Pooky was my friend...

I had lots of pets as a kid.  My earliest recollection of a favorite pet was named Pooky (1973-1975). Behold...a stock photo of what I can best recall my pet gerbil looked like...I know...take a moment.  Look at all its features...agile...quick...fluffy....fascinating little gal isn't she?  I think it's a girl.  At least I don't recall Pooky having balls*.

Anyway...I was an only child for the equivalent of 15 minutes of my life.  Maybe my parents thought I needed a friend until my 5 additional siblings came into the picture.  I don't recall how Pooky came to be.  Just remember going into my playroom one day and there she was....scratching in the corner of her terrarium.

I thought Pooky and I shared a special bond.  My parents would smile when I came down to announce I was having a sleepover at Pooky's house.  I'd take some blankets to her room and spent many a sleepless night in there listening to her incessant scratching...she was so restless!  And that damn wheel of hers...Every third rotation I'd hear a tired, "Squeeee, squeeee..."

I held Pooky...once.  She bit me.  That was the one and only time I pet her before she died 6 months later.  For some reason I wasn't too broken up about it.  Put her into a yellow margarine bowl and buried her in a shallow grave...

"Bye Pooky!" was all I really said as I passed a few neighborhood cats...I thought at the time they were a little sad too...

Then went shopping for my next pet who would be named Trixie.

(*Anyone know if gerbils have testes?  Now I'm curious...)

Outta here...