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Every Day is Precious: Fur ball brings joy to house
By ROB PAYNE
For Williamson A.M.
OK, I know we may be a little unusual in the pet department.
We have 3 dogs, 2 cats, a bird, a frog, and however many fish our 9-year-old daughter, Darcy, has caught in the creek today. We recently discovered mice in the garage and Darcy even wanted to keep one of those for a pet.
And before my wife, Marcy, was diagnosed with a life threatening disease, she worked with Happy Tales Humane, so we've had lots of pet visitors over the years.
But we're not totally alone. According to the American Pet Association, 43% of U.S. households own a dog, 30% own a cat. I didn't find any statistics on the percentages of people who have ever owned a pet, but I can tell you from personal experience that almost everybody has a warm spot (not a warm puddle) for animals even if they don't have one now.
So when our friend, Sylvia, called to ask us to foster two kittens, we were honored and excited. Who doesn't love kittens? Even if you don't like (or are allergic to) cats, you have to like kittens even Dr. Evil likes kittens.
And fostering is the best of all worlds. It allows you to be like grandparents: you can love them, spoil them, then send them home with their parents.
Freckles and Arthur have been in our home for about seven weeks now. They frolic and wrestle all day. They nap curled together in a ball. They arch their back and do that ''sideways hop'' thing that kittens do. And they teach. Darcy is learning to take on more responsibility as she is supposed to keep them in food water, and lots of love.
Though her evaluations show a ''poor'' rating in litter box changing, she rates very highly in the love section of her job description. As her grandfather, Dean, asked her, ''Have you kissed all the fur off that cat, yet?''
If you know a family in need, consider asking them if anyone in the house is allergic, and, if not, bring a pet to visit them. Kittens are fun, but aren't the only pets that can be therapeutic. When you pet a dog, somehow it seems to remove stress and tension from every cell in your body.
If you don't have a pet, you can apply to be a foster at most of the local animal shelters. Our friend Sylvia works with Abandoned Angels. Visit their Web site (http://www.AbandonedAngels.com/) to donate, foster, adopt or volunteer your help.
If you know the family in need has a pet already, bring a treat or a toy for their pet. It will please both the pet and the family. Sharing love isn't limited to two legs.
Every Day Is Precious is a column to remind us to treat everyone we see today as if it could be the last time we see them. It is written by Rob Payne, whose wife, Marcy, was diagnosed with ALS (Lou Gehrig's disease) in August of 2000. Now 40 years old, she has gone from winning 5 and 10K races to being quadriplegic and on a ventilator at home. For more ways to help others, to find more about Marcy, or to receive email updates on her condition, visit www.everydayisprecious.com. Readers may contribute to her care by sending donations to Every Day Is Precious, 2051 Harvington Drive, Franklin, TN, 37069.
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