The Pets
The Dogs
This is Bramble. We got her in the fall of 2000, right after we got married. She is a shih-tzu.
Bramble would be content if you would throw her toy for her all day. She usually puts it up on the couch next to you and then barks at you to alert you to your duty.
This is Thistle. We got him in the winter of 2000. He is also a shih-tzu, and is somewhat of a runt.
Thistle also has no snout to speak of. This has two consequences: He looks like an eternal puppy, and his tounge hangs out of his mouth all the time. It is unbearably cute. We're almost certain he has eyes in there somehwere.
This is Bracken. He is a border collie and we got him in April of 2002. My husband likes to watch sheepherding trials and has always wanted a border collie. Unfortunately for Bracken, we don't have sheep. Fortunately for Bracken, we do have cats.
Bracken usually doesn't look this peaceful. Trust me.
This is Whin. We bought her when we were on our honeymoon in Ireland and brought her back with us. She has cute stand up ears and is quite adorable. She is also very playful. We like to say she approaches the world with mouth wide open.
This is the border collies fighting. This, along with chasing cats and barking at leaves, is what they do all day long.
The Cats (and other assorted animals)
This is Melanie. We got her in October of 2002, as well as the other cats. We went to the Humane Society to get one cat. Somehow we ended up with three.
Melanie looks regal no matter what she is doing.
This is Cricket. I think she is the cutest.
Cricket likes to strech out like this a lot. Sometimes she will notice that fun toy that sticks out behind her and play with it. It's very cute.
Update: Cricket had taken to peeing all over the house, so we gave her to another family that doesn't have any other pets, where she has since relaxed. We still remember her though.
This is Cina-Bit. Cina-Bit is a manx and has a cute stubby little tail. She also rarely looks this peaceful, she is in fact the most playful kitty I have ever seen. When we took her to the vet, she played with his papers, the needles, EVERYTHING.
This is the bird, Pequot. We got him in December of 2002. He is a budgie. The cats like him.
Every so often we'll be sitting on the other side of this wall, and we'll see a single paw reach out and bat at the cage. This bird doesn't take this lying down, and he pecks at their paws. In retrospect, maybe we shouldn't have hung the cage there...
Update: The cats ate the bird. All we have left of him is a few stray feathers. He had taken to breaking out of his cage, and apparently did so at the wrong time. We now have a hamster, unpictured here. The cats like to sit on top of the cage. All I can say, is we buy pretty expensive cat food.