Who is your favorite pet, either currently or in your past life?
Notice I said, “Who”.
Because pets usually aren’t a what, but a who. For instance, nobody ever says when speaking about their dog or cat or parakeet, “It’s hungry…”. We say he or she is hungry.
Okay, got that out of the way.
Kimber & Bone
My favorite pet is usually our current one, whom today would be Kimber, a part German Shepherd/part Malinois/all adrenaline mix with personality plus. In this picture, she’s daring me to try to take her bone. I am not such a fool.
But there’s another pet who needs an introduction.
He would be a Chihuahua by the name of Pepe who allowed us to live with him when I was in grade-to-middle school. He had a friend up the street, a big spaniel of some kind named George.
George would walk down the sidewalk of a morning, stop in front of our house where Pepe was usually stretched out on the front step waiting for him. They’d take a leisurely stroll together down the street about 4-5 houses and then turn around and stroll back. Pepe would lay himself back down on the porch and George would continue on to his own porch.
Every morning. Great memory, wouldn’t you say?
Another Pepe story was the time when we couldn’t find him. Until I checked my bottom dresser drawer and found him nestled up in my T-shirts sound asleep. 🙂
Okay…TKZers…your turn. Tell us about your favorite pet. What would life be without them?
Growing up my family always had many pets (dogs and cats), and I’ve had a few beloved dogs as an adult. Dogs are a treasured gift. It’s on my writing goals list before I kick the bucket to come up with a story focused on a dog, ala Lassie (although Lassie is certainly a hard act to follow!).
I’m also looking forward to a movie that opens this weekend called “Heart of the Beast” about a man and his combat dog. I hope nothing bad happens to the dog. I’ll scream.
But of all the dogs I’ve had, 2 are my favorites, one you’ve heard about before, my childhood collie/shepherd mix Bob Barker, and in adulthood, my black lab mix, Cody Starsky Jackson. Cody made the move across country with me when I moved from NC to AZ. Two things always stand out to me about Cody’s and my move to Arizona:
1) Of course the east coast is a more lush climate with plenty of grass. But I distinctly remember the bewildered look on Cody’s face when we were somewhere in TX and the terrain had changed significantly and he looked at me during a rest/potty stop as if to say “What? Where’s the grass? I gotta go!”
2) And about a day or so later, I arrived in Tucson, where a good friend of mine graciously allowed me to stay with her at her apartment for a few weeks while I job hunted, etc. So I had to board Cody during that time. I did what most people do when they board a pet — let them keep a few toys or something of their human with them so they can retain some familiarity in an unfamiliar situation. So he had a few toys and I think an old hiking boot of mine. I remember one day as I was visiting the boarding facility the woman told me that one day she’d gone into his kennel and moved his toys/items to another part of the kennel while she was in it, and she was very amused that he did not like having his ‘stuff’ moved and he proceeded to go get the items and put them right back where he’d been keeping them. It gave her a laugh and me too. I’ve never forgotten that.
Dogs are such a blessing!
Hi Brenda!
Bob Barker…I think that’s my fave dog name so far. And Cody, putting his “stuff” back where it belonged…that belongs in a story for sure.
Reading these comments makes me think of something I read quite some time ago, don’t remember who said it. Dogs are the most human of all pets. I agree!
Have a great day.
I’ve had many a feline companion (overlord) over the years, but my current favourite is my boy void, Bagheera. He is very much attached to me (is snugged up tight against my leg at the moment, in fact.)
We discovered him and his brother during a late night grocery run. They’d been dumped on a county road at about 9 weeks of age, end of November; right as the local weather was turning to blustery rain and freezing temps.
The brother practically leapt into my arms, but Bags kept running around the trees, screaming his head off. We had to set a live trap, baited with cat food, to catch him. He wasn’t wild/feral; he just couldn’t figure out how to approach us as fearlessly as his brother had.
He’s the most talkative cat I’ve ever lived with. He holds full conversations with humans and cats alike: initiating and responding with a massive vocabulary of growls, chirps, full miaows, wails, etc.. Early on in their relationship, we would often hear him “lecturing” our other roadside foster-fail kitten, Fury. It sounded as unearthly as you might imagine, especially the 3am discussions!
We joke that we brought only one kitten home that November night, because the other one was a phouka, a shapeshifting Fey creature stuck in a kitten body.
Hi Cyn!
Love the names…and what in the world kind of person would drop off any animal like that? It’s criminal in my book. Your cats sound very entertaining.
Our Kimber is the only vocal dog we’ve ever had. Oh, the others barked, but Kimber talks to us. She has many sounds she makes, usually when we are trying to converse with each other. Kind of like a child the same age as Kimber (3 1/2 years) interrupting his/her parents. And if we say something back to her, she answers! Too funny…
Thanks for sharing your cats with us this morning, and hope you have a good day…
I have fish. They don’t do much, but they are pretty and enjoy their place in the living room.
Oldest child is a cat person although they enjoy dog sitting. They watch Casper and Harpo. Why yes, their two legged daddy may be a big Mizzou fan. Casper may have spent too much time at frat parties. He is a beer drinker. A picky beer drinker. He likes Michelob Ultra. He checks cans he finds. If you have Coors, he is going to knock it over. He may “water” your Coors.
They lived with a cat for a few years in college. Lt. Dan is a cute orange cat. Lt. Dan has a bad hip but moves along.
Good morning, Alan…
I truly love those names!
My first-born daughter kept fish for awhile. They were interesting to watch, and they were beautiful. Can’t remember exactly what they were, though.
Have a great day…
Our two current favorite cats are sister and brother Maeve and Moxie. They were part of a last litter rescued from a feral colony in July 2025. They were both severely underweight when they were taken into foster care that month. We adopted them in late January 2026. Maeve is white with three black dogs along her back and a cap of brown-black fur on her head of (a Harlequin pattern). One ear is dark brown, one is half-pink and half brown. Her chin has bronze fur She has golden eyes.
Her brother Moxie is a black and white, with a black head cap of fur which looks like a mullet from the back. He has a black chin and black toe beans.
Maeve is in charge, of course. They run around the house playing hide-and-seek with each other and are deeply bonded. He’s the talker, with a range of vocalizations. She’ll sit in a lap, he loves to come at your legs and feet, though he will put up with me picking him up and pur soflty.
They bring so much “Joi Du Kitty” into our house and our lives. Loving, intelligent, interactive and full of energy and life.
Here’s a picture of the two of them, shared on Bluesky the other week:
https://bsky.app/profile/daleivan.bsky.social/post/3mvgqjb26dc2b
Beautiful cats, Dale!
It is so fun and gratifying to rescue a pet. Three of our previous dogs were rescues, but not all from shelters–some were given to us because the owners couldn’t keep them. So, in essence, we rescued them from going to a shelter.
Thanks for stopping by, and hope you have a great weekend.
Suzy Q is my cat’s name and she’s a sweetie. When she wants something, she says, “mama.” Also have two border collies who want to herd her, and it’s hilarious. When she gets tired of them trying, she’ll hiss at them and walk away.
Hi Patricia…
Your dogs sound like no match for Suzy Q.
We have no idea what Kimber would do if she actually caught up with one of our neighbor’s 6 cats, who like our yard better than their own for nature’s call.
We tell our neighbor the cats might meet their Maker some day if she can outrun them.
Have a good day!
This is like asking me which is my favorite child. On the one hand, finally getting a dog after begging for one for years, would put Duke up at the forefront. But no, our current dog, FBI Special Agent in Charge Odell (Feebie for short) would head the list now.
My brother named his hamster Art Linkletter.
🤣🤣🤣
Hi Terry!
Love those names!
We’ve had a black lab named Oreo, a Malamute named Dok-Dogi (Korean for “good dog”), a Chow/Samoyed mix named Bear, and a GS named Hoka. We have a dog playground on our 5 acres, where we bury them when they pass away.
We kinda think Kimber might be our last dog…maybe…she wears us out!
Have a good weekend!
I guess my favorite would be our cat, the late Sam. Sam was a hunter, proud of bringing dead squirrels and rabbits to our back porch. He joined our family for the health‑care plan, which he used to the fullest.
After I returned from Saudi for the last time, my wife and I were at her parents’ place in Tucson, AZ, picking up items that had been in storage for twenty years. I was sitting in the yard reading when a large, totally black cat jumped up on the table, walked over to me, and put his front legs around my neck as he snuggled in.
After a few days of loading our U‑Haul, we headed to the Boulder area of Colorado to pick up some things for our youngest daughter before completing our trip to Minnesota. When we opened the door of the U‑Haul, we found a stowaway. He demanded food and water, and I think he complained about the accommodations.
We had thirteen years with Sam, and they were unforgettable.
Wonderful story, Marshall!
He sounds like a sweet companion. We had a cat when I was a kiddo, whose name was Jinx. So jet black he looked blue sometimes. He would curl up on our massive cabinet TV & go to sleep, enjoying the warmth.
Thanks for sharing your pet with us, and have a good weekend, my friend.