Pets

Last edited Wed Jan 30, 2013, 08:27 PM - Edit history (1)

First and foremost by Bear, a chocolate lab/german shepherd mix. Bear was adopted from the Humane Society of South Mississippi. He was a surrender after Katrina; his family's home was damaged and they couldn't find affordable housing that would let them have a dog. He was adopted first by another family who said he didn't get along with children, but having had him for over 6 year now, I am sure it was the children who didn't know how to get along with him. He adores all children and is adored by all the kids in our neighborhood who ask to pet him on every walk we go on. He's traveled with me to/through 23 states and absolutely saved my life when I had a nervous breakdown. We have a mutual adoration society going.


Brand new to the family is Honey, a shepherd mix on the smallish size. She was found nursing 8 puppies on the side of the road in NM about 3 months ago. Puppies were weened about two weeks ago and I adopted her last week. In the span of five days, she's learned to come when called (80% of the time), how to stay on the sidewalk during walkies, "lie down," "stay," "out of the kitchen" and "leave it." She's also well on her way to overcoming her acute fear of getting in cars (about 60% progress in two days). I'm very grateful to have found such an awesome second dog.


Our cats, Izzy and Javier, were left with my boyfriend by his ex who flew them from NY state to CO when she moved out here to live with him but hasn't even asked about them since she moved back 3 years ago. I'm not much of a cat person, but Izzy's pretty sweet (she likes to eat my hair and lick plastic bags). Javi is a PITA, has a meow that sounds like a whiny old Jewish man (a la John Stewart or Billy Chrystal), thinks he's displaced royalty. But he's ours and we love him.

Izzy, tripping out on some awesome catnip


Javi, voguing for the camera


In memorandum:

Ziggy (aka the Ziggster and ZiggyDoodle). This photo was incorporated into a mural in Berthoud, CO. Zig lived only a few years. One of my neighbors fed him some antifreeze-soaked hamburger which killed him. They also killed four other sweet neighborhood dogs. We all knew who did it but we couldn't prove it so that dog-killer is still roaming free while my sweet Zig had his life cut short.


Peaty. Half german shepherd, half great dane (we think, he was HUGE). My son's dog, they grew up together. Peaty was a wanderer, would try to bolt out the door and make for the hills any time he could until the day he was hit by a car. He recovered fine from that at the time, but he had to have both his hips replaced later in life. Peaty lived a full, good life until three years ago when he died at age 14.


Harley, the psycho inbred kitteh I got from a pet store. I knew better but these two horrid people were commenting on how ugly she was. She was a great cat for about 3 days, then we got a second cat. And then the dog arrived and she was never happy again. Unless I sang to her, and then she purred, purred, purred! We lost her about 8 years ago.


Lyle, a lionness among kitties, a phenomenal huntress who spent all of her early years chasing rodents through the meadow of our backyard, and retired at age 10 to an indoor life of leisure when we moved to a slightly less rural area. Gone since 2010.


To our wonderful pets and the joy they bring our lives!