The Return of Pet Scoop
My first puppy was a black-mixed breed named Bimbo. His name came from a Jim Reeves song that talked about a boy going down the street to see a little girl-i-o. Life would have been so much easier on us if we just neutered that boy, instead of spending countless mornings driving around the neighborhood to find him. As much of a rascal as he was, he and the others animals I've known have taught me about kindness, compassion, loyalty, unconditional love and most of how to be happy and have fun in the moment.
Through the years, studies have shown they can cause blood pressure in humans to drop, they are companions to those who live alone. They can help us find lost people, smell cancer. They can save your life in so many ways. It's been a long time since Bimbo died. I've had Amber, Marmaduke, Sissy, Molly, Tipper and now Tommy, Jack, Beagle and Deuce. They make me happy everyday. I've never owned a cat, but I hang out with friends that let me play with theirs. I don't understand them as much as I do dogs, but I'm trying. I'm hoping you will help me. In 1998, I was working in the Business News Department of The Commercial Appeal when I heard the feature section was going to be revamped, which included a focus on pets. I sprang at the chance to write a pet column. |
I'm by no means an expert, but I sure know how to find them and interview them for a story. My first Pet Scoop column was about fleas. It resonated with pet owners. I was off. I've written about dog shows, obedience training, heart-breaking stories, ones that make you laugh. Most of the time it was the escapades with my dogs that people loved the most. I'll repost some of them on this website.
I'll admit I'm biased toward dogs, but I really love most species, horses, cats, rabbits and others. The exception is reptiles. Pretty much all reptiles. Just typing the word "snake" or worse being in spitting distance of one can knot my stomach and set my feet running.
This leads to the picture of me with the cat on my head.
I'll admit I'm biased toward dogs, but I really love most species, horses, cats, rabbits and others. The exception is reptiles. Pretty much all reptiles. Just typing the word "snake" or worse being in spitting distance of one can knot my stomach and set my feet running.
This leads to the picture of me with the cat on my head.
I was covering a story for the newspaper about a high school class that taught veterinary skills. There were several animals living in that classroom including a rabbit, a cat and — most terrifyingly — a snake.
The teens squealed with excitement when the teacher told them they were going to feed the snake. I was hoping there might be some freeze-dried mouse flakes they could scoop into the snake aquarium. Instead, a student slowly walked across the room dangling a white mouse the size of a baby's big toe. It's beady red eyes searched for a friendly face, as it batted its paws at the fingers holding its tail. You can see by the detail, that my empathy was with the mouse. I wanted to charge into the crowd of kids, shoving them away so I could grab the mouse and run. Didn't know what I would do with it, but a life was about to end and there wasn't anything I could do about it. I was there to cover the story, not to become part of it. "Crazed pet columnist attacks small children to save a doomed mouse."
I moved as far away as I could from the macabre scene unfolding. I sat at the teacher's desk plotting more mouse-saving scenarios. I could whack the snake with my notebook, grab the mouse and run. We could be hobos, jumping on trains, outrunning the law. There really wasn't anything I could do, but sit at the desk and let the mob have its fun. My head was in my hands when I felt a soft, furry head rubbing my cheek. It was the class cat. He walked back and forth stroking my face and hands. Then he climbed on my shoulder and laid his body across my head, a sort of kitty hug. He put his head down on my head and started purring. I swear he was rocking back and forth. The wonderful photographer Karen Pulfer Focht who never misses a moment saw the cat and clicked her shutter.
The students stopped watching their horror show to look at their cat. The first thing I asked was, “Is this sexual?” I wasn't sure if the cat was doing the feline version of a dog humping my leg.
“Absolutely not,” the teacher said. “He’s never done that before, but I think he’s trying to comfort you.”
I fell in love with a cat. I finally understood why people love them so much. A short time later, while visiting my friend Nancy, I started petting her cat, Punkin' He walked along the back of the couch and sat down near my head. He was purring while I petted him and was enjoying my new appreciation for cats. He suddenly pounced at my head and bit it, hard! I screamed an expletive as Punkin' scuttled away, almost gleeful. I looked at my friend Nancy. She shrugged her shoulders. The mystery of cats continues to this day.
A final note: As the students were watching me and the cat on my head, the snake went near the mouse, and the mouse bit the snake in the eye. They had to take the mouse out and tend to the snake! Score one for the little guy!.
When I left the newspaper in 2012, I asked if I could take the Pet Scoop title and the columns with me. My editor agreed.
It’s taken me a while to get my act together, but here it is: the return of Pet Scoop.
The teens squealed with excitement when the teacher told them they were going to feed the snake. I was hoping there might be some freeze-dried mouse flakes they could scoop into the snake aquarium. Instead, a student slowly walked across the room dangling a white mouse the size of a baby's big toe. It's beady red eyes searched for a friendly face, as it batted its paws at the fingers holding its tail. You can see by the detail, that my empathy was with the mouse. I wanted to charge into the crowd of kids, shoving them away so I could grab the mouse and run. Didn't know what I would do with it, but a life was about to end and there wasn't anything I could do about it. I was there to cover the story, not to become part of it. "Crazed pet columnist attacks small children to save a doomed mouse."
I moved as far away as I could from the macabre scene unfolding. I sat at the teacher's desk plotting more mouse-saving scenarios. I could whack the snake with my notebook, grab the mouse and run. We could be hobos, jumping on trains, outrunning the law. There really wasn't anything I could do, but sit at the desk and let the mob have its fun. My head was in my hands when I felt a soft, furry head rubbing my cheek. It was the class cat. He walked back and forth stroking my face and hands. Then he climbed on my shoulder and laid his body across my head, a sort of kitty hug. He put his head down on my head and started purring. I swear he was rocking back and forth. The wonderful photographer Karen Pulfer Focht who never misses a moment saw the cat and clicked her shutter.
The students stopped watching their horror show to look at their cat. The first thing I asked was, “Is this sexual?” I wasn't sure if the cat was doing the feline version of a dog humping my leg.
“Absolutely not,” the teacher said. “He’s never done that before, but I think he’s trying to comfort you.”
I fell in love with a cat. I finally understood why people love them so much. A short time later, while visiting my friend Nancy, I started petting her cat, Punkin' He walked along the back of the couch and sat down near my head. He was purring while I petted him and was enjoying my new appreciation for cats. He suddenly pounced at my head and bit it, hard! I screamed an expletive as Punkin' scuttled away, almost gleeful. I looked at my friend Nancy. She shrugged her shoulders. The mystery of cats continues to this day.
A final note: As the students were watching me and the cat on my head, the snake went near the mouse, and the mouse bit the snake in the eye. They had to take the mouse out and tend to the snake! Score one for the little guy!.
When I left the newspaper in 2012, I asked if I could take the Pet Scoop title and the columns with me. My editor agreed.
It’s taken me a while to get my act together, but here it is: the return of Pet Scoop.