As per our agreement with @canadianrenegade, this one will be a photo post about another thing we are grateful for...

Pets!

I figure I will talk about the pets I connect with first and then Gerri can talk about her babies. Those are the girls up there, and until the bylaw officer moved in behind us, we let them run around freely in the yard. I now have to build an addition to the back of their run, so he can't see them, but they can still have a good place to scratch. Their run now is pretty good, but I miss them climbing all over me and the yard, so I want them to at least have a yard of their own.

Oh, and these are the boys.

Blue is a beagle/walker hound mix and Dover is a Puggle. They were both rescues, so come with a bit of emotional baggage.

Dover is a sweet dog, but he has had some trauma in his life. We don't really know what happened, but he is afraid of a lot of things. Food is not one of those things. He's gotten better in the three years we've had him, but I think his food obsession might have something to do with some past abuse of some sort.

Blue came to us six years ago and he's been the best dog I've ever had. Don't get me wrong, he's been quite challenging, but he's the neediest, most loving dog ever. He is patient and gentle but loves to have a good fight with his dad every once in a while. He used to love fighting with me every night, but he's getting older now and has been kicked around by other animals when he's gone on a runaway. He used to do that whenever he could find a chink in the fence, but he sticks around a lot more now. He's a true friend and is always there to greet me when I get home.

This is Duke. Probably. Doesn't he look like a Duke?

He's not our dog. I found him at the dump when I was working. I got out of the truck to throw the garbage out, but I left the door open and in he jumped. I drove around for a bit trying to find his home and then a neighbour pointed me in the right direction. I took him home and he gave me this for giving him a ride.

Now for Gerri's kitties.

Our pets mean more to me than I can really capture in a few sentences, but to make it a pure kind of love that is really worth aiming for in life. I connect with my cats more than my dogs because I have known them since they were kittens and I know where they were born. I have loved them and learned to let them learn and grow, even though my heart feels so sick at what might befall them on their journey out in the world. Sometimes they don't come in, and sometimes they don't, but when they are around we are pleased to have them. I look forward to a day when we can be the loving influence in a dog's life from early on in its earthly incarnation. I know the dog will trust me and know I am not going to hurt it, even if I am distant or unhappy. my dog boys are always right by my side when I need them and I wouldn't trade them for any other. I would just wish that we were their family right from the start. So there you go, now you have me crying and you know I just hate it when you do that. ;) Thanks again for the nomination.

The rules:
Write a post about something you have to be positive about today - this could be anything from being thankful for your current situation, someone being nice to you, being thankful for your friends and family, or even being thankful for the opportunity you have been given here on Steemit - just keep it positive :)
Do this for 7 days in a row if you get nominated.
Mention three people who should do this on each day.
Tag it with #7daypositivitychallenge and include these rules at the bottom of your post Include a picture of something positive (related to your story if possible.)
Tip: You need to put the # in front of 7daypositivitychallenge or it will not let you use the tag.
We nominate @arcticgarden @aromatic and @cryptoriddler to get their positivity on.