Growing up we always had a dog.  My mom had a toy terrier of some sort when she and my dad first got married that had an unfortunate encounter with a much larger dog in the neighborhood.  They got a new dog – a bulldog named Bitsy.  I remember Bitsy, even though I was very young at the time, but you don’t forget a dog that suddenly decides little kids look like a delectable snack.  She cornered my sister and I on the back 6-foot fence until my mom called Animal Control to have her taken away.

After Bitsy, my parents got an Irish Wolfhound that was a cool dog and very friendly to us kids.  But our one-acre of property proved to be too small for that dog, so my parents gave her to some friends who owned a farm where she could have tons of space to run and exert her excessive energy.  And yes, it was actually a real farm, not just the standard phrase parents used to tell their kids about where their pets went.  Ahem.

Next up was a Saint Bernard we named Hobo (ironic, don’t you think – not enough space for an Irish Wolfhound, so next we get a St. Bernard?)  Hobo was such a cool dog – and my parents decided to add a second dog at the time, Coco the Cockapoo.  He and Hobo were best friends – it was hilarious watching this little cockapoo chase the ginormous Saint Bernard all around the backyard.  I used to use Hobo as a pillow when I’d be out in the backyard reading a book – though with his panting it was hard to focus on the words on the page as I was transformed into a bobblehead.

We had Hobo for two years – he loved us kids (and Coco) and we had hours of fun playing with him.  He had a birth defect we didn’t know about – a leak in his pancreas which ultimately burst and took his life.  My dad actually had a necropsy done on him to make sure he hadn’t been killed by one of the mean kids in the neighborhood who used to taunt Hobo over the 6-foot fence.  We buried him under my favorite pine tree in the backyard.

Coco the Cockapoo was king of the castle after that – he used to sleep with my older sister and she sort of claimed him as her own.  On my sixteenth birthday my parents brought home our newest puppy – a Doberman we named Spike.  I claimed him as my own, so he used to sleep with me.  He was bred from the ‘friendly line’ of Doberman’s, and he was actually friendly.  I taught him lots of tricks – the standard sit, lay down, roll over, dance pretty, and smile for treats.

Yes, I actually taught a Doberman to smile.   I wish I had pictures of that!

He was a very smart dog and put up with a lot.  He even had a little toy football I taught him to catch and if he caught it, I’d say “Go for a touch down!” and he’d run a full circle around the house and come back for more.  If he dropped it, I’d tell him it was a ‘fumble’, and he’d pick the ball back up and bring it back to me to throw again.  When I moved out of my parents house 3 years later, it was hard to part with Spike, but since I was over there almost every weekend visiting, I got my Spike fix regularly.

The one pet my dad always said “NO” to was getting a cat.  He had an unpleasant experience with cats in the past – someone he knew had a cat that peed everywhere and liked to sharpen their claws on all the furniture, including the living room drapes that were pretty much shredded.  So cats were off-limits when we were growing up.  When I moved into my first apartment, they didn’t allow dogs, so I opted to get a cat.  And I’ve always had a cat, though I got back onto the doggy train a few years later.

Now?  We have two Shelties – a Blue Merle and a Sable Merle.  And of course a cat.  A black Persian named Norman – who is usually a big blob with his tongue hanging out.  When Princess Nagger first started talking, she used to call him “No-Mo”,  that nickname has kind of stuck.  Princess Nagger also loves birds, so we got a dove she first named Ariana, then changed it to Virtualization, then changed it again to Vella (her favorite Velociraptor name).   There are also a couple of corn and king snakes, but I usually block them out mentally and they’re ‘banned’ to the Summer House and not in the main house so I don’t have to think about them.  Not that they creep me out, it’s spiders that creep me out most.

Princess Nagger has been an animal lover ever since she was a baby.  She may not have really had a choice since we already had a couple of dogs and a few cats before she was born.  Luckily (for them) they adapted to her quickly and she to them.  She also became fast friends with a giant dog that belongs to friends of ours in North Carolina:

And their cool cat:

She also made friends with the giant Albino Doberman friends of ours had in South Carolina:

I love that Princess Nagger gets to experience the same camaraderie with dogs that I got to experience growing up.  She loves playing with Travis and Rolex – she’ll pretend they’re dinosaurs and run around with them in the backyard chasing them or having them chase her.  They keep an ever watchful eye on her when she’s out playing, and especially when she’s in the house having a snack.  They happen to be the best clean up crew around.  And who couldn’t resist these cute faces:

Travis Tripplehorn Maxwell

Rolex Clockwerk Cooper


Did you grow up with pets or do you have pets?  Are you a Dog Person, a Cat Person, Both or Neither?  Inquiring minds want to know!


This Petting Zoo Spin Cycle was brought to you in part by Jen, who is a Dog Person and has some hilarious stories about her pets in conjunction with Sprite’s Keeper.  It’s a Smorgasbord this week – Jen doled out subject assignments to all the Spinners – hop on over and check out all the fun!


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25 Comments

  1. I grew up without pets. My mom refused to have them. I believe she had her hands full with six kids already.

    When I had my own kids, we tried twice and it didn’t work out, once with a puppy and once with a dog. No more pets for me. Ever. Well, except for the african dwarf frogs we have now. No muss, no fuss.
    blueviolet would like you to read ..I’ve been Beaten by a CheesecakeMy Profile

  2. I grew up with a smattering of both–we had a St Bernard puppy named Buffett when I was a toddler and I love the pictures of him and I in my playpen. Mom is more of a cat person, though, and during high school there were cats and litters of kittens to find homes for from her floozie of a Momma cat (she did put a stop to that, though). I’ve reverted to my dog roots though we’re currently pet-less. The boyfriend is a fan of basset hounds so that’s the kind we’ll get once we decide it’s time to adopt a family member 🙂
    Scraps would like you to read ..Sugar Pie, Honey WineMy Profile

  3. I love what you’ve done with the place. I grew up with our cat Muffin. we adopted her and she lived with us for at least 8 years before we had to put her down. Never had another cat until about 3/4 years ago when we got Sassy who just never came back home one night. Now we have a boy cat, Harley. He’s such a guy. If he could have a remote he’d be happy. He just lays around all day and in the middle of the night he runs around like a cat on a mission. Wakes us up around 5 very loudly and tries to break down one of the bedroom doors. Gotta love him.

  4. We had a cocker spaniel when I was little, Rusty & a Canary named Spot. Then my mother got on the kick of poodles. We had one called Misty, and the last was Peppy… oh wait there were two Peppy’s. I took Peppy Sr., when he got too old to handle for my Mom, so I took care of him. When my kids were growing up we always had a pet. Dog, cat, bird whatever. I felt they needed to have this if only to learn responsibility and how to treat animals besides the friendship. Our last dog was a black lab, Cleo. I had her for 17 yrs, she just passed last winter. I still miss her. You have some really cute pups there.

  5. Fun seeing pictures of Princess Nagger when she was younger. My kids had dog and cats usually at the same time. I liked having pets as part of the family partly to teach my kids to be gentle with animals and to learn some responsibility in caring for them. They had good learning experiences when the pets had babies too. Nice post about the pets in your family when you grew up.
    TechnoBabe would like you to read ..Tall, Dark, And Still HandsomeMy Profile

  6. Oh you KNOW I’m a pet lover!!! I love both dogs and cats! Growing up I had one dog, a maltipoo named Sugar & a black and white cat named Libby. I was basically Libby’s pimp. I’d send her outside when it was her “time” so that she’d get pregnant. And it worked! She had kitties and I absolutely loved every one of them! Nickel, Mr. Bob, Runt, Killer, & Belly Up!

    I couldn’t live without pets, they’re just part of the family!
    Pooba would like you to read ..Free ShitMy Profile

  7. We’re cat-sitting, does that count?? 🙂 You’ve been through a lot of dogs though, WOW! I grew up with a Cockapoo too. We got him when I was 15 and he’s still alive, 14 years later. Such a sweet dog!
    Rachel- The Kooky Queen would like you to read ..Kooky MuffMy Profile

  8. We’re dog people. Growing up, my parents had a duo of miniature schnauzers, Gidget and Gizmo. My own little family carried on the small doggy tradition and have a yorkie named Billy.

  9. I am a dog person. In fact I couldn’t live without a dog in the house. There is nothing like being greeted by a dog when you come home from work, or the store, or after hanging the clothes on the line, or when you’ve left just long enough to get the groceries out of the car.

    My husband is a cat person. Our boys are mostly dog people but think cats are okay. The oldest is mildly allergic to cats like I am.
    Michele would like you to read ..Please take the time to watchMy Profile

  10. Definitely a dog person! The allergies to cats would never give me peace! Great Spin and such wonderful pictures of PN growing up through the years! You’re linked!
    Sprite’s Keeper would like you to read ..JohndisMy Profile

  11. I think that dogs are an important part of life. Yes, I am a dog person but only because of allergies with cats. I grew up with dogs but I don’t have allot of memories about them. My husband and I have always had dogs in our marriage so our children love dogs too!

  12. I grew up with dogs and definitely prefer them over cats! Sadly I am allergic to both, so now we don’t have any pets. Someday my kids may get lucky and we may get a dog…. time will tell.

  13. I grew up with pets. Loved them.

    As a mom, I didn’t want a dog. Too much work with the kids running around, too. BUT, my daughter LOVES dogs. She begged for one forever. I thought she’s give up, but she never did. It was sad watching at how much she cared for other’s dogs and her stuffed ones – but not letting her have one. So, we did. BEST decision. She loves her Daisy, her best friend, indeed!
    Kasey would like you to read ..Clearing The ClutterMy Profile

  14. I love those pics!
    I am so a cat person! But I had a cat and a dog and a hamster growing up but always wanted a bird…I don’t know why!

  15. The vision of Coco chasing Hobo around the yardmade me smile! You have had some gorgeous dogs. I am most definitely a dog person! Loved this post. BTW, love the new Stacy Uncorked, great layout!

  16. Your friend’s dog in NC is a dead ringer for my dog Bailey. It’s freaky. You have had your share of dogs, for sure. Not always good luck either. 🙁 That Irish Wolfhound must’ve been HUGE, they’re so neat.

  17. What a great post! I had a cat when I was really little but I don’t really remember it. I finally convinced my mom to let us get a dog when I was in 7th grade and another one in 8th grade. I just turned 27 and they both died within the last year or two.

    I have also had 5 lizards total. My first lizard was a collared lizard from Petco. Unfortunately it was very unhealthy so it only lived a few years and was pretty inactive. My next two collared lizards came from a breeder but they somehow got sick and also only lasted a few years. Because of my bad luck with collared lizards, I now own 2 leopard geckos. I got them a few months ago and they were barely being taken care of. They are thriving now 🙂
    Becca would like you to read ..Sad TimesMy Profile

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