Benny - Part I

So, when my middle daughter was 9 she wanted to get a black bear hamster. We found a pet store that sold them and off we went. She looked at each hamster - ad nauseum - and finally made her selection. We called over the shop keeper and she said, pointing, "That one, please." He said, "Oh, no, sweetie, that one has no back feet. His mother done chewed them off when he was born. He's not long for this world." We had a little conference, she went into the corner of the store and prayed, looked at more hamsters - ad nauseum - and she said, pointing, "That one, please." Now, you all know it was the one without any back feet. In frustration I said, "Honey, can't you just pick out a whole hamster???!!!!" Can you guess which hamster she got?

We went buzzing through the store gathering supplies for this hamster that's "not long for this world." The shop keeper, who by this time thinks we're kooks (and wasn't shy about letting us know he thinks we're kooks) was watching our every move. We went to the register with the hamster's cage, food, food bowl, a hollowed out coconut for him to nest in, a water bottle, bedding and, of course, a hamster exercise wheel. The shop keeper took the wheel off the counter and said, "Sweetie, he ain't gonna be needin' that!" I had to agree with the man, but he didn't have to be so rude about it. "We'll take that wheel, if you don't mind!" I said. "Okay, lady, it's your $10.95!"

When we got home, we set up the cage, the bedding, the food, the coconut, the water bottle and the exercise wheel. That goofy hamster went right to the wheel and his back stumps fell right through the slots because he had no back feet to walk on!

to be continued.............