Each time one of our sons comes through the front door our dog gives this huge welcome home.  She runs around whimpering and whining, jumping on the furniture, stopping by them to get a recognition pat on the head then runs another circle demonstrating her excitement.  When she really gets excited she will even stop for a moment and give them a bark.  This carries on for about a minute.  We thought at first it was just excitement for the individual but soon she started even doing it for sons which only show up about twice a year.  Then she started doing it for all the grand kids both boys and girls.

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When we moved from Indiana to California, it was highly debated whether to bring our 16 year old tabby cat for the flight or leave him to live out the rest of his days on a large property with friends. I contended that he should be with family as this cat had known me my whole life. Since we figured he’d probably go off looking for us, and wouldn’t last a week in his condition in the wild, we decided it best to bring him with us.

Concerning his condition, you’d think Kibbles had a parasite, because everything he ate seemed to convert to diarrhea, but he was just really, really old. Kibbles was skinny and stunk… bad. As one would imagine, a cross country flight, would be quite the undertaking. We took every precaution—not feeding him after noon the day before, lining his carrier with potty training pads for dogs—and hoped for the best.

The ticketing and layovers forced dad to fly non-stop and mom and I to catch a layover in St. Louis (to this day mom and I believe this was planned).

All seemed well until about 15 minutes before we landed in LA. Kibbles had to GO and NOTHING was stopping him. Fortunately his carrier looked like a duffel bag, so most of the other passengers had no idea where the smell was coming from. The putrid odor quickly permeated the whole cabin and engulfed everyone with the fury of Kibbles’ bowels.

Everyone (myself included) was trying to hold their breath and take short gulps of air. After what seemed like ages we pulled up to the gate; it was probably the fastest I’ve ever seen a plane unload. Kibbles passed away about 6 months later but maybe we should’ve left him in Indiana.

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Editor’s Example:

Rico was a quirky pet parrot. While it is common for a male parrot to compete with other males in proximity, Rico did love his owner, my dad—at least at first. It wasn’t until my dad’s roommates in college tormented the bird that Rico really turned against men. Rico was potty trained and would fly back to his cage, but the roommates would block his flight path. They became more and more amused by their coordinated efforts to succeed, unfortunately breaking the bird’s training. But you see, Parrots have a good memory. Not only can some use it to speak a handful of words and phrases, but in this case to tease the offspring of his owner, and get revenge.

My parents had all boys: six to be exact. As soon as our voices changed Rico saw his opportunity. No longer could you pet Rico without him snapping at you. One of my brothers spoke like a girl whenever he was around Rico. One of my uncles told us the bird tricked him into petting him and then after a second try proclaimed, “that dumb bird bit me.” Fool me once?

Well Rico had another trick. My favorite! When we came home from school we would often yell, “mom, where are you?” When she wasn’t home Rico would answer. “In here.” And then you would go back and forth through the two entrances of the laundry room, shouting for mom and receiving the perfectly mimicked reply. Sometimes you didn’t catch on until you heard the distinct laugh of the parrot. Of course, pride takes over; rather than telling your brothers how you just got pranked by a bird, it’s more fun to wait, watch, and laugh when it happens to your brother who imitates a girl’s voice.

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