Thursday, January 12, 2006

Cleo in a tank...




My dog Cleo, a St. Bernard/Chow mix is by nature a very affectionate and maternal dog even though she’s never had puppies. Her maternal affections are currently being focused on my guinea pigs, Gizmo, Adiddas, and Pumas. Ever since they were born a few months ago she has not left their side. She sleeps by their enclosure and snaps to attention when she hears them squeaking sticking her nose in their cage to see what’s wrong. I think they recognize her because they make the cutest “bubbling” noises whenever she goes near them. They sniff at her and sometimes make a sound that reminds me of a cat purring.

Whenever I take them out I have to put them on the floor next to her and she will proceed to lick them clean. They cuddle with her and climb all over her as if she were an obstacle course. When they were younger they used to try to get milk from her too! When they start to wander off she gently hooks them with her paw and pulls them back towards her. This morning I decided to give the babies a bath and move them into a spare tank we have because it’s larger than their current enclosure. Cleo was watching me intently as I handled “her” babies. I placed the tank on the floor and deposited one of the freshly bathed guinea pigs and went into the kitchen to finish bathing the other two. When I turned around I saw that Cleo had climbed into the tank to be with the guinea pig.



Posted by @ 10:14 AM
1 comment from:  Emory Mayne,