Way Back Wednesday: Girl's Best Friends...

It's Wednesday, and that means that we follow Mama Duck's lead over at The Kept Woman and run around finding pictures from the past to post. This week's theme is pets, so without further adieu.....

Benji
Me at around 5 with my first dog, at least the first one I could dig up....well, not literally....

Jascha

Another Cocker Spaniel (my mom bred them), and a very sweet dog. I remember this day vividly: I was 10, we had just moved to a new city, our previous dog had been run over when the movers were packing in the old town, and I desperately wanted a new pet. He fit the bill perfectly.

Nikita

She was Daddy McAustin's dog when we met, and I adopted her. A sweeter dog there never was, but she was a bit neurotic when it came to loud noises like fireworks, thunder, etc. Her nickname was Snuggles, because she truly believed she was a lap dog - all 80 lbs. of her Great Pyrenees self. We had to put her to sleep 2 years ago, due to age-related problems. (Hey, Mama Duck, do I get bonus points for the Shiner?)

Ansel

We never had cats while I was growing up, because my mom said we didn't like cats. Turns out, I really DO like cats. I got Ansel (along with another cat) just after I started working at my first job. I loved those cats dearly. Ansel thought he was a dog, really. He made several moves with me, and finally landed in Austin with us. He adjusted well to the Critter's birth, but as you can see, he still wanted to be the baby! (This was when C. was about 6 weeks old, not sleeping through the night, but yet waking up at the butt-crack of dawn. That is my excuse for the scariness that is me in this pic!) He has since passed on to the great mouse-hunting ground in the sky, via the coyotes on the greenbelt behind our house. I still miss him.

Pascal

We got Pascal (on the right) as a companion for Nikita after we moved to Austin. She seemed so lonely, and really loved having a playmate. I've already talked about him extensively here and also here. If you would like to get to know him just a bit better (or want to have some chuckles at my expense), check out those links. A little bird told him that he better turn over a new leaf, or he would find himself with a new family, and since then he seems to have gone on the straight and narrow. He really is a sweet dog.
Here are the Critter, Daddy McAustin and P. one November day in 2003.
This was one of our attempts to get a 2003 Christmas card photo with everyone in it - I was 8 months pregnant with Little Bit at the time, and there must have been 200 photos, NONE of which turned out well. God bless digital. Nikita and Pascal were both afraid of the camera. She headed for the hills immediately when she saw it, but P. is not quite as bright, and had to learn the hard way. We finally had to give up.

Mimi

The latest addition to our zoo. She's about the same age as Little Bit - almost 2. She was the cutest kitten, and has turned into a mostly good cat. The kids are the only ones she'll allow to touch her, unless she decides to be generous, and always on her terms.

That's all for me, for today. I can't wait to see everyone else's critters, so leave me a comment if you played, and go check out the other players at Mama Duck's place.