4 minute read
Over The Rainbow
Over the Rainbow For the love of our fur-babies
By Celeste de Vis
There is nothing and no one, more loved and cherished than our pets, except maybe our partners and children. Our two or four-legged pets can be the life-changing difference between happiness versus depression, social interaction versus loneliness and community engagement versus isolation.
Within the LGBTQIA+ community, our furry and feathered family members are treated in the highest regard. We live and breathe for our fur-babies and consider them in everything we do.
We also love to show them off! Just check out the participants each year at the annual Pet Parade during Midsumma Carnival, in Melbourne, or what Pet Stock will release every June at the start of Pride Month. The amount of Pride accessories you can purchase for your furbaby is mind blowing.
I asked a few fabulous people within our community about their relationship with their special family member. Here is what they had to say:
Amy and Austin, beloved adoptees of Nala
“We chose Nala because we could have her without telling our landlord.
“She is very good at patiently protecting her personal space. She never gets aggressive yet has ways of letting you know when she wouldn’t like to be touched, like calmly shifting away, or giving you side eye.
“She likes to sit on my lap and weighs 24kg. This is quite inconvenient in meetings.
“Nala has made me take more responsibility for my life because I had to look after another living being, not too much though; she’s still a dog not a human baby.”
Kimmy and Sue, beloved mommas of Bailey and Ollie with a special mention to Baci, who has crossed the Rainbow Bridge to heaven.
“Ollie cat was chosen because he meowed at us in the pet shop. He looked so lost and sad, that we decided to switch cats from the one we were looking at and got him.
“Bailey the Golden Retriever was purchased from a breeder as a pup, as we love the breed and wanted a loving family dog. He is now eleven years old.
Amy and Austin with Nala - Photo by Amy
“The quality that we most admire about Ollie is his persistence in getting his own way. The other qualities that we most admire about Bailey are his ‘live in the moment’ attitude, by getting up everyday, excited to be alive and happy to do whatever we end up doing. His joy in the simple things like going for a walk or to the park, and his peaceful and contented demeanour are beautiful to observe.”
Sue says, “Ollie’s quirks are, sitting in the hall, then meowing loudly out of the blue. He also likes to jump up on high places and knock down our photo frames and Lego. Ollie also likes his 11pm night run, at full speed up and down the hall. He’s a weirdo.
If someone comes to the door, he will attend to the door with his stuffie dog toy in his mouth. He has a whole collection of them.”
Kimmy says, “Ollie is my security blanket. When I have a low blood sugar hypo, Ollie will sniff around me and come and sit beside me until my blood sugar is okay. Often, he’ll come from the lounge room and meow at me or sniff my hand. He is also my focus for my anxiety. If I’m anxious or upset, I will give him a hug or pat his fur. Ollie helps me immensely.
“My previous cat Baci, was also my go to for anxiety. He was the only one who could calm my panic attack. Since Baci’s passing Ollie, who was a wild cat and never liked pats, has moved in to fill that space in my life.
“Bailey came into my life at a very hard stage. He lifted me out of a deep depression. I am here because of him. Bailey makes me happy everyday. He is my child in every way and without him I would be lost. When I see his little face in the water, at the beach, my whole soul is elevated! Bailey is pure goodness.”
Aly, Cat, Mark, Mitch & Ash, beloved family of Laverne and Shirley.
“We have two lop eared bunnies, Laverne and Shirley. We chose rabbits because they are small, clean and can be both in and outdoors. We also decided on bunnies as we have a toddler and thought they would be a great first pet.
“We adore Laverne and Shirley’s playful nature and love how much they seek out cuddles and affection from us.
“They express themselves well. When they are happy hopping around the house, they jump and do side kicks. When they aren’t happy with us, they thump their back legs which makes a loud thud to let us know they are displeased.
Aly, Cat and Ash with Laverne and Shirley - Photo by Aly
“Laverne and Shirley have definitely bought joy and more fun into our lives. We all love our indoor play sessions with the bunnies. It makes us happy and laugh a lot.”
Celeste de Vis Rainbow Connections Mornington Peninsula
