Meet Quinn, the newest addition to our family! Quinn came to us a couple of months ago and, although his arrival was unexpected, he very quickly grew in our hearts. As we've gotten to know him we have found him to be intelligent, happy, inquisitive, and very energetic! Quinn's favorite hobbies are batting around paper napkins, balled up pieces of paper, and socks. (His biggest annoyances are extended restraint and shots.) While his favorite food is cooked chicken, we've discovered that he also enjoys a surprising variety of foods such as spinach.
Quinn is named after a derivative of several similar "Q" words - a philosopher, a friend (or rather, his-ex), and an old tv show. Most of the time Quinn is playing and running around in the back office area of the clinic, though from time to time we do take him out to the front of the clinic.
Having not had an animal companion share our lives for the past year, Quinn has reminded us of the multi-decade commitment of responsibility of time, costs, and care that come with acquiring a companion animal. (Yes, even for us, adopting a companion is a serious and challenging undertaking.) Because he grew up without his littermates, we have needed to take extra time socializing him and making sure he expends plenty of energy. Sometimes we think that he thinks of himself as just another human.
Quinn has also reintroduced us to the unequaled laughs, pleasure, and love that can come only from an animal companion. Most of all, Quinn reminds us of the frailty and temporariness of life. In our 25+ years here we haven't just seen puppies and kittens grow into senior pets, we've seen clients' human kids come, grow up, then bring animal companions in themselves. Life comes, thrives, then always leaves too soon. And yet Quinn represents a new generation of vitality and life - a reminder that the spirit of youth and renewal of life continues. He is no replacement for past generations of companions - he is his own being; he is his own flourishing self in the here-and-now, and if we're lucky we'll be sharing the next 15-20 years together. Welcome to our life Quinn, we hope you enjoy it. <3