I am the youngest of 4 girls and we always got the same pets together. But for some reason, my pets always lived the longest! I like to think its because I took the time to train, play and love on my pets. My first pet was when I was 7: a hermit crab. Then a finch, a parakeet, a hamster and a rabbit. My hamster even knew his name, Ted, like a teddy bear. So when all the hamsters escaped their cage, only Ted came back! When my family got our first dog, Kovu, I quickly became his best friend (after my dad, of course). I taught him sit, down, shake, spin and roll over. We got a second dog, Hercules, who I taught all those tricks to as well as beg! Herc was a little more agile than Hunky Kovu. Kovu went on to learn how to retrieve their dog bowls for dinner and to help carry bags of trash to the trashcan or groceries to the house. As Herc got older, he became more anxious. So I’d give him extra cuddles every 4th of July and put on his vest that felt like a hug around him. Both Kovu and Herc have gone on to Dog Heaven after 14 years of life each. And I’ve gone on to live with a roommate with a very skiddish, anxious dog to owning two rescues with my Husband, Jax and Milo. They too, know all the tricks I taught my family dogs and have learned to be great around our 6-month old baby.