Even in Texas, the idea of living in the open country can be an unfamiliar to people. For me, it is a reality that I have lived with all my life. It is also normal around our warm welcoming home to have the responsibility of taking care of the many animals that are continually around the house. I have grown up with animals for as long as I can remember, and I absolutely love it.

I love the fact that it is normal for a big dog to jump right on top of the couch and not worry about your personal space. As well as if they need something they seem to think it is okay to bother you about it until you will give in to the puppy face they learn to have in times of need.

Dogs are not the only thing that you may find at my house. You can always find a cat that is open to any attention it can get. I believe the first day a cat or kitten comes into the house it automatically tries to learn ways to get your attention and make sure to get it for long periods of times. I remember when I was little, the kitten went so far as to it would rub against my face to where I had to pet her so she would stop. 

Horses were in what you could say is our “backyard” on our five acre piece of land. What I love about horses is they all have interesting personalities. One of our horses was so gentle he wouldn’t care if you hugged him all day and when it came to being brushed, he soon came up with a strategy to untie the rope when we were not looking then walk off like nothing happened. He did this by constantly leaning and rubbing on the knot when we were not looking.

This is compared to the pony that disliked too much attention and quickly changed mood—whether he was in a sweet, jealous or stubborn mood, it was never known until it happened. He also seemed to know when pictures were taken, and know to how to pose at that moment as well. The hilarious part about these horses is that they were best friends. They would always be together and seem to almost stand up for each other when it came to the other horse. We also had one more horse who thought he was the king of all horses and all living beings around him. When it came to feeding time he would attempt to claim any area that had the most hay, although he would never attempt to do anything that would be considered boss-like to us or any other human that was around. 

To me, living with lots of animals gives me a life that is never boring. Even though they can be annoying and needy at times I still love them and feel like they are part of helping who I am and becoming today.