Dave and I are currently sorting through new pictures but I thought that I would use this time to show off the furry animals -- something I've been meaning to do for a while.
We have 5 animals. Yes -- I said 5! When we lived in Boise, we had 7 but Sherlock and Watson (2 white rabbits) did not make the trip out east. [Note to anyone interested: don't do rabbits. They're cute and soft but a mess to clean up after and not worth the trouble.] We acquired all of these pets when we lived in Boise and the dogs had a fenced yard to play in. Since then, we've moved to Williamsburg, VA and then to Richmond, VA and have yet to find a house to rent that has a fenced yard. But they are all wonderful (well, almost "all") and we love them very much.
So -- without further ado:
Buster & Socks - The Original Dogs :-)
So -- without further ado:
Buster & Socks - The Original Dogs :-)
Buster & Socks are now 5 years old -- how the time flies! Dave brought them home from the pound when they were 8 weeks old as a surprise for me! They are brothers and litter mates and would probably be lost without each other. He was only going to bring home Buster (the gray cat) but Socks meowed his way into Dave's heart as well.
They have become lazy male cats that occasionally have to go on diets and are now bored with games we used to play with them when they were kittens. They love to lounge on our bed (normally a "cat free zone"), bask under the floor lamp in the living room, watch the birds from the living room window, and chase the spirits that only they see throughout the house. In the summer, the want nothing to do with us but as soon as there is a nip in the air, they become lap cats. Everyone who has ever met these cats swear that they are more like dogs. We never thought that we could ever be "cat people" but we both love them so dearly.
Russell Clifford Pedersen - Rusty the big red dog
Rusty is the most laid back, gentle, and calm dog I've ever known. Nothing bothers him and the cats have learned that they can actually boss him around. He loves to talk -- especially when food is involved -- and we've nicknamed him "Chewy" because he sounds like Chewbaca. He is an extremely "food motivated" dog and is infamous for his ability to consume entire loaves of bread after an expedition of counter surfing. Unfortunately, his counter surfing has also introduced him to the effects of forced Hydrogen Peroxide -- especially after he consumed a dozen chocolate chip cookies that used dark baker's chocolate chips. He does not like Hydrogen Peroxide! He also does not like his diet. Within a year of him being with us, we had taken Rusty from being 95 lbs to a lean 70 lbs through a reduced diet and lots of walks. The vet was thrilled -- Rusty was not!! Rusty does love his people, his walks, his bed, swims in the Boise River, chasing squirrels, and anyone who gives him food!
Brunhilda - Hilde
Hilde was not a surprise. Rusty had been with us for a couple of months but because of his weight, he acted like an old dog. Dave thought that if we got him a "friend", he might perk up. I am an avid watcher of the Westminster Dog Show -- it is on my calendar every year so I don't miss it. While watching the show, the herding group came up and the Pembroke Welsh Corgi came on screen. Now let me say that we are NOT small dog people. But all of a sudden, I hear Dave say, while pointing to the Corgi on the TV, "You know, that is one of the only small dogs I would ever consider getting". Two weeks later, Hilde entered our lives. There was a breeder of corgis about 30 minutes from our house and almost right on the Oregon border. Hilde was 1 1/2 years old at the time. She had been a showdog but her back "gate" wasn't quite right so she was no longer being shown and Dave fell in love with her. She comes from a very royal background (we have the family history to prove it!). Her grandfather was the 1st Best Corgi in the US a couple years ago and her dad was the 3rd Best Corgi in the US a while ago.
She is probably the prettiest Corgi I have ever seen. But she is a force to be reckoned with. Being a part of the herding group, she is stubborn, willful, and determined. She walks all over Rusty (he lets her) and she man-handles Socks and will body slam him to the floor and then proceed to lick his entire head (he lets her). The only one who has the upper hand on Hilde is ...... Buster. Buster is the "alpha dog" in this group. He tolerates Hilde but has no problem chasing her through the house while swatting her butt. He hisses at her, he yells at her, and he has even been to known to walk up to her while she's sleeping and swat her across the nose. She steers clear of Buster! Hilde loves to play fetch (she's a better retriever than Rusty), chase and tree squirrels, chase water from the hose, chase the cats, and boss everyone around. She has learned everything she knows from Rusty: the art of squirrel chasing, to scrounge the kitchen floor for food, to look out the window during car rides, to scratch her back with all 4 legs up in the air. They are 2 peas in a pod and Hilde thinks she's as big as Rusty is -- which is hilarious!
Spike - the Snake
Unfortunately, this posting would not be complete without the inclusion of Spike. Spike is a Corn Snake and has been Dave's "pet" (if you can call a snake a "pet") since Dave was in college. Dave bought Spike when he was a "baby snake" and Dave gets all misty eyed when he talks about how Spike used to fit in the palm of his hand, all curled up. Good grief! Spike is now 10 years old -- which means we have another 10-15 years with him. Oh goody! Dave bought Spike a year before he met me. He says that he always wanted a snake but his mom wouldn't let him have one so when he went off to college, he bought one for himself. His coloring is really quite beautiful -- red and orange. But with this coloring comes his red, beady eyes and this is what I hate the most. I can't get over the eyes --- and the fact that he's a snake that lives in my house! He is about 4 1/2 to 5 feet long and about an inch and a half thick. He has traveled with us from Flagstaff to 2 residences in Boise to 2 residences in Virginia. He has been to my parents' house and to California. He has stayed in the Redstone Inn (Room 301), family and friends' houses in Nebraska, Iowa, and Missouri, and he has stayed in hotels and B&B's in both Nashville and Lexington, VA. He is an extremely well traveled snake. He even had a table named after him at our wedding reception.
Spike loves traveling through Jason Winfield's shirts and belts, meeting girls that aren't afraid of him like our friend Clare Bratt or the girls in Dave's choirs at Bishop Kelly in Boise, and he loves the mice that magically appear in his tank (these mice come from my freezer -- yes, I have frozen mice in my freezer). Spike is a good ice breaker when it comes to conversations. I mean, how many people have a snake living in their house?! But unlike the other pets that are in pairs, we will not be getting a second snake!!!
So -- those are the pets. The children on our block in Boise used to call us the "zoo keepers" and our house "Noah's Ark". Let's hope that there aren't any elephants that need rescuing -- though -- I would take a Panda!! :-)
They have become lazy male cats that occasionally have to go on diets and are now bored with games we used to play with them when they were kittens. They love to lounge on our bed (normally a "cat free zone"), bask under the floor lamp in the living room, watch the birds from the living room window, and chase the spirits that only they see throughout the house. In the summer, the want nothing to do with us but as soon as there is a nip in the air, they become lap cats. Everyone who has ever met these cats swear that they are more like dogs. We never thought that we could ever be "cat people" but we both love them so dearly.Russell Clifford Pedersen - Rusty the big red dog
Rusty was yet another surprise to me from Dave. He's full of surprises!! A year after we got the cats, we bought a house with a fenced yard and Rusty was an early Christmas present! I grew up with a Golden Retriever - Katrina Marie von Harris (aka Katie). Rusty was also rescued from the pound. He was 4 years old at the time and weighed a whopping 95 lbs. His previous owners relinquished him because he was "supposedly" jumping their 4 foot fence. How this overweight dog who acted like he was 10 years old could ever jump a fence is beyond me. We also believe that a male person had used a very heavy hand on him because he used to cower around Dave and any other male. The cats were initially very suspicious of this huge intruder into their domain but everyone soon became best friends.
Rusty is the most laid back, gentle, and calm dog I've ever known. Nothing bothers him and the cats have learned that they can actually boss him around. He loves to talk -- especially when food is involved -- and we've nicknamed him "Chewy" because he sounds like Chewbaca. He is an extremely "food motivated" dog and is infamous for his ability to consume entire loaves of bread after an expedition of counter surfing. Unfortunately, his counter surfing has also introduced him to the effects of forced Hydrogen Peroxide -- especially after he consumed a dozen chocolate chip cookies that used dark baker's chocolate chips. He does not like Hydrogen Peroxide! He also does not like his diet. Within a year of him being with us, we had taken Rusty from being 95 lbs to a lean 70 lbs through a reduced diet and lots of walks. The vet was thrilled -- Rusty was not!! Rusty does love his people, his walks, his bed, swims in the Boise River, chasing squirrels, and anyone who gives him food!Brunhilda - Hilde
Hilde was not a surprise. Rusty had been with us for a couple of months but because of his weight, he acted like an old dog. Dave thought that if we got him a "friend", he might perk up. I am an avid watcher of the Westminster Dog Show -- it is on my calendar every year so I don't miss it. While watching the show, the herding group came up and the Pembroke Welsh Corgi came on screen. Now let me say that we are NOT small dog people. But all of a sudden, I hear Dave say, while pointing to the Corgi on the TV, "You know, that is one of the only small dogs I would ever consider getting". Two weeks later, Hilde entered our lives. There was a breeder of corgis about 30 minutes from our house and almost right on the Oregon border. Hilde was 1 1/2 years old at the time. She had been a showdog but her back "gate" wasn't quite right so she was no longer being shown and Dave fell in love with her. She comes from a very royal background (we have the family history to prove it!). Her grandfather was the 1st Best Corgi in the US a couple years ago and her dad was the 3rd Best Corgi in the US a while ago.
She is probably the prettiest Corgi I have ever seen. But she is a force to be reckoned with. Being a part of the herding group, she is stubborn, willful, and determined. She walks all over Rusty (he lets her) and she man-handles Socks and will body slam him to the floor and then proceed to lick his entire head (he lets her). The only one who has the upper hand on Hilde is ...... Buster. Buster is the "alpha dog" in this group. He tolerates Hilde but has no problem chasing her through the house while swatting her butt. He hisses at her, he yells at her, and he has even been to known to walk up to her while she's sleeping and swat her across the nose. She steers clear of Buster! Hilde loves to play fetch (she's a better retriever than Rusty), chase and tree squirrels, chase water from the hose, chase the cats, and boss everyone around. She has learned everything she knows from Rusty: the art of squirrel chasing, to scrounge the kitchen floor for food, to look out the window during car rides, to scratch her back with all 4 legs up in the air. They are 2 peas in a pod and Hilde thinks she's as big as Rusty is -- which is hilarious!Spike - the Snake
Unfortunately, this posting would not be complete without the inclusion of Spike. Spike is a Corn Snake and has been Dave's "pet" (if you can call a snake a "pet") since Dave was in college. Dave bought Spike when he was a "baby snake" and Dave gets all misty eyed when he talks about how Spike used to fit in the palm of his hand, all curled up. Good grief! Spike is now 10 years old -- which means we have another 10-15 years with him. Oh goody! Dave bought Spike a year before he met me. He says that he always wanted a snake but his mom wouldn't let him have one so when he went off to college, he bought one for himself. His coloring is really quite beautiful -- red and orange. But with this coloring comes his red, beady eyes and this is what I hate the most. I can't get over the eyes --- and the fact that he's a snake that lives in my house! He is about 4 1/2 to 5 feet long and about an inch and a half thick. He has traveled with us from Flagstaff to 2 residences in Boise to 2 residences in Virginia. He has been to my parents' house and to California. He has stayed in the Redstone Inn (Room 301), family and friends' houses in Nebraska, Iowa, and Missouri, and he has stayed in hotels and B&B's in both Nashville and Lexington, VA. He is an extremely well traveled snake. He even had a table named after him at our wedding reception.
Spike loves traveling through Jason Winfield's shirts and belts, meeting girls that aren't afraid of him like our friend Clare Bratt or the girls in Dave's choirs at Bishop Kelly in Boise, and he loves the mice that magically appear in his tank (these mice come from my freezer -- yes, I have frozen mice in my freezer). Spike is a good ice breaker when it comes to conversations. I mean, how many people have a snake living in their house?! But unlike the other pets that are in pairs, we will not be getting a second snake!!!So -- those are the pets. The children on our block in Boise used to call us the "zoo keepers" and our house "Noah's Ark". Let's hope that there aren't any elephants that need rescuing -- though -- I would take a Panda!! :-)
1 comment:
I am glad that all the animals are doing well, even Spike. I still remember when Dave "told" me I was going to have to feed Spike when I watched your cats the first few weeks after you got them. I was terrified! Thank heavens he was joking! The cats lounge like mine do!
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