Okay, so I’m feeling guilty about my post from last Sunday, A Slow Learner. You now may have the impression my dogs are a bit dense. Maybe because I said so. But what we learned last week is that I, too, am a bit dense. Apparently we in this house are slow learners.

Having said that, it’s only fair to share both the foibles AND attributes of my 4 dogs and 5 cats. Now don’t get me wrong; rest assured the good outweighs the bad, which helps tremendously on days I want to pull my hair out. So here you go:…CALLIE, my 3-legged pup, is so loving my sister calls her Kissy-Lover because she drenches you in wet ones…When Skip drops his blanket off the end of the bed, and I’m too lazy to retrieve it, I say, “Callie, get the blanket!” She not only gets it, she brings it back to Skip which leaves us both thrilled.

Callie is fearful of most things…When there’s thunder or fireworks, she has to be ON me, not just near me. And she weighs 58 pounds…Callie eats dog poop in the backyard and sometimes brings it inside to snack on later.

SKIP sucks on his blanket to comfort himself and it’s flippin’ adorable…He prances when he walks, like a miniature Clydesdale…His fur is soft as down and he never stinks…One ear is always up and one down…Skip is sweet, gentle and loving – practically perfect in every way. Just like Mary Poppins.

Skip is afraid to use stairs unless there’s more than 2. The 13 leading upstairs don’t faze him but he won’t enter the house through the garage or use the dog door since both have 2 steps…He won’t jump onto the bed or sofa without my help even though he’s perfectly capable — he just thinks he isn’t…Skip won’t eat his roasted chicken if it’s touching his kibble.

WALLY sits up like a trained circus bear when he wants my attention…He’s polite and waits until I invite him onto the bed…Wally cherishes our neighborhood walks and always leads the way…He lets me clip his nails.

Wally barks a lot. A lot a lot...He constantly pulls on the leash during our walks to where passers-by ask “Who’s walking whom?”…As you already know, he sometimes pees in the house…Wally always hogs the ottoman…

TAFFY performs “psycho dog” at night before dinner, chasing around the house with the others in hot pursuit…She’s a perfect snuggle-bunny…With her overbite, Taffy appears to always be grinning…When she wants something, she has a little whine that’s actually cute instead of annoying.

Taffy barks almost as much as Wally…She pees in the house…She eats so fast she sometimes vomits.

Then there’s the cats.

Good: Oliver simply adores my every move. No need to say more. Bad: Because he adores me, he’s a jealous boy and sometimes takes a swipe at the other cats if they hog my attention. Good: Savannah is a shy semi-feral loner who gives me love bites on the chin. Bad: She wakes me up in the middle of the night to give me love bites on the chin.

Good: Fat Jack is super tolerant of everyone and everything. He’s the epitome of a mellow fellow. Bad: Jack eats too much and sneaks the other cats’ food. He scratches the bottom of the sofa even though it’s covered with a blanket, which doesn’t faze him. Good: Dash is a feral cat turned domestic whose fur is soft as velvet. He enjoys dashing around the house, hence his name. Bad: Sometimes he plays too rough with his buddy, Skye.

Good: Skye is a semi-feral with a sweet little meow. Her blue eyes are crossed and I imagine her fur is soft as cotton. Bad: Skye won’t let me touch her so I have to imagine her fur is soft as cotton.

And there you have it, my perfectly imperfect pets.

Buddies

On a walk

Dinner time

Nap time