Artie is a good boy, he just sometimes doesn’t know how to act like one.

He was found wandering the streets of Taylorsville, Utah and spent 10 days in doggie jail chasing his tail (literally, turned out he has OCD).

He looked so much like my first Staffie, Ginger (RIP), that I had to get him. He’s a handful and requires a heroic amount of psych meds just to act somewhat normal (he never acts truly normal), yet somehow he is everyone’s favorite. Especially Mochiko, who thinks he’s her mama.

It’s possible Lollipop is just a bad person, my youngest once said. She is probably right but he is very handsome and is aware of this fact.

He won’t do anything my husband Garland asks him to do, but he will obey me and my oldest daughter, which makes me laugh.

In spite of weighing half what the other dogs weigh, he would probably fight an intruder to the death over both of them.

Left to sit in a kennel for months because she had a stubby tail (so couldn’t be bred or sold for the normal asking price of 4-5k), Boudicca came to us a little damaged. She had pressure sores from patiently waiting for someone to save her, but she has saved all of us.

She is the sweetest land hippo on the planet and only wants to do good.

The only things she won’t comply with are toenail clippings and car rides. She, out of all the dogs, misses the pandemic when the kids were home all day, and she had a warm body to press against 24 hours a day.

A more perfect cat, there could not be. If you don’t know what a Burmese is, behold - Mochiko. Descended from Siamese mixed with something chonkier and cuddlier, Mochiko is an example of why ancient civilizations worshiped cats as deities, and she will settle for nothing less.

Our entire daily routine is now determined by her wishes, including 2am pettings, feedings or attacks - when she puffs up her tail and goes into murder mode.

She loves the dogs, and insists on being involved in every single activity in the house. The only thing she likes more than the dogs is sleeping across my neck.

Did I mention she doesn’t shed? #bestcatever

We have had ducks for almost 10 years, although some were murdered by an evil raccoon. Blondie (aka Lagertha - pictured) - the white crested, survived and we got her two new friends, Bjorn - also a crested, and Torvi - an Indian runner crossed with a Cayuga. Bjorn and Torvi (also pictured) were dumped by an irresponsible owner, and trapped in a canal over the winter before they came to us.

Ducks are amazingly hearty and smelly. They are fun to own but definitely involve a learning curve.

My King of Ducks. He really needs another female… all the pictures will all three ducks are usually inappropriate because, in case you didn’t know, ducks are a little grapey.