Linda's Pets

On the left is Nicodemus. On the right is Gus.

Cyber-Gus works double-duty as my screen-saver. Occasionally, I let time pass without doing anything JUST to watch him patrol the monitor, protecting my work. (Sometimes he falls asleep, but it's tiring work and I'm up all hours working on projects...)

I've also adopted a cyber-version of one of my real-life companions, named Shadow, from a wonderful place right here in GeoCities. Put your mouse on Cyber-Shadow to go adopt a kitty for your own web-site.

My household is presently blessed with four dogs and two cats. (I used to have a canary, but he now wears a different pair of wings up in birdie-heaven.) Not too long ago, I purchased a digital camera, so you'll be able to see various pictures of my my furry, four-legged family members.

(Odie was my Senior Cat, at 16 years of age. He was an orange tiger-striped domestic short-hair, and I just couldn't call him "Garfield". He crossed that Rainbow Bridge almost two years ago recently, and I still miss him.) It seems I just have to have an orange-tiger striped cat in the household, because my first was "Tequila" (for Teguila Sunrise) and now I have another: Widget. Sometimes I forget and call him Odie... he looks SO much like him - check out this photo of Widget and see for yourself!

Shadow is now 13, a grey short-haired domestic, and he rediscovered kittenhood (for short periods of activity) with the addition of Onyx, first, then Widget. Shadow is a hunter; he brings me legless, skinny reptilian creatures on a regular basis.

Onyx was a feral kitten whose mom hung around my dispatch center until the commander ordered me to call Animal Control to come pick up the strays (which the dispatchers were feeding and letting inside on the midnight shift). They caught the kitten and paged me late at night to let me know I had a new member of my household. He was so wild it took two weeks of living in one of my bathroom drawers before he stopped hissing at me when I reached in to pick him up and love him. (It was only a half-hearted little warning hiss, and he'd immediately settle into a purr.) But, there were other cats and dogs in the house, and it took him that long to venture out of the bathroom on his own. He eventually grew up to allow the dogs to help him keep the insides of his ears clean. (ewwwwww, dog kisses!)

However, after almost two years with us, Onyx disappeared. Since several other cats in my neighborhood also simply disappeared shortly before the county Animal Control reported having captured a coyote by our community pond, the fear is that a coyote got them. (We live in a fairly rural area...)

Just before Halloween, two of the officers with whom I work made a traffic stop late at night in (another) remote, rural area and they were approached by a scrawny, filthy - but affectionate - kitten. Even when they picked her up and took her back to the porch of the nearest house, she ran back to their patrol car. So... they brought her to the Dispatch Center. Somehow, they suspected somebody would take DisPatch kitty home. [grin]

The vet says Patch was about six months old - and only weighed four pounds! - and had been "on her own" for quite some time. She had to have had a loving home at one time, though; she was THE most affectionate and willing-to-be-handled cat I've ever met! She was relieved to discover the litter boxes, took only two days to get herself all clean and spiffy, and acclimated to the household of other cats and dogs within a week. With a balanced diet and lots of rest, she filled out and is a gorgeous cat!

The "house Hitler" is Nicholas, a 13 year old papillion-mix, who at 18 pounds (overweight by six), rules the home. I also had a "real" Gus - terrier mix - who was 12 years old when my vet and I helped him cross that Rainbow Bridge. Gus was put on this earth to love. He loved me, my friends, the neighbors, the cats, and probably even burglars, if Nicholas didn't warn him that intruders could be bad people. He was an excellent watch dog, but "watch" IS the operative word here. He alerted me to company, then would wag himself silly for a pat on the head. Wait! I just remembered that Gus, for some reason, distrusted the mail carrier and the garbage collectors. But that's probably because they never approach the porch, but "do things" to our stuff out on the street.

On 2/23/97 I brought home Preztel, a miniature dachshund. (I originally named him "Baron" but that didn't stick.) He was born December 28, 1996, and his first night with me was his first night away from his mother. I hadn't had a puppy for 10 years.... He weighed under 2 pounds the first week with me, and he couldn't push the heavy-duty magnetized flap open on the cat door. For the first two weeks of with us, he wore a sock with holes cut in it for a jacket to keep warm. He now weighs all of 11 pounds.

As I've already said, Widget joined us next; he's just like Odie all over again, only with his own twist. I guess I have to always have an orange, tiger-striped cat in the household. He's a better mouser than Shadow, but he doesn't eat his catches; he brings them to me, in bed, to show me his latest conquest.

Then came Zorro: another miniature dachshund. I've started a special section just for my wiener dogs, where you can see what a darling little boy I've added to my menagerie. He was born August 21, 1998, and unlike Pretzel, he's got papers to prove his lineage -- with a registered name longer either of them!

I'm ashamed to admit I didn't have a unique name for the canary while he lived with us. He was yellow, sang up a storm, but he was given to me by an elderly woman who couldn't keep him any more. Frankly, I forgot what name she gave him (I think it was Tweety and I resorted to simply telling him he was a "pretty bird," so maybe that became his name). He was a perky, cheerful singer that the cats never bothered, amazingly enough.

Patch was the last member of the household to join us. I'm supposed to be "full up" with no vacancies for new companion animals. What do you think? [grin]

Over the years, almost every companion animal I've ever gotten has been a "rescue" pet. (Except for my two mini-doxies; I brought Pretzel home from a family giving away the last puppy of a litter, and I actually purchased Zorro from a breeder.) I know many folks purchase purebreds, and I'm attracted to many breeds too, but there are SO many homeless, needy companion-animals out there. I really recommend you choose your companion from a shelter instead of a breeder, unless you, too, can't resist the sign outside someone's house saying "AKC (miniature dachshund) puppies for sale."

Click on the logos for the North Shore Animal League or Pets In Need to see excellent websites for two outstanding organizations. (I've been contributing to NSAL for several years now, with an automatic monthly checking account deduction.)

One of my actual neighbors has adopted two greyhounds and we meet regularly on walks. One of my virtual neighbors is involved in greyhound rescue support; if you can't adopt a dog, perhaps you can adopt a virtual greyhound at her website. Tell Kate I sent ya!

I also recommend the Delta Society website for information on animals helping people and people helping animals.

Over the years, I've loved and lost a few companion animals. During my four-year sojourn in Southern California, I also worked at the Seabreeze Pet Cemetery in Huntington Beach, and worked first-hand with the most caring individuals I can imagine, who provided sincere services for bereaved Masters and Mistresses of hundreds of companion animals. I truly enjoyed my work there.

And, to commemorate my loss of two of my own, I purchased a red granite marker engraved with a beagle and cat silhouette, and this inscription: "Beauregard and Libby, 1977 - 1991. 13 years of love X two."

If you've lost a beloved companion, whatever the breed, you might be interested in the Lightning Strike - Pet-Loss Support Page. Grief is natural, and this is an excellent WWW resource. If you're ready to unabashedly cry, visit the Pet Loss and Rainbow Bridge website.

Shining Star Memorial Gardens is another Heartland site for those folks who miss their furred and feathered companions. Add a memorial for your beloved pet!

Also, you may be surprised to discover an excellent Internet Resource for Lost or Stolen Pets at Net Pet. It just might be more productive than putting up posters around your neighborhood.

Wild About Cats is a rescue organization for big and/or exotic cats. If you've got an interest in this subject, check this site out for more information.

On the whimsical side, I've discovered Sherman, a cat with his own Home Page. Anyone who's lived with cats will appreciate his point of view. I imagine I'll be finding more ingenious sites like his to share with other folks who've learned to treat their love of companion-animals with similar touches of humor.

Here's an online book called "Rats to Cats!" I encourage all cat-lovers to review the entire document; the drawings are delightful! (But this is my favorite page out of the middle of it.)

Another place you might want to visit is Buck's LitterBox, which, despite the name, is a nice home-page for another cat I've recently found on the 'Net.

There's even a cat named Skye who provides stock market tips. If you play the market, check to see if she's got a good paw for picks.

Be sure to check out the CLAW Recruitment Center, too!

There's another fascinating feline up out on the Heartland Plains, called Kitty Boodles; she'd love a visit or two, and certainly some e-mail from some other cats on the 'Net!

Meet Skylar and Zack, two Golden Retrievers with a website of their own.

Or, you could visit two standard poodles and a mutt, if you're so inclined. Their "mom" put a lot of love into their page, and it shows.

Let me introduce you to Archibald, a very handsome Dobermann. Just a few Heartland addresses away, resides Tiger, the CyberSchnauzer, a very talented pooch. You could also check out Schnauzer Lane, too. Further down the same Heartland block, find Crow's pets. Another Heartland homesteader, Helga The Dog, shares her home, family and friends with you through pictures.

I cannot resist beagles, bassets and dachshunds, so there will probably be several of those to share with y'all before too long. (The fairly recent acquisition of Pretzel and Zorro is a result of that attraction to short-legged hounds.) Here's Bo Diddly to steal YOUR heart too!

Don't forget to check out my wiener dog page for more pictures of the littlest guys at my house.

Then there's Ludvick's homepage, an Airedale's well-designed website. He even displays his favorite Gary Larsen cartoons.

If you're fond of Boston Terriers, be sure to visit Bonnie's Home Page. She's got links to other Boston Terrier sites, too. How about Westies? Meet Jamie, a white West Highland Terrier!

Even if the newest version of "101 Dalmations" hadn't started a boom on this breed, one couldn't help but be impressed with Alexander and Napoleon's Home Page. What a couple of troopers!

Meet Wolfgang who's the resident dog at Houston WEST! He applies for a job at a fire station, but discovers he doesn't have the requisite spots....

Take a couple minutes to vist Tucker, who will sing for you. (It takes about that long to download the a little movie of this dog's ballad.)

Some of my friends have ferrets. If I didn't have so many pets already, I'd get a pair of them, myself. Interested in knowing where to get a ferret or two, and how much they cost? (They're NOW legal to keep in California!)

And now, here's a Parakeet's Perspective. I once had a parakeet and am planning on getting another soon. I kept their cages next to each other, and now that he's all alone, the canary does seem less musical. Every time I find another budgie link I get more and more tempted. Maybe if I ever left my office at work (or my computer desk at home) I might have some birdie-company for that little, yellow fellow of mine.

Go visit Gulliver, a Senegal parrot -- but take a treat with you!

Hummingbirds aren't really pets, but they certainly brighten up one's yard -- and life! I keep a feeder right outside the window by my computer; here on the California central coast, we can enjoy these lovely, lively visitors year-round.

Here's an interesting site with lots of information about mice. (For show or as companions, not as food or play-things for the four-footed members of your household!)

How about a cuddly little pocket-buddy? Here's the place to visit: Hamster Land!

If you live in an apartment or just somewhere you can't have pets at all, you might consider a virtual pet rock for your website. Click on mine, below, to go check 'em out.

You could even take a look at my small, but growing, collection of jokes about companion animals.