound: a dog's whimper.
By Brian Guthrie4 years ago in Petlife
The Angel in the Shaggy Fur
It was in the summer of 2016 when I first laid eyes on ‘Little White Wolf’ A.K.A. ‘Wolfy’. My darling son, who was 14 at the time, was struggling with mental health issues, bound in an internal darkness that comes from deep depression and loneliness. My broken mama-heart was looking for ways to navigate him along this dark path and I cried out to the universe for help.
By Dee-Anne Hoving4 years ago in Petlife
Cash and the unthinkable, unimaginable, and terrible chainsaw incident
I’m not a lumber jack, but for a few days back in 2019, I was. To be exact it was late August of 2019, the time of year when summer makes its final stand in the Pennsylvania sky before winter sets in. The temperatures that year were still in the high eighties. Good weather to get out and saw wood, I thought. Wanting to be safe on my first day of cutting and maiden voyage as a brethren of Paul Bunyan I wore long sleeves, boots, and long pants which led to a lot of sweating later on. I started out early, well early for me about ten or so in the morning which means I got up around eight and before you chastise me too much and say that’s not early, I should tell you that I work at night and get off at two or three in the morning most days. Okay, that explained back to the story. I had been outside in almost ninety-degree heat wearing long sleeves, jeans, and work boots with sweat dripping from the sides of my face, as if rain clouds had nested in my hair. My hands were numb from hours of constant vibrations coming from the new Craftsmen chainsaw I bought the week prior. The safety precautions I had practiced at every point most of which concerned my dog, a black German Shepherd, named Cash had started to lax and at this moment several hours in, I had almost completely forgotten them.
By The Invisible Writer4 years ago in Petlife
Stevie Lynn Savage-Rodgers
How annoyingly beautiful is this dog? She permanently has perfect eyeliner. I’m pretty sure she can lift more than I can. And she eats better than most people’s kids. I can speak to her in full sentences and she completely understands me; if I ask her if she’d rather go to the bathroom now or after dinner she will actually choose. I sing to her about being an amazing doggo and she rolls her eyes and huffs at me. Although she might just be annoyed at my singing voice...
By Erika Savage4 years ago in Petlife
