Pets with Personality

It is always funny to me when people use the expression "it's just a dog." Obviously they don't understand that our pets have personality too. They can be funny and have odd habits. All of our pets, past and present, have had unusual, quirky characteristics. Cocoa is no exception. She makes me smile on a daily basis with her charm and distinct facial expressions. Her daily presence in our lives is something I am so thankful to have.

How to explain some of her idiosyncrasies.... I think I have to start with something that both shocked and saddened us the first time it happened. Now we just accept it. Cocoa is so sensitive that she will put herself to bed when she feels we are upset with her. She gets this look, heads down the hall, and hops in the bed for lengthy periods of time. I am not going to claim that we never get upset with her, but most of the time it is all in her head. Basic maintenance like nail clippings will send her to bed. Saying anything that she perceives as cross will send her to bed. Nudging her while she is lying beside you on the couch will send her to bed. It used to make me feel guilty when she punished herself, but I have just begun to understand that is how she copes. The bed is her safe spot, and that suits us just fine.

When we used to visit Christian's mom and dad, Cocoa would greet us with a face that used to freak me out. She would look almost as if she was snarling at us. It turns out that is actually her version of a smile. She often smiles at people that she newly meets or when you get home from work. I used to hate it before she came to live with us. Now it makes me feel like all is right with the world.

At Christmas last year we also discovered that Cocoa has an extreme aversion to the camera flash. I was shooting pictures of one of our nieces when Cocoa started blinking excessively. It was almost as if she was having a seizure. Needless to say, I avoid the flash at all costs with her. Of course, even the sound of a camera shutter causes her to blink now. We took the picture below this weekend, and you can see she has already prepared for the flash. Needless to say we have a lot of pictures with her eyes in various stages of closure.

I am so lucky to have been blessed with four unique furbabies that have added their own color to our family through the years. I wish everyone could see and appreciate animals the way that we do. It is sad to me that someone might go through life not experiencing this type of love, joy and entertainment. :)