Reply #2: Hi, texas1928!

[NewWaveChick1981]

That was really nice. Your dad should be proud, and so should you!

My dad had a lot of problems, but I always knew he loved me and did what he could. He brought home a pet puppy when I was about a year old because he never had a dog growing up and always thought kids needed pets. My mother nearly freaked out, but when she saw how much I loved that dog (Quarter was his name---a mutt that was a quarter of this, a quarter of that...), she gave in. Dad and I took care of Quarter (yes, I did help as much as I could even though I was very young) until Quarter passed away about three years later (heartworms ), but I never stopped loving him. Dad always wanted us to have pets, and my siblings and I had dogs, cats, hamsters, gerbils, pet white mice, and even a squirrel that was abandoned by his mother. My father instilled in me the great love and compassion I have for animals, and I will be forever grateful to him for that. I told him this a few years ago, and he bawled like a baby because he was so touched. (I'm actually crying a little while I'm writing this---it means that much to me.)