Well, obviously I was in to Gabe. How could I not be? A handsome dude with an incredible mind who was curious about everything. Eventually, after a few dates, I even asked if he wanted to meet my parents in Massachusetts. He agreed and we had a great few days together. My father even told him a dirty joke that seemed to solidify that he liked my parents and they liked him too. And boy, did I like him.

If asked to describe the most tangible mementos of our relationship, I would have to say our pets have been a consistent expression of our love for one another. We adopted our first pet 6 months into dating.

At the time, it seemed like a far-fetched idea: introducing the responsibility of caring for a living creature into a new, and somewhat delicate, relationship. And, if I’m being honest, I have usually been the idea person behind each pet adoption. However, Gabe has time and again matched my enthusiasm for animals. And, in the instance of adopting our first pet, we ended up with Penelope the hamster. Despite weighing a quarter of a pound, Gabe and I doted on Penelope like she was the freakin’ queen of England. We built her a 2-story cage, we bought her every type of treat, vegetable and piece of fruit she could have possibly desired, and we even invested in building blocks so she could grow her curiosity and explore different mazes. For a creature so small and seemingly insignificant to the rest of the world, Penelope provided the foundation for Gabe and me to build our relationship.

As the years have gone on, Gabe and I have increased our capacity to care for one another and the amount of tiny, furry creatures we live with. Today, we have 4 ferrets: Louis, Blueberry, Franklin and Freya; and 2 cats: Samson and Lyra. Of our 6 pets, Louis and Blueberry were adopted with intention; we wanted to expand our animal family and for our pets to experience companionship. For the other 4, Franklin, Freya, Samson and Lyra, they came into our family after experiencing abandonment and neglect. Gabe probably thought I was crazy every time I suggested we adopt another animal. And yet, every single time, Gabe responded with compassion and love, transforming our apartment into a safe space and a home.

I remember when we first found Samson as a kitten, he was 6 weeks old and there was one time when I was holding him in the palm of my hands. He was so little and cute, and I called for Gabe from the other room to come see him. Gabe immediately ran towards me screaming “CAT” at the top of his lungs. Samson, being a tiny kitten, became so overwhelmed that all his claws came out and he scratched my hands until they bled. I dropped him on the floor, he scampered off, and I yelled at Gabe for 15 minutes as he helped me to wash and bandage my hands.

At its worst, caring for 6 pets has been stressful, frustrating, and sometimes even a little dangerous. But, at its best, which is most days, Gabe and I have many wonderful and funny memories of each of our pets growing up and learning to love us and each other. Gabe may have known almost immediately that I had a thing for him, but for me I see his love being affirmed every single day because of how much time and effort he puts into caring for our home and our furry family.

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