I had big plans for August. I was going to cut back on Red Bull, eat healthy, exercise, spend more time with my kids, and all around be super mom. A week into it, and everything got derailed.
My dog died on the 8th. Inu was old (15 years), and we were thinking he wouldn’t last another year. His mom and companion had died 4 years ago, and he was alone after that because he was cantankerous and surly and wouldn’t tolerate other dogs. He was going deaf and blind, and he’d gotten to the point where I had to carry him outside because more than once he missed a step down the stairs and tumbled to the bottom. That’s if he managed to wait until someone put him outside. But he was still my dog and I loved him. The emotional fallout of his death left me swearing off owning another dog for the foreseeable future.
Later that week, we went to a local garden/home/pet store and perused other furry pet options–ones that wouldn’t require being let outside and could occupy themselves while everyone was at work and school. We opted for a guinea pig. We looked up all the things we needed, then after acquiring all the necessary items, we returned to the store and brought home Marshmallow.
My daughter kicked into research mode. Guinea pigs are apparently social animals and require companionship, even though Marshmallow was alone at the store. We went to other stores in the same chain, and my son picked a young black and white guinea pig–Oreo.
Things went awry, there were arguments, and the end result was Marshmallow bullying Oreo and Oreo falling into guinea pig depression. We opted to deal with Oreo’s feelings by reuniting her with her cave mates, who we called Cocoa and Coffee.
Yes, we have 4 guinea pigs now.
I’m happy to say, Oreo came out of her funk and returned to eating and exploring. Marshmallow is in a separate cage in the same room, allowing her to interact with the herd without drawing blood (which she tried when we did group floor time). My husband is working on designing/building a multi-level structure that will allow the piggies to interact using ramps (no more than a 30 degree angle per my daughter’s research), but keeping Marshmallow separate with wire panels. This will hopefully regain some of our floor space as we currently have 24sqft dedicated to the fluffy potatoes.
August ended before I really knew what happened. I did stick to only one Red Bull a day, but nightly exercise and super mom duties flew out the window as we tried to manage the piggie drama. I’m now parenting a teenager, school is back in session, and homework stress has kicked into its usual high gear.
Seems like things aren’t going to let up any time soon.
IWSG Question of the Month – The IWSG celebrates 12 years today! When did you discover the IWSG, how do you connect, and how has it helped you?
I joined IWSG a decade ago, having discovered it after meeting Melissa Maygrove through a critique partner pair up event. She was doing it, and I thought I should too. It’s been a wonderful thing. I’ve connected with many different writers from all over the world through IWSG, and I’ve made some great online friends. It’s also the only time I blog anymore. So thank you Alex and the rest of the IWSG team for making this group possible.
About Insecure Writer’s Support Group
You can find the sign up for the IWSG here. We owe Alex J Cavanaugh a huge thank you for thinking this blog hop up.
I’m so sorry to hear about Inu. Losing a pet is tough.
Love the guinea pigs! I hope they are all female, or you will be able to start your own pet store soon. LOL
Aw, thanks for the mention. I’m glad we met and glad you joined.
I guess IWSG is the reason most people in the group blog. You’ve got your hands full, and you’re doing good. Best wishes to you!
So sorry to hear of the loss of your dog. It sounds like your new guinea pigs have been keeping you busy. Life happens, and we can’t always stick to our goals. I got sick after my daughter’s wedding, and my goals are on hold until I get better.
How awesome that Melissa introduced you to the IWSG.
Didn’t realize they were so vicious. Glad you found a solution. Dig the names you chose!
I’m really sorry to hear about Inu….
The phrase “fluffy potatoes” made me laugh out loud!
It might not have looked/turned out the way you intended, but Super Mom totally showed up in August. 🙂
I’m so sorry about Inu! It’s hard to lose a fur baby. Sounds like it was quite an adventure dealing with the guinea pigs. Glad you got it sorted out!
I’m so sorry about Inu. That’s such a hard loss. Lots of love to you and your family.
Love the fluffy potatoes & that your daughter did all that research! I hope you post some pics of the multi-level structure when it’s done!
Oh how cute! My best friend had a guinea pig for years. He seemed to do okay by himself.
I’m very sorry to hear about your dog.
I’m so sorry to hear about Inu. Losing a pet is so hard, especially when you’ve had them for so long. But I love that you have not one but four guinea pigs now! They’re so cute!
So to hear about Inu. Losing a pet is rough and I can understand your gut reaction to swear off another pet. The piggies look adorable and I hope they all learn to get along.
Sorry for your loss. They’re one of the family, so it’s hard when they go.
The guinea pig adventure sounds fun, even though there’s been some teething troubles!
I’m so sorry to hear about Inu…
The IWSG has such a wonderful sense of community, which is hard to find in online groups.
Happy IWSG Anniversary Day!
I can see why August didn’t go as planned. Life is quirky and filled with the unexpected–like 4 Guinea Pigs, for example. But they sound delightful and I hope they ease the loss of Inu a bit.
Sorry about your dog.
Your guinea pig adventures are thrilling. You should write a novel about them. :))
Oh… I’m, so sorry to hear about Inu. It’s so tough losing a fur-baby.
Oh my, Loni! Your guinea pig adventures are funny! I know they shouldn’t be, and your awesome care for Oreo and Marshmallow is sweet and inspiring. At least your husband, your daughter, and you have each other to support each other through the drama. I’m sorry that you lost your Inu. I lost my MacBeath almost 40 years ago, and I still haven’t gotten another dog (Mostly because it would have been unfair to a dog to leave it alone while I worked and/or traveled). Your Inu will remain in your heart and memory always. Meanwhile enjoy your new pet adventure. And happy 12 anniversary of the IWSG!
I’m so sorry to hear about Inu. Saying good bye to a beloved pet is so hard.
Guinea pigs. Love them. They’re sweet and fun…and pee a lot. LOL. I grew up with guinea pigs. We had two, and they had babies. Learned a hard lesson…remove the male guinea when the babies are born. Or maybe it our male was just a serial baby killer. We got him out in time to save one of the babies. We gave him away. He caused me childhood trauma, and I didn’t want to cuddle with him anymore. I didn’t get any more until a few years ago. My son brought one home from college and left her with us. She was a sweetheart. We also worried she was lonely and got her a companion guinea. They bickered at each other incessantly, so when one died, we didn’t replace her. Vivian lived alone for years. We’d hold her a bit each day and hand feed her some treats. That kept her content. When she died, I got another cat.
Losing a pet is tough. And sad. So, of course that would throw off all your plans. But it sounds like you’ve found some wonderful distractions. Guinea pig drama will keep you entertained for years.
You are a brave woman. We’ve had guinea pigs for about four years and they are… not fun. Even discounting the fact that I’m terribly allergic to them, they are messy, smelly and (at least ours) do not particularly like people. Plus my wife constantly tries to reconfigure their cage to find the optimal layout (and by that I mean that I have to constantly reconfigure their cage – seriously, almost on a monthly basis).
I am very sorry about your doggo, though. That’s always so painful, even when you know it’s coming. Sounds like he a wonderful long life with you.
I’m so sorry for your loss. Fifteen. Wow. Yes, that will shatter all plans. But it sounds like you were quite occupied with guinea pig diplomacy. 🙂
I’m so sorry about Inu. I had guinea pigs as a kid and loved them. They make the best noises! I’m afraid to have anything like them with my cats, though, as two of them are mighty hunters, so for now it’s just my four cats.
Never easy when they pass indeed. Geez, you double down on the guinea pigs haha always one in the group that doesn’t want to play nice it seems. Found the iwsg over a decade ago too. And hey, busy beats bored. Did redbull give you wings yet? Lol
I’m sorry about your dog. We lost our elderly dog last year, and I too refuse to get another. It’s so hard seeing them age and have a hard time getting around. I firmly believe she was my last dog, but my husband thinks I’ll change my mind in a few years. I hope your guinea pigs will all get along!
I’m so sorry for your loss and I totally get it. When I lost my dog Dixie it took me 15 years to decide I was ready for another dog. We had rats in between and they are as fun as guinea pigs but after they died I realized for me, longer life-spanned pets are necessary because I grieve them the same.