The Critters

Meet the Furkids!

Name: Zoe May (As in “Zoe may do what ever she pleases.”)

Age: 7 years

Breed: Golden Retriever/Labrador Retriever mix

Loves: FOOD!!!! Baked goods. Chewies. Soft pillows or couches. Cats (chasing, grooming, being groomed by). Wrestling with Pe.

Hates: Thunder (or anything resembling thunder). Cameras. Bananas. Being alone.

Zoe’s Story: Zoe is our big, lovable, wimp. We got her from a wonderful young couple as a companion for our first furkid, Eva. She and Eva were best buddies, and after Eva passed away suddenly, Zoe started to have major anxiety attacks which resulted in lots of vomit and huge holes being chewed in our entry way dry wall. Thankfully, God knows even what doggies need and sent Pe before too long. Zoe is still very nervous when something loud or otherwise scary happens, but she is one of the most well-behaved dogs anyone could ever ask for. Unlike Pe, Zoe likes to be by herself, and will often go behind the dining room table just to chill. She is so gentle with other animals (excluding the Nippy incident) and young children. She even gets spare cookies from unsuspecting toddlers just because she is so cute. She is a jewel.

Name: Pe (aka Princess Peypey)

Age: 5 years

Breed: Brittany Spaniel/Labrador Retriever mix

Loves: People!!! Chewies. Pop bottles. Ropes. Soft pillows or couches (or beds when she can sneak into them). Cats (grooming, being groomed by, chasing, pouncing on).Being touched.

Hates: Not much. Being tied up.

Pe’s Story: On a hot July day, Annie (my father in-law’s dog) was discovered to have given birth to her third litter of pups. Annie had no maternal instincts and did not produce any milk, so I had hand-raised both previous litters, but since they were both born in the harsh UP winter, only one from each litter survived. This time, the warm summer sun had allowed all seven, yes SEVEN, beautiful puppies to survive. Only six were found at first, but a few hours later, my father in-law came over with our little Pe surprise in his hands. She has been a ball of delight and energy ever since.

Unlike Zoe, Pe must be with people at all times. If you make yourself available, she will take full advantage of her physical proximity. Her beautiful red-brown coat draws many comments, and often people ask if she is an Irish Setter. Nope. Just a bit of Britt. Sometimes, to our disgust, she returns to puppy-like chewing. AH! But that sweet face and her gentle snuggles make it very hard to stay mad for very long.

Name: Nippy (aka Nippy Noodle)

Age: Approx 15 years

Breed: Rat Terrier

Loves: Fetch. Chewies. Small toys. Food (especially meat). Trash. Soft, comfy pillows and blankets. Behind the couch.

Hates: The big dogs. Loud noises. The big dogs wrestling. Having her feet touched. The big dogs getting to close.

Nippy’s Story: Nippy came to us four years ago when a young couple from church needed to find a new home for the husband’s rat terrier, whom his mom would no longer tolerate living at her house. They knew that we loved animals, and said it would only be temporary, so even the tough Kaleb couldn’t say no. Now, Kaleb can’t imagine life without her. She has attitude and is more than a bit neurotic, but she is hilarious none the less. When she is loving, she is very loving. When she is mad, well, it takes a little more discipline than with our other dogs. Now that we have figured out how to get past her trash fixation (child safety locks) and have learned to keep the peace between the three canine units (after a bout of 14 stitches), she is one of the easiest dogs to care for in the world.

Name: Chaya

Age: 7 years

Loves: “Her” blanket. Turkey. Night time. The parrot’s tree. The rafters in the basement.

Hates: The dogs. Loud noises. Anything or anyone new.

Chaya’s Story: Our little princess. Chaya was our first cat. The day we brought her home, she ran behind our tv stand and refused to come out for 4 days. Now, she is our sweet, prissy, jumpy baby that only comes out when she knows the big dogs are asleep. This means I rarely get to see her, because the dogs go to bed when I do.

Name: Naia (aka Fuzzy, Squeakers, Naia Boy)

Age: 7 years

Loves: MEAT! Goldbond lotion. The TV cabinet. Fake flowers or plants.

Hates: Loud noises. Being chased by the dogs.

Naia’s Story: Naia is technically Rachel’s cat, but is fully part of the whole critter family. When Rachel moved in with us, she wanted a cat of her own. We saw an ad in the shopper for free kittens. Since we had a female, we wanted another female, and the lady assured us that the kitten she had left was a girl. So we brought home a large, fluffy, beautiful girl. We never bothered to check until a few months later when this girl was getting abnormally big for a female. One day, Rachel innocently asked “Hannah, how do you tell the difference between a boy and a girl cat.” I said “I’ll show you.” and I lifted Naia’s tail. “Naia,” I said “Is a…boy!” And from then on, his nickname has been Naia Boy. He is our beautiful, meow-challenged, six-toed prince. The only male animal in the house…that we know of.

Name: Clevis (Alana’s name choice, not ours) (aka Clevie, Clevie Cat)

Age: Aprroximately 5 years

Loves: Everything…especially boxes.

Hates: Nothing…except being stuck downstairs.

Cleivie disappeared suddenly about a year ago, but she is definitely part of this family’s history, so here is her story: Clevie, like our other two kitties, was born a barn cat. When she was a kitten, my father in-law realized she had a respiratory infection. He tried everything he knew to treat it, but this kitty with a huge personality just would not get better. When she was about a year old, we decided that she would probably not live another winter outside with this infection, so we decided to add her to our menagerie. She was a clown in every way. When someone would come to our house, she was the first one to crawl up in their laps, whether they liked it or not. Most of the time, they would warm up to her before they ever saw it coming. She made us laugh daily and was one of the best pictures of unconditional love I have ever seen. We miss her dearly.

Name: Juji

Age: 4 years

Loves: Peanuts. Grapes. Cheerios. Pens. Cuddles. Sunflower seeds. Pea pods. Chicken (yes, that’s right). Hanging upside down. The top of the refrigerator.

Hates: If you look at her wrong. If you tell her no. If you take something away from her.

Juji’s Story: Juji is a dream fulfilled for me. She is a beautiful Congo African Grey parrot. When I was 14 I had the blessing of fostering a 24 year-old Grey named Rockelle. Rockelle stole my heart that summer, and from that point on I was determined that some day I would have an African Grey of my own. When my college graduation was approaching, I started to make my plans. I contacted multiple breeders, but finally decided on a very reputable breeder down state. In late January, 2008, my beautiful baby bird arrived. She (we actually don’t know Juji’s sex, but I call her she) is everything I could have wanted and more. She is affectionate, strong willed, and very VERY smart. She turned 4 years old in November, and has been picking up new words and phrases every day since. You never know what is going to come out of that birdy mouth.