I have always loved animals, and their ability to make me smile. Brian and I share this passion, and we currently share our lives with two dogs (Cooper & Cabo) and three cats (Mango, Sushi and Java). We are in the process of building a barn so our horse Melody can live at home too.
Cabo is our adorably friendly and smart “Border Heeley,” a designer breed that doesn’t actually exist yet but involves a wonderful cross between a Border Collie and a Blue Heeler. In her free time, Cabo likes to play Frisbee, climb trees, and carry things like socks and cat food cans in her mouth. She was about three months old when we adopted her just before leaving on a vacation to Cabo.
We consider Cooper to be the luckiest dog in the world. Shortly after rescuing him from the animal shelter, we discovered that he had heartworms and an overly protective nature. Cooper likes to run fast, to go on car rides and dog walks, and to be as close as he can possibly be to me, which sometimes means climbing on top of my head. Cooper was about two years old when we adopted him, and somehow we never got around to buying the Mini Cooper that is his namesake.
Mango is the alpha cat in the family. Cross-eyed and a little ornery when she’s hungry (which is all of the time), she is also a big purr-monster. She loves catnip and her spinning ball toy. Mango, Java and Sushi arrived as a set, two days after I got back from one of my trips to Mongolia. They were about five months old at the time.
Sushi is a quirky little cat that tries to sneak into every possible opening, sometimes chews toes, never utters a single meow, and likes to wrestle with dogs. In fact, her stated ability to wrestle with dogs was impossible to ignore when I was looking through pet rescue ads, searching for kittens that could get along with a high-energy dog like Cabo. She was in a foster home with Mango and Java, and we couldn’t take just one.
Java is our adventure kitty. She is super small, but very athletic. She loves to go on dog walks and would keep up for miles if we let her. She loves to go outside, and has an unfortunately good hunting record.
Melody is my first and only horse. She is very spoiled and full of personality. She loves treats and trail rides. Together, we are working on dressage, currently schooling First Level and showing Training Level.
Our beloved Splash, 2001-2008
Aja the Princess Kitty, aka Jams Kitty, 1992-2008
