Thelma and Louise
My sister Cristin has an obsession with guinea pigs. We've probably owned about 10 different little oinkers in my lifetime. Finally, we had to stop getting them for her because they don't live very long and my mom couldn't handle it when they died. Serious loss of composure. One time she called me absolutely hysterical - you know one of those early morning or late at night calls that you just know are not going to herald good news. I thought a family member died. For like TEN minutes. Finally I was able to decipher the word Oreo between sniffles and sobs. I chuckled, relieved that it wasn't a real person, but that just made the sobbing worse. Cristin responded with a drawn out awwwwwww. (She knew she would get a new one).
After that my mom had had it with the guinea pig deaths. Not to mention the dogs were becoming increasingly curious about the patch of land in the backyard with little shoebox sized dirt mounds covered with rocks.
Enter Susie. Your basic short-haired Cavy. Kind of like this little gal. Well, Susie got sick. And somehow my mother convinced the local vet to treat her. Finally the local vet gave up. but my mother did not. So the vet assembled a special "Guinea Pig IV" for Susie. My mother did not leave Susie's side for weeks. Except when another family member could administer the IV. And that family member would've been me. Yes, I have given a Guinea Pig an IV - as well as shots. Although she was a trooper, and hung on longer than any small rodent-like animal should have in her condition, Susie finally passed.
We didn't get Cristin a Guinea Pig for a while after that. But every time she could bring it up that she missed Susie, she did. This from someone who only said awwww when the pigs died. (she did think she was getting a new one).
Finally, after a couple of years, my mother felt prepared to take on another one. But this time we got two. Thelma and Louise.
Thelma was a long-haired kind of like these guys, but she had a patch of hair like this in the back and was all black. My friend Jessica said she looked like a giant toupe. Louise was a sleek, slender little squeaker in contrast to Thelma's enormity. But Louise terrorized Thelma, most days chasing her around their rather spacious cage causing woodchips to fly out in all directions. Thelma eventually began hiding in a note card box.
Louise died first. She was a runt, and the person that sold her to us had said she may not live that long. But she actually lived longer than any other GP we'd owned. Thelma continued to hibernate in her box.
One day, months later, when Cristin was letting Thelma run around upstairs, Thelma took off in full stride towards the open railing that overlooked the living room below. She didn't stop at the edge and in effect actually flung herself from the second floor.
She landed with a thud between the couch and the wall.
My mother heard and her face turned white. She just knew Thelma was dead.
But alas! Thelma just shook herself off and and continued scooting around.
My mom took her to the vet, who said the GP would probably not last the night. She said Thelma probably had internal injuries. (And no, my mom was not crazy enough to convince the vet to give Thelma an X-Ray).
So we waited. and waited. and waited.
And to all of our dismay, Thelma not only survived her brush with death, she continued living for several more years.
After that my mom had had it with the guinea pig deaths. Not to mention the dogs were becoming increasingly curious about the patch of land in the backyard with little shoebox sized dirt mounds covered with rocks.
Enter Susie. Your basic short-haired Cavy. Kind of like this little gal. Well, Susie got sick. And somehow my mother convinced the local vet to treat her. Finally the local vet gave up. but my mother did not. So the vet assembled a special "Guinea Pig IV" for Susie. My mother did not leave Susie's side for weeks. Except when another family member could administer the IV. And that family member would've been me. Yes, I have given a Guinea Pig an IV - as well as shots. Although she was a trooper, and hung on longer than any small rodent-like animal should have in her condition, Susie finally passed.
We didn't get Cristin a Guinea Pig for a while after that. But every time she could bring it up that she missed Susie, she did. This from someone who only said awwww when the pigs died. (she did think she was getting a new one).
Finally, after a couple of years, my mother felt prepared to take on another one. But this time we got two. Thelma and Louise.
Thelma was a long-haired kind of like these guys, but she had a patch of hair like this in the back and was all black. My friend Jessica said she looked like a giant toupe. Louise was a sleek, slender little squeaker in contrast to Thelma's enormity. But Louise terrorized Thelma, most days chasing her around their rather spacious cage causing woodchips to fly out in all directions. Thelma eventually began hiding in a note card box.
Louise died first. She was a runt, and the person that sold her to us had said she may not live that long. But she actually lived longer than any other GP we'd owned. Thelma continued to hibernate in her box.
One day, months later, when Cristin was letting Thelma run around upstairs, Thelma took off in full stride towards the open railing that overlooked the living room below. She didn't stop at the edge and in effect actually flung herself from the second floor.
She landed with a thud between the couch and the wall.
My mother heard and her face turned white. She just knew Thelma was dead.
But alas! Thelma just shook herself off and and continued scooting around.
My mom took her to the vet, who said the GP would probably not last the night. She said Thelma probably had internal injuries. (And no, my mom was not crazy enough to convince the vet to give Thelma an X-Ray).
So we waited. and waited. and waited.
And to all of our dismay, Thelma not only survived her brush with death, she continued living for several more years.
posted by lauren at 12:40 AM
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