I’ll try not to be too mushy or take too long but this week we’ve spent in Pittsburgh before leaving for Italy forced us to part ways with our furry friends for longer than we ever have before so we wanted to share some of the things we love about them and mostly just some cute photos that will maybe brighten your day 😄
Polly (written by Matthew)
I wasn’t originally a cat person and then right before we got married, Alyssa was offered a free cat that had to live with just me before Alyssa and I moved in together. Saying that we ended up bonding would be an understatement. Polly is obsessed with me and I with her, she fundamentally changed me forever and I can now proudly wave my “cat-person” flag with pride. She’s a Miniature Polydactyl Russian Blue (we think) so that means she’s a petite lil’ gal and basically has thumbs.
She’s been my snuggle buddy while I have worked from home since the pandemic and has slept on me or touching me every night for the past 8 years since we’ve had her. Her and Louis have a complicated relationship but this summer in the DMV area they really started to get along. I will miss not almost stepping on her every time I get up to pee in the middle of the night, the way she is able to concentrate her 4.5 lbs into the mass of a black hole as she launches herself from my groin unexpectedly, and her “rolly poley Polly” routine where she flops all over my feet for a solid 5 minutes to say she’s excited to see me.
We’re so thankful to Emily and Carl for taking her for these next several months! They have an adorable little dog named Bugs that I think will win her over quickly. Carl and Emily are super excited to welcome Polly into their home and we’re sure she’ll be living her best life under their care.
Louis (written by Alyssa)
Louis Douis DeFusco came into our lives 7 years ago as a rescue mutt. We think he’s black lab mixed with some type of hound due to his incessant need to “herd” people and other dogs and his general barki-ness. I always say he’s my spirit animal. He has issues with certain people, other dogs, cats, etc., but once you’re in his inner circle you are IN. He’s the most loving and snuggly guy and loves nothing more than snoozing with his mom and dad or a nice long walk in the woods. (And bully sticks…he really loves bully sticks).
Caring for Louis the past few years has taught us a lot about responsibility, pets, and dogs in general. It’s not always been easy, but our connection is deep. Saying goodbye to him was hard to say the least. Luckily, he’s in the care of our friends Rachael and Lily for the next few months. They seem to have already found their sweet spot with him and love him despite his quirks. Hopefully their cat, Jacques, will get on board, too (Louis can be a bit…socially awkward with cats). We’re so grateful to them for caring for him so well. When we realized we were going to miss Louis’s 7-year adopt-aversary, they made sure to bake him a special dog-friendly cake and celebrate him. We can’t wait to be reunited and give him lots of kisses, but we know he’s in good hands until then.
Stay tuned for an upcoming post that’ll cover our first week here in Bologna! Excited to share a little about our experience so far.
Awww, such sweet stories about your fur babies! We love our grand cat and dog and will miss them, but know they are well taken care of by special people!