Sparky is seeing a psychiatrist. Yes, a doggie shrink. He has a lot of problems you see. He's an amputee. He lost a leg in a drunk driving accident at an early age. I told him not to drink and drive, but did he listen? No. Sparky's gay. He's black. I'm not sure if he's Agnostic like his father, or Jewish like his mother. Either way, he's in trouble. Woof, is a border collie, wolf mix. He cries when it thunders, and hides under the pillows when it's lightning out. When I make the bed, he follows me from one side to the other, back and forth, back and forth. He drives me crazy. Sparky and Woof have lived together for 3 years. But Woof won't allow Sparky to introduce him as his "lover" or even as his "partner." It depresses Sparky that he's out of the closet while Woof hasn't come out yet. (And the closet is where you'll find Woof every time the sky grows dark and the lightning begins.) Nonetheless, they're very happy together. Last winter they adopted a son: Bill the Cat. When Sparky first brought Bill into the house, Bill tried to nurse from Sparky. Sparky wasn't happy about it, but he didn't try to stop Bill. He knew that's what mothers are supposed to do, and he wanted to be the best mother he could be. And for the most part, he is a very good mother. "Mama Sparky" we have taken to calling him. We had to move Bill's litter box because Sparky thought it was a candy dish. Yes, Sparky definitely has some problems. But like I said, he's seeing a shrink. Hopefully he'll work them out. And maybe some day we'll be able to send Woof to rehab, so that he can get off his tranquilizer habit. You see, we started giving him doggy downers when the bad weather set in to make sure that the (minority) humans in the house could sleep. He really likes them. It makes him SOooooo mellow. He can get up on the couch after he's taken them, but when he wakes up from his nap, he hasn't a clue as to how to get back down. He tries each paw in succession until he finds one that will bare his weight. He's a good dog, though. Even when he's as high as a kite on downers, he controls his bladder and waits to go outside. I wish his wife would. Sparky likes using the master bathroom - in front of the shower. Something about the shower. Bill loves the shower too. He loves watching us go in. Does he think we change when we go in there? Does he expect someone different to emerge when the water stops? He lies on the floor directly in front of the shower stall waiting. Oh well. That's what you get for living in a menagerie.
Woof
Sparky
Bill