Introducing our pets...

I have meant to do this for a while, because my sister Abbie took some lovely pictures of all our pets a couple weeks ago, and I wanted to post them. :)

This, of course, is Shanni, who got the first picture post on my blog. A deceptively innocent looking bundle of fur who wreaks havoc and laughter all over the house. Love her to pieces...most of the time. She's fun. We've definitely been blessed with interesting pets. Not one of them lacks personality!!

Next is Bear, our 10-year old Golden Retriever. You can see the white beginning to show around the eyes. Beautiful dog! BIG dog. :) Both his parents were 90-100 pound retrievers. In this picture, Bear is still growing out his hair after a summer haircut. He's a sweetie. Abbie loves taking him out for walks, so they're good buddies.

This pretty fellow is Tyler's 4-1/2 year old Sheltie, Pippin. :) He's a very sweet pup with a great disposition. We all love him dearly. Though he haunts the kitchen and comes running at the sound of cereal being poured or chips being put on plates. There's always the chance that some tasty morsel will fall to the floor. And I guess we do it enough that he hasn't given up the practice.

This is our sweet new parakeet, Pearl. Well, its full name is Pearl Justinian van der Hoeven. Sam wanted its first two initials to be PJ. But Pearl is what has stuck. Our last bird was a mean and aggressive little thing that would peck at you if you so much as touched the bars of his cage. Pearl, however, is being diligently trained to sit on fingers.

Last is our sweet little Netherland Dwarf, Archie. Pitch black with tiny ears and the cutest little face. :) A cuddle bunny for sure, though he has bitten me once or twice. Not maliciously I'm sure, but still...not exactly the way to build trust. Hmm, and writing about him reminds me I need to trim his nails tomorrow. A VERY nerve-wracking job, since his nails are black and you have to use a flashlight to find the quick, and avoid cutting into it. Yikes!

So those are our pets! We have a tankfull of fish and a frog too, but they're not very photogenic, and the frog is camera-shy. But what fun pets are. There's just something home-y about seeing a cat sleeping in front of the fireplace, a dog sitting at his master's side, and to hear a bird chirping cheerily in the corner. Such a variety of little critters that bring joy to the heart. Mostly. ;)