Returning to the Zoo

One of the greatest things about vacation is returning home to the comfort of your surroundings: your own bed, your own bathroom, your comfy couch, a pantry of food that doesn’t require a waiter or a tip. For me, returning home means coming home to my menagerie. There is nothing like the love and loyalty of a pet. And I have that in spades. They’re my extra kids—needing attention, occasionally misbehaving but usually staying in line, having to be fed and cared for but giving back to me 1000x the joy. Currently residing in the Hicks Zoo are the following:

Bailey—my 13 year old Sheltie, who can’t hear very well anymore but clearly remembers the sound of the vacuum and still hates it with a passion when the dreaded beast makes an appearance.



Teddy—technically my husband’s Beagle who shows such a clear devotion to him that it’ll bring a tear to your eye. I’ll make do in a pinch, if John’s not around to shower attention on him. I feel so honored.



Max—my humongous Maine Coon cat who eats small children as snacks and who, I’m pretty sure, thinks HE runs the house.



Raven—my ditsy black cat whose main job is to look pretty, defy Max, and choose the least opportune times to want to get cozy (3 a.m. is not when you want purring in your ear and 15 extra pounds sleeping on your chest).



Then I have my two outside squirrels that I raised and then released, Suzie and Rocky, aka the Q and the Rock Star. They visit each morning and each evening at dusk. If there aren’t nuts in the bowl outside, they will come and tap on the back door like the trick-or-treaters they are. “Pssst. Hey in there. The buffet’s empty out here. Hook us up.” I imagine their voices with an Italian mob accent. They’re oblivious to the indoor cats who are outraged at the audacity of squirrels marching boldly to the back door like there’s no danger there for them at all. But seriously, who messes with a mob squirrel?



And last, I currently have three squirrel babies I’m raising and who call my master bathroom their own personal play area. I work with licensed rehabbers in my area, learning from them and helping when they get overloaded. These critters are 7-8 weeks old and just learning to play and explore. These shots are from when they first arrived:




Coming home from Spring Break, it was great to walk back into the zoo. The love in their eyes was apparent as they gazed up as if to say: Did you bring us a surprise?