Have you ever been called Zoo Girl? I have been called so many names as a child and Zoo girl was one of them. Why Zoo Girl you may ask? People in that medium sized town knew that I had all kinds of pets. Looking back they must have thought our family was very strange, I guess.
People hardly had a pet in those days, and if they did it would be a stray cat or a dog which found its way to their home and stubbornly refused to move out and thus got adopted through a back entry.
My love for animals even as child of three made people give me baby animals as gifts for my birthday or Christmas. A priest friend of ours game me a pair of guinea pigs and rabbits on two consecutive birthdays I remember.
The guinea pigs were imported from Germany and brought to the seminary where the priest was a Rector. The guinea pigs were then a major attraction for my friends and their parents alike. People dropped in just to see the guinea pigs and wondered why the rat like creatures were called pigs.
My goats were a different breed, the were tall, long eared and were huge in build compared to the local ones. The fact that my goats followed me to school and even obeyed commands came as a surprise to many. They didn't believe you could train any animals other than dogs.
We never really had to buy meat as our chickens and rabbits were enough to make a splendid Sunday lunch, the only day we ate meat being mainly vegetarians by choice.
We had cats, dogs, pigeons, turkeys, squirrels and other rescued baby birds which fell out of the nests as our pets. Dad helped me take care of my guinea pigs, rabbits and baby birds. He told me they needed a mother I could be one to them.
However, the memory that I cherish the most were the two goats from my pet goat Red's first litter. I called them Caesar and Alexander. They always head butted and fought like brave warriors with each other and the local goats. We often had to separate them by force so they would not be badly injured.
Between the two the fight was always about who would climb to the top of the rain tree near home first. They would see me sitting on the rain tree and come running right up to the top where I was perched at a fork. The tree was inclined at a 60* angle.
The kids were quite young then, about three or four months of age and would follow me to school everyday. They would hide and come back after a while when I chase them away. Alex would never go away, he would hide behind the bushes and come to me at lunch time.
The children found him very funny, they would beg to let me touch him and pet him. However,the teachers and the principal didn't like the distraction Alex often caused when he somehow manged to come near the window or sometimes make his way into class. My dad was called and a complaint was made. From that day Alex and Cesare had to be tied up to the front porch of our home.
Alex was really cool he could jump three feet into the air on command. He would often win himself some carrots and cabbages from the local vendors who enjoyed watching him. He had a way of nibbling at my dress to get my attention. Some of my pretty hand sewn dresses were really chewed up and it made mom mad at me.
Alex was a sly little fellow, he would slowly crawl into my bed at night when dad was asleep, he was strictly not permitted to do that. He loved being petted and enjoyed hanging out with me and my fiends. However, once he grew a year of more he became so smelly and unbearable company despite dad's regular spraying with the garden hose.
My pet bunny Snowy was also his friend, Alex would let her eat from his tray. He kept her safe from dogs and cats which tried to attack Snowy as she was never in her cage.
Life with so many pets was always fun. Life then seemed so full of adventures even though it meant a lot of responsibilities and hard work taking care of them.
Alex and Snowy were the best companions any child could ask for. Snowy would sit with me while I studied and slowly get into my bag and eat up the edges of my notebooks when she wasn't watched. I would often get into trouble with my teachers for that as well.
Snowy was the only bunny (in my care) who responded to her name and followed simple instruction. She had a way of letting you know if she wanted something. She would stand on two legs and sniff if she wanted what you ate. She jump on your lap if she wanted to be petted. She was always curious about what I did and hung around with me all the time when I was home.
Alex had to be sent away to a friend's farm and snowy died of old age. I cherish these memories even after so many years. I had mum embroider Snowy for me on my dress after she died.
When my children wanted to have pets I could never say no to them even though we lived in a tiny apartment at that time. The joy of having a pet is something every child should enjoy.
These memories still warm the cockles of my heart after so many years!
If you want to join the contest check this link this link for details
