Sweet Herbie

[CavyMom]

Hi Herbie! Happy Pet of the Day to you, sweet little man, from everyone in this Guinea Pig loving home!

Oh, Herbie! How my heart swelled the moment I saw your sweet, adorable self gracing my Pet of the Day page, poring over your beyond heart-melting photo spread and reading your heart-wrenching backstory, your incredible story of survival and rescue!

As a decades long Mom to rescued Guinea Pigs, I can't thank your family enough for providing safe refuge, a loving home to so many deserving boys and girls...for saving YOU! How you managed to survive the horrors of that breeding mill is nothing short of a miracle; your will to survive and fighting spirit is an inspiration to us all!



Sadly, not all pigs can claim as happy an ending as yours, Herbie. Knowing how many pigs are irresponsibly bred, surrendered to shelters daily by irresponsible/uncaring owners, breaks my heart.

Yes, all Guinea Pigs are precious, among the sweetest and gentlest of all creatures! What many fail to realize is that they are also delicate and vulnerable animals with very specific needs: gentle handling and the avoidance of extremes in temp., especially heat and direct sunlight; daily servings of fresh timothy hay, high quality pellets (Oxbow!), generous servings of those coveted veggie and fruit treats; fresh water and supplemental vitamin C; regular nail trimmings and dental checks and of course, being the sociable animals that they are, lots of love in the form of human and/or Guinea Pig companionship!

How lucky your humans are, sweetheart, knowing the love of a pig as adorable, as sweet and loving, as special as you, Herbie! The joy, the smiles and laughter you bring to your Mom and Dad's days with your adorable antics and loving ways is testament to the priceless rewards of rescue and responsible Guinea Pig parenting! Yep, you do your beloved namesake proud, sweetheart!

Endless thanks to your devoted Mom and Dad for sharing your inspirational, life affirming, uplifting rags to riches story and wise words with us, Herbie! Hopefully those considering adding a Guinea Pig into the family will heed your Mom's age advice: adopt don't shop, and do the necessary homework before making that lifetime commitment!



Enjoy your big day in the spotlight, Herbie...treated to extra floor time, getting into lots of fun, safe mischief; warming your Dad's lap (towel required, lol), receiving tons of gentle cuddles and kisses; feasting on your fave foods and veggie treats (not named green peppers, lol); being spoiled to the max and loved to bits! Lots of love, snuggles and smooches to you, brave, beautiful, "baaad boy" Herbie the Lovebug, our very special and most deserving Pet of the Day, EVERY day!!! (Love your photo web page!)

Precious Herbie!!!

Thank you so much for your kind words about our precious Herbie the Lovebug (a.k.a. our "baaad boy" sometimes ~ LOL), his fun photo web page, and us, his fur-parents!

We couldn't agree with you more that cavies/gps are very delicate, vulnerable, sweet, gentle, precious pets that need and deserve responsible care (unconditional love, proper nutrition/diet, Vit. C, Timothy hay, knowledgeable veterinarian, safety, comfortable temperatures, clean and roomy environment, etc).

Our hearts break, too, plus many tears have been shed re: all the poor animals that are disrespectfully and inhumanely bred purely for profit and how many, ultimately, are dumped heartlessly at shelters (if they live that long). We always pray that people will, as you mentioned, "do their homework before making that lifetime commitment" for every pet, no matter how small.

As you know, the world is such a stressful place ... Sweethearts like Herbie are truly Heaven-sent to bring us JOY midst the madness and sadness.

-Herbie's CavyMom and CavyDad

P.S. I love the quote of Lou Costello that I attached to Herbie's photo (both of them are in fashionable derbys) because Lou's description of his sweet film character reminds me of the way small animals/rodents are often treated - they are "underdogs" and many people don't "pay much attention" to them ... Many people don't respect them because of their small, vulnerable size and they are mistakenly called "starter pets" and thought of as "disposable," and that infuriates me.