(this could be construed as the bad news...)
Some guests like to bring pets along, and, to be sure, some of their pets actually are sweet. No guest represents his/her pet as a ravashing child mauler, yet in spite of kind words and experience in which their pet was generally known to be decent, the reality of an occasional pet makes fools of us all (the guest feels like a fool for what their pet did, and I feel like a fool for ever allowing pets in the first place.)
One pet ripped out all the plants in a planter. One pet prevented anyone from entering the Garden House even when a guest (the pet owner) had a medical emergency. One pet went "nuts" and tried to eat the picnic table and a beautiful handmade cedar bench. This pet succeeded in emulating the effect of a chain saw in the hands of a testosterone-crazed teenager. One pet "escaped" and found itself walking the peak of the roof. Getting this pet down would have been worth an honorable mention on the show "America's Favorite Home Videos".
As a consequence of these experiences, I require guests who wish to bring a pet to agree to the following:
Bottom line: if a pet is really important to you, the door hasn't been permanently shut.
(the good news)
I still like pets. Most of them are friendly, playful, easygoing.
Lesson learned: the exception makes the rule.
© 2010 centripetus
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