The Guys

I'm linking up at Kelly's Korner today to formally introduce our pets.  I know they've been mentioned off and on, but I've been meaning to do a post all about them for some time now.  If we didn't really love them, they'd drive us absolutely crazy.

Sammy has been around the longest, long before me.

Sammy is the product of a past relationship of Ned's, and while I try not to hold that against him, I still refer to him as my red-headed step-child.  Sammy is a Yorkie, and while terriers usually do have cute little faces, Sammy will be our last terrier.  He was a terrible barker when I met Ned.  He would sit on the back of the couch and bark at everything...cats, people, leaves.  That got better when he couldn't get on a new couch, but in this house, he's able to sit halfway up the steps and see out the window.  This neighborhood is pretty busy, and there are days I think one of us is going to have to go away from here.  He was also never house-broken very well, and while that got better at one point too, the problem has returned with a vengeance.  He is 10 so I guess that has to do something with his issues.  He likes people and likes to lick.  He has a love-hate relationship with the other pets and has a bad case of short man syndrome.  Overall, he's been good with Avery.  When she cried as an infant he wanted to be in the middle of things and would sometimes nip at me.  Sammy is a loved part of our family, but Ned and I have both decided that we will have no more house dogs for awhile once something happens to him.

Dixie joined the family as Ned's next pet.

Dixie is a 9-year-old yellow lab.  He's laid back and seems like he wouldn't hurt a flea.  Dixie is good with Avery but does like to lick.  His size is also sometimes a problem when he accidentally bumps her.  Dixie and I get along much better now that he is living with Mimi and Vincent.  Dixie was a big barker in his pen at the other house, and I would often go out there in the dark to let him out when Ned wasn't home only to have him start again as soon as I got inside.  He likes Avery and I ok but really only has eyes for Ned.  It just wasn't good enough that I was letting him out of his pen; he wanted Ned.  Dixie has become a house dog at Mimi and Vincent's, which will not continue at the new house.  He would be fine if it was just him, but there will be too much going on.  Dixie is Ned's duck hunting buddy and wears his hunting clothes to retrieve ducks and geese.  He's also been doing work at E.V. Lankford Insurance during the day for the last few months.

Our third guy, and our first together, was Felix.

We got Felix a few months after we got married, and he is now 3.  I am a cat person, and while growing up there was always at least one cat in our house, sometimes 4.  Ned stumbled upon Felix's picture on a local news website one day and showed it to me.  I had always wanted a cat his color and had to make him mine.  At some point I started calling him Doodie and the name stuck.  He has more personality that any other cat I've had.  He likes to play and he likes to love.  He also has incredible teeth, which have been a bit of a problem.  I lost count of the wooden blinds he destroyed at the other house, and we've gone through a few sets of the metal blinds here in our rental.  He also enjoys shoe strings, cell phone chargers, and strings on Avery's toys.  Ned loves Felix too, but sometimes the chewing gets in the way of Ned seeing his preciousness.  Felix is an indoor cat but has had a few quick escapes.  He has no front claws and usually does well with Avery.  Those teeth have nipped a few times but never to leave a mark.  Avery loves to bury her nose in Doodie's fur and throw his rats for him.  He also likes a loose ice cube and is a great bug catcher.

Avery loves "the guys" as she calls them, and I love that she's developed such a love for pets at an early age.  She does really well with them all, and I hope this has shown her how to treat an animal.  They're expensive, loud, messy, and down-right aggravating at times, but our house would definitely not be complete without them.