Zinnia is the sweetest dog I’ve ever had. She is usually the first thing I see in the morning, and there is no lovelier way to start the day. Zip is my main squeeze her patience and sweetness and loyalty are comforting, she goes right to my heart.
When I wake up, Zinnia quietly climbs along the bed and puts his head in my hands. We have this sweet smiling touching, If I don’t get up, he backs away and sleeps.
So does Zip, I have to say, but it’s different. Zip is not sweet, patient, or even exceptionally loyal (he’ll go for a mouse any time), but he has a spirit and drive that connects with me. I think he loves and looks out for me, as does Maria.
But he has a much greater sense of entitlement than Zinnia does. Zip is assertive and dominant. He goes where he wants to go when he wants to go, and he loves me not in the way dogs love their humans but in the way some cats do – when they feel like it and on their terms.
Zip is quite loyal to me these days; he follows me all over the farm when I go out and has even begun posing for pictures. He waits for me faithfully in the morning and the afternoon, and sometimes, when I go out, he sits in the driveway and waits for me to come home. As cats do, he spends the most significant part of his hunting and sleeping.
Zinnia is generous and happy to share her treats with Bud and Fate and turn her bones over to them. Zip would never go for that.
Zinnia is the perfect dog for me; as I write this, she is asleep, snoring at my feet. She won’t move until I stand up and turn the computer off. If he were inside, Zip would demand attention and drive me up the wall. We are all where we should be. One is the essence of calm and acceptance. The other is a monster, claiming every bit of the far as his turf. He doesn’t care what any other animal thinks.
It’s a gift to experience the affection and attention of these two remarkable animals. I love them both dearly.
Most of the time you just confuse Zip with Bud in your posts. This time you confused Zinnia with Maria. Yikes!?!
My heart breaks for you, Julie. And you figured it out all by yourself? P.S. Note to Dyslexic people, ignore people like Julie, you will run across them your whole life, but they can’t hurt you, just remind yourself to be strong and to never hide or apologize, they never will. Much of the time, people like this confuse disability with stupidity or laziness and so feel free to be cruel and ridicule. Don’t let them get to you and never feel bad about being you. They are small and you can choose to be big. And yes, you CAN publish your own blog or do anything else you want. I hate to interrupt your chuckles, but what does this have to do with Zinnia and Bud?
Zip clearly loves you, but you’re right – cat love is often quite different from dog love. Enjoy!
I’m not sure that Zip would drive you up a wall if her were inside. Theoretically, he would be outside as well as inside. My outside/inside cats come in to eat and sleep. Then they go outside and do what cats do and use a lot of energy doing it. I’m not advocating or judging, just letting you know what 50 years of having outdoor/indoor cats has been like for me.