I am a 1-1/2 year old German Shepherd and my name is Schatzi. Everyone who knows me, loves me. And I love them, too. Even the mail carrier and the UPS man love me. I've never so much as barked at them.

The first time I visited a dog park, when I was 5 months old, someone commented that I am very confident. THAT I am. Nothing really bothers me, not even fireworks on the 4th of July. My person won't let me near cats--she thinks I might hurt them, but I just want to sniff them. I have a family of fish living in a pond in our yard--some koi, some gold fish and one bubble-eyed goldfish, my favorite. I don't bother them, but sometimes my ball goes in their pond and I'm not allowed to get it out by myself. I love living in Santa Monica because there are lots of dog parks here where I can run off-leash and really stretch my legs. The only thing I don't like about living here are the rats that seem to inhabit all of Santa Monica. They come out in the evening and go along the fences and in the shrubbery. They don't eat garbage--they are, after all, healthy California rats. They come in my yard and eat the oranges and tangerines that fall from the trees. And when I see them I go beserk and try to chase them away, as my persons don't particularly enjoy having them around. Have to go play with my ball now. Arf-wiedersehen!

> We own four cats, or more precisely
> they own us.

an accurate assessment - cats have staff.
i am staff assistant to:

- spot: 15 year-old barn cat and
and recovering chow-hound. does
not have paws, he has hands ... and
knows how-to use them to open sealed
tupperware containers of kibble.

- shep: 4 year-old street cat. big.
very big. not overweight, big.
fears nothing.

both are addicted to fresh catnip growing
in the garden.

-doug

Woof Woof. I am now called Madeline but at the BlueLine Kennel (and spa) where I came from I was called Too Tall because my legs were too long for a Basset Hound. I moved in with my two legged amis but was lonely for basset love. I was rewarded with Marie Claire, lovingly referred to at the spa as Turnfoot because her turned paw makes her not show material. I quickly let her know who the alpha dog was and now we are best friends. We used to have an outdoor cat who we liked to torment (in fun of course but she did not know it). Denon came with the house but was run over by a car last winter.
When the two legged ALPHA dogs in the house go away we get to play with all our basset buddies at the spa. Of course we are always happy to return home.

Hi! My name is Lightning Snowflake Lipscomb, and I am the senior cat at ewwa's house. The vet tells me I'm a tortoiseshell, but that's just because of one or two little orange patches. Mostly, I'm a Silver Tabby (silver and black). I'm about 11 years old, and my favorite hobby is sleeping on whoever gets in the recliner in the living room.

Three others live here. Misty Bullet lives in the garage (we call her the crazy aunt downstairs). She gets along well with the humans, but won't use the same litterbox as any of us--that's why they have to keep us separate. She's a very large 10-year-old calico.

Valerie Scooter is quite a handful. She's four years old (but still thinks she's a kitten), almost solid black (just a few white patches). She actually likes to wrestle with one of the humans .

Then there's our youngest, Yoda Bob, the only boy of the batch. He's three, and an orange mackerel tabby. The humans tell me they got him as a playmate for Valerie, who was driving me crazy at the time. He's quite the scaredycat .

Oh, we're all American Shorthairs.

I have one cat. Her name is Snowflake...betcha can't guess what color she is ! She's the Princess of the house, prancing around from window to window, acting as if she'd know what to do with those birds if she ever got close to one. She's been an indoor cat since she's been 6 weeks old...got her at the pound...she's now 5 years old. Big & furry, loves to sleep, and sit on top of papers/magazines I'm attempting to read. And, at night, jumps on the bed and sprawls out to take up as much room as possible, and usually gets knocked off the bed mid-way thru the night.

She's a great animal.

My Peter and Pen (together Peter-Pen) are 3 monthes old. I'll post a picture soon.

We have one dogter, Corriander Perugina (Corrie). She's a chocolate lab. While I, the only other female in the house, am the stern mother she has three guys who spoil her rotten. Her favorite spot is on the couch watching tv with one of the brothers.

[This message has been edited by Library Dragon (edited 06-20-2000).]

Meow! My name is Rusty, I am a cat, and this is my story. I'm male, 15 years old, kind of a "rusty" orange color, and weigh in at 17 pounds. Honest, I'm not fat--I'm just fluffy! My human, TravelWeary, thinks I should have been named Oscar as my fur sometimes stands on end, and she often mistakes my cool reserve for grouchiness. I like anyone with food in their hands but otherwise have little use for humans. I am a very good "watch cat" who likes to snarl at people--once even keeping humans from entering the house to feed me (you notice I say nowhere here that I am very smart!). Whether I like it or not, I am unconditionally loved (yuk!) and this earns me a spot on a comfy quilt at the foot of the bed in which to practice my favorite hobby...zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.

p.s. When my human went to her first FlyerTalk event, she brought pictures of me to show Catman--that's how good looking I am.

[This message has been edited by TravelWeary (edited 06-19-2000).]

Well the Guy family is rather large, Myself, Erlinda and son David.............plus.

Cats

Frisky 15 years
Balky 14 years
Cosmic 7 years
Bobo 7 years

Dogs

Hooser 5 years
Buster 4 years
Padme 1 year
Bear 3 months

It seems everytime that my son and his girlfriend find a stray it's our new kid.

Wanted a much larger house!!!!!!

Cheers Scott

Since my beautiful Doberman, Nike Athena, is now in Valhalla, all the animals that now share my home are wild (not that Nike wasn't wild, but that's another story.)

Among them:
Hamlet, Pigvig and Porky - our three very piggy squirrels who stay camped out at the feeders, keeping all others away.

Ma and Pa Quail and their eight chicks, who stroll through the yard each morning eating the cracked corn we leave them.

Spot and Fiver, a doe and her fawn, who eat the flowers we unintentionally leave for them.

and one rascally skunk who seems to want to live under the deck no matter what we do to try and keep him out.

I had a dog ...
... the poor pooch starved to death when my day trip to Dallas turned into an one-night stay for a 2nd meeting, then a two-night stay on account of weather.


Just kidding!

Seriously, with all the traveling, it's tough to take care of a pet. My dog goes through separation anexiety when I am away, regardless of who is watching him. He gains weight and does not want to fetch or play.

------------------

He who dies with the most miles, is dead.

My name is Honus Wagner, and I am a 10 year old tabby cat.
Everyone thinks my owner Karen named me after a famous old baseball player because she is this really cool chick who knows a lot about sports, but it's actually because she lost a 3 hour long Trivial Pursuit game because she didn't know my name. (She guessed Babe Ruth the big dummy)
(So Jon Toner & Spartacus...sorry to disappoint you)
I have had a strange life. Karen's former roommate Amy got me when a kid she babysat didn't watch my mother and she got knocked up and had me. Karen & Amy & her other roommate Ginamarie took me into their girly household where they spoiled me rotten.
Then Amy abandoned me to go follow her boyfriend to Washington DC and Karen now had me permanently.
Soon after Amy left that household broke up and Karen lived out of her car (kind of) for several months as she dragged me from housesitting job to housesitting job until I didn't know where I lived.
After that summer of travel, I moved in with 2 other girls who didn't like cats but I quickly won them over with my charm & personality!
Then Karen got transferred to Folsom and she moved me again. Now I have no one to fawn over me since Karen works 60+ hours a week. So I sleep, snack and sleep again.
Then I wait for her to come home, immediately jump in her lap and try to eat her dinner that she grabbed or nuked from the frozen food section.
I especially love to try to eat takeout Chinese food but she is mean and makes me eat cat food instead.
I have lots of personality and all Karen's friends say I am the funniest cat they've ever seen. I talk on command, and on the phone when she asks me to speak. We are very close because it's just been me & her for the last 6 years and she is my best friend.
Thanks for hearing my story.

Purrrrrr.......I am Derby, I am a 6yr old sleek gray tabby that was found under a dumpster (not many kitty treats there let me assure you). I was previously declawed (oh -the horror) so I didn't fend for myself very well, and soon found myself very ill before long. I ended up living with a family for a bit until the youngest boy developed asthma (a condition I too share) thereby evicting me and keeping the youngster instead - HA. My name was Dee Dee, but my new owner decided she would have none of that thankfully, and decided to name me after the Kentucky Derby, for that is where my former owner was off too when Leigh decided she loved me so much and had to have me (I won her over when she reached out to pet me and I kissed her hand over and over.......I was just cleaning her, but she thinks I am giving kisses - so I continue to indulge her). Next up is Simon, the little bugger who continues to harrass me to no end!

ROAR - Yeah thats right, I said ROAR! I don't take none of that hoity-toity stuff from Derby. She thinks just cause she was here first she's special - ROAR. Leigh picked me up (when I was only 6wks old, I'm olda now, but don't know how old and don't care neitha) at the local vet when she brought the Derbs in for a checkup and she never looked back. I play hard, sleep hard, and eat hard. But, deep down I am a softy and love to give Leigh kisses on her chin and snuggle close, but don't you go tell'n nobody that or I'll have to swat you. Gots to go, that crazy mutt is coming - time to run.

Hi, Hi, Hi, Hi, Hi, Hi - I'm Maxwell, Maxwell, Maxwell, and I am one hyper puppy. Leigh found me in the pet store when she went in to buy food for those lazy cats. She told her friend Lisa she couldn't go down the aisle that I was in, but Lisa wouldn't hear it, sooooo here I am - Yep, Yep, here I am. They were going to name me
"Lisa's fault", but I came with the name Maxwell so it stuck. I am a happy go lucky shepard/chow/sheltie mix who loves everybody, yep, yep, yep even the cats. They don't play very fair though - always running back and forth on the dining room table just to watch me go nuts. Oh boy, Oh boy, Oh boy - gotta go, gotta go - I see a squirrel, yeah a squirrel, woo hoo......... a squirrel!

Hello! My name is Molly and I'm a 4 year old black lab and shepard mix (but everyone tells me I look like a lab puppy). I was a pound puppy and my first real owner neglected me. I was all skin and bones until a nice man saved me. He traveled too much so his sister started to take care of me. I've been living with her for 2-1/2 years now and I love it. Talk about the good life! I'm very smart and do all sorts of tricks. I just don't like it when I'm left alone for too long of a time and make my frustrations know around the house. I love playing out in the yard and am very patient when little kids play with me. I am a bit of a wimp though, since I'm a bit afraid of cats. I love playing with the big neighbor dog though!

I'm a great car traveler, but have never flown the friendly skies!

Hello. My name is Sonya and I am an English Springer Spaniel. I was born in 1994 and went home to live with spartacus right after he came home from a football referee and scuba diving trip to Australia and New Zealand, so he will always remember my arrival in the household.

I am liver and tan color and still act like a puppy, full of vigor and excitement. It kills me to be alone or to be in the garage at night while spartacus is upstairs in his bed, but he does let me stay with him in the office when he is on the computer late at night.

Many months ago Mrs. spartacus and my two boys, Alexander and Stephen, ages 4 and 1 1/2, left for Iowa. Spartacus was very sad but I was there to comfort him and we are now doing just fine. I do miss the boys, but spartacus sees them often.

When spartacus is gone the neighbor girl comes and plays with me. I have a nice Dogloo in the back yard and plenty of food and water. But I just can't wait until spartacus gets home so we can run and play. And when we go hiking and camping, that's the greatest.