My Carefree Pet

I have enjoyed many pets throughout my long life – cats, dogs, rabbits, and fish. Also, my youngest daughter, Ashley, got a snake while still living at home. That counts, right?

Pets, being members of our familes, wiggle themselves right into our hearts. Sure, they require lots of cleanup and attention. Often, they shed, leaving fur to clean up and necessitating allergy pills or shots. Veterinary bills, food, and toy expenses add up. Your neighbors may complain about your dog barking or your cat terrorizing and catching wildlife, or “deposits” left in their flowerbed. You may be faced with training your animal, buying an expensive outdoor enclosure, or keeping them inside unless you’re with them.

When you want or need to travel, you can’t leave pets unattended. You want the least disruptive, most loving way to care for your precious animals. You may be fortunate enough to able to take your pets with you on your travels, but that requires pet deposits everywhere you go, and you end up worrying about how they will respond to travel. Sometimes, going away means owing friends or family members a favor or money for stepping up to pet sit, or you may end up paying for a kennel.

These are all things we deal with for our pets because we love our furry, hairy, feathery, scaly, quilled, or bald critters.

My last dog, Pokey, passed away just two weeks after the death of my first husband. That loss hurt me to the core at an inopportune time. If you want, you can read more about that here. The last of my cats were gone in the next two years. I vowed to never go through that kind of pain and anguish again.

What if I told you that I have discovered the perfect pet? What if I told you that this pet will require the least amount of cleanup, cost, and training of any pet you’ve ever owned? Your furniture will never be damaged, yet you will have the benefit of a pet to snuggle and care for.

Meet Gaia.

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Her name is Greek, meaning, “Rock from the Earth.”

Gaia never whines for food or attention, but she will listen to every gripe I mutter or yell. I don’t have to take allergy shots or pills anymore, and I will never have to have Gaia euthanized as she will be around long after I’m gone.

I can take her to work. Whether I’m having a Zoom meeting with my superintendent or principal, or teaching students in person, I don’t need to worry about Gaia interrupting my activities or responsibilities.

I can let anyone handle her and then clean her up with a quick swipe of a disinfecting wipe, which she never squirms for or complains about.

Gaia likes to be held, but she doesn’t mind being left alone. She never makes messes or loud noises - unless you drop her on a hard floor. When I take Gaia outside, she never chases or threatens wildlife.

One time, Gaia ended up at the bottom of a hill. My new husband, Ted asked, “What’s she doing down there?”

I said, “That’s how she rolls.” When I retrieved her, I discovered she had gotten covered in algae, but she was lichen it.

Her friend, Slate, went to jail because the quartz found him guilty of loitering. They had concrete evidence.

If you’d like a pet like Gaia, let me know. I’ll see what I can dig up.

By all accounts, Gaia is the perfect pet. I’ll never take her for granite. She has such sedimental value because through thick and thin, she is as steady as a rock. Just one thing, though…

Maybe I shouldn’t have left her outside all night that one time.

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