A day in the life of accountant Steve Greig is not an ordinary day. He lives with ten dogs, two ducks, two chickens, two pigeons, several cats, a pig, a rabbit and a lot of fish.
It all started when Greig lost his dog. He grew up surrounded by animals because his parents were also animal lovers. He had a dog that was so close to him, and when he died, Steve felt like he couldn’t recover from the grief even months later.
For this reason, he believed that the only way to feel better was to do something good. And so, just as if he had continued to care for a dog that had passed away, Greig went to his local shelter to adopt the least adoptable dog they had. He decided to get a new dog so he could give it all his love instead of mourning the one he had lost.
He adopted a 12-year-old Chihuahua with a heart condition and sore knees. He named him Ea-Ea and gave him all his love and attention. That’s how he got more than 10 pets in his house.
In an interview, Greig said that only 8 of the 10 dogs belong to him. One belongs to his roommate and another is his sister’s dog, but they are still part of the pack, since his house is now considered a «daycare» for animals.
So, every morning Greig wakes up at 5:00 to make breakfast for everyone and give medicine to his older pets, then he goes to work, comes home at lunchtime to check on the animals, and then goes back to work.
He also walks all the dogs daily when he can squeeze that task into his schedule.
On the weekends, he buys essentials and pet food, goes to the vet and does all the other necessary things. It’s not easy being one dad of at least 10 pets, but Greig is happy and enjoys the company of all of them.
Although he thinks senior dogs are the most special, older dogs are less likely to be accepted into shelters because people are usually looking for puppies. However, they overlook the fact that senior dogs are actually very easy to care for. They like to nap a lot, they get along with other dogs, and most of them have a softer temperament, too.
Greig says they are also wiser animals.
People who would visit his house would never say he lives with so many pets because they are mostly quiet and crammed into their nooks for naps.
Greig plans to continue what he does and get a new pet once the older one dies. He finds what he does extremely rewarding, and it makes his daily life worthwhile.
