Looking After Pets

Veronika stood over the fishbowl. "Hello, Cleo," she said, as she sprinkled some goldfish food on top of the water. 

Veronika knows that she needs to feed Cleo every day. She is responsible (re-SPON-sih-bul) for the health of her goldfish. That means that looking after Cleo is her job.

Veronika knows that real fish use their gills to breathe their water, so once a week, she pretends to change Cleo's water so she can pretend to breathe the way real fish do.

Charlotte and Billy take care of their dogs. They feed them every day and make sure they have fresh water to pretend to drink all the time.

Charlotte and Billy take their dogs for a walk every day. Pierre and Freckles need exercise and fresh air. Sometimes one of the other dolls will go along, just for fun.

Charlotte and Billy pick up any messes their dogs pretend to leave on the sidewalk, the grass or under bushes, because that's what good dog parents do.

The dolls like to throw a ball or a toy for the dogs, and the dogs race to get to the ball or toy first.

The dolls teach their dogs not to chew up anything that doesn't belong to them and not to jump on people.

The dogs need brushing sometimes, so their hair doesn't tangle or come out on the furniture. Charlotte and Billy help each other brush their dogs, because Freckles and Pierre don't always want to stand still.

The dogs need to have their pretend teeth brushed, too.

Mandy doesn't have to take Marmalade for walks, but she does need to clean his litter box every few days.

Mandy gave Marmalade a cardboard box to use to pretend to sharpen his claws so he doesn't use the furniture. She showed him what he was supposed to do by making clawing motions with her hands.

Mandy helps make sure there is water in the water bowl, because Marmalade shares the water with the dogs.

Mandy brushes Marmalade, too. It isn't always easy, because the brush is so big, but she has found a way.

Brushing keeps him from leaving hair on the furniture. It also keeps him from swallowing too much hair when he washes himself. If he has hair in his stomach, he pretends to throw up a hairball. That can make a mess on the floor.

Dogs and cats need to have shots so they don't get sick and so they don't make other dogs and cats sick. Pierre, Freckles and Marmalade are toy animals, so they don't really get sick, but they go to the vet for pretend shots and for the vet to check to make sure they are still pretending to be healthy.

The dolls share a little horse named Brownie, but Emil is responsible for her. The dolls decided he should be the one, because Brownie can tell him what she needs and teach him how to look after her.

A horse is a pet you can ride. The dolls know they need to wear a helmet when they ride, just like when they ride a bicycle. The helmet protects the dolls' heads in case they fall off the horse.

Before his first ride, Emil put the halter and reins (raynz) on Brownie. He needs the reins so he can guide her when he rides. The halter is the part that goes over her head, so the reins stay put.

Brownie's halter doesn't have a bit, the metal bar that goes in the horse's mouth, because Brownie's mouth doesn't open. She is like the dolls in that way.
Then Emil put the saddle on Brownie. She told him how to do it.

Emil reached under Brownie's belly to fasten the saddle, so it wouldn't come off.

Emil used the reins to lead Brownie out to the backyard for a ride. They went out through the dog door.

When they got to the backyard, Emil talked to Brownie and pet her, so she would trust him to ride her.

He had to adjust the stirrups, so they would be in the right place for his feet. If they are in the right place for Emil's feet, they will be in the right place for the feet of most of the dolls, because they are the same size as Emil, but if a bigger or smaller doll is going to ride Brownie, Emil will adjust the stirrups for that doll.

Brownie explained to Emil that he had to get on her from her left side, so he did. Then he rode around the yard for a while. Emil gave Brownie a pat on her neck every once in a while to encourage her. She had never had a rider before. She had never been outdoors before.

Brownie knew real horses are supposed to be outdoors for riding, so she was proud and happy. She pretended to be a real horse. She let Emil ride her around the yard until they were both tired.

Brownie needs to be brushed every time she comes back from taking a doll for a ride, so after Emil took the saddle, the reins and the harness off of Brownie, he gave her a good brushing. He brushed down her sides.

Then Emil brushed Brownie's mane and tail with a different kind of brush. He talked to Brownie and called her by her name. He told her what a good horse she is.

Emil put a blanket over Brownie, so she would stay warm.

Brownie isn't a real horse. She has to stay in the house with the dolls and the other doll pets, but Brownie doesn't sleep in a bed the way the dolls do. That would be silly.

A real horse is supposed to stay in a stable in a little room called a stall (stawl). Horses sleep standing up or lying down on straw on the floor. The house doesn't have a stable, so the dolls made a stall for Brownie out of one of the kitchen cabinets. When Brownie was in the stall, Emil pretended to feed her a sugar cube as a reward. He petted her face and told her what a good horse she is.
"You are a good horse, Brownie," Emil said.

Every day Emil will bring Brownie some oats to pretend to eat or he will take her out to the backyard, so she can pretend to eat the grass.

Dogs, cats, horses, and some kinds of birds and fish, can make good pets because animals like these have lived with people for a long time. They are used to being with people. They are nice family members. The same is true of toy animals. They have lived with dolls and are used to them.

Some kinds of real animals have to live in the wild or in a zoo. We can't just bring home any animal we find and make a pet out of it. That could be dangerous for us and for the animal.

If you find a wild animal in trouble, tell a grownup, who will call someone who knows about animals that live in the wild.

There are plenty of pets to choose from, so almost anyone can have a pet.

Only people with a lot of room outdoors can have a horse. Many people have other kinds of pets, especially dogs and cats, but some families are unable to have a dog or a cat. Sometimes those people have birds or fish, but sometimes they can't even have birds or fish. Everyone can have doll pets.

Cast--
Veronika: Götz Classic Kidz Vroni
Mandy: Götz Happy Kidz Katie 2015
Jolena: Götz Happy Kidz Lena in Aspen
Charlotte: Götz Happy Kidz Anna in Paris
Mariah: Götz Happy Kidz Mariah, "Chosen" from My Doll Best Friend
Billy: Götz Happy Kidz Lily at London
Emil: Götz Happy Kidz Emilia
Brownie: Götz Big Plush Combing Horse
Marmalade: Purrrfect Cats
Cleo: Herself. (Cleo is actually a paperweight that was given to The Writer by a very old woman she knew when she was a child.)  

Many thanks to Alpine Veterinary Clinic for allowing us to shoot "on location" in their waiting room.

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Note: No dolls were harmed during production of this blog. All dolls shown are Götz Happy Kidz, Classic Kidz or Little Kidz. If you like these stories and are willing, please make a donation of any amount to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital or any organization that supports pediatric cancer research and treatment. We are not affiliated with St. Jude in any way other than these donations.

"The Doll's Storybook" is not affiliated with Gotz Dolls USA Inc. or Götz Puppenmanufaktur International GmbH.
Watch for the next story each Friday afternoon at 1:00 PM Pacific Time.

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