Seventeen Acre Companions

Our first picture of Gingersnap shows her disapproval of the snow as she trots gingerly around the perimeter. "We'll just go look at the shelter, that's all." But when I saw her calm, friendly demeanor in the outside kennels while the other dogs were going wild with excitement I was drawn to her. She's a hound-pitbull mix with a sweet personality and is friendly to all. Her brindle and white coat is beautiful!

Ben, our elderly Saint Bernard, and Jerry whom you may have already met here, welcomed her with the "Hello" sniff-fest and only a little curiosity. She responded in kind and I knew all would be well.

She's our first medium sized dog and appears to have inherited the best traits of her mixed lineage. Her favorite toys are stuffed hedgehogs whose round sturdy bodies and tiny felt feet seem determined to withstand her chewing and pulling power. When she desires some lap time she rummages up a hedgehog and presents it as a "please hold me" bribe. Cute!

Of all our companion animals, Ashley has the most seniority, being almost thirteen years old. She's a polished beggar and stretches out her poly dactyl paw to try to "hook" the food morsel you're holding. Ashley has been altered, as are all our adoptees so we can save a life while not adding to the horrible problem of unwanted animals in this country. 3-4 million are euthanized annually, estimates the Humane Society.


Ben, our Saint, is very old and has lost a lot of muscle mass while still continuing to have a good appetite. He does "wibble-wobble" around a lot and sometimes needs help standing back up after a fall. Snow is one of his loves and in years past he would wander out behind our large shed to find the last vestiges of winter's bounty lying there crystallized just for him. This is a picture of him in his prime as we walk the trail we blazed through our woods. "Hurry up!" he seems to say as he looks back at my husband whom he adores.

When we adopted Nugget he was thin and had almost no hair on his tail or ears. But what he did have even then was his rumbling purr and affectionate nature. So we brought him home, got him vetted and cured of his skin condition. He was the first "new" cat the boys had met in a while, so there was much chasing and cornering of Nugget by the two dogs. Until... the dogs cornered him in the dining room with no way out. Nugget reared up on his hind legs, spread out his front legs, and with a mighty scream began batting practice on both dogs' muzzles simultaneously! At that instant his domination over them was established. He's our morning alarm clock as well, waking us for his morning breakfast with running passes through the bedroom.

You've met our Jerry in my previous post. He looks much the same now except for his exceptional middle age spread. That's the list! Never a dull day with this crowd around.