[Gpdd] MISCELLANEOUS: Why Guinea Pigs?

[DebraStory at aol.com]

It has been fun and interesting reading about how many of our  members became 
guinea pig "slaves".  I thought I would share my own  experience with the 
group as well.  I was introduced to guinea pigs in a  completely unexpected way. 
Of course, I had seen a few guinea pigs from a  distance when I was a child 
accompanying my parents into a pet store.  These trips were few and far between, 
however, and we were only in  there long enough to get food or supplies for 
our single family dog.  I do  remember finding the small animals to be cute and 
very attractive to me at the  time even if I could not spend much time 
looking at them.
 
After I was out of school and employed at my second full time  job at the 
local health department, I was reintroduced to guinea pigs in a way  that touched 
my heart forever, and made guinea pigs a part of my life from that  time on.  
Our county animal control office was located in the health  department 
building for a few years before they acquired their own  building.  About two years 
after I started my health department job, one of  the animal control officers 
brought a guinea pig mother housed in an aquarium  into her office.  I spotted 
the tank when I was in her office and asked  about the pretty red guinea pig. 
 She said that someone had turned it in to  animal control and that she had 
adopted it.  The minute I set eyes on that  beautiful red cavy, it was "love at 
first sight".  I was hooked!  She  had the biggest eyes and most beautiful 
fur I had ever seen.  Of course, I  asked if I could pet her, and I did.  She 
just loved the attention and made  a cute purring noise when I petted her.  I 
just had to have one of my  own!  It happened that this sweet little sow was 
pregnant and had two  darling red and white baby sows a short time later.  Well, 
to make a long  story short, I acquired my first guinea pig in a couple 
months, a red and white  baby sow that I named Taffy.  Taffy lived to be a old lady 
of 8 l/2 years.  From that time on, I have never been long without a guinea 
pig.  I became a  real "slave" and increased my herd slowly over time.  After  
retirement, it grew to the seven piggies that I now own.  I can not imagine  a 
day without piggies in my home now, and even though my number of piggies may  
have to decrease some, I don't think I could ever be without at least two of  
them in my home any longer.  They have touched my heart so deeply and  so 
permanently, that they are now and always will be a very important part  of my 
family. 
 
Wheeps From Debra and The Story Piggies