This Is My Pack

Bird - 17 year old two legged environmentalist with a passion for reading, conservation, and wrestling. The one and only lamb of my womb, she is the best thing I have ever created though I am not entirely sure how I did it. Endlessly interesting, fantastically inquisitive, boundless, hopeful, a sense of humor well beyond her years, protective, loyal, and open minded, she is a force to be reckoned with. But in a good way.

Mother Hen - My current host son from Malaysia, whom I have so nicknamed because he takes great care in ensuring I have taken my dinner. Which I wholeheartedly appreciate and believe demonstrates the great care he shows his pack. This kid is going to be a famous singer, and me? Well, I'll be his biggest fan of course.

Mr. Incredible - My previous host son from Germany, aptly named because, well, he is incredible. He  simultaneously pulls off his role as a Sith Lord and if you aren't careful, he will distract you from "work" in the most annoyingly irritating but most lovable way possible. I love this young man like he was my own son, though he is really my bestest friend - and I'm not just saying that because he is going to be a cruise ship captain and will take me to exotic locales in my gay old age.

Riley - four year old Australian Shepherd/German Shepherd mix diagnosed with megaesophogus January 2012. Quite literally responsible for saving me when betrayal and heartbreak struck me down in 2008, this blog is as much a tribute to him as it is a vehicle for the immutable consternation I feel knowing I must soon let him go to forever sleep. Routine wrestling with when that should be and how I will survive it will undoubtably occupy a huge presence of space here.

Luna - black cat paininmyass. Low cat on the cat pack totem pole, she manages to boss Riley, bitching at him and trying to intimidate whenever he tries to complain about her being on me, which is regularly. She is good for reminding me when I should be ringing the pack dinner bell and giving me the "I'm-covered-in-cat CanYouGrabMeAnOrgange" excuse when I am at my laziest, also a fairly regular occurance.

Miss - official name: Miss Waffles or some variation involving a lot of z's, aka the worst name possible when @ the dog park. Bird named her, so aptly (she thought) because her breath smelled like waffles when she was born. Enough said. She is a golden retriever, yellow lab mix who I watched being born. She is not real quick on the uptake, but she is loyal, playful (if not easily distracted), and very easy going. Except around strangers. Did I mention she was Bird's dog?

Pudgie - Tortoise shell obtained around the same time as Luna (2005 ish). Talk about a force to be reckoned with. She has zero tolerance for either dog and doesn't much care for her fellow felines either. She can be quite bitchy if you don't sit down when she is ready for you to sit down, and really, don't look at her wrong either. You've been warned.

Sully - The baby but trust me, he lives up to his name by being a real monster too. With blue eyes and the softest fur (despite being an outdoor cat) this little big guy smells really good (for some unknown reason), too. Known to gift us with wild birds, he is also very likely responsible for the untimely death of one of Bird's pet snakes, but the jury was hung. Sully's favorite pack animal is Miss Waffles, and he loves on her with great panache, to which she usually appreciates.