KIDS AND CRITTERS GO TOGETHER

    Pets and kids just seem to go together. What parent can say no to little eyes looking up longingly. My Mother put her foot down when it came to dogs and cats which left little choice. I turned to the rodent population.

    One day while exploring the outskirts of the Brimhall Building on the BYU Campus, my eye caught sight of a white streak darting among the bushes. After stalking it for some time I caught and identified it - a white mouse. I didn't realize it, but the mouse was an escapee, probably injected with who knows what by scientific researchers.

        I named the little guy Henry and kept him in a gallon glass jar on the dirt floor portion of our basement. The bottom of the jar was covered with sawdust and cardboard scraps from which Henry constructed an elaborate summer home. He ate commercial pet food and drank from the tip of a water container made for small animals. It was fun trucking through the neighborhood with my small white friend hiding out in my shirt pocket. The boys loved him while the girls would usually run away screaming. Before moving up to a larger rodent, I found Henry a loving master who could keep him in the same luxurious lifestyle to which he had become accustomed.

    Next it was a chipmunk I bought from Howard Andersen who trapped them in the wild. That purchase set me back $.75. Dad covered the top of an old blue trunk with chicken wire, providing it a comfy home. I named him Wilford after our grumpy next door neighbor. Wilford was the hit of the neighborhood. Dozens of kids would visit our garage where Wilford hung out. Before picking him up, they were required to glove up. You see, Wilford had a bad habit of sinking his choppers into unsuspecting admirers.

    A rat dog named Tippy from across the street followed its young master for a chipmunk visit. Unfortunately the rat dog had other ideas about Wilford. In his wicked imagination he envisioned a tasty chipmunk snack, which came to pass only a few days later when the garage door was left open. Bye, bye Wilford. I’ll see you in Pet Heaven!

    Next came two beautiful white rabbits. With Dad’s help we built a Rabbit Duplex in our backyard. I would let them run loose to explore their surroundings and enjoy a little R&R. My younger brothers enjoyed these pets, but they were mine, and my responsibility.  I fed them rabbit pellets. However, rabbit pellets soon became a big expense.

    To cut down on costs I supplemented their diet with fresh alfalfa I picked from a vacant lot nearby. I even went dumpster diving at Carson’s market bringing home a supply of carrots and lettuce that had been thrown out. Yup! I had big plans, putting them together from time to time in hopes of becoming a pet rabbit entrepreneur. It never happened. It seems my fluffy bunnies were two of a kind and not a matched pair.