Pet Me!

We went out into the community to get stories of people and their pets
Sally Sheklow

"Everyone needs a spiritual guide: a minister, rabbi, counselor, wise friend, or therapist. My own wise friend is my dog. He has deep knowledge to impart. He makes friends easily and doesn't hold a grudge. He enjoys simple pleasures and takes each day as it comes. Like a true Zen master, he eats when he's hungry and sleeps when he's tired. He's not hung up about sex. Best of all, he befriends me with an unconditional love that human beings would do well to imitate."óThe Souls of Animals, Gary Kowalski

We are passionate about our animal friends. We surrender to them, abandon our dignity, and talk in funny voices calling them our honey-bunny poopsie-woopsie baby cakes. We spoil them and coddle them and act as if our highest purpose in life is to stroke their backs. We put up with their accidents, idiosyncrasies, and lapses of social propriety. Would we let any of our friends get away with licking their crotch when the relatives are visiting? Who else would we forgive for the cold, soggy hairball onto which we step squarely in the middle of the night? Or the chewed up Italian leather shoe? Or the shredded vintage drapery? We adore our little sweetie-snookie-cutie-sugar-darlings.

And what do we get in return? Abundant tokens of their utter adoration. Unconditional acceptance no matter how long it's been since we've brushed our teeth or changed our clothes. They don't judge us regardless of how we look or what time, in what condition or with whom we come home. We can be a bum or a celebrity and they love us the same. They give us their unwavering loyalty and they're always happy to see us. They reconnect us with nature. They slow us down and remind us to enjoy the pleasure of the moment. They do incredibly cute things that drag us up from our deepest depressions and make us smile. They delight us with their wags and wiggles, appreciative purrs, whinnys, coos, and cuddles. Our babies. And even when they break our hearts with their inevitable departures, they leave us, even in our grief, with some of the happiest memories of our lives and the reassurance that we can endure. ó

The Humans

Bootsie Cobden and Debbie Immel, owners of Three Dog Bakery. Debbie decided that she was tired of the corporate world and opened the bakery three years ago. Bootsie joined up a few years later.

The Animals

Windsor the corgi (nickname Win-tin-tin) is a good-natured mama's girl, never leaving Bootsie's side. Jackson is a golden mix, and a tennis ball fanatic. "However, he can become fixated on the ball and then the ball has to go into time out," Bootsie says. "It can be trying on both him and us." When customers come into the store, Windsor lays on her back to have her tummy rubbed and Jackson comes and gooses them with the tennis ball.

How They Met

Windsor came from a breeder in Porter where it was love at first sight and Jackson won Debbie's heart at the SPCA.

The Human

Tony de Carlo, painter in Los Angeles. "My dogs are with me an average of 23.5 hours a day, so they tend to work themselves into a lot of paintings of mine," Tony says. For the past three years he's donated work to benefit P.A.W.S.ó Pets Are Wonderful Supportóa nonprofit organization that cares for the pets of those with AIDS.

The Animals

Two Chihuahuas, Junior (Junz, JunJun, Pinche are his nicknames), age 6, and his daughter, Rosie (nicknamed Rosers, Fat Girl, Mamacita), age 4. "Junior is a small person in fur," Tony saysóhighly intelligent, very social, active, and talkative. Rosie looks to Junior for all of her cuesóask her if she wants to go for a walk, and she looks at him to see what he's going to do. Rosie is the perfect name for her, always happy no matter what she's doing.

Life together

Going on a walk is their highlight of the Junior and Rosie's day, and not a day goes by without a trip to the park or a long walk around the neighborhood.  They sleep in bed with Tony, on his side of the bed. "They wouldn't consider sleeping anywhere else," he says.

The Human

Robin Robinett, a veterinarian who has been doing chiropractic on animals since 1996. "I was 4 years old when I finally talked my parents into getting me a puppy," Robin says, "and I got to help my mother take him to the vet to get his shots. I decided then I was going to be a vet. It took me 11 more years to talk my parents into getting me a horse. I work on dogs, cats, and horses in my practice." Robin plans on opening a physical therapy, rehabilitation, and chiropractic clinic for animals in the next year.

The Animals

Dylan is a three-year-old Shetland Sheepdog or Sheltie. "He likes to be called Handsome," Robin says. "Don't tell him he is pretty." Kemah is a 19-year-old cat and runs the house. She was rescued from a shelter, where she was going to be euthanized since she was too young to be put up for adoption. Kemah grew up with two dogs and was raised like a dog because Robin never had any other cats. "She dislikes other cats but my friends can all bring their dogs over and Kemah is happy."

The Human

Robert Lee Huggins, bartender at the Brazos River Bottom.

The Animal

Shelly, an 18-week-old prairie dog. Named after a Mad TV skit, she is very feisty and quite loving. Oh, and also very demanding. When she wakes up every morning, she likes to come out of her cage and lie in Robert's lap upside down so he can scratch her belly. She likes to nibble on his toes. "It's as if she realizes I hate it," he says, "so she makes it a point to do it every chance she gets."

Favorite playtimes

"We like to take turns harassing my dog," Robert says. "He's a Spitz I named Stryker. (Hmmm, I wonder who I named him after.)"

How They Met

Shelly was a birthday present to Robert from his boyfriend Scott.

The Human

Rachelle Welch, a personal trainer.

The Animal

"Blu" Welch, a one-year-old Paint filly. Her registered name is Titan's Delux Lady, but Rachelle calls her Blu because she has one blue eye.

How They Met

"I was referred to her from a neighbor that shows paint horses," Rachelle says. "I used to show when I was in high school, but have been away from it since. I could only stay away from my true loveóhorsesófor so long, so I looked for another horse that I could show again. My neighbor referred me to a farm in Alvin. Upon arriving to view her, it was love at first sight."

Life together

"Blu is still young and not able to ride yet, so our usual routine is to be brushed and go for walks; she loves it. During an exercise session, she starts giving me these 'baby eyes' and looks quite pathetic, trying to get out of working. I hate to say it, but it usually works and I end up just taking her for a slow walk and letting her eat fresh green grass under a tree."

The Humans

Eldrege Langlois and Tim Jennings, owners of Paradise Guest House in Galveston.

The Animals

Two Australian parakeets named Mamma Bird and Daddy Bird. A rare breed, they are very friendly and like humans. The Paradise has a tropical paradise ambiance with a pool and lush foliage, and the birds fit right in. "Mamma Bird rules the roost," Eldrege says, "chasing Daddy away from whoever's feeding them until she has her fill." They have a special whistle and love to communicate with their special sounds. Their favorite food is corn on the cob. Eldrege boils it for them in sugar water and when they see him bring it, they go nuts.

The Human

Jackie Doval is a chiropractor to both humans and animals. She's adjusted animals from Gran Prix horses and other show animals to household pets, including conditioning, post injury, and post-surgery rehabilitation.

The Animals

Lady Odette Alexandra (nicknamed "Odie") is a 16-year-old Yorkie. Maxima ("Max") is a one-year-old Greater Swiss/Mala-Mut mix. "Odie is very sweet and curious," Jackie says. "She would always check on [my life partner] Mina during her recovery from breast cancer surgery." Because of Odie's age, there isn't much they can do togetheró"but we are there for each other and she somehow knows that." Max is the athletic dog, and has earned her AKC Canine Good Citizen Badge. Max taught their son Mario how to "high five."

Adjusting animals

When Jackie was at chiropractic school (for humans), she adjusted her own dogs. Soon after she graduated, she got a call from a woman who was crying on the phone. "She was begging me to adjust her dog who had a herniated disc in its back," Jackie said. "She said her dog was scheduled for a surgery that she did not want her 'baby' to have. . . ." At the time, Jackie didn't know there was such a thing as getting certified in animal chiropractic, and said her only experience was with her own dogs. The woman insisted and her vet agreed. "Li'l lady, no matter what you do to this dog, it is up for surgery anyway," he said. Jackie used her experience treating humans to treat the dog. A week and a half later the dog was running around just fine, no surgery needed.

Life Together

"Animals are wonderful, truthful, soulful, playful companions," Jackie says. "Like [my son] Mario, Max and Odie have an 'old soul' look. It's like we are all connected somehow and meant to be together."

The Human

T.R. White, who has been raising peacocks just for the love of it for 30 years. For almost that long, he's lived in a place downtown near the new ball field. Once a fire broke out when he was out of town and burned the warehouse behind him. But the firemen sprayed his birds to cool them down and they survived. He's given away many birds through the years, and now has six peacocks of several different varieties.

The Animal

"Whitie," a male peacock. T.R. raised him from the incubator. He got his first white peacock from "Old Man Spec" of Spec's Liquors, who had a ranch out in Wharton with exotic birds. A descendent of Spec's white birds, Whitie loves to spread his feathers, and T.R. enjoys watching.

The Human

Bill Rogers, activist against the death penalty.

The Animals

Mr. Jake and his sister Cricket, plus a tank-full of fish. Bill promised when he adopted the cat brother and sister that he would keep them together forever. "Mr. Jake is quite sweet," Bill says, "but his sister is a troublemaker, always trying to pick a fight."

Life Together

They all like to watch TV together. The cats especially like the Animal Channel. The cats and the dog Lady all sleep in Bill's fullsize bed. Once everybody gets settled, Bill says he gets about six inches on one side.

The Human

Tom Sawyer, bartender at the Ripcord.

The Animals

Chinch is a male ferret, and Chincher is a female, both named after Tom whose nickname is "Chinchilla." (He's a bit hairy.) The two have what Tom calls a "royal and papal demeanor." He fell in love with them at the pet store. "They enjoy each other," Tom says, "and tolerate me."