Pets I Have Owned and Loved

Maxwell Squeak, Dappled Dachshund. Given to me by Harry, the maintenance man at Autumn Chase in Vancouver, WA. Sweet, talkative, dependent with separation issues. Max shares my nightly bed. Constant companion of Minnie, friend of Rosie and Willa Brooks.

Minerva Athena Malone, AKC Miniature Schnauzer. Bought her for just $200 from Mary (the unethical breeder) in Walla Walla, WA. Min was 6 weeks old when I brought her home to live with me and Bigs. Large for the breed and with an incredible underbite. She’s both loving and comical. Sleeps with me and Max upstairs in the queen size bed. Major adventure was when she slipped outside unnoticed and roamed the complex for at least an hour before I missed her. Favorite activity is running on the beach. Greatest fear – the dog groomer. Minnie is a great travelling companion, seems definitely attached to Max and we all share the nightly bed.

Bigsy Malone, AKC Miniature Pinscher. Bought him ‘used’ in 1998 for $200. Very territorial – had to be house trained at 2 years old. Now I believe he had the beginning symptoms of diabetes. Diagnosed in 2001 he gets 2 shots--6 units each of insulin each day. Before moving from Vancouver, WA, he walked up to 4 miles each day. Bigs had cataracts and was pretty much sightless toward the end of his life. He had no trouble getting around and is characteristic of his breed. Got along real well with Bob Cat Shriver. International traveler – he’s gone with me to Canada on 5 trips now. Bigsy died in January, 2005, complications of Diabetes. His ashes are in the green ginger jar near the TV.

Bob Cat, black and white long hair, Tuxedo. Rescued from the street in Campbell when his buddy (an orange cat) was run over and killed. Very loving, but demanding of food. Bob would actually bite my leg and drag me back downstairs if there was no food in his bowl at 5 am. Our 1st adventure was a trip to Utah. He started the trip with the name Robbie, named for Robin, but soon earned the name BOB. What an irritating ass! When I sold the condo Bob moved with me into a 36 foot RV. Home was anywhere the mommy went. He learned to back into the covers when the nights were cold. Hated it when the RV had to move. Bob and I spent 10 years in each other’s company. He lived with me in Los Gatos, Campbell, Morgan Hill, CA, in Milwaukie, OR and Vancouver, WA, then Los Altos Hills, CA, and back to WA. Bob finally started failing in 2001 and once diagnosed with Feline Aids I decided to have him put down. His ashes rest in an orchard in Vancouver. He will always have a place in my heart.

She’s a Pepper, AKC Brittany Spaniel. Sweetest puppy ever! Did not do well in the condo. I ‘owned’ her jointly with dad. Pepper was a Show and Field Champion. After Nellie came along Pepper went to live with dad. Had one litter (one pup survived) then died of liver cancer as her mom Pepi and ½ sister Ginger had died before her. I will never make that choice again to give up a puppy I have raised. Too hard to see the expression in her eyes when I came to visit and didn’t take her with me as I left.

Nellie, English Pointer. Rescued from the Rinconada shopping center. Couldn’t find the owner of this purebred 9 month old dog so Robin and I took on the task of seeing that she was exercised daily. We sold her conditionally for just one week to a man who turned out to be very abusive to her. Once she came back she would stay with us through thick and thin. When Robin married, Nellie went to live with her and Tom. Nellie lived with Tom, in Modesto, until she succumbed to cancer.

Jonathan Bailey or JB, AKC Brittany. Dad gave him to me in 1985. Just 8 weeks old he ran in front of a car which ran over his front forearm. Many $ later ($2000) he walked with a distinctive gait. No longer eligible (or up to) shows and field trials he became the dog of the house. He lived in the kitchen during the day while I was at work and Karin was at school. This dog lifted my depression and gave me hours of happiness. Eventually I gave him to a good home upon moving to the condo. He walked out of my Life without a backward glance!

Patches, Benji type mixed breed, smoke and beige. An unexpected result of Muffin’s indiscretion, Patches became Karin’s little dog. He spent his life in the backyard. Loved to chase Karin around the pool. Had to find him a new home when we moved to the condo.

Kona, Puss, and various Siamese cats. Karin took on the care of male and female cats belonging to her friend, Rich. Kona was one of the unsold litter of kittens we ended up with. Later on Kona became the mother of Puss and of Boots. Kona and Puss were special cats born in 1986 or 1987 who lived into the millennium. They were born on Metler Court, moved to the condo in Los Gatos, then to Humboldt with Karin and finally to Los Altos Hills. Both died within a few months of each other in 2002.

Muffin, Benji type, blond benefited from grooming and a poodle like cut. Wandered in one hot day and Albert gave her food and water. She stayed from 1975 to 1977 then moved to Sacramento and eventually got lost again.

Sara, Siamese cat. Found in a drain pipe with her litter of kittens, Sara became our beloved cat. Moved with Karin and I to Sunnyvale in 1974 then to Metler Court in 1975. Sara had several kittens before getting fixed. One major problem when I ran over her the night my mother in law went to the hospital with a heart attack. Although her pelvis was broken she recovered to live another few years. Sara just disappeared one day in 1987. Always wondered if the neighbor trapped her when she used his flower garden as a toilet.

Hrothgar von Robert or Duke, AKC German Boxer. Duke began life as a junkyard dog. Frank bought him for me at my insistence in 1964. 80 pounds, he loved to run with Sara, the canyon neighbor’s Doberman. Duke was an outside dog who ended up sharing the dog house with Hansel the bantam rooster. This was not the 1st cross species symbiotic relationship of my experience. The rooster was feisty and Duke would step on him to show just who was boss. Hansel moved in after losing his tail feathers to a raccoon. At first he roosted in the pine tree on a limb above the dog house. We’ll never know why he subsequently moved right into the dog house.

Racky, the baby raccoon. One day (1959) Frank’s dad found a litter of baby raccoons in a dresser drawer in the barn. We took one home to raise. At first I kept him in a cage until we could tame him a bit. After awhile he was comfortable in the house. Once he started ripping up the upholstery with his ‘killer’ claws he was relegated to the outdoors. He and the black cat became a pack. They would lie in a shopping cart for hours with the raccoon stroking the cat. He finally left with a pack of wild coons who regularly ate on the back porch.