The Zoo
Walking into my house is like walking into a petting zoo, except it smells better and the llamas don't eat your Dixie cups of pellets. Everytime we swear we won't get any more pets, some fuzzy, feathered, or scaly critter comes along and claims us for their own. Right now, we have 3 dogs, 3 birds, a sulcata tortoise and a bunch of fish. The number's bound to go up...or down.
Here you are, your cyber tour of our zoo. It's a better way to go, as the dogs don't jump on you and drool on your pant leg, the birds aren't imitating the dog's barking, and you aren't tripping over the giant tortoise.
So, stay on the guided path, and observe the creatures in their natural habitat. Animal Treats are $1.00 for 10.
Hollywood
This is Hollywood, our umbrella cockatoo. He is possibly the silliest and most annoying pet we own. Hollywood loves to cuddle and kiss, a cockatoo trait! He's a fairly quiet and calm bird, but he has his days. Loves music, especially anything he can dance too. Riverdance, Loreena McKennit, and the soundtracks to "The Full Monty" and "The Mask of Zorro" are some of his favorite CD's. Cockatoos aren't the greatest talkers in the world and he's no exception. He can say "Hello" "Ups" and "I love you" However, for the past year the only word he has been saying is "Hello" and we're all about to go crazy. (Occasionally, he spices it up by imitating Austin Powers' "Hello Hello", which he learned from the computer) He can also bark like a dog and laugh or scream like a person. His only trick to is to "high-five" but he only will do it if he's in an especially clever mood.
Umbrella cockatoos are one of the best birds to buy for a "first parrot" and I have to agree. They are gentle and easy-going, sometimes noisy, but alot quieter then most parrots and very fun-loving. They can be extremely destructive if left out on their own. Lots of bird books give them bad press as being clingy and they can be, but it really depends on your household.
Hollywood, goofing off for the camera
Hollywood, taking a nap in my sister's sleeping bag
Maverick
This is Maverick, my Golden Retriever. Maverick is the Brad Pitt of the dog world. Contrary to public opinion, Maverick was named for the Mel Gibson western and not Tom Cruise's character in Top Gun. He is my buddy. Who else stays up at night, waiting for me to go to bed? (Mostly because he hopes I'll eat something before I go to bed.) The two of us share my room and Maverick doesn't consider it fair to have to sleep on the floor. He's a sweet, but clingy dog and I think he has some depression problems, but no one believes me.
Maverick laughing?
Joey
This is Joey, our English Bulldog. He's the same age as Maverick and they are inseperable. We adopted Joey at six months, so he was already named. Everyone thinks bulldogs are vicious, but they've obviously never met one. Bulldogs in general and Joey especially, are big chickens. Joey hates hats, vaccum cleaners, crackly bags, loud noises....just about everything. He is a big sweetheart, he desperately wants to be picked up and sit in your lap, but unfortunately, he's 65 pounds. (And all muscle!) He's built like a little tank and once hit Maverick (with the intention to wrestle) so hard he blew Rico's knee out and he had to undergo a $500.00 surgery.
A bathing beauty
Quincy
This is our baby dog, a pug named Quincy. He belongs to my sister, Sarah. He is rambunctious, fearless, incredibly smart, independent and is a good mix of cuddly and playful. Every day, he does something else that is just crazy and cute. We're not sure what his ranking in the pack is, other than that of annoying little brother.
Horatio
This is my sulcata tort, Horatio. He is named for both the character in Hamlet and Horatio Hornblower. Yes, he's huge! This is Horatio, my sulcata tortoise. Sulcatas are the third largest land turtle in the world. Horatio spends his days eating...and eating somemore...running around the sunroom...possibly looking for more to eat. For more, visithis own page.
Rory & Pip
Rory (the female) and Pip (male) are my two parakeets. A devoted pair, they spend their time eating, preening and ignoring me. Rory can talk, she has been heard to mutter "Come here" and "Hi!" as well as imitate Hollywood's calls. Pip has yet to speak, but he is still young. I hoped he would be tame, but Rory has made him as timid as she, sigh. Oh well, they are fun to watch and a very pretty pair. Eventually I'll have a photo of them!
This page is dedicated to the memory of:
Alexander
This is Alex, our late English Bulldog. We bought Alex in 1993. He had been bitten by his mother and we got him on "discount" because of it. But we fell in love with him and took him home because he was such a tiny, ignored and bumbling puppy. We took him to the vet and learned that he had some problems. The vet said that if we returned him, he'd end up as "plant food" and being already too attached anyway, we kept him. Alex was a normal puppy, he was a little wobbly on his legs, but as soon as he started to fill out, we began thinking that everyone was wrong after all. Instead, we were on a straight course to have our hearts broken. Alex began getting worse and worse. His eyes were unable to focus, he was unable to walk in a straight line and his back legs were constantly stiff. He spent much of the day inside his dog crate, where he felt the safest.
Eventually, we learned that Alex had spinal bifida. Alex's mother and father had been closely related and both had carried the gene for it. Combined, it was obvious the puppies would carry it or even become affected with it. Alex was the unlucky one. There were many problems in this particular line of bulldogs and since they were one of the few breeding lines in Denver, dogs were constantly being inbred.
We prepared ourselves for what was inevitably going to happen. The decision was made to put Alex to sleep. It was the hardest one our family had to make. We knew he had no quality of life, but since he was so young it seemed wrong. Alex was one year old when he died.
We have lots of good memories of him, he was the kindest, gentlest dog we've ever had. We've called him our "angel bulldog", because he really was. It seemed like he knew he wasn't going to be on this earth very long and he seemed to enjoy everything. I remember him at Christmas, he was only three months old then and I found him sitting a corner between the couch and the coffee table, gazing up at the Christmas tree. He sat there for an hour, just looking at everything. I think he really did know that his time would be short and that he would never see another Christmas. I know that he is happy where he is, that he is healthy and can finally run like he always wanted too.
Kiwi
This is Kiwi, my late parakeet. I bought him at a Wal-Mart and ended up buying one of the best friends I've ever had. From the minute he came home, he was a bubbly, outgoing, people-oriented bird. Kiwi tamed quickly and easily and wanted to out where the action was at all times. Unknown to me at that time, parakeets could talk. Soon he was chirping "Kiwi". That wasn't "good" enough, so he lengthened it to "Kiwi-wi-wi" After that, he mimicked everything. His famous repritore included: "Kiwi, Hi, Give me a Kiss, Thank You,
Kiwi was my best friend for four years. He is irreplaceable. I have heard stories of parakeets as smart and silly as he was, but have yet to meet one. Who needed a macaw with him around? He was handful enough! Everyone who met him loved him and I have enough wacky stories to fill a book. I miss his chattering every day.
Samson
Samson the box turtle died in March of 2002. He hadn't been well in awhile, so it was almost a good thing. Hopefully, he is now in his home forest, playing in grass and puddles like he did before he was turtle-napped. Here is his story:
Of all the pets, he is the most unique, if only because of how he found his way to our house. In October of 1996 or 1997, Sarah heard something in our front bushes and found Samson hiding underneath. Finding a turtle in your front yard (at least out here in the suburbs) isn't something that happens every day, so of course we kept him. And if you've ever seen the movie Radio Flyer, you'll know exactly how Samson got his name. We've never owned any reptiles before and have always thought they were boring, hard to care for and stinky. Samson is none of the above. He loves, of all things, to be cuddled and kissed. Sammy is also very adept at escaping, (he's been known to heave himself up and onto wicker shelves behind his cage) which explains how he wound up in our yard!!
We don't know what "species" of turtle Sammy is, it is said he is a three toe. (Yes, I realize he has four, apparently it doesn't matter...no, it doesn't make sense.) I personally like to call him the "UFO Turtle" since he appeared out of nowhere and that shell would make a nifty spaceship...
"The old turtle smiled...."
(Actually, now that I've really looked at this photo, he looks like he's about to attack someone. He's really only yawning.)
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