Tag Archives: childhood pets

How Far Would You Go to Save a Sick Pet?

Me, aged about 10, with my childhood cat Boots When my husband and I prepared to adopt a dog he asked me one question that really startled and upset me. “We need to decide how much we’re going to spend on this dog when it’s sick,” he said. He meant we had to decide the maximum amount of money we were willing to spend on it for medical treatment; if it ever had a health problem the costs of which exceeded that number, we’d automatically agree to put it down. I was shocked. How could he suggest such a callous … Continue reading →

Pet Commemoration

On Wednesday I revealed that my sister-in-law gave my husband and me a pet-themed gift as one of our wedding presents. Well, she gave us more than just the book on games to play with your dog. She also gave us a little kit for making paw print molds from our future cat and dog. My sister-in-law knew we planned to adopt both a dog and a cat, so she included a gift that would work for either of them. She has three cats herself, so she also understands how deeply attached one can get to pets. The packaging for … Continue reading →

Intro from a Lifelong Animal Lover

As the new pet blogger at families.com, I thought I’d take a post to introduce myself. My name is Angela Shambeda, and I’ve been with families.com since November 2009. You can also find me over at the Disney blog. I thought I’d tell a story from my childhood as part of my introduction. When I was in fourth grade I wrote my very first research paper on harp seals. While working on the paper I learned that conservationists would often spray stripes of bright paint over the coats of harp seals, particularly the babies. They would do so to protect … Continue reading →