OUR FARM ANIMALS
STINKER was our first dog.  We got him in March of 1985 from Defenders of Animal Rights in Bel Air, Maryland.  He was just a puppy and was on the noon news with Marty Bass and Bob Turk!  He is a cairn terrier mix and is a wonderful, loving dog.
TIDDLES was our second pet.  My cousins cat had kittens and her husband threatened to drown them all if I didn't take them!  I took them , found homes for the others and kept one.  He was only six weeks old.  This past March, he turned 10 years old.  A week later, he was struck by a car and killed.  We miss him VERY much and will never forget his calm, cool personality and his fuzzy, soft fur!
Next came Echo.  A girl went off to college and couldn't keep her cat so, of course, I took her. She was just about 4 months old.  She is now 8 years old.  She's gained a bit of weight over the years, but she still thinks she is boss!  She chases all the other cats
away from her.  She's the only one who starts fights!
When my first son turned four, we thought he should have his own dog, so we adopted Paws from the Frederick County Humane Society.  She's a lab cross and a wonderful companion for my son.  They've been best buddies for four years now!
In 1995, we decided to give our home to a rescued Greyhound.  We named him Mips.  We've never regreted adopting him.  He's really a neat dog.  It's great to see him take off in our yard and outrun everything in sight!  Then he comes in and is a big couch potato the rest of the day.
 
 
,m   n 1997 we acquired two more cats and a dog.  The dog is Gillie and is really a nice dog.  Her owner had her from a pup for 8 years and had to give her up because he was going off to graduate school and wouldn't have time to care for her.  She's a very loving dog.  This past summer we found out she has cancer and had to have both of her ear pinna cut to barely nothing.  She used to look like a deer with her pointy ears, but now she hardly has any ears to put up.  But she has had no signs of cancer since the surgery, is gaining weight and is very happy!
 
 
 
The first of the next two cats came when a woman married to a guy in the military was moving to Guam with her husband and could not take her cat and her ferrets.  The ferrets were easy to place, but the cat was very skiddish and scrstched anyone who came to look at her for adoption....I guess she likes it here!  Once she knows you, she is very affectionate and loving.  Her name is Katie.
 
 
 
The second of the cats is  Missy .  My husband uncle died in September of 1997 and we "inherited" his cat.  She's very beautiful with blue eyes, a thick coat and tri-coloring.  She's also very loving and affectionate.
 
Next came Goofy.  We took her in June fo 1998.  Her owners  brought her to the vet that I work for.  They didn't want her because she was having diarrhea.  She still went in her litterpan, but they didn't like the diarrhea!  They were going to take her to the Humane Society, who would have put her down because she is old.  But, of course, I wanted to save her.  She really does live up to her name.  She has a lot of "goofy" behaviors!
 
 
The last of the dogs and cats (we hope...for now!) is Matilda.  Matilda was given to our vet by her owners because they said she was mean and she bit them.  Later, I found they didn't treat her very well either.  At the vet, she lived in a shed with a very small yard and everyone who worked there was terrified of her!  They pushed her with a board and did not dare pet her.  She was dirty and unkempt.  I was told to beware of her when I needed to go in the shed.  She growled a lot and even lunged at me often.  One day, I was petting another dog in front of her and she walked up to me and just looked at me.  I put my hand out and she licked it.  I then started petting her.  I continued to pet her when I came in and she learned to trust me.  Of course, I took her home and she's a great dog!  I think she was very misunderstood by everyone at the hospital.  She is attached to me by the hip, loves playing with the kids and does all kinds of silly things! She seems VERY happy to have a home.  She's brought a lot of happiness to our family!
           
 
 
 
 
NOW, THE PIGS!
 
First came Ms. Piggy.  I bought her for my husband in May 1994.  She was just 6 weeks old  She's got a great personality and is very gentle.  She was our first "pig-mom".
 
We wanted to breed her, so we bought Smithfield in March of 1995.  He may be scary looking, but he is the gentlest boar around.  And he's a big chicken too!  He's the first to run in a scary situation! But we love him very much!
 
Then came Drucilla.  My friend needed to retire her, so we let her retire with us.  She came from the same person who sold us Smithfield, so the two were already familiar. My husband calls her "THE TICK" because she's so round she looks like she'll pop if you prick her with a pin!
Lastly, is Sweetie (Sweet Potato).  Our neighbors granddaughter "won" her at the Montgomery County Fair in September 1997. She lives in the city and could not keep her so they asked if we could take her...we did! She thinks she is a dog...she barks and becomes very alert to strange sounds. She thinks she is still 10 lbs and tries to lay in my lap!
 
 
THE FERRETS
 
Fudgie came to us in September 1995.  He was just 4 months old.  We adopted him from Fran's Ferret Rescue.  He is very loveable and very beautiful!  He loves his playtimes and hops all around!
 
 
Whimpy came in July 1998.  A man didn't want her anymore, and so he shouldn't have had her in the first place. He was feeding her rabbit food ( rabbits are vegetarians; ferrets, meat-eaters!) and never let her out of her cage. She was thin and scrawny...her coat was coarse and sparse.  In just two months, she is beautiful! She's gained weight, her coat is soft , silky and full and she is very happy. She is VERY affectionate and calm. But she does love her playtime too, and hops around with Fudgie!