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“So, what animals are you girls most excited about seeing today?” Amanda asked while she started to pack a backpack for the family outing to the zoo.
“Penguins!” Jessie exclaimed. “And the sea lions show.”
“Goats!” Billie added, trying to make the “bahhh” sound she had learned about on her animal farm game.
“It’s great that you’re excited to see the goats, Billie, but that’s the wrong sound,” Amanda said. “Sheep go ‘bahhh.’ Goats have horns on their heads, remember?”
Amanda was feeling pretty excited herself. Ever since their living room campout in the winter, where Sonny led a story time about a “trip” to the zoo, she had thought it would be fun to take the girls once the weather warmed up. They had last gone when Jessie was about two, tagging along on an outing with Olivia and Noah, but they were ready to make memories now that she was older and could enjoy the day with her little sister, pointing out all the animals and taking part in interactive exhibits.
“Mom, did Sonny tell you Billie and I could help feed the animals?” Jessie asked, as though reading her mind. “Like the sea lions and the penguins!”
“Yes, as long as you’re careful and follow the rules. And remember to let your sister have a turn if she wants one.”
“I will. You know what else I can’t wait to see? Bears!”
“Really? I thought you were afraid of bears.”
“Not anymore,” Sonny said as he came out of the bedroom. “Sorry. I had a hard time finding something comfortable to wear.”
“You’re such a woman.” Amanda joked. “So, tell me Jessie, when did you decide you weren’t afraid of bears anymore?”
“Sonny told me not to be when he was reading to me before bed a couple days ago. We read Where the Wild Things Are again and I said I was nervous about seeing the bears. And he said that bears can seem really scary, but if we know how to talk to them and what to do when we see one, that it’ll be OK and they won’t bother us. They just want to protect their cubs and make sure they get enough to eat.”
Amanda smiled and gave him a kiss. It seemed like he always knew just what to say when one or both of the girls were afraid or upset.
“How do you do this?” she asked quietly.
“Ah, it was nothing. I’m looking forward to letting them get up close with the animals and taking family pictures, of course, but I also thought it would be fun if we made the day a little educational. Showed them how different animals interact and do things. It would give them some good lessons if we ever decide to let them have a pet someday.”
“A pet? Come on, you know we can’t bring home a giraffe…unless it’s a stuffed animal.”
“Obviously I was thinking more along the lines of a dog sibling for Frannie or a cat. Or even a bunny rabbit.”
“Oh, I love bunnies!” Jessie exclaimed, having overheard the conversation. They both looked in her direction and shook their heads. “Although…wait can we have a puppy?! Come on Mom, please?”
“Not today,” Amanda answered. “We need to have a family meeting before we can adopt another animal. And besides, Frannie’s getting older, so it may not be the best idea to adopt a puppy.
“Although…” She turned back to Sonny, and they shrugged. “Why don’t we talk about it more at the zoo? It’s a big responsibility to care for an animal, and I think you can learn a lot about having a pet from seeing the animals there and how they live as a family, or how they want humans to treat them. It’s similar to the way we wouldn’t want to just get any pet; we’d want one that’s the best fit for our family.”
“Yeah definitely. I think Frannie would like a brother or sister too.” Jessie loved being a big sister to Billie, so it was no surprise she wanted the family dog to experience the same thing.
“Like I said, we’ll see. Now come on. Let’s go get your shoes. Make sure you wear sneakers. You’re going to be walking around a lot today.”
The girls could not have been having any more fun even when they were an hour and a half into their outing. They were keeping a frenetic pace, trying to get Sonny and Amanda to take them to as many exhibits as they could in the shortest amount of time possible. Jessie had just finished posing for pictures as if she were a giraffe, standing tall and extending her neck as far as she could to look longer. Billie had done her best to imitate but ended up just looking at Jessie in confusion. Amanda told her not to worry, that she could be the baby giraffe who still had some growing to do.
Now it was time to see the bears up close and see that Sonny was right; there was no reason to be afraid.
“OK Jessie, remember what we talked about before bedtime,” he said. “These bears are not going to hurt you. They’re behind a barrier and just walking around together. You can watch but try not to yell or get too excited; you can startle them.”
“I remember.” They got to the exhibit, and Amanda took Billie out of her stroller and knelt down next to her at ground level. She figured it would be safer for her youngest to look at the animals at her height.
“Look at the bears,” she said. “These are so much different than your stuffed teddy bears, right? If you ever see one of these bears if we’re camping or anything, you can’t give them a hug and hold them. But they might be curious about us and see what we’re up to.”
“That’s what I don’t like,” Jessie interrupted. “I’m afraid of getting hurt by a bear and I won’t be able to run away from it.” She talked just loudly enough for an employee walking by to overhear her, and he said hi to Jessie and the rest of her family. Amanda caught a quick glimpse of his name tag: Christopher.
“Are you trying to be less afraid of bears?” Christopher asked Jessie.
“Yeah. I heard they can be really dangerous, but my Uncle Sonny is trying to show me they’re not that bad.”
“You know, you are right that bears can hurt people very badly, but it doesn’t happen as often as the movies and TV shows might make you think. The most important thing to do when you see a bear is to not let them know you’re nervous, and don’t give up any of your food. You have to be calm. Bears don’t mind people being around as long as you give them enough space to find food and protect any cubs they might have.”
“Like I want to protect my little sister?”
“Yes, something like that,” Amanda chimed in. “But you can’t bite people when you feel like they’re hurting Billie. Just ask them to leave her alone, and don’t be afraid to be bold if you have to. And think about how Frannie doesn’t want you getting too close to her. She sometimes looks upset or growls to protect her space, but that doesn’t mean she wants to hurt you. It’s just a warning.” She smiled at Christopher. “Thank you. This is the first time I’m taking both of my daughters to the zoo. So far, they’re loving it.”
“Of course. I hope you get a chance to check out some of the feeding and petting areas that we created especially for the little ones.”
“I think we have a date with the sea lions and the penguins soon, actually.”
“Can we go now?” Jessie asked.
“Sure. We’ve been walking around outside a lot. Let’s go where it’s a little cooler and see some animals that are used to polar climates.” She reached into her bag and handed Jessie some water for the short trip.
“I feel like a kid again,” Sonny said to Amanda after the dolphin show. “It’s amazing to me how much these animals can learn and perform. And it always makes me happy to see you and the girls smiling and enjoying things.”
“I don’t think we stopped laughing the whole time.” Amanda agreed. “Did you girls have fun?”
“Yeah!” Jessie jumped up and down and Billie laughed and clapped with agreement. “Billie liked when the dolphin balanced the ball. I think it’s neat when they come out of the water and jump up in the air. I wish Frannie could do cool tricks like that.”
“I think the most we can get her to do these days is fetch. But we’ve seen the dog shows where they run the obstacle course and do other cool obedience tricks. And just like the dolphins and their tricks, those dogs have a lot of training and practice to do a good job when it’s time to perform.”
“Which brings us to our next lesson on having a pet,” Sonny said. “If you want to get another dog, they have to learn how to behave in the apartment and at dinner time. Sure, it’s fun to play with them and take them for walks, but you don’t want to let a dog do whatever they want.” He looked over at Amanda, and she stared at her phone, pretending not to remember the times she snuck Frannie a few snacks without making her sit or patiently wait.
“So we have to train a dog too?” Jessie asked.
“Yep. There are schools where dogs can go and learn manners or tricks, but you don’t necessarily have to take them to school; you can show them things at home too. So if you’re eating dinner and you want to give a dog some of your hamburger, you’ll want to teach them to sit. Or when someone comes in the door, you don’t want them to jump on that person and scare them. But it’s nice to see them catch on to new things. You can even give them a snack when they do something right so they know how to behave in the future. It’s like when you help around the house and your mom gives you some allowance.”
“I’m not a dog!”
Everyone laughed. “No, you’re not,” he replied. “But everyone likes a reward when they meet one of their goals or learn something new.”
Their next stop was to see the penguins, which is what Billie had been most excited about. She loved Happy Feet and Madagascar, and one of her favorite things to do with Jessie was to waddle around the apartment and pretend they were penguins.
“How can penguins live in the cold all the time?” Jessie asked Amanda. “Do you think they’re ever freezing?”
“I’m not sure,” Amanda replied. “I do know, though, that different animals have different coats and body temperatures to help keep them warm and survive outside. Penguins can’t live where it’s warm like we can because it’s not healthy for them. They do best in cold weather surrounded by the ice and glaciers.”
“I guess they don’t need hats and gloves then. I like penguins because they travel in packs and they stick together. Just like family.”
Amanda glanced at Sonny. He hadn’t heard Jessie’s last sentence because he was showing Billie the penguins and trying to learn how to waddle. She laughed at his willingness to get down on a two-year-old’s level and realized how good she had it.
“You’re right. Sonny and I will always be there for you and your sister,” she said. “Just don’t forget Frannie is a part of our pack too. Because the most important thing to remember is that a pet is a part of our family for life. You need to love them and include them just like you love Billie. If you think you’re ready to do that, then maybe when we go home, we can talk more about getting another dog and figure out what Frannie might like.
“Now, once you’re done looking at the penguins, let me know and we’ll go feed the sea lions. You still want to do that, right?”
“Yeah! And then can we go to the petting zoo?”
“Sure. We know you already love to pet Frannie.”
When they were on the way back outside, Sonny nudged Amanda.
“Am I hearing things?” he asked. “You want to get the girls another dog?”
“Well, not now. Or maybe not ever; who knows? I could wake up tomorrow and realize it’s a terrible idea. After all, Billie’s not old enough for the responsibility. Jessie could at least handle small tasks like helping feed a dog or go with me for a walk like she already does with Frannie.”
“Yeah, but I think Jessie would also show Billie how to act and not let her get too close so she doesn’t get hurt or anything.”
“Do you think we can manage, though? We both work way too much as it is. I don’t want to get a dog if it turns out we have to hire a dog sitter all the time and we’re never around to help the girls get used to it.”
“Good point. I feel like Jessie understands what to expect from growing up with Frannie and seeing all the different animals here interact, though. There’s potential.”
Amanda shook her head. No matter what she was worried about, Sonny tended to bring up good points that she couldn’t argue with.
“All right. Let’s think about it. We’ll need to figure out what breed is best for the family and how much we can put into things like training. So maybe not a puppy. But you and I are getting comfortable and I feel like we could add something else into the mix.”
“Mom, are we going?” Jessie asked. “I want to feed the sea lions now!” She had been giving Billie some fruit snacks. “And we still have to go to the gift shop and get something to eat from one of the food stands. You said we could each have a special treat today.”
“We’ll talk about this later,” Amanda whispered to him. “Let’s just have a fun rest of the day with the girls.”
“Agreed. All right Jessie, let’s go back outside. I can’t wait to see what tricks and talents the sea lions have up their sleeves. Or their whiskers, so to speak. And we can give them a little something to eat too. How’s that?”
“I can’t wait! Then we can go to the petting zoo, right?”
“Of course. It’s always nice to give the animals a little extra attention too, and it’ll help you bond with and understand them better.”
Maybe the Rollins-Carisi family would be ready for a new four-legged companion sooner rather than later.