Guinea Pig Therapy

I am certain a new therapy should be developed for adults and children alike. It should be called, "guinea pig therapy". I wish I would have known years ago how amazingly relaxing holding a guinea pig can be. Susie and I spent a great deal of time discussing our guinea pigs today. We sound obsessed. Describing the unique little behaviors, that empty yet loving stare, the soft purr as you cuddle. The secret joy of watching Susie's husband Tim profess that cavies are disgusting rodents and yet he is slowly warming up to the little critters. Tim has been trained to bring big Louie fresh veggies when Louie makes special cooing sounds. Too cute! Yup, we are in love...with our kids' guinea pigs. It is so bad in fact that when I am in a pet store and see an adorable guinea pig I feel over come with the urge to bring him or her home.Today I took Chloe and Maizie to the pet store to buy some Timothy Hay. We saw a baby white guinea pig with the messiest fur and the brightest blue eyes. Love at first sight! Don't worry I resisted.Over the weekend we were at Brian and Janeen's house and I brought over Salem for Nevaeh to see. It became obvious that Nevaeh has an intense love for animals. She made it clear I did not need to help her hold Salem. After a long while I had to convince her that Salem needed to go home and get to bed. To see a two year old sit still for a long period of time, gently petting, kissing and talking to a guinea pig is an amazing sight. Such concentration! And yet, it does not surprise me since guinea pigs have the same affect on Maizie when she is feeling easily upset or unable to rest. Place Salem and Zebra on her lap and watch her immediately feel a sense of peace.