Those we love, in pictures, before 02.11.13. (locked)
Last edited Mon Feb 11, 2013, 01:13 PM - Edit history (3)
This thread is pinned, and now locked. A second thread has been started and is also pinned, but open for posting.
This thread has been a way to introduce us to your little guys and to celebrate those who have crossed The Rainbow Bridge.
= new reply since forum marked as read
Our great orange tabby Moby - who left us unexpectedly (and sadly) last January. He found us in our yard when we really needed a friend...and never left.
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Mocha and Buddy - our current best pals - ages 7 and 8, and both rescue.
Sam and Kip - our other current best pals - both still less than a year old, both rescue.
and here is our beloved Zoe - rescue black lab that left us about 5 years ago. She loved to play with Buddy (not so much Mocha, who was a very annoying little pup when Zoe was getting on in years!)
-assuming I got this right... (the grey and white kitty) has a face almost exactly like my Winston (aka 'Fatman') 
. Facial markings are nearly identical, only Winston (also a rescue kitty) is a dsh- your Sam, while probably also a dsh (?), certainly has a very cute bushy tail! ... I wonder if he or (she?) has some Maine Coon in him/her?
If I can figure out how to upload pics, I'll show you what I mean re: the facial similarities.
To the OP: This picture thread is a wonderful idea! It's great to be able to attach DU names to their furry friend's faces -lol! Yeah, if you can 'pin' this thread Stinky, it'd be really nice. This just may be the thread that will finally motivate me to figure out how to post a pic!
Here's Baby...I lost her early last summer. She had feline leukemia, and went downhill so quickly, I had no other options. I miss her terribly. She was the only female from a litter I rescued back in '99. Her three brothers are still with me, but she was my favorite.
Bob...Found my back yard after his owners moved out and left him behind. Took a while to gain his trust, but he turned out to be a real sweetie. Followed me around like a puppy dog. But he was FIV+, when he found me. We probably had him four years before he passed.
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Gigi (GG), short for "Garage Girl", because that's where she prefers to hang out. She showed up compliments of a neighbor who found her in his Havaheart trap. I told him that I would keep her in our dog cage, until we figured out what to do with her. (She's still here after 5 years)
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Surprise!!!
Next morning we had a surprise in the dog cage (or should I say 8 surprises?) Here are 5 of the cuties, looks like GG was a bit of a tramp! Good news...we found forever inside homes for all of them!
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Toody (short for 2 days, which is how long the hubby gave me to find her a new home a few years back) Yeah, right. Only kitteh I chose, instead of vice versa. Toody is an I Can Has Cheeseburger star!:
Our latest addition, Bunny (Because, when I first spotted his backside on our deck hanging with the ferals, I thought he was a rabbit) Had to snag him, before he got too wild. Nobody wanted him, so he became a member of the feline zoo. :
And here's a pic of the late Baby watching a hummingbird with her brother, "B.T." Just because I really like it!
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No pics of Scarlet, a feral who has been coming around for 12 years. I suspect she is Baby and BT's mother, along with Noogie and Elvis Purrsley's. (Also not pictured)
Also, Stumpy is missing from the album. He came to our back porch with a broken femur 10+ years ago. He was also FIV+, and developed liver cancer this past fall. We had to let him go. What a sweetheart he turned out to be.
OK, just to clarify my nuttiness...there are five indoor kitties, one garage/indoor kitty, and two ferals we feed right now. I would really like to have a dog, but he wouldn't stand a chance, as things are now.
Bebop-Queen of All Our Blue Merle Collie
BB The Moose aka Surfer Dog my baby, a lab-chow mix-get him near water and he was all lab
Boogie-Queen of the Doofii Mostly smooth collie
Sweetie Pie The Snuggle Puppy our 80lb lap dog
Boo-our Aussie, she was the only dog we got deliberately. i got her as a Valentine's present for Donna and there was no doubt that she was MY dog
Wheezie aka Devious And Conniving Little Weasel, we inherited her from Donna's mother-she passed away last spring
The three boys I rescued, found them dumped on a county road at 4AM, they had mange, fleas, worms and fire ant bites all over them.
Hank the Cowdog as a baby and later, He was poisoned about 5 years ago, and the clown living behind me at the time was lucky I had no proof.
Rusty and Jake, Hank's brothers, the only two I have left and they're 16+ now
Rusty has a gimp leg and developed lip cancer. The vet sas at his age he probably wouldn't survie the surgery-so far he's not in pain or discomfort
Jake has arthritis and gone deaf but still responds to visual clues
Last edited Sat Sep 22, 2012, 07:45 PM - Edit history (1)
Here's my guys...
This is my first one who long since went to heaven where he's waiting for me in a rare photo of acting undignified. In this one he's "helping" me make the bed, but as you can see, he's actually got the sheet in the living room, so he wasn't exactly much help (we had a lot of fun though)...
This is Boo, my next one (whom I've talked about here before and passed away last summer, so he's also in heaven waiting upon my eventual arrival) in a rare photo of being dignified (funny how the first one was always so dignified yet this one was almost never dignified). In this one he's watching icicles drip from the roof and rather unimpressed...
This is Yoshi, my current pup that I just got in September and I've introduced him here as well. He's about eight months old now and much bigger already. In this one he's resting in the yard after we were playing. This is only hours before he tried digging his way to China in that area and made some very impressive craters (though so far he's not found a big bag of money buried in the yard unless he hid it somewhere from me to keep for himself). Funny how the first one was almost always dignified, the next one was almost never dignified, and this one I can't yet manage to get of photo of him before he dashes out of the frame or shoves his nose in the camera lens whether being dignified or undignified...
Last edited Sat Sep 22, 2012, 07:47 PM - Edit history (1)
It's the only one I could ever get where he looked dignified. All the others he's doing something mental or just has a dopey expression. But he almost never acted the least bit dignified at any time. It's funny that when I got the camera out I was intending on getting funny photos of him playing in the snow (this was his first snowfall experience), but I got lucky that when I first put him out in the yard he spent time just looking at it trying to figure it out, so I got this great photo of him. I'm not very good at picture taking (much to my shame as my dad was an awesome photographer), so I was really surprised this one came out so well.
Most of the time he looked like a total dingus... like this...
Or this...
I still miss him. Well, of course I would. I still miss the one who went before, too. But Boo's passing is still a bit fresh.
Thanks for the compliments. He was a hell of a doggie.
Funny, this thread made me finally go through his photos and it was the first time I could do it without feeling such accute pain from his loss. I even laughed a lot. Time helps, I guess.
This is Nakita, this wonderful girl came to us as a rescue when she was 8 yo, she is now 11. Like most GSDs, she is very smart, very loving, and very loyal. Nakita is the Alpha female.
<a href="http://s1130.photobucket.com/albums/m527/SadiesDad/?action=view¤t=Nikita_homecoming1.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="
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This is Sadie Mae. She came to us at 5 weeks old and is now almost 8 months. She is Nakita's constant companion, student and "sister." Sadie went in to be spade on Thursday and was a very sick girl until yesterday morning, but has bounced back nicely. now the challenge is to limit her activity while she heals. Not an easy task!
<a href="http://s1130.photobucket.com/albums/m527/SadiesDad/?action=view¤t=Sadieat6months.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="
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This is Lolah, a 3 year old half French Bulldog, half Boston rescue that came to us at 1. She was in rough shape, had lost most of her fur, had an awful rash, and was desperate for some peeps to just love her. She blossomed into Lolah Bean (as we call her), with some help from our vet and lots of snuggles. She was such a hit with everyone who met her, several asked that should she ever have pups, they wanted one.
<a href="http://s1130.photobucket.com/albums/m527/SadiesDad/?action=view¤t=AZKCandLolah2002.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="
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Which leads us to Lolah's pups. All but one now are residing in their new homes, from left to right: Tuffy (now named Woody), Long tail White Paws (LT), Little Leo the Lionhearted (Leo) and Pookie. Sister Rosie and brother Gizmo (Stitch) are pictured separately.
<a href="http://s1130.photobucket.com/albums/m527/SadiesDad/?action=view¤t=IMG_7818.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="
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This is Stitch (we called him Gizmo) with his pug roomate Louie at his forever home:
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And finally Rosie, first born and now a member of my brother's family in Omaha. I miss this sweet little girl a bunch:
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Here's a shot from this morning of Leo, he's staying forever with us, and LT, here for a visit while S-I-L is out of town, enjoying the sunny spot.
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And here's the pups dad Louie L'amour, who resides with another s-i-l and family.
<a href="http://s1130.photobucket.com/albums/m527/SadiesDad/?action=view¤t=March6toMarch13059.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="
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You know I am a sucker for Bostons.
We could all check this one link to see just who a poster is talking about. Pictures are worth a thousand words.
My current kitteh, Sammy. He has been with me for 6 months. He is from a rescue group and has been a money pit with health problems, but I wouldn't give him up for anything.
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/curmudgeoness/5971967264/"|"><img src="
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The last two who are waiting at the bridge, Ashes (black) and Pudding (gray). I lost both of them within five months, Pudding to renal failure and Ashes to heart failure after surgery to remove a broken tooth, which was untreated until we got hyperthyroidism cured with radioactive iodine.
<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/curmudgeoness/5479861207/"|"><img src="
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I do not have pictures of pets from further back available---they are only on paper, but I want to honor Sasha, my first cat, and Ginger, my big boy, who was adopted shortly after Sasha. And high honors to Misty, my first pet, a blue and gold macaw who I do not know where she is---she was stolen after several years with me. I only hope she is happy.
He runs and plays at the Bridge.
My Rowdy one. I have to find better pictures of him. I have them but they seem to be hiding in the computer. He started smiling when he realized he finally had a family and has never stopped.
The Sweetie Pie We rescued her as a puppy
Funny what we can see with our animals in pics.
They look like great babies!!! Thanks for posting!
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This is Uno who passed over the summer.
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I need to find one of Ruby, my black and white Border collie who passed a number of years ago. I will add her when I find one.
First is Miss Mary, who was 12 when she went to bridge in September 2010, after battling renal failure. She was a prissy little lady, but she was my heart kitty.
Next is Princess, who is 11, and is the current grand dame of the house. She's a petite girl, but won't put up with any nonsense from her younger brother.
And last is the latest addition to the family, Simon, AKA The Orange Tornado. He'll be 2 in March, and is a mischievous, energetic, happy bit of chaos. He can't help but make your smile.
This is our fraidy-cat, Tigger. It's an old picture, from the 2004 election season when Security Moms and Security Dads and Security Anythings were everywhere. She prefers to keep to herself and stays in the basement office areas. She's about 15 and losing weight, but doing okay.
This is Murray, aka "The Mayor," Tigger's brother from a subsequent litter, so he's about 15, too. He's a weird one -- he used to get on top of doors and not jump down even when we try to close them; once he got under a glass top table and tried to jump up; that could explain his other oddities, such as falling asleep in this position (a one-time event)...
This is our Border Collie (mix) Doovy, the alpha -- must have been right after a grooming because she's usually so wildly fluffy, she comes in with twigs and leaves stuck to her (Stinky calls her "Velcro Dog"
. She was found emaciated and near death. StinkyJr1 inherited her from a girlfriend, but his various living situations caused her to stay with us temporarily several times, at increasing lengths, and eventually we just adopted her permanently. She is the dog that made me like dogs. Sweet, super-smart, and scared of nothing -- except thunderstorms. We think she's about 10, but it's hard to know. Lately she's lost some weight so we're watching that with the vet.
This is our GSD Molly, fetching what she considers a stick. She's fearsome-looking but an absolute kitten. Similar to Doovy, StinkyJr2 inherited her from a friend who couldn't keep her, she had to stay with us a few times, then when he couldn't take her back we kept her. She's very lean with long, long legs. She is about six or so.
And this is Asia, my BABY!! (I say that because it makes Stinky crazy.) She too is a rescue, but I actually got to pick her! She's a Shih-Tzu. She's adorable, hilarious, and bosses the German Shepherd. The challenge is to keep her hair out of her face and to keep her weight down!! She's not quite two.
I love hearing about your pets! They are adorable to look at too. I still sometimes think of the Fox pee incident Stinky posted about and laugh. I think Doovy got the Fox all "pissed" then Molly rolled in the result and P-U!
Your Shih Tsu looks quite a bit like the one my parents had for years, except he was a he
This is the first dog I have had since my beloved childhood mutt died when I was 15; her name is Layla and we adopted her from the Lexington Humane Society when she was 8 weeks old. She is now 1 year and 8 months. My husband and I her intensely. Her sweet, smart, playful, loving little soul with fur has already gotten us through some rough times such as my Dad's passing, my Mom's onset of dementia/having to enter assisted living, and my DH's scare with kidney problems. In fact, we adopted her two days after my Dad's funeral, we had been discussing getting a pet for a while and we just needed to jump in and get some extra love.
My husband had always had herding dogs and we saw on pet finder that the shelter had two female Border Collie mix puppies and we went and fell in love. We did a doggie DNA test I ordered online and it said she was 1/2 Aussie and 1/2 mutt; but who knows, she is smart and herds things, LOL. She loves her long walks, agility class, and her BFF who is our good friend's young GSD, oh, and whatever "dad" has on his plate (he eats a lot more meat than I do). She is asleep right now or she would bark at me for daring to pay attention to that square lit-up thingie on the desk rather than go out and play tennis ball fetch with HER. Darn humans can't be properly herded in the right direction for very long at a time.
Mia
Monty
I also take care of three strays that have adopted me.
Norman- 
& Crook- 
Pixie in her Christmas outfit
Milo wearing his Christmas tie
Jeoffry wearing his Christmas tie
The Gang of Fur at the window
Gone but not forgotten:
Teddy
Alice
Leonard
Woody
Charles
What an awesome photo to remember them all by!
Last edited Tue Jan 17, 2012, 04:46 PM - Edit history (1)
Bridge March 2009. She had Cushings', lupus, diabetes, and was completely blind with two 'fake' eyes in that picture. She was a 13 year old Samoyed.
The two smaller ones are American Eskimo rescues. Sugar on the left and Hank on the right. They are now about 8 or 9 years old.
I have taken up with 4 cats that just showed up at my house and stayed. They were all at least half wild and males. All have been neutered and have rabies shots. They eat 3 times a day and I spent $6000 to enclose my back porch into a 'cat house'. I don't have any pictures I can upload today. They are Dubya, Andy, Mellow, and Gabby.
Here's my 4 cats...
Last edited Tue Jan 10, 2012, 01:19 AM - Edit history (1)
Booty Princess (currently the bain of my existence- recently peed on a new pair of boots). Not sure exactly how old she is -14 or 15. She was kind of passed around in the early years, but has been with my hubby since 1999.
Ambrose, the bully. He'll be 14 next month. Been diabetic since he was 3 and is still feisty as ever.
Ceile my border collie/gsd mix. Most empathetic, sensitive creature I've ever met. She's almost 11.
Apple the beast, she's almost 3.
Priddy the porch kitty
Grace has passed over.
Gone but not forgotten:
Cuerva 1997-2008, my tortie baby
Ouzo 1997-2007, Ceile's "brother" and teacher
Outside ferals, all healthy and fixed:
Schitzy (porch cat) on edit: not the best pic, but here he is:
Baby
Bob
Big Boy
Henry
Sascha not the best:
Norma
Spooky
Always glad to show off the clowder...I'm lucky to have some handsome cats (and I tell them so daily).
Wimsey Whyte-Cat, who just had a birthday on Twelfthnight.
He has reached the grand age of five years old and is in his prime.
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Riktor-Pye...
He's also in his prime at nine years old.
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D'Artagnan...posing on the...I mean OUR car. He puts on the regal act...hard to catch him in a moment of derpiness...
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...and baby Raven. This is her "Blair Witch" pic...but she's not sorry for anything.
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Waiting at the Bridge for us...
Esme- here she's doin' the Monkey.
"She's a kittycat...and she dance dance dance and she dance dance dance."
We lost her last year due to CRF. She was able to give us a couple more months after being diagnosed as terminal...but the Bridge called and she had to go.
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And finally, baby Shimrod, who was taken from us far too young.
I have a bunch of pics of him that I'm not sure what to do with. He was such a sweet boy...had 'familiar' potential.
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A lot of black cats, I know. They're easier to tell apart in person and when you know them.
I adopt black cats almost exclusively (Wimsey adopted ME) because they are the most abused, most euthanized and least adopted of the cats.
I can't save them all...but I can give some of them a good forever home.
I don't have pics of Misha the Alpha-cat or his beloved Kaminari...but they too were black cats...Misha was a big boy, tall, long-legged and built like a cheetah.
That cat had an opinion on EVERYTHING, the voice of a a Siamese and the lungs of an operatic tenor. My house was too quiet when he was gone...
Kami was smaller and built more like a tiger...and every inch was STUFFED with personality.
She was my supervisor, social director, meat inspector, border patrol and Misha's sidekick and backup. So many roles that little cat filled...
I miss them.
All the traits of a Siamese, but black -- the crooked tail, the weird sounds, the crazy antics!! She would "play tag," hide under things and jump out at me dancing on her hind legs with her paws in the air, just hilarious!!
And they're all so sleek and beautiful. I didn't realize they were more likely to be abused and euthanized...
Tony -- our oldest pet, who will be 11yo in July. I think he likes it when it was just the three of us (him, me, and Mr. BtA).
Voodoo (who turns 6 on Jan 13th) -- this is our sweet little man. (Baby pic, then today pic)
Willow -- our 5yo blue-headed Pionus parrot.
Caesar -- (pronounced KAY zar) passed away this past March. He was 7yo.
Tzarina -- Caesar's mate, she is almost 5yo (the one in the front)
Laveau -- She will be 3yo in May. Named after Marie Laveau, Voodoo Queen of New Orleans
Waldo -- not really our pet, took up residence above our home in New Orleans (yes, there are wild roosters in NOLA!)
Marigny -- (pronounced: mare UH knee) She will be 3yo in June and is Laveau's half-sister
Zatanna -- Named after a DC Comic superheroine, known as the Mistress of Magic, she will 1yo in April
The Finch Krewe -- Thorn, Antony, Rogue (male zebra finches all over 7yo) and Aegis (male Orange Weaver not pictured)
We also have had several other birds, some who passed on, as well as hamsters and fish. We like animals.
Zoey, a mixed pup and the best little girl ever.
Cocoa, a rescue who took the place of Zoey's sister when she died. Zoey was so depressed she refused to go out to walk or play. It was heartbreaking, when someone asked us to give Cocoa a home Zoey changed back to her old self!
Mitzy was Zoey's sister and we lost her to cancer at 4 years old. they had never been apart.
Princess who found us one Christmas Eve with her sister and brother (who found homes).
Monkey, mean as the devil and 17 years old. Gotta Love him, he's a workshop Cat.
Edited to include my Grand dog Argos!
Here's Esther (the Calico) and Holly (the grey cat) in a rare moment of hanging out together. Esther is mine. Holly is the roommate's cat.
Here's Esther ignoring the Ravens game on TV.
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Jessie the best Sheltie in the whole wide world. She's slowing down now and I am not ready for her to leave us:
She's doing what she did best-staring at the ball because she can will it (me to pick up and throw it) to be fetched.
Izzie-One half of the terrible two (who happen to be two now) that I picked up when I was going to pick up one rescue kitten:
Bella- The other half and also the quirkiest cat I have ever owned:
Izzie and Bella-Not getting into anything...they SWEAR:
Licorice-A beautiful Maine Coon that ran away with our hearts one day:
Kittimus Prime-He's bigger now but is still freaking addicted to television:
Here is Kittimus now:
And the big, BIG boy who started it all...Merlin: 
I shall miss you forever good boy. 
Last one...Jessie hanging out with her big brother Merlin:
Jessie was relentless in staring down the ball, or trying to fling a squeaky toy in your lap. All so that you would throw it for her to fetch. She's getting a little too old to fetch anymore but they are awesome memories. Another favorite activity of hers is to stare at a spot halfway between the counter and the floor, when you're cooking, in the hopes that something (anything!) will drop on the floor.
Aww, so beautiful and sweet. Shelties are the most awesome dogs. Here is our Emma, who left us 8 years ago. I still miss her so much!!! Shelties will always be my true love, but in just a few days, we are welcoming our first pet since losing Emma - a miniature schnauzer. It will be strange to have a new baby in the house again!
Here is Emma:
Klyde
Willie
Here she is on the lid of the clothes hamper, where she waits while I'm in the shower...
...and looking decidely less dignified, but happy to be home and finally able to really relax after having to be boarded for a few days last summer (A/C went out):
I call that pose "The Ackbar"--it's a trap! 
Here's an image of my old kitty Allison;
I still miss my old Allie cat.
Sunshine - 12-years-old. - Mutt
Shadow - 8-years-old. - Black Lab/German Shepherd
Sadie - 4-years-old. - Mutt
Sunshine and Shadow lived together, until Shadow went from L.A. to Honolulu, and then Sadie came along.
Mr. Mickey's sister is here with me a few years ago...
Rested her little soul today months after realizing she had lymphoma.
Last edited Wed May 16, 2012, 03:30 PM - Edit history (1)
I've so enjoyed looking through all the pictures on this thread! Time to post mine.
Tara---crossed the bridge four years ago. Still missed.
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and our current critters, Shelby (the one with the big nose) and Max (a very easy-going guy).
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and the latest addition to the menagerie, Bean 
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First up is ...
Patches
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She Polydactyl (has extra toes on her front paws) I really didn't want two cats, the other is Snowball (pic below) but my son spent two weeks trying to convince me to get her. I only agreed after I overheard his "friend" say If she in not picked up tomorrow she will be killed. I went and get her that night. This June she will have been with us 7 yrs ans Snowball will have been with us 8. TrogL has 2 cats Tyger and Smokey. Then we adopted 2 dogs together, Leo who is 11 this year and Scrappy who will be 6.
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My Favorite picture of Leo and Patches taken last May.
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Leo, Patches and Tyger
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Tyger
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Smokey with Leo
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Scrappy
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Finally got some pictures of him together.
Anyway ...
As a kitten he was called "Pinky" for awhile being he was all pink as you can see:
He grew to be about 20 lbs. in his prime and he was nothing to mess around with. Here he was at about age 3 or so:
I still miss my cats so very much. I'm glad I still have one left in any event.
I do hope he is resting in peace across the rainbow bridge.
Who we lost this morning. A picture from a few years ago, seat-belted in and ready for a ride.
and wow was Jessie ever one beautiful dog!
I'm so very sad for you.
May your grief be short and your life be long and happy.
May dear Jessie RIP across the rainbow bridge with all of the other beloved animals that were once in our world.
Here is a huge for you!!
After saying never again after losing Jessie (see above post), never lasted less than two weeks. We think she's a German Wirehaired Pointer/Dalmatian mix.
Aji Suki Taka Hi Kone
George
Athena
Joseph K
Odysseus
Thanks for reminding me of the name of the lake - I'm always forgetting it. 
Cleo says "thanks"! 
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catahoula_Cur
First, Marmie (who has just passed away at the age of 14). Another huge thank you to everyone who posted in her eulogy thread this past few days. I'm just now finally getting over the head- and face-ache I developed from all the crying I did, along with my wife. I hadn't been that upset since my mother passed away 9 years ago.
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Next, Calis. This one is one of my wife's two original cats, which she got as litter mate kittens on October 4, 2000. He will turn 12 this August. His brother got outside and somehow vanished in a matter of minutes a number of years ago. His name was Tristan and we miss him terribly.
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Then we have Shakey, who is a stray we adopted after my mother passed away in October of 2003. He lived outside, and may very well have been the former tenants' cat, because he acted like our apartment was his. We moved into the apartment a few months prior to that, and he was horribly thin and malnourished in the extreme Las Vegas summer heat. While my mother was still alive, she didn't want a fourth cat in the apartment, so we kept him alive by giving him food and ice water every day until we could bring him in. He barely stayed a member of our furbaby family, because for weeks after we let him inside he had a habit every night of scratching at the bedroom window or the sliding glass door in the living room, and meowing loudly and incessantly. It took throwing his ass back out twice, as well as locking him in the bathroom all night with the fan and a radio going in there to drown out his caterwauling for nearly two weeks, to get him to simmer down enough to keep him. If we had resorted to tossing him back out a third time, that would have been the end. We figure he was born sometime in 2002, because he was fully grown when we got him but still obviously very young. So, he's roughly 10 years old now. Here is Shakey, buddying up with Calis.
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Taz is another stray we adopted. We couldn't help it because she got so in our faces the evening we met her. My wife and I were riding our bikes home to our apartment after work, and as we approached our building out in the parking lot, Taz stepped out from between a couple of cars and looked at us meowing while we were still a good 20 yards away. We slowed down and got off our bikes, and Taz let us pick her up. She was still a kitten but mostly grown, and she also had an injured claw. We took her into our apartment and isolated her from the other cats for a day. She spent that 24 hours screaming her indignation over being locked up, plus knowing that there were mystery kittehs on the other side of the door. It was hilarious to watch when Shakey and Taz actually ended up playing their own version of 'patty cake' from opposite sides of the door, swatting each other's paws from the underside. Once we let Taz out into the general population, she continued to growl and grumble at everyone, including sitting at the common food bowl and grumbling while she was eating, enough to scare everyone else away from their food until she was done. Another classic she pulled was walking around the entire perimeter of our mattress while we were in bed, grumbling the whole way around. We both reached out to pet her and try to calm her down, but she just had to have that lap around the bed, and then when she had made it all the way around she just jumped off and away to grumble at something else. She no longer grumbles, but she's just one huge cat, and she loves to pick up a cat toy, dirty sock or whatever is convenient and carry it all over the apartment in her mouth like a baby, and she'll meow plaintively the whole time. Sooooo cute!
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Finally, our newest addition, Sammy. This one was brought to our apartment just over a year ago, by neighbors who saw him out in the side street which runs along our apartment complex, and they claimed that he had been nearly hit by a car. "Did we want him?" So my wife, who had answered the door, brought this beautiful kitten back to the bedroom. I thought the last thing we needed was a fifth cat, but the thought of him getting run over by a car for real caused me to cave in. He was maybe 4 months old at the time, which meant his birthday is probably about November, 2010. Sammy isn't the type who likes to be held for more than a minute or so (we've gotten him up to a minute from being completely antsy when you picked him up at all in the beginning), but he will cuddle up to you all the time on his terms. His favorite game is to play a highly unique and complex form of 'fetch' with plastic grocery bags which we tie into tight little balls, and sometimes wrap with a bit of velcro ribbon to give them more weight and heft. He will come up to us with a 'ball', meowing and brushing against our legs, or jumping up on the back of our chair or on the table, with a 'ball' in his mouth, signaling that he is ready for play time. We throw his 'ball' down the hallway like good hoomans, and then he will either bring it straight back to us for another round, or first he'll divert into the bathroom where he 'washes' the 'ball' in the tub drain area (where we always keep water lightly dripping because most of the cats love drinking fresh water from the faucet, or to get help grooming there) before bringing back this sopping wet tied-up plastic bag. And he'll do this continuously for upwards of an hour sometimes! He's now about 1 1/2 years old, and has really grown from a 5 pound terror kitten into the 14 pound Sammy we know and love now.
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And finally, a group shot of all five of them taken a few months ago on the pile of quilts that passes for our current bed.
From left to right: Sammy, Taz, Marmie, Calis, Shakey.
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Eyes of love.
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It's tiring to be a Bulldog.
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Underbite? Yeah, so? Doesn't slow me down from givin' kisses.
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Roxie the Killer Bee with her Dad, my brother Mike.
He's hurting bad, send some good thoughts his way.
I rescued him from a woman down the street that wasn't taking care of him very well.
He was VERY matted and smelly before his first trip to the groomers - which explains his name.
He knows quite a few words in English and Italian - his name in Italian is 'Puzzo'
I miss her so. We lost her in March...When do I stop crying?
Tikki
Her face is so very sweet.
This picture isn't the best quality, but it's my favorite picture because it captures his personality:
He was the best dog I've ever had. He was like a little toddler to me -- the only difference seemed to be that he couldn't talk!
I taught him to "play" the piano by putting his treats on the piano keys. There were many times I was on the phone with family or friends that he'd jump up on the piano bench & play for treats (or attention); it never failed to get a laugh from the person I was on the phone with.
We miss him so much, we decided to get another Boston Terrier. We had one picked out -- a female we were going to name "Marley" -- but the breeder told us a week later that her vet discovered she had an eye problem that would later require surgery; she couldn't sell Marley.
We ended up adopting two other puppies in the same litter: a male & female we named "Abner" & "Gladys" after the Kravitzes from "Bewitched". We picked them up on Saturday & we're just thrilled with them.
This is Abner:
And this is Gladys:
he was a good, sweet boy. he was nothing like any of the other males we've ever had, not interested in keeping the girls in line, just interested in bathing them. he loved to talk and had vocalizations i had never heard before, he always made me laugh with his chatter.
i'll miss you, man.
Allie the doxie is 2; her sister Emily is 5.
As you can see, Emily is not too pleased with her little sister, but I believe they love each other nonetheless.
"...another heaven and another earth must pass before such a one can be again."
We got her from the animal care and control right in Manhattan before she was going to be put down on Dec 18, 2007 aged 9 months or so. We assigned her birthday as March 16, 2007 - the same day my now wife and I had our first date. She is a pit bull mix - mix with what is anybody's guess, but we switched between boxer, lab, and sometimes pointer depending on our mood for those who asked.
I always liked animals, but would never get my own since I liked to go out of the house, to a party, to travel the world without any responsibilities. My girlfriend (now wife) really pushed that I should get a dog. When I looked at an apartment once that did not allow dogs, she got a little annoyed! Then there was the day, in the new apartment that I did finally rent when a woman living in the apartment was coming out of her apartment about to walk her dog. My girlfriend glared at me, stating clearly with her eyes, "When the hell are you going to get a dog?!" So, I caved. I insisted on a pit since I had recently been introduced to a few and thought they were beautiful and affectionate contrary to popular opinion - and they were athletic which was key for me as I liked to be active.
We did a lot of research and went to a few rescue centers and looked over a lot of dogs - we wanted to choose the right one. Then we saw this tuxedo colored pit mix on a recue web site that looked so cute. We emailed the group and they responded right away saying it was urgent that we come. We went that night. We were taken to the back room with the dogs that did not have much hope. There she was - frightened - terrified. She lightly growled at us. The rescue people got a little nervous, but we asked to take her out to another room anyway. She came to use with a scared look on her face, tail between her legs, but was actually responsive in a gentle way with a few toys. We took her home. While I drove back to my apartment, my girlfriend was in the backseat with Dexter - and Dexter immediate placed her chin on my girlfriend's lap and declared her mommy.
A girl named Dexter - we chose the name (not because of the TV show, though we LOVE that show as we discovered via Netflix last year) because my girlfriend wanted a dog named Dexter - the dog turned out to be a girl. Being a girl, it was easy for the nickname of Dexy to come up and it was what we called her most of the time. Though other nicknames included The Animal, DexyWex, Wexter, Black Animal, Funny Face, Super Dog, etc.
I was not fully ready to be a dog's daddy. I was not used to walking the dogs and I was also a horrific morning person that had to be on the desk in a highly stressful sitaution at 6:30, coming home around 7:00pm every day of the week. As I could not get up any earlier than I already was, my girlfriend effectively moved in with me so that she could do the morning walk. When I came home from work, I took Dexy to the Madison Square Park dog run where she got very well socialized and learned to be a very good dog who plays well with others. She had a unique style of introducing herself to other dogs. She would charge them in such a playful way that ended with a hop and a gallop that ended with her butt sticking in the air - it was incredibly endearing. I have never seen anything else like it before or since.
Sleeping - this girl loved to sleep and required very luxurious comfort. From day one she slept in our bed burrowed under the covers - in the middle of course. This was frustrating sometimes, but yet again - that same word keeps coming up - very endearing - she was toosweet for words to describe.
We later moved uptown closer to Central Park. Central Park does not have dog runs, but it is offleash before 9 am and after 9pm, so she really got to run around then with the other dogs! Since I actually had a car in Manhattan (which I mainly used for weekend recreation), my girlfriend and I were able to include Dexy in a lot of travel! We took her to the beaches of eastern Long Island, a few wineries on Long Island, The Catskills - in particular, Lake Minnewaska (one of the most beautiful areas of the entire east coast) near New Paltz where she swam freely in perfect water with perfect scenery (usually followed by a trip to Whitecliff Vineyards), Savannah, GA, Charleston SC, coastal NC, the eastern shore of VA, Assateague national Seashore in MD, Philadelphia, DC, Boston, Montreal (twice!), Quebec City, the tip of the Gaspe peninsula in Quebec, New Brunswick, Acadia National Park, Mystic Connecticut, Newport RI, The finger lakes of western NY along with a few wineries there, Niagara Falls, Lake Ontario - where she swam her butt off in several different places!
Yes - she loved to travel with us - she loved getting in the car. Did she really care where she was going? Not really - she just wanted to make sure that she was with us! We would have loved to take her with us when we flew, but we were not comfortable with her being treated as cargo - and she would freak out in terror anyway - she would also cry hysterically if we were to take her to Pet Air for a more comfortable flight. So we never went a very long distance with her. When my girlfriend and I traveled by plane, we had a good neighbor with a great dog (Lola was Dexy's true best dog friend!) that would watch Dexy, so it was all good! When we would return Dexy - would look at us and be "IT'S YOU!!" and she would then get on her hind legs asking me to kneel down and she would put her front legs around my neck - yes my dog hugs. It was beyond endearing - it was real love.
This went on for some time. Last Sunday Spetember 9, 2012, we went to the beach in Eastern Long Island which was great, because after Labor Day, dogs were allowed on this particular beautiful beach and the weather was still great. We had a nice time - this time with my three month old son on hist first trip to the beach. Dexy was going to be his guardian - his big sister. On Monday, I got home from work and Dexy greeted me at the door as usual. There was something slightly off about her as my wife noticed, but she could be silly sometimes, so we brushed it off. Around 9pm, my wife played with Dexy making her chase a toy as she moved it between and around her legs. Then Dexy went to sit on the couch. She decided to get up from the couch, but she tripped and fell over which was strange - so goofy I thought. By 11pm, we noticed that she should be relaxing and lying down, but that she wouldn't. She did not want to lie down and she started to exhibit some strange behavior where she would walk backwards a few steps and her head was slightly tilted. We grew concerned and looked on the internet. Some sites suggested the potential for a neurological problem. There is a 24 hour emergency vet hospital nearby, but we waited to go to the ASPCA vet the next morning.
At 5am 9/11/12, my wife woke me up and said Dexy really wants to talk to you. She had her chin on the bed right at my side. She did not sleep on the bed which was a big warning flag - she ALWAYS slept on the bed. She said to me, "Daddy I'm scared. What's happening to me?" I tried my best to comfort her. We brought her to the vet as soon as they opened. The vet did not see much, but decided to hold her overnight based on what we told her. One key thing to me was how calm she was at the vet - she usually cries - wails - hysterically more than any other dog there. She was totally calm. The next day 9/12/12, we moved her to the 24 hour emergency vet hospital where there is a neurologist. They held her for a day, but did not perform tests because she was a bit dehydrated and need to be stronger for the tests. On 9/13/12, the neurologist did an MRI and saw some swelling in her brain of unknown origin, but did not see a tumor. It was assumed to be some kind of autoimmune problem and was treated as such. I desperately wanted to visit my little girl and I did so at 515pm. I saw her for about 30 minutes, but the doctor told us we had to move on at that point as it was an active place for nurses with emergency care going on. We were told that we could visit over the weekend twice a day which we planned on doing. We might even be able to take her home on Monday after the steroids do what they are supposed to.
I had to go back to work for a planned event we had- our company rented a boat for a night out on the Hudson and I had to be social - the vet seemd to think Dexy would be fine for now afterall. The boat took of at 715pm. At 735pm, my wife called me. Dexter died - and there I was on this boat I could not escape from. I got to the vet by 11pm and met my wife there where we . It was horrible and tragic. It was cruel and evil. We cremated her the following day and this past weekend, we went to some of her favorite places and sprinkled little bits of her ash. We are so heartbroken. Our first born basically. The big sister to our 3 month old son.
But she was wonderful......
Roof of my apartment building in Midtown West.
At the dinner table like a good girl!
I want what you are eating!
You better be a good girl after daddy bought you your favorite! Lobster Roll! Yay! (Kittery, Maine)
I love the ocean even if there is no beach!
I am such a silly freakin' dog. Full Stop.
Beer & TV - perfect!
Sweetness defined.
With my best friend Lola!
Flying Dog!
Love!
Very typical of this luxury dog!
Central Park
Bed Bath & Beyond
Jersey Shore
Her expressive eyes melted my heart every time.
Yawning at the Pier I Cafe on the Hudson.
Daddy and Daughter
Hope I have not used up too much bandwitdth here! I can post more in a separate thread maybe. I also want to write more. There are so many details I want to capture and remember forever. My wife says she can never have another dog because she simply does not believe she can ever love a dog like she loved Dexy. She would constantly be comparing any dog to Dexy which is unfair. I think I can have another dog some day, but not for a little while - and I would be very careful about what dog I choose. It would likely be another pit/pit mix - I have never known that dogs could have that much affection.
1. Montana (Monty), now 17 years old and slowing down. He takes meds for hyperthyroidism. He's not overly demonstrative, but loves to be near us. He's the quietest, gentlest cat ever.
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2. Morrissey (Boo), 8 years old. He meows when we sneeze, fetches paper wads/string/cat toys and brings them to us to play, and is an all around precious, precious kitty.
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3. Sunflower (Sunny), 5 years old. Adopted as a feral cat, he LOVES people and shows off for anyone who'll watch. Devoted to Mr. Catlover.
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Our late beasties who have crossed the Rainbow Bridge:
1. Fergus, 1984-2003. He died two days after my birthday. He was my first cat. I got him in March 1987 after my mother died. He was so faithful and loving.
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2. Simba, 1995-2007. Monty's brother. When I went to pick up my 1995 birthday present from a friend (Monty), Simba was so cute I took him too. He was a huge lap sitter and lovebug.
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Still growing into his ears...
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Smokey - Frisbee champ extraordinaire and the smartest dog we ever had. We think he was part border collie. His mother was a stray and looked like a full German Shepherd. He "talked" to us and I think he thought he was human. We had so many adventures with him including a year long camping trip around the continent. Died way too young. March 1979 - March 1987
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Misty - Lab/Shepherd Mix, loved to swim, genuinely sweet dog, if you knew her, you loved her. Litter mate with Ranger and hiked too many trails with us to count. April 1987 - September 2000
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Ranger - Lab/Shepherd Mix, my "best boy", constant companion and did so many hikes with us in his long life. He passed away on Valentine's Day 2003 at nearly 16 years old. April 1987 - February 2003
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Cindy Catahoula Leopard - not a mean bone in her body. She loves to play boomer ball and play catch with other balls and would have made a great search and rescue dog. Enjoys keeping an eye on her territory and alarming for deer and bears. Born January 2003
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Murphy Australian Cattle Dog, our "little dude" loves to run and play fight with his "sister" Cindy, hide and seek is his favorite game and he really loves his toy cow that moos. Really should have gotten him into agility training as he needs a job. Born February 2003
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First cat, our daughter's pet, Fur-Face Kitty. 1976-1994
Tasha with her four kittens. We kept the last kitten after the others were adopted and named him Tim. She was only with us for a year or two, then we gave her to a farm to be a barn cat where she was much more happy. Spayed first of course.
Ginger, a Cock-a-Poo with a spaniel coat rather than poodle. 1980-1991. Here she is on her never-ending quest to get one of the red squirrels that live in the trees near our cabin in northern Wisconsin.
Figaro and Tim. Figaro was only with us for a little while: he had come to our door as a stray, and then strayed away again a few years later. Tim was one of the litter born to Tasha in 1989, and he lived with us his whole life until age 18. 1989-2008.
Camilla, our beautiful Calico who died last July at the age of 19. She was actually our daughter's cat but lived with us more years of her life than with her.
One of our current two cats, Little Kitty. She and Zelda came to us from our son and daughter in law when they could no longer keep them. She was born in January 2003 and is 9 years old and also featured as my signature photo.
And this is Zelda. Born in August, 2004 and is 8 years old.
Knuckles, RIP May 2010, age 13
Draper, age 7, rescued from living under a truck at the side of the road at age 6 months
Tito, age 3.5, wandered up to our front door at age 4 months in August 2009
Machete, age 3, wandered into our friends' July 4th party in 2010 at age 6 months
Last edited Wed Jan 30, 2013, 07:27 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! 
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The sweetest lil ting all sweetness and light.
and someone invited me to join this group. I have 2 dogs right now. this is my first attempt at putting a picture up. Hope it works!
This is Sadie. She is 6 years old and a little Brittany mix. She is a shelter dog, and she is unquestionably the boss dog in the house!
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I will try to get the hang of this, and will post more pix in the future!
This is Juneau.
This is our beloved Jackson at age 16 shortly before he passed.