The Pet Menagerie

Over the years my wife and I, along with our two daughters and my mother-in-law, have brought a wide variety of creatures into our home. Our “menagerie” has included dogs, cats, parrots, hamsters, rabbits, rats, mice, various species of fish, hermit crabs, even a tankful of African clawed frogs. Most of our menagerie were and are rescue animals. Some of them we found and brought in – some found us and invited themselves in.I don't remember all their names anymore, but I do remember a lot about them - their temperaments, personalities, and their individual quirks. Furry, scaled or feathered, they were (and are) a part of our lives. In fact, some of them are burned into my memory – like Harley Cole, the month-old Lab puppy we rescued who set fire to our house two weeks after we got him. Fortunately most of the memories aren't as traumatic as that one.Life would probably have been considerably quieter and less hectic without our pet menagerie but I suspect it wouldn't have been nearly as much fun. Each of our critters has his or her own story and this book covers just a few of them. Hopefully I've done them justice in telling their stories.