Hi, Jan, Diane, Sherrie, Kevin, and everyone!

Jan, don't worry about being off-topic from time to time. The list has been way too quiet for the last 1/2 of 2003 anyway and a little off-topic helps keep the flow going. <Wink> Sounds like we have a lot of pet lovers in this group and more to come, I'll bet. Mine are below.

Crackers is a 3 year-old female West Highland White Terrier mix and a light golden color.

Milo is a 2 year-old male purebred standard long-haired dachshund and is black and tan.

Rascal is a 1 year-old male 1/2 sheltie, 1/2 dachshund mix and is a rust color. Just finished obedience school last Wednesday on his way to training as an agility dog.

I call them my blonde, my brunette, and my redhead. Each one was a rescue dog, Crackers right off the road where she had been dumped and was playing in traffic, and Milo and Rascal from pet rescue organizations. They are all awesome dogs!

Then we have what we affectionately refer to as "The Herd." LOL Those are our cats, 8 males and 7 females. We have a special fondness for tuxedo kitties so 3 of them(Sneakers, Spock, and Paladin) have those markings. The rest are gray, gray and white, cream, all black, black and white, calico, black and gray, and one lovely lynx point Siamese mix. Just about every color here except brown and tortoiseshell.

The next 4 came with the new house we bought 2 and 1/2 years ago when the former owner abandoned them. Grrrr,,,, some people!

Irma (She came with 2 sons, Gadget and Gizmo.Their sister Liberty was adopted by one of our best friends.)

Spock (He had big ears as a kitten, hence the name.)

Sneakers, Jr. (He's got the same name as our Sneakers, Sr, that we lost in November of 2001 and is Spock's brother.)

Brat (Boy, is she one too! But she's also one of the most beautiful cats we have ever seen, dark smokey gray with not an iota of another color on her and deep blue sapphire eyes, long-haired too, just like a wisp of liquid smoke.)

J.J. (We probably should have named him J.F.K., short for just another frigging kitten!)

Jigsaw (She has markings like pieces of a puzzle)

Paladin (Came from the Humane Society with this moniker, not our choice for a name but it fit him somehow and he answered to it so what the hay.)

Bandit, Jr. (Same name and a dead ringer in looks and personality for Bandit, Sr, who we lost to cancer last April at age 17.)

We have ties now with some quality pet rescue organizations in the area which is a good thing for we have plenty of our own to care for now and it's good to be able to get any in need now to a place where they'll get good safe indoor homes. Just took a stray cat (abandoned when a neighbor moved) to them a week ago. Of course, that can have another side to it too as that's where Bill discovered our newest Bandit. He's such a softie though so when he saw a cat that looked just like his old boy, he just felt we had to make an exception for this particular one. It's worked out well as Bandit has fit in well and acts like he's lived here for years instead of only 9 days. They are all spayed/neutered, live indoors, and have lots of cat condos, claw posts, beds, and toys to play with and lounge around in and on. The cats are so quiet and sleep so much that you never actually see them all at once. Unless it's breakfast or dinner time. Then they come a'running! There's definitely always someone to pet around here, no doubt about that. We love all of them and really enjoy all the fun and joy they bring into our lives! Our family and friends refer to our place as "Wild Kingdom" cause there's always an animal on the prowl. LOL

Leanne "Barbie Brat' :-) ;-)

"The only way to have a friend is to be one."

----- Original Message -----

Sent: Monday, January 19, 2004 8:49 PM

Subject: Re: Pets, Anyone?

I don't want to get in to much trouble being off topic. My cats are a little bit of this, and a little bit of that. One is part siamese, one is a calico, one a sleek black boy my daughter found at Taco Bell, a black and white girl I found in a grocery store parking lot, last one a multi colored long hair. Our dog was a stray who adopted us. She is german shephard/husky/wolf mix. The new dog is a german shepherd mix. Looks like she has a little doberman in her. She had a home but she wasn't treated properly so I asked if I could have her. Well, she's been with us a week. Now I need to find a home for her "boyfriend". Can't take him too. Wish I could.

My dolls are mostly in the computer room. I do have a few in my bedroom on a high shelf. My kitties like to eat hands and toes of my dolls. LOL!

It is so nice to meet other animal lovers.

Hi there, Jan and gang!

Not to get too off-topic but glad to see another fellow animal fanatic hereabouts. What sort of "fur babies" do you have and what are their names? We've got a houseful too. Take your 7 x 2 + 4 and you've got our count. My dolls aren't even on a high shelf anymore. They're in a separate room, with the door c-l-o-s-e-d tight! LOL More to protect them from the cats than the dogs. My felines would regard all the dollies and thier accessories as fabulous kitty toys, guaranteed. Who else has pets, what kind, and how many?

Leanne "Barbie Brat" :-) ;-)

"The only way to have a friend is to be one."