Friday, January 28, 2011

Home Base

The last few months, I've been crazy busy with school, work, music and the shelter. I was popping in and out of the house for about half an hour at a time, and I'm sure my own animals were feeling rather ignored. Carmen getting sick made me realize that I should slow the hell down and appreciate my furry/feathered family.
Plus, they've been extra cute lately. So here's a completely gratuitous post about how I think my animals are adorable.
I'm so excited, Giles and the baby have finally bonded! It took three (long) months. They were never overly aggressive to each other (except a few aggravated nips on Giles' part), but it was not a fun process nonetheless. Still, it could've taken longer! I think a lot of people give up too easily on bonding, it can take ages. One of our adopters took ten months to bond her adopted bunny to her old bunny. That takes a lot of patience, but in the end it paid off!
They are best friends now; the bonding process is crazy, one minute they're both grouchy and on-guard, the next minute they're cuddled up to each other.
The little one is pretty much grown up now! I think we've finally settled on a permanent name - Neville! After a character in Harry Potter, of course. It only took two months to pick one!
He's really tiny, I thought he'd get bigger than this. He's also hilarious - the other day, he grabbed their metal food bowl and threw it in the air. Of course it landed with a huge crash, and he was so surprised he flipped over backwards! Once I ascertained that he was ok, I could not stop laughing. He's nuts!
I love this photo of Giles. He and Neville have completely different body types. Neville is sleek and wiry, while Giles is chunky and round. He's also got the softest fur around.
Neville has picked up a lot of Giles' habits, but he's generally more happy-go-lucky. Giles is a bit of a grumpy old man, and he will thump at everything and give you the ultimate look of disdain if you displease him.
I was actually trying to get a photo of Bailey sitting on that little post, but Loki insisted on sidling into the photo.
There we go, that's the photo I was aiming for! If he looks a little odd, it's because he's scratching the back of his head, but it sure makes for a cute expression.
I just found this photo on a lost memory card...from last year's exams. Loki randomly decided to fall asleep in the middle of my notes. I'm sure it was a show of moral encouragement.
And finally this photo, which is not so sharp but cracks me up. Loki: "Did someone call me?"

I love having a full house!

3 comments:

Jo Ann said...

Not only do animals take time to adjust to each other - but an animal takes time, sometimes many months, to adjust to a new home. If more people would just understand that and be patient and not try to push everyone and everything on them in the first week or so, things would work out SO much better. As you know ;-)

Jo Ann

Laura HP said...

Jo Ann - Very, very true! It takes a long time to adjust to being part of a new family. My little boy has been with us for three months now and I think he's still adjusting. Giles took about 5 months before he settled into a real routine. Humans take time to adjust to a move, why shouldn't animals? You're absolutely right, not enough adopters understand how the long the adjustment period can be.

Anonymous said...

Pets want your love and affection. Provide positive reinforcement - treats, lavish them with attention, all are equals - then they won't feel jealous or intimidated. My dog, cat, and bunny are natural enemies. But I treated them as equals, they trusted me, and they immediately became friends. They groom each other and now sleep in the same dog bed together under my computer desk. It took 3 months for my puppy and cat to bond, 3 weeks for my bunny, cat and dog to bond. Anything is possible if you have a positive mind and open heart!