My life has gone to the dogs..cats/buns..ect
 We have nowinstalled laminate and ripped out old carpeting in every room we have kept the now ugly beige carpet in the living room as Gillian with his bad hips occasionally will splay his legs out on other flooring. The carpet is the best and we decided to keep it as it's easier for our old boy. We don't care about appearances just so long as life is made easier for our old guys. It's means I'm getting really good at installing this stuff myself and get incredible deals (such as 49 cents a square foot at one pet loving home supply store.) It also means not getting rid of our really large couch as so many of our furkids love to louge with us and there is room for everyone! (sometimes I have as many as 3 dogs and 4 cats sitting with me) When you have multi-pets you find out which farms give away free greens so that you will always have ample fresh veggies and listen to the sound of delight from the guinea pigs/rabbits and chickens. You also build a dog proof veggie garden for the home too. I also frequently shop in second hand stores and on Craigs List in order to buy special things for my kids. Tunnels for the buns, hidey house for the piggies and lots of climbing post for the cats. I loved the little mini-barn /doll house as did my bunnies.  I realize most "normal people" don't have dog runs in their garage to house spayed/neutered bunnies in the cold weather either. All of them were previously owned by people who let them down and dumped their domestic buns so they became injured for various reasons.  Normal people save up for rainy days where I save up for vet bills. I had grand dreams of wanting a shed for Christmas for my chickens. Now those that know me completely understood my reasoning. Gifts are supposed to bring delight and joy...yup that's what the shed would do!! I really didn't want perfume, clothes or even shoes..I REALLY REALLY wanted a shed. I found the most perfect one on CL just before Christmas and that's all I wanted and even Kaj couldn't convince me to choose another gift. This not only was a great size but was movable in case the Hydro people asked us to move a shed when they come yearly on our property to trim the trees. I can push it up against the dog run which the chickens are currently housed in and my girls will be safe during the day and warm and toasty at night.  When you have pets you never forget the joy of what it was like to being a kid. You turn on the sprinklers sometimes just for them. You get delight in just watching them have fun! Such was the case when Gilligan first arrived feeling a little lost and lonely. His face was one of smiles and he soon was joined by Panda who took delight in his favorite past time such as getting as wet and dirty as possible.  Lastly, although I live with aprox 30 special needs/senior pets who all have a multitude of various meds/needs/food requirements and change aprox 20 bowls of water daily to give an example - it's not work it's a labor of love. |
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Thanks goodness you got your bigger property!!   I love your shed. I swear, you have a way better craigslist than we do!! I can't find anything like that...not even a dog house  |
| Love the pictures! The animals are super lucky to have you!!! PS - love your dutch rabbits! So beautiful!  |
Dawn, as I have no life outside of work and the animals  I check CL daily. The shed is so perfect isn't it?? However, even in my wildest dreams I couldn't have forseen a more perfect shed than if I made it myself.Custom made by a former roofer LOL.Actually, this one took longer as I was searching for aprox a year and know eventually what I want will appear at one point on CL. That's what I get for checking daily as I do find the items I wanted, although I have to sometimes be patient. I had the problem (due to property #2 and #3) originally was Hydro land so there still exist a varience that claims you can't build a permanent structure on it. Now this is why the land was so affordable to begin with and I didn't care as it allowed the animals so much space. Still, I always wanted a shed but probably couldn't build a wooden one but would have to settle for a resin or metal one (just in case I was asked to move it). Urg! I really wanted a wooden one and more so when the chickens arrived. Resin would get too hot for them in the warm weather and metal far too cold. I thought of building one myself but would be heartbroken if I had to take it down if there was a complaint. Just goes to show you patience paid off! Better yet the person delivered it!! Dawn some CL sites in cities take longer to take off. Hope yours will eventually or else you could someday visit me and pick up dog houses (seems that up here that's a common free giveaway). Sorry to rub it in but think I've got 3-4 free ones over the years which I modify for the bunnies when they are outside.( Bunnies won't go in them unless there is another exit.) Thank you new OES Moma! It's me that's lucky to have them. |
| god bless for giving them all such a great home |
| Everything looks so nice Marianne. I love your new shed. The kitties look so happy and healthy in their "Master Bedroom." Well, you put them in the right room, if they're anything like my Pearl, who thinks she is the "master" anyway. |
| I understand your need to take care of all the critters in your care and how sometimes something like your shed means more than anything else. Your yard and home are beautiful We have laminate floors now too mainly for the same reason. I love them but they do show drips from a certain dripping mouth and if your not careful they do streak. Our CL is terrible but we live in a rural area and really have never seen anything I'd want |
| Love your pictures! You really do have great systems going on for your furkids! That shed rocks! |
| Thanks again for the comments. However, you're only seeing the nice pics and not the messy ones! Like the ragged doors with dog scratches, or that every window seems to have nose marks and all my stockings give me the appearance of having hairy legs. LOL! Yup I'm definately a CL addict but as with anything in my life I try to prioritize. In my mindset, whatever I get used for a mere cost of what it would be to pay new..I'm in! Better yet if it's free! With the monies saved I can then spend it on that new harness for Snoop, who outgrew his former one or old Mama Kats special food, or my high vet bills, stuff like that. I'm lucky in that CL covers 3.5 million people in my area so there is pages of stuff. I now only really contact someone if I really really need it... for the critters. I don't think I've ever used CL to get something for myself come to think of it, as whatever I'm searching for ultimately is going to be used for the critters. My latest "finds" were things I listed under Wanted section which I got for free! One was a window with a screen which I eventually want to place on the shed in warmer weather. It was brand new and the original cost was 200! The person who responded to my ad just purchased too many for his new home and didn't mind giving it away. The other was ugly lino (yes that was my ad..ha ha) to place in the shed before I added straw on top of it. >>Marianne (who forgot to log in and doesn't now possibly lose this long winded post) |
| marianne, as always, a pleasure to read about your family. thanks for the bunny tip, was not aware of the two required doorways. just wanted to share a tip on sheds, in case the need ever arises. we put 4 x 4 runners under ours, both small and large with angled cuts on front and rear. then they can be pulled or slid and lifted rather easily without damaging most terrain.  i'm afraid granpa has created a monster of my youngest's lionhead. the 1st mistake was cheerios, the 2nd was goya crackers and now he has a particular craving for barbecue potato chips.  |
| Love it and I totally "get" it. Our house is solo different and it's. Because we do things for our son. What a big heart you have! And I LIVE on our CL!!! |
Love what you've done for you animals! There should be more people like you in this world  We also have done things for the dogs in our house, but you gave me some more ideas!!!! |
| One day, one day I am going out there to see this place for myself, and maybe cuddle a bunny or two, and maybe even a chicken. Can you cuddle a chicken? I love seeing pictures of your little animal village. |
If I'm ever in your country I'm visiting too! I want to come help 'muck out', change the water bowls, feed them & play in the sprinklers. Sounds like my idea of heaven  Ps I would NEVER have thought of a shed with wheels  |
| Your life really make a difference to all your animals! I love old cats and dogs too..., they got personalities more and more and brings a lot of love into our lives. Oh - It so nice that you give the oldies a great life!  Love the little "bunnybarn" !  |
Blah wrote a long rambling response and Gilligan (unbeknowst to me at the time) decided to lay near the plug and alas my computer died and I lost my post. Probably a good thing as now i'm going to try to keep it short.  Of course you are all welcome to visit me!!!!!! Just so you'd understand I'd immediately hand you a leash/pooper scooper and if you want relaxation I'd send you up to the senior cats room. That's a nice time, as I always plug in a movie and can pet/snuggle/groom with a gazillion cats. multi-tasking!! (You probably noticed that 90% of them are not chucky but are long coated cats..sigh) Trust me you haven't experienced life until you try to remove mats from a cats belly. I'm glad some people got ideas as I got ideas from them as well. Thank you! These are the things that I'd swear by the most. When old dogs have trouble seeing at dusk - get motion detectors. Do research by either reading books or searching the net about any animal which you share your life with. A tired dog is a good dog theory. Find out the likes of the animal and try to duplicate as natural environment. For example, chickens like most birds love dust baths and so I make sure they have access to sand/grit and give them access to the yard to forage. The buns and guinea pigs also have daily access to the yard (weather permitting) where I purchase lots of tunnels/cut holes out of boxes and modify dog houses for them. They are prey animals ( they rarely go into anything that doesn't have an escape route - thus they need two exits) and can also overheat in the sun so I always add those things for them when I place them in outdoor enclosures. Happy animals generally are able to have less medical issues. I also find out if they are generally happiest living alone or with others of their kind to encourage bonding. Rabbits and piggies love the company of others (mine are all spayed/neutered). Rabbits sometimes look like giant hearts when sleeping with their favorite pal so that their heads and legs are together. Very sweet! They lick, hop on peoples laps for pats and can be litter trained as well. We also had chain link fencing ,aprox 30 by 40, installed with access from our back door. That was (another CL find) and a godsend! We don't have a traditional front/back yard on the acreage. It was exhausting going out at all hours with sight limited Panda and Gilligan at night time. I had too many fears that one would trip and fall especially at 3 am , plus it was a pain putting on boots and coat to stand there while they went. Now I can simply open the door for them at night and am able to know they are safe. It's also been great in case any of them need training/eating a bone in private or in case I am having a workman/meter reader or ? . I have a place to contain them temporarily. It's worked out great for the chickens too as I lead them in there when they have been free ranging in the yard and instead of returning them to their smaller dog run - they get more freedom in the larger enclosure and I can let the dogs out in the yard. Everyone is happy! Lastly, Chickens have amazing personalities which I hadn't realized until I became a chicken mom. They purr when you pet them! Some will hop on your lap for pats, they will follow you around the yard. last week I went into the house to get a cup of coffee and returned to find all four had made it across the yard and were waiting for me by the front door. Now that they've recovered from the previous abuse and their bodies are stronger - I get fresh eggs daily. oh what a thrill! I really love my girls and have no problem whatsoever getting them to go where I want them simply by calling them - they come running. (They are very dog like in some ways). They know their names and each have individual likes/dislikes and favorite treats. Urg! I tried to make it short but I'd better stop now. |
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