So You Accidentally Ran Over The Family Pet Again…

By Marianne Bartlett-Jones

(Contributor)

Hey ladies! Today I was reminded of a very important thing: Bad habits can lead to bad results! My bad habit is, like most Mommies, is that I am constantly running around and forget to look where I am going, or what I have just done. Because of this, our precious doggie, Rascal IV is no longer with us. By this I mean that I accidentally tied him to the rear bumper of my car, forgot he was there, ran him over with my car, and he died. It was horrible, and again, put me in a tough spot!

I know what you are thinking. Hasn’t this happened before? Yes and no. Rascal’s I and III were totally my fault and it happened the same way. I accept 100% responsibility for their demise. There is a reason I have not written an article about the usefulness of Post-It notes. I would be the biggest hypocrite in the world for not putting one on my steering wheel that says “check the rear bumper!”

Racal II was just a bad replacement. He was my 1^st replacement pet, and I was panicking from running over the original Rascal, and that dog looked too different from the original. He also snapped at me when I was teaching him old Rascal tricks while the kids were at school. Once I cleared my mind, it became obvious that he was not working out. So yes, his “accident” was still my doing, but he sort of deserved it.

Anyway, to make a long story short, I am going to the pet store again to use my allowance to buy another pet. I am sitting outside the pet store as I am typing this. Then it hit me. What a wonderful opportunity to write a new post with wonderful advice on what to do in this situation! I am not the only one who has killed a family pet, am I right? But if you just accidentally killed your first, then here are a few pointers so you can avoid the same mistake I have made!

Start With A Common Breed: I lucked out of this one. The original Rascal was a Golden Labrador. They are one of the easier breeds to replace, since they are all similar in appearance and temperament. But if your pet is a little more unique, then you may have to go to multiple stores. Who has time for that, am I right? And if the animal is too unique, you may never find a suitable replacement!

Remember That Pet’s Age: The biggest problem with Rascal II is that he was 3 years younger than the original Rascal. He was smaller, and also had more energy. I am shocked that no one noticed that it was a different dog to be honest. The original Rascal was sweet and loving. Rascal II just made you feel uncomfortable, and he kind of gave me the shivers to even look at him! I did not make the same mistake again with Rascal III.

Manage Changes In Temperament: Another mistake I made with Rascal II, was I tried to make him act like the original Rascal. The original Rascal loved pancakes. No matter how much I tried to make Rascal II love them too, he would have nothing to do with them. Instead, I should have ignored this difference and built up the similarities as best as I could.

I even fooled my Hubby with Rascal III. My hubby said, and I quote, “That is weird. He normally likes to go on walks with me. Today he acts like he has never seen me before”. So I said “I heard that pets take on the personality of those they are around the most, and that is me…” Before I even finished my sentence he said, “you know, that actually does make more sense now…”

Avoid Miracles: My bestie Jonah’s Mommy Kate has the same forgetful mind as me. Well when she was replacing her cat Mittens VII, she forgot to make sure that she was fixed. The next thing you know, Mittens VIII was pregnant and was being hailed as some sort of miracle cat. People would come from all over to see the 20 year old cat who was fixed years ago, and who somehow became pregnant again. There were rumors, even, that Good Morning America was going to send a reporter. But luckily Mittens VIII ran away, and that whole disaster was averted. We still talk to this day about how close of a call that was. Which brings me to my final point….

Pets Die Eventually: The biggest mistake Jonah’s Mommy Kate made was with letting the Mittens brand live to be 20 years old. She should have ended the Mittens much sooner and started with a whole new brand. Rascal V will be 9 years old in original Rascal years. He is starting to get old, and it makes me sad to see a good brand die. But if Rascal V lives another 10 years, it would raise some serious red flags! So this is the last Rascal this family will have. I will do my very best to not be the cause of it this time though.

You know, I think I will also stop by Office Max on my way home to get me some post it notes, finally. It is time to start some new habits! Stay Post-It, er, posted LOL!

I hope this helps!