We have a lot of animals...3 cats, a dog, a turtle, and a parakeet. I guess we like animals, although somedays I'm not so sure.
Cassadie has had quite a history with animals. When she was six and a half we told her we would get her a kitten if she learned to ride a bike. She likes to be good at things, and she does not like to have her failure be public, so taking off the training wheels was out of the question. Anyway, she finally did it, and so we got her a cute orange tabby. She named it Tiffany. When we figured out that it was actually a boy we mentioned it to her as a hypothetical situation like "what if Tiffany was actually a boy?" She was devastated at the mere mention of it and so we didn't tell her. We got him fixed and called him Tiff behind her back. Alex referred to it affectionately as a "shim". It got ran over by a car about 2 years later. About two years ago, we told her that Tiffany was really a boy. Cassadie was so upset when Tiffany died that we got her another kitten which she named Abby. Abby really is a girl. She had kittens and then we got her fixed. She is one of the fattest cats we have ever seen.
As you can see, she has a very small head with a huge belly. Sometimes she lays in a very unladylike position, sprawled on her back on the floor. It is a funny sight and reminds me of the marshmallow snowmen we made when we were kids. A fat, round body with toothpicks for arms and legs. We started calling her Fat Abby which morphed into Flabby and it stuck.
She has also had two hermit crabs (which have both died) and now she has a parakeet. She named it Kianda. We are not sure whether it is a boy or a girl. She wanted a female, but the girl at the petstore told us it is too young and we won't be able to tell for a while. So, we watch for a sign, and hopefully it will be a girl. Otherwise, we'll have male parakeet named Kianda.
Jarod started with a guinea pig named Jeff, named after Ang and Beckie's friend in Jeff McLain(sp?) in Kansas. Apparently he had quite an impact on Jarod. Jeff (the guinea pig) was loud, smelly and dirty, so we gave him to a nice unsuspecting little girl and got Jarod a cat. Jarod named him Jedi. He is a solid black cat except for a small white spot on his chest and he is the sweetest cat you will ever meet. He loves Jarod and follows him around the yard when Jarod goes outside.
About a year and a half ago, we got Jarod a turtle. She is a red eared slider and he named her Araynia. She's not exactly a playful pet. During the summer, he takes her outside and lets her walk around in the grass. He talks to her when she's swimming in her aquarium or basking on her log and that's about it.
Our third cat is Sammy, who was one of Abby's kittens. He is an orange and white tabby. He is one of the weirdest and sweetest cats. He is very affectionate and will lay on your body...he doesn't care what part of your body.
One day I was laying on Alex relaxing. Sammy just jumped on my back and made himself comfortable. He didn't move until I made him. (Sorry about the red-eye, I know I look creepy, just don't look)
Our dog is Sabrina. Alex and I have had her since our first year of marriage. She is a rottweiler/shepherd mix and is about 12 years old now. She has arthritis and incontinence problems. Her arthritis means we have to allow her to come in the house during the winter, but her incontinence makes that impossible. We have her on medication for her incontinence and it has gotten better. Today I took her to the groomers so she can start coming inside. We have had some down right chilly nights. When I went outside to find her, I called and called for her, but she wasn't coming. Dad helped me by whistling for her, but still no Sabrina. I was starting to worry, and then I saw her head peak up from some weeds on the north side of the house. She was so cold that she wouldn't even get up when we called her. Anyway, she's at the groomers now, and she will be able to come in the house and sleep on a nice warm bed when she gets back.
