Pets
Hey everyone, sorry for the long period without any word, I was in the field for a while. All is well here, hope everything is going smooth back home. For those I didn't say it to, Happy Thanksgiving and have a Happy Hanukkah and Merry Christmas!
Thought I'd write about something that crossed my mind the other day, pets.
So far in my time here I have come to know four animals, more or less, personally. The first was a tan cat that thought that underneath the door to my trailer was a great place for a bed. She was very loveable and not skiddish in the least. My roomates and I, as well as the guys next door, provided her with food and water. I even went as far as to buy her some of that nice tuna from the PX. I'd sit outside with her and give her lots of lovin, she even cuddled with me while I took a nap. She stayed around for about a week before I assume she found someone else to love on. I guess she didn't like the fact that I didn't allow her inside,(c'mon, she's not potty trained and she was already using things outside as a scratch post).
The second was a dove that my friends so lovingly named "Fred". (Hey, their pet, their name). Fred unfortunately hit the windshield of their HMMWV and landed inside the truck through the turret. They realized he couldn't fly after that so they took him in, nursing him back to health in their room. He seemed to recover OK and was providing great entertainment and company, but after a few days he passed. I don't think he could deal with the stress of the injury, new surroundings and captivity.
The third was a dog that came up to the truck while we were out. All the dogs I had seen so far were very skiddish and wouldn't get within 30m of us, but this guy came right up to us. After I pet him some and looked him over some I realized why he wasn't afraid of us. He was wearing a desert digital bandana around his neck which told me some other Marines must have been nice to him before us. I tried to feed him but he wasn't interested, he just wanted some attention and to lay in the shade behind our truck. Then I realized, "Hey, this is the desert, what's the hardest thing to get here? Water." I got out a bottle of water and right away that tail started going crazy, he knew what it was. I got a tray and poured some in it and immeadiately he started gulping it down. He finished that and I gave him the rest of the 1.5L bottle. He wanted more, but I didn't want him getting sick then ending up worse off so I didn't give him anymore. After a while he ate some of the food I had left for him then he just laid in the shade and enjoyed the loving he was getting. He stayed with us until it was time to leave, then he tried to follow us for about 2km before he gave up. He had great timing when he showed up too. Minutes before he arrived I had gotten a huge adrenaline rush and petting him helped get those chemicals out and calm the nerves. Animals have great senses.
The fourth I saw for mere seconds. It was a orange cat the reminded me of Garfield. He snuck into an OP we were manning and poked his head into the room where I was. Everyone else not up on watch was asleep so I was the only one to see him. He would't come to me, but I wasn't bothered by him being there in the least. As far as I could tell he was earning his keep, judging by his size I'd say he was catching the GIANT rats that were at out OP.
All in all I've been thinking of getting pets when I get back to Two-Nine. I want a dog (Cocke Spaniel like Peanut), a cat (Tabby-Siamese like Cleo), and a ferret I'll name "Bob" -don't ask :-P However Kayla's not to keen on this. She's ok with that cat she says, even though I thought she was allergic but I think it's just if she's scratched... She has a dog now, a little one that stays inside, but she doesn't want us to get one since she thinks she'll get stuck cleaning up after him. I figure though that he'll be trained to ask to go out and I'll clean up when I'm home and hire a kid when I'm not. As for the ferret, she requires I give him a bath EVERY day! Hmmmm. So we'll see when the time comes...
Time's up for now, update again soon. Love you all!
Tim
Thought I'd write about something that crossed my mind the other day, pets.
So far in my time here I have come to know four animals, more or less, personally. The first was a tan cat that thought that underneath the door to my trailer was a great place for a bed. She was very loveable and not skiddish in the least. My roomates and I, as well as the guys next door, provided her with food and water. I even went as far as to buy her some of that nice tuna from the PX. I'd sit outside with her and give her lots of lovin, she even cuddled with me while I took a nap. She stayed around for about a week before I assume she found someone else to love on. I guess she didn't like the fact that I didn't allow her inside,(c'mon, she's not potty trained and she was already using things outside as a scratch post).
The second was a dove that my friends so lovingly named "Fred". (Hey, their pet, their name). Fred unfortunately hit the windshield of their HMMWV and landed inside the truck through the turret. They realized he couldn't fly after that so they took him in, nursing him back to health in their room. He seemed to recover OK and was providing great entertainment and company, but after a few days he passed. I don't think he could deal with the stress of the injury, new surroundings and captivity.
The third was a dog that came up to the truck while we were out. All the dogs I had seen so far were very skiddish and wouldn't get within 30m of us, but this guy came right up to us. After I pet him some and looked him over some I realized why he wasn't afraid of us. He was wearing a desert digital bandana around his neck which told me some other Marines must have been nice to him before us. I tried to feed him but he wasn't interested, he just wanted some attention and to lay in the shade behind our truck. Then I realized, "Hey, this is the desert, what's the hardest thing to get here? Water." I got out a bottle of water and right away that tail started going crazy, he knew what it was. I got a tray and poured some in it and immeadiately he started gulping it down. He finished that and I gave him the rest of the 1.5L bottle. He wanted more, but I didn't want him getting sick then ending up worse off so I didn't give him anymore. After a while he ate some of the food I had left for him then he just laid in the shade and enjoyed the loving he was getting. He stayed with us until it was time to leave, then he tried to follow us for about 2km before he gave up. He had great timing when he showed up too. Minutes before he arrived I had gotten a huge adrenaline rush and petting him helped get those chemicals out and calm the nerves. Animals have great senses.
The fourth I saw for mere seconds. It was a orange cat the reminded me of Garfield. He snuck into an OP we were manning and poked his head into the room where I was. Everyone else not up on watch was asleep so I was the only one to see him. He would't come to me, but I wasn't bothered by him being there in the least. As far as I could tell he was earning his keep, judging by his size I'd say he was catching the GIANT rats that were at out OP.
All in all I've been thinking of getting pets when I get back to Two-Nine. I want a dog (Cocke Spaniel like Peanut), a cat (Tabby-Siamese like Cleo), and a ferret I'll name "Bob" -don't ask :-P However Kayla's not to keen on this. She's ok with that cat she says, even though I thought she was allergic but I think it's just if she's scratched... She has a dog now, a little one that stays inside, but she doesn't want us to get one since she thinks she'll get stuck cleaning up after him. I figure though that he'll be trained to ask to go out and I'll clean up when I'm home and hire a kid when I'm not. As for the ferret, she requires I give him a bath EVERY day! Hmmmm. So we'll see when the time comes...
Time's up for now, update again soon. Love you all!
Tim