This page contains photos and brief stories (400 characters or less) about fan pets. If you want your dog or cat featured here, e-mail me ONE photo and a synopsis, and I’ll update the page every few days. I’ll also do contests, where the best photo of the month will receive a free book or some other swag. Please spread the word far and wide. Whether as a memorial to a dearly departed furry friend, or your current pet, send your snap and story so it can be shared with others. E-mails should be sent to Pets (at) RussellBlake (dot) com.
LOBO
The star of my book, An Angel With Fur, Lobo was a Coltriever or a Belgian Shepherd, best as I could guess. For more on his exploits, life, loves and adventures, go to his web page or get a copy of the Amazon bestselling An Angel With Fur.
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ZIPPY & KIPLING
A little over five years ago, while caring for my two senior mutts, Myrtle and Lucille, I spotted a long-haired German Shepherd at the vets and couldn’t stop thinking about how regal and bear-like the breed is. I went home, researched, and found www.bullingershepherds.com online. Tracy Bullinger’s been breeding top show and police/guard German Shepherds for going on three decades. Her compound was only an hour away from my San Juan Island home across the border in Canada. I adopted Zippy and he was skillfully trained to be calm and present by Myrtle and Lucille for the next two years before they passed on. He now herds our two cats Ajax the Gray and Eartha Kitt’n, who annoy him to no end. He is also the unofficial Anacortes Seahawks High School tennis team mascot going on five years now since he was a puppy. The kids think he’s a bear too. Zippy hates clowns. He steals their noses, and then runs far away. He loves children, deep massages, organic food, Vivaldi concertos, and long walks in the park. Zippy’s owner is Justin & you’ll find more photos of Zippy at http://justinbog.com/
KIPLING
Kipling came into the life when Zippy was five because we wanted him to be able to help train her. He wants nothing to do with her. Guards his food dish and tennis ball with constant worry. She’s much more inquisitive and is a bit less fearful of car trips. She jumps into any car when a door is opened. Here nice mr. dognapper.
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JASPER
Jasper was born Feb 19 under my parents’ bed. He has 3 other brothers and 2 sisters. Jasper’s a big baby who loves getting his belly rubbed, but he does have a lot of fun with his new big sister, Riley, my beagle/basset hound mix.
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I had a hard time choosing. I opted for this pic of the 2 terriers. We also have a collie so smart we joke that if he could speak, he wouldn’t bother talking to us. Next came Tinker, the Yorkshire terrier/Chihuahua – she’s the boss. Finally, there’s MeMe, the Jack Russell. Only 3 months old, she’s happy from the moment her eyes open till the moment she sinks exhausted next to Tinker on the sofa.
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FOXY LADY
Hello from the Rainbow Bridge! I crossed over a year ago yesterday and my daddy wrote a story about me. I’m so proud of him. Unfortunately I cannot read English, so I’m waiting for the doggie (Caindle version … like a Kindle) to be published. If you’re a human or if you’re a dog that can read English, you might want to learn more about me. https://www.createspace.com/
www.smashwords.com/books/view/
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ALICE, AKA “BUBBA” THE CAT
Russell: I rescued this incredible cat in 2001, along with her five kittens. She had been born a stray and spent the first year and a half of her life on the street; she was a skeleton, full of worms and close to death from kidney and liver failure, yet managed to give birth and care for her litter long enough to be found by me. All the kittens were adopted and Alice, who answers to Bubba, is now eleven years old and in firm possession of my heart. She’s the most “dog-like” cat I’ve ever known, right by my side if she’s awake and always ready for an adventure. Highly intelligent with a great sense of humor. Seriously. All hail Bubba!
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GAFFER
This little guy’s been with me for over ten years now. At one time a dapple brown, his beard’s now the same sun-bleached color as mine. His name is Gaffer and he loves to spend his time chasing rabbits in the yard, scouting for food, and laying with me on the couch. At 10 pm every night he gets up to go his bed in the kitchen. He puts up with three ladies: a female Dachshund, a Welsh Corgi, and my wife. He’s been a great little friend and is now becoming a grouchy old man in some respects. This has given me the idea to record our conversations (his and mine) in a series of short stories “Conversations with my Dog” at http://www.scribd.com/my_
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This is Jaws, our mini dachshund. We had the name picked out before we met her, but it totally fits. Not that she’s vicious or anything; she’s just that cool that she can carry that big a name! She has been nothing short of an angel since we got her 5 years ago. Within that 1st year, the husband fell into a debilitating depression and she has been his constant companion ever since. She literally kept him sane by just being her lovable, silly self. I honestly don’t think he’d have survived without her. She is our Angel With Fur.
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TIGGER
I met my wife, Christina, when I was speaking in Vancouver, B.C. Three years later I asked her to move to Alabama and be my wife. She agreed and we began working out the logistics of the move. The basic plan was for me to drive my Jeep to Vancouver where we would rent a U-Haul trailer, load Christina’s personal things, then drive back to Alabama. At the last minute, I suggested that Christina fly to Missoula and ride with me to Vancouver (that way I would see her two days sooner). She agreed and I’m pretty sure it was at that point she said something like, “Oh, I have a dog, Tigger; he’s a Bouvier, is it alright if I bring him?” With no hesitation I said, “YES,” thinking that a Bouvier sounds small and fluffy, like a poodle.
We met in Missoula and somewhere on the way to Vancouver I asked, “Where is Tigger?” Christina said, “Fred, my ex-husband is keeping him. We’ll drive to Edmonton and pick him up and attend the going away party Fred is hosting for me.
A Bouvier is not even a remote relative of a poodle. Tigger weighed in the neighborhood of 95 pounds. Bouvier are the guard dogs of the Netherlands and Tigger was a recruiting poster for the breed.
I’ve had dogs all my life and I’ve loved every one of them but I have to admit that Tigger was the star of the show. We lost him in January 2001, over 11 years ago, but he’s always with us and always will be. Someday there may be another Bouvier in our life but there will only be one Tigger – he was the best, the absolute very best.
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GIDGET
Freddy is 16 pounds of burning love. His hypnotic gaze commands you to his bidding. He rules the world. He is also an accomplished mouser and balcony jumper. He not so secretly despises you.
Fonzie likes to whistle the Andy Griffith Show theme song. I like to drink. A lot. Maybe that’s why.
Fluffy is the sweetest ball python in the whole world. I’m not sure what that means. But apparently cleanliness is key.
Trinket is a long haired, sweater wearing applehead chihuahua… she weighs a whole 5lbs of attitude! Loves to play dress-up and fits in a purse or dad’s pocket! I’m pretty sure this can scar dogs for life. The last is my observation.
Big and soft in the head, Milo’s scared of his own shadow and amazingly timid – he gets bullied by our smaller female cat, Lily, when all he needs to do is sit on her! He hasn’t worked that one out yet. Favourite thing: sitting on the sofa, sleeping. Oh and his nightly treats.
Bollo is a nearly 2 year old naughty black Labrador who loves everybody and everything – a bit too much! Sadly he has dysplasia in both front elbows and is already riddled with arthritis, but that doesn’t hold him back. Bollo is fun loving, bouncy and full of life and we adore him.
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FREYA
This is Freya the cat. She likes frogs. Frogs like her. This is clearly the beginning of the end times.
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DEEDEE
My Diamond Dog DeeDee is truly my best friend, and the best pet I have ever owned. She is a miniature Shar-Pei and is seven years old. She is sweet, loving and intelligent and thinks it’s her job to protect me. If you get a little too close, she will show her teeth, which are pretty intimidating if you don’t notice the tail wagging at the same time. However, she understands the word ‘friend’ and when I say it, she turns into the cuddly little puppy she really wants to be. She also guards the door to my office, and won’t let anyone come in when I’m writing–the perfect muse. DeeDee has a ‘baby’— a stuffed kangaroo that she wraps her paws around when she sleeps, and she even takes it outside, sits it in the grass a few times a day so it can ‘potty’.
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MERCURY
Mercury is the dog my daughter always wanted. Ever since she was very small, she begged and pleaded for us to get a dog. But dogs are a lot of work, and her dad and I always told her no. Then he and I started working out, going for lots of long walks, eating healthier and losing weight. We talked about getting a dog because we were doing so much walking that we knew it would be easier now to get a dog and care for it. My daughter’s 15th birthday was coming up, so we told her she could have a dog, at long last. (Both her dad and I had owned dogs in the past, so we knew what it would take to care for one.)
When she first saw Mercury, despite how much more he cost being a blue merle and fluffy than the smoother coated more typical colored collies, she knew he was the puppy for her.
We have a large family with seven children, and Mercury has turned out to be the perfect family dog. he is gentle and loving with the children. He even loves our cats so much that he frequently gives them a tongue-bath that leaves them soaking. The kids can pile on top of him and he just soaks up the attention. Our only problem is that they keep sneaking him bits of their meals (he’s especially fond of their morning toast), and we are having to take care that he doesn’t become overweight. (This is a photo of him when he was a puppy.)
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BYRON
This is Byron. He is a good dog, but he understands right and wrong. I tested him once by leaving my purse on the table with a piece of bacon in it. Then I hid behind the fence outside and peeked through the living room window. He ran to the front window to see if I was coming. Then he ran to the back window and did not see me. Then he got on the table and started wrestling with the purse (which was zipped closed.) He repeated his window check several times before finally getting the bacon out.
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KYRA & NATASHA
Kyra, in the foreground turns 14 next month, and still finds at least some energy to play with 1-year-old Natasha (stretched out against the recliners in the background). We got her as a wedding gift right after we returned from our honeymoon, so she has always symbolized the best of our marriage. Natasha joined our pack as a 12-week-old to help us remember how to smile after we lost two other Husky rescues within the space of 6 months of each other in 2010.
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MARLEY
This is Marley. A rescue dog, he was incredibly smart, loyal, stubborn and loving. Marley, like Lobo, battled cancer, and finally moved on sleeping peacefully on the front porch, which he loved. RIP Marley.
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HASHBROWN
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I thought I’d send you a pic of the love of my life, Nellie, the Whippet Poodle. She is 17 months old and I’ve had her since she was 11 weeks old.
When I read about Lobo and some of the things he did, it mirrored some of my adventures with Nellie (or Bubble as I call her sometimes – no idea why other than it sounds nice to say). She tears up all the stuffed toys I get her, leaving fluff around the yard so that summer in country Victoria, Australia, looks decidedly snowy! Tug of war is her main love or chasing her around the back yard before tug of war… She has the best nature (other than Lobo) and runs like the wind – just spine-tingling to watch her.
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BRUCE
This is our dog Bruce. He is the dog of our dreams. He’s a crazy dog! He eats a TON of things! We were searching the internet for dogs when we found this furry beast. The minute we saw him, we knew he was ours. We also found out that he wasn’t “barkative,” but he was lovable, playful and social. The next day we got him! And to this day, he is our awesome puppy! He is about one year old.
By Lydia Kronengold (7 yrs old) and Michael Kronengold (10 yrs old)
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RESISTANCE IS FUTILE
Here are my three ginger kits with their Dad, sideshow Tog, They are Poppy, Tyger and Mini-me, Poppy is on the left, she is very aloof, doesn’t like anyone or any other cats, she bullies Tyger her brother, he’s in the middle, and as for her own kitten Mini-me she absolutely hates her, fortunately for Mini-me Uncle Tyger is the softest and daftest cat ever, when Mini was born he actually licked her clean whilst Poppy was having her other three kittens. They have always had a bond and when all the kittens were tiny they used to sleep with Tyger on his beanbag. Poppy was a good mother until they were about six weeks old and could feed themselves, then she’d had enough of them, I think she was quite horrified that we kept Mini-me. Mini is a funny little character in between the other two, she is a bit nuts and constantly jumps out on the other two, knowing she’s going to get a slap off Pops, but she doesn’t care, highly amusing, she thinks every cat she meets wants to play with her, ending up in quite a lots of scraps and a badly bitten tail once, however she’s still the same regardless of previous injuries.
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OREO
We got Oreo From the Humane Society when she was 11 or 12 weeks old. The day after, she came down with Parvo Virus and spent the next 4 days in emergency care at the animal hospital. Obviously she survived that ordeal pretty well. The tennis ball was always one of her favorite toys. When she knew it was time to go outside, she would find the ball, no matter were she had left it hidden. She was also always very fond of the hedge hog toy. We had to keep spares because she just had to know what was inside. She liked the water in the summer and loved getting sprayed to cool off. She loved the winter cold and snow, which is a good thing for a Wisconsin dog. Oreo had arthritic hips when she got older and walks around the block helped her a lot. The last 2 1/2 years of her life she got to spend in the woods of Northern Wisconsin, which she liked especially because it meant no more leash. It also meant we could take longer walks and she could romp in the woods. She got mistaken for a bear more then once. Eventually, though, she wore down. Oreo died last October, one month shy of her 16th birthday. She was an awesome dog.
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GESH – AKA Look into my eyes, I command you
We found Gesh 11 years ago; a tiny ball of fluff amongst the cat throng of a cat rescue centre. We took him home and he was ‘adopted’ by my then 2yo daughter! They grew up together. He was possibly the clumsiest and most smoochy cat in feline history, yet let’s face it, the boy had swag! Last week my (now 13yo) daughter woke to find him seemingly sleeping peacefully in his bed. Although he won’t be waking up again, he holds a special place and will live forever in all our hearts.
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PASHA
At the local animal shelter, that darn ginger tom never took his eyes off me. They were not quite green and not quite yellow; they were round, and alert, and reflected light like precious stones set in orange gold.
“Don’t even think about it,” I told him. I already had two cats at home.
I named him Pasha.
He turned out to be an incredibly loving, sweet Maine Coon that gets along with everyone. Heis also the only cat that ever bit me; and I mean, hard. But that was entirely my own stupid fault.
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PEEVE
Meet Peeve. He was brought home from the shelter on my birthday a little over a year ago. Peeve was 5 months old when we met and it was love at first sight. He makes me smile, laugh, and amazes me everyday with his human-like facial expressions, and really astounding
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GEMMA & NERO
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BUSTER, KIRA & CHLOE
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JONESY & WALDO
You’ve probably heard the myth that pugs hate water. Wrong. Put a pug on a beach, add a little sun, other dogs, a light breeze and they just can’t help themselves. The hope of a Corona with a slice of lime doesn’t hurt either. Jonesy and Waldo – the latest in beach bums. Catch more of their exploits and photos are at www.bablackwood.com/pug-
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BLACKJACK
Attached is a photo of my cat Blackjack. My husband and I adopted him at Petsmart in Albuquerque NM when he was 4 years old. He’s in charge of the household and also happens to be an excellent editor! 🙂
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TAYLOR
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ICE
This is Ice. He is a “blue merle” Border Collie, blue coming from his eye and merle being his coloring. I bought him in Costa Rica, and brought him here to Honduras. He is very, very excited about frisbee. Well, he’s damn excited about frogs, too, but frisbee is definitely his thing. Boy can he jump!
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BANDIT
This cat with his masked face – that of course you can’t see – is always the life of the party. Tequila anyone?
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Lilliput and Pasha
These two Maine Coons are rescues from our local animal shelter where I volunteered and where such unplanned adoptions are an occupational hazard. They are the best EVER. While there is nothing Lilliputian any more about my girl, Pasha duly lives up to his name as he sits on silk cushions and surveys his harem. Read more about these awesome cats and their shelter buddies (many of which they helped me foster) here: http://ingehborg.blogspot.com/
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Chou
Let me introduce you to Choux. She is a 16 years old cat who has been my best friend for 16 years. She is smart, spoiled, and of course, the little princess of the house. Her mother was a friend of mine’s cat, unfortunately she died while giving birth to three beautiful kittens, Choux was the youngest.
I took her home the day she was born, and she made it thanks to all the love and care I gave her, and I would do it again a thousand times. When she opened her eyes, it was me the first thing she saw, so technically I’m her Mom. She thinks she is human, and she behaves as a human. She is a talkative cat; she expresses her opinion in her very particular way. She always finds the way to get all the attention from everyone around her. She knows that everyone loves her, and she takes advantage of it. Yes, she is a diva. She knows it, and she enjoys it too.
Yesterday, I went to my Yoga class early in the morning, when I got back home I found her like this, nothing unusual at all…
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Z
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JAG
This is Jag. He’s a three-year old long-haired dachshund. We rescued this guy from a puppy mill here in south Florida.
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