Animal Rentals Blog

Last week was a very difficult and sad one for me, dad and everyone here at Animal Rentals.  My best friend Dottie passed away, and we all miss her so much!  It’s so hard to get through each day without her warm hugs, friendly smile, and sweet, caring nature.  Dottie was a good dog and a great friend who loved everyone…and everyone loved her right back.  So today I just wanted to tell you a little bit about Dottie and just how wonderful she was.

Dad was looking for a smart and interesting dog to work with him doing film and television shoots.  He got Dottie when she was just a baby, and named her for the multiple spots and dots she had that were part of her blue merle color pattern.  That color is pretty special, only a few breeds of dogs can have it.  As an Australian Shepherd, a breed also known for their intelligence, loyalty, versatility and protective nature, Dottie was blessed with the silver, black and white swirls and splotches that make up the blue merle pattern.

Dottie was dad’s friend, companion and protector for 14 years.  She was great company for him when he was home, and guarded the house when he was away.  When I came to live with dad, Dottie was the first one that greeted me and welcomed me to the family.  We became fast friends and we loved to play ball – I would throw it and she would catch it, or chase it and bring it back – and then cuddle together on a chair to relax or nap.  Dottie was a great cuddler!

Over the years with dad, Dottie greeted lots of different kinds of new domestic and exotic animal friends, and welcomed them to the Animal Rentals family.  Some became her playmates, some she watched over lovingly, and some – of course – she wisely kept her distance from (like Purse the American Alligator with his great big mouth full of teeth!).  But when Trixie came to live with us Dottie became a mom.  She adopted Trixie from the very first moment she laid eyes on her, and helped raise her into the sweet and funny dog she is today.  Dottie and Trixie were inseparable from the very beginning, and they just loved loved loved living together.

I’m sure many of you know how bad it feels to lose an animal friend that you love so much.  It is sad in so many ways that most animals don’t live as long as human beings.  Fourteen years is a pretty good long age for a dog, but we would all have loved for Dottie to stay with us for another fourteen…or longer.  As sad as I am and as much as I miss her, I feel a little better remembering what Dottie told me one time:

“Dogs are good at lots of different things but what we are the very best at is love.  We make our humans the center of our world, and we love them with every heartbeat, with every breath, and with every ounce of our being.  We love them so much that even long after we are gone, they never ever forget how good it felt to be loved that much.”

I was not Dottie’s human, but I, too, will never ever forget how good it felt to be loved that much by her.

Goodbye Dottie, my dear friend.  We miss you.  We will see you at the foot of the Rainbow Bridge.  Thank you for the love.

For the last few weeks I’ve been sharing with you what my daily life at home and work with dad is like.  This week I’m going to tell you about what we do in the afternoons, after all of my exotic animal friends are fed, watered and their living areas are cleaned and taken care of.

The first thing that happens after breakfast is grooming time, where everyone gets brushed, clipped, trimmed and bathed.  We all get our nails done on a regular basis so they don’t get too long or sharp.  The birds also get their wings clipped so it is safe for them to be outside.  Dad has a schedule of who gets what kind of grooming on each day.  Bath time is really fun because everyone gets something a little different. I take my bath at home with dad in the sink before we go to work.  The birds like to be misted with a spray bottle.  The chinchillas don’t bathe in water at all – they roll in special dust to keep their fur soft and clean and shiny.  And the alligator gets a sort of reverse bath.  Since he spends most of his time in the water he comes out every day to dry off and walk around.

Next it is time for training and exercise.  Of course I can’t tell you any of our secrets, but I can say that using a reward system is the best way to get anyone to do what you would like them to.  If we have a film or television shoot coming up, we’ll work on the specific things the script asks my animal friends to do.  After all of our work with the animals is done for the day, dad and I work in the office together for the rest of the afternoon.  As you can see, our daily lives are very busy from sunrise until dinnertime!

When we have an animal show, party or event scheduled, it takes lots of time to load everyone into their special traveling carriers and make sure they are comfortable, as well as getting any special clothing or props that we need loaded up and ready to go.  On other days we have the vet come in for our regular checkups and shots.  Sometimes dad and I go out to meet with clients or check out the set for a film or commercial shoot.  There is always something interesting and exciting going on!

I hope you enjoyed getting to know a little bit more about my daily life at work and home.  Do you have any animal friends at home?  What kinds of things do you do to take care of them?  Is it anything like what dad and I do every day?