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Shannon and I have always been animal lovers, so it's no surprise
that she chose a pet-related career. Since our marriage, we've made room in our lives for several pets who have all meant a great deal to us. In the absence of human children, we currently have seven "fur kids" who share our home. Three of them are cats; Toby, Jamie, and Pinkie. We have a dog; Holly, a female mixed-breed. We also have two rabbits named Millicent (Milly) and April; and last, but not least, our Mexican Redheaded Amazon parrot, Georgia. |
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This page is dedicated to the memories of Lucy Mae,
our dear Sheltie-mix, and Katie June, our sweet Beagle-mix, who we loved like our own daughters and are deeply missed. |
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TOBY
Toby (left), is nearly 17 years old,
and a domestic shorthair brown classic tabby. Soon after our honeymoon in 1983, we went to the Pomona Valley Humane Association looking for a nice kitty. We had a look at those available, but didn't fall in love with anybody. As we were leaving the premises, a gentleman came walking towards us with a cardboard box with holes in it. "What's in the box?" we questioned. He opened it to reveal 6 of the most beautiful kittens I had ever seen. They were born in a boiler room that July, and he was bringing them to the shelter to be either adopted or destroyed. Shannon picked out Toby, the only male of the bunch. He's been with us ever since. |
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One of Toby's
baby pictures. |
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John and Shannon Lawrence
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GEORGIA
This is Georgia (above), named for artist
Georgia O'Keefe. She's an example of the scores of tropical birds�many of whom are escaped pets�that have colonized scattered groves of palm trees (and any other place that provides adequate shelter) all over the Pasadena area. She was a wild baby who had fallen from a palm tree when Shannon first made her acquaintance; brought to the Humane Society by a local good Samaritan. Shannon lovingly nursed her to health... then adopted her. Georgia speaks a few words of intelligible English, but mostly chatters away in her obnoxious parrot-speak. |
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HOLLY B'GOLLY
Go ahead and take a guess. What is she?
Your guess is as good as mine. Some say she resembles a Catahoula, but a better bet is that she's a full-blooded mutt. Another very affectionate dog, she was Katie's best friend, and misses her a lot. Holly was a young stray who found her way to the Pasadena Humane Society, shortly before Christmas, 1994. Her right rear leg was badly shattered, and no owner ever came forward to claim her. Most dogs in this condition are routinely euthanized, but soft- hearted Shannon intervened. Her leg was carefully reconstructed and pinned together in a tedious Christmas Eve operation. Shannon named her "Holly", which seemed appropriate for the season. She came to live at our house not long after, and is a very playful, happy, and grateful girl. |
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JAMIE
Well, I'm the one who said "No more cats!",
but that didn't stop me from bringing home a cuddly kitten from work one day. A cherished friend and coworker of mine brought this fuzzball to work one day, after her husband had found her scouting out a trash dumpster near their house. She's a brown mackerel tabby, heavier coated than Toby, but quite petite. She's a little neurotic, and keeps most of the hair licked off of her fanny and upper tail area. We refer to her fondly as "Monkey Butt." Her favorite pastime (other than licking her hair off) is snuggling up on someone's chest and kneading. |
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MILLICENT
The photo to the right was taken of Milly when her coat was badly matted and she
was in the middle of a haircut. She's an Angora mix bunny with Himalayan markings who bounced her way into our neighbor's yard one day. The neighbor brought her to us to see if we could find a home for her. Shannon took one look at her, and Milly had a home. What can I say about her? She's a rabbit. She eats, poops, and wiggles her nose. Doesn't do much else. She's kind of pretty though, even if the photo doesn't do her justice.
APRIL
April is another rabbit (far right). I don't know what kind she is, but she's white and
not very friendly. She probably wasn't handled much when she was young. The best thing about her - she doesn't talk much. |
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And God made the beast of the earth after his kind,
and cattle after their kind, and every thing that creepeth upon the earth after his kind, and God saw that it was good. Genesis 1:25 |
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Top of page
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House Rabbit Society � Dedicated to rabbit rescue and educating the public about rabbit care
Pets Need Dental Care, Too � Dental care for your pet, sponsored by the AVMA, AVDS, and
Hill's Pet Nutrition Inc.
Waltham � Waltham's world of pet care
ZooNet for Kids � A subset of ZooNet with links to all kinds of animal and zoo activities and
programs. |
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PINKIE
Then there's Pinkie (right). Pinkie is pretty tweaked � kind of deformed, and holds his
head at an odd angle. He needs lots of affection and attention. He was rescued from a mentally unstable woman who lived with 23 other cats and dogs in a van encrusted with feces and trash. Pinkie is either physically damaged or somewhat retarded due to his early life ordeal. He seems to be slowly coming out of his shell the longer he stays with us. |
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This page updated August 31, 2000
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RUBY
Here's Ruby � also passed on to Doggy Heaven this
past year. She was a blind Pomeranian with 3 legs and a crooked spine; probably born blind, but we don't know how the rest happened. Shannon brought her home in a cage to take care of her, and decided to keep her. She would have been euthanized since her physical limitations made her less desirable as an adopted pet. Shannon took very good care of her, but she grew very weak and finally passed on in July. |
