Went to the animal shelter.

[bruinsBoxers]

My kids have never been to an animal shelter . They know what it is and why the animals can end up there . They also want to save an unwanted animal rather then buy one at a pet store .

So yesterday we drove an hour to visit a shelter that had many small animals available. The place was packed with people looking at the animals .

We looked at the small animals on the shelters website and the girls know which animals they wanted to see up close . One pair was already being looked at and I over heard that the family was going to put in an application for them . So I steered my kids to the other pair that was available .

We went and put in a viewing request and they went over why the animals were turned in and there were no applications on them yet . So we went back to the small animal kennels and the kennel volunteer opened the cage for me to take one out . As I reached in one of them ran by my hand and my hand brushed against the other animal . It was still and stiff . OMG it was dead , I looked up at the volunteer and tried to say in a way my kids wouldn't understand that it was dead . But she did not understand what i was trying to say so I just said " Umm , that one is not alive " . She freaked a bit and called someone else to get it out of the kennel area .
My kids were in shock and very upset . They have never seen a dead pet before . And while I tried to not let them see it they still knew .

We then looked at 2 others , and decided to put in an application to adopt them . These 2 are not a bonded pair so it unsure if they will accept each other . But since one is used to living with another and the second is young we hope they will get along . If not then we just get another cage .

Please keep your fingers crossed that all goes well and we are approved for the adopition .

On the way home my son ( 6) said he did not like the shelter . It smelled bad ( the place was clean but with that many animals there is going to be some smell) and that he did not like the way the animals had to live .

[Dragon]

Wow that must have been an experience... I remember having to tell Ben my 3 year old about why howie was gone. We told him he was in heaven in the sky and he still brings it up once and a while. I also remember when we got peaches and I took her to the vet for the first time. He kept on making sure that I wasn't going to leave her there (like howie ) It's amazing how much they pick up on and how they react.

[Doreen]

What kind of small animals were these that you were looking at?

[bruinsBoxers]

We put in adoption paperwork for 2 guinea pigs and a hamster .
The girls want the G-pigs and my son the hamster.