Well, this is a first for Rescue in Style… I got to work with a rescue guinea pig! Add it to the list of species I’ve worked with over the past four years and it’s becoming quite the list. You have the obvious dogs and cats, and then beyond that, I’ve worked with bunnies, horses, donkeys, and once I held a chicken. So, now I’ve added another furry face that could use a forever home.
Throughout my childhood, I had four guinea pigs. Peanut, Buttercup, PJ, and Buttercup Junior. If it wasn’t already obvious, I enjoy naming my animals after foods. The story of how we got four though was rather interesting. I bought Peanut from a Pet Store and they told us Peanut was a lady. Then, our family friends needed to rehome their guinea pig so we took her in and named her Buttercup.
After a few weeks, I was a bit confused as to why Buttercup looked fat. And then one morning, I woke up and there were six guinea pigs in the cage. Turns out Peanut was a dude. So, we raised the babies, gave them to our family friends, and then Peanut got neutered. I am not joking, I had my guinea pig neutered.
I loved my guinea pigs so much. They made great pets and I still get excited when I see them or find out friends have them. If I weren’t sure Roni and Cheese would become murderers, I’d probably insist on having a few in the house.
I’ve learned a lot since I was 10 years old and blissfully unaware of all the animals that need homes. Now, I would always encourage anyone looking to add any kind of pet to check out their local shelters.
It surprises a lot of people to learn that animal rescue isn’t just for canines and felines. Almost every animal has a spot in the adoption world. Oh, you’re looking for a lizard? Check out Covell in Aurora, IL. More interested in something small and fluffy, what about Toby the Chinchilla? I literally just found out there’s even a pigeon rescue in Chicago and now I’m obsessed with LP.
I could go on and on about the different kinds of animals that are available for adoption and spend my day on Petfinder. Honestly, don’t be shocked next time you come to my home and discover I have made my own Noah’s Ark. I mean, just look at Mr. Tuttle, I can’t resist.
In all seriousness, a quick search shows there are 382 animals within 100 miles of Chicago available for adoption that are not dogs or cats. That’s a lot of creatures that are looking for a forever home.
So how do you find one of these more exotic animals for adoption? Petfinder.com makes that easy. Right on their home page, it has the option to find a dog, find a cat, or find other pets. Click that button and it’ll show all the categories of animals that are available for adoption. You can filter results based on age, distance, and sex as well.
There are so many wonderful animals that find themselves in shelters for many reasons. So, next time you or a friend are looking to add a non-feline/canine animal to your household, be sure to see if you can adopt one first.
THE RESCUE:
This cutie has since been adopted (yay!!) but AntiCruelty Society has plenty of small animals in need of a home!
THE STYLE:
Cardigans are currently my happy place right now. This one is from Aritzia and it’s on sale right now 🙂
xoxo,
Christine
