We asked Penny Badenhorst, our receptionist to tell us about her menagerie of cats and dogs. Here is what she had to say:
“Currently, I have two dogs, Benjamin and Mello, and three cats, Tikki, Snickers, and Peppa. Most of my pets are rescues, all excepting my crazy Chocolate Labrador, Mello. They have all found their way to me. Of my cats, Tikki came into Orange Grove Vet as a tiny stray kitten, Snickers was found by my son under a car on Christmas Day, and Peppa was my granddaughter’s cat who was found in a factory in Cape Town. Later on, Peppa came to live with Penny when her family moved to Mauritius. Benji, my Yorkie came from Maltese, French Poodle, and Yorkie Rescue. And last but not least, I got Mello, from the same breeder I got my other Chocolate Lab, Lobo a few months after he passed away.
All my pets have unique characteristics about them. Benji is a sweet little dog (he is smaller than the cats). I will often find him hiding from Mello (who is a boisterous boy), on the verandah table. Talking about Mello, he is anything but what his name suggests. He is almost two years old and full of energy! Maybe it has to do with how he had to spend a lot of time in a crate after he broke his leg as a puppy in an unfortunate accident. Now that he is fully healed, he is always busy doing something!
Of my cats, Snickers loves my husband, Hennie, and is often by his side. Tikki never ventures out of the garden as she is squint and I don’t think sees very well. Peppa thinks she is a dog and is always investigating people. A few years ago she also was in an accident where a car rolled over her tail. So now she has a bobtail!”
When asked what her pets mean to her, Penny replied: “My pets mean more than my kids (jokingly)! My son once told me in his next life he wants to come back as one of my pets! All my pets are part of my family. They all know where their home is and are part of everyday life. I could not imagine my life without them!”
Share in the comments below what your pet/s means to you.
