Tango and Cash. Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. Starsky and Hutch.
Tenspeed and Brownshoe. (Oh come on, doesn’t anyone remember the hilarious Jeff Goldblum cop sitcom? Anyone?)
And now, Tim and Tom.
If they made a buddy movie about two dogs, the screen writer would hang out with these pups to get inspiration. Just two bros (it’s possible, but unlikely they’re actual brothers) wrestling over pumpkins and chasing squirrels. What a life huh?
Oh, to tell them apart, look at their chest markings: depending on your interpretation, Tim has either a white star or the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man. Tom has the pi symbol.
Look into my eyes, Tim says. You're getting sleepy...
Tom may be a dog, but he's a proud dog.
That's the "star" on Tim's chest.
It’s been a while since the Flying Fur household has had a cat in it who doesn’t mind being touched.
That’s just the way it is when you live with a semi-feral cat. She eats your food and uses your litter box but don’t even think about getting within a few feet of her with those evil human hands. (More on Frosty in an upcoming post.)
Last weekend, however, we had a more amenable feline guest: Manny, the shoulder sitting cat. Manny is a great guy, very mellow, super friendly and willing to play with anything you toss his way.
He was quite happy to be pet (a foreign concept around these parts) and was always ready for attention, even if that happened to be at 3 a.m. on your pillow and right after he visited the litter box. Thanks for the visit, Manny!
Joe is 90 pounds of chiseled muscle and teeth, a classic Doberman.
Petey is 8 pounds of pure attitude, a Chihuahua who thinks he’s a Rottweiler. (And as the Buddha said, “We are what we think.”)
It didn’t take long during a recent session on a beautiful Sunday afternoon to figure out Petey is top dog. However, Joe doesn’t seem to mind and is a sweetheart to Petey (and everyone else), despite his imposing looks.
Unfortunately, Joe is on borrowed time. He’s just 3, but has an aggressive type of lymphoma that chemotherapy can only slow, not stop.
For now, though, he still enjoys chasing his Kong toy and eating lots of treats. And isn’t that what life is all about?
Joe likes to be close to the camera (or treat near the camera).
Petey making his point about who gets to play with the Kong
This is my Kong. Any questions?
Good buddies. But Petey still has the Kong.
Joe is one very handsome dog.
He’s Maximus if you’re being formal; Max if you’re not. She’s just Abby, even if your name happens to be Jeeves and you address everyone as “sir” or “madam.” (“Yes sir, that clown suit is a very fine choice for your wedding day, sir.”)
Anyway, back to Max and Abby, a dog and a cat who are best friends. They chase each other, they wrestle. Abby the once-stray tabby grooms Max.
And on a day last week, when it was 100 degrees and outside felt like an oven set on broil, Max revealed he has a cartoon tongue that unravels at least 7 feet.
Max taking a breather.
Max and Abby playing tag.
Abby likes to keep her distance from almost everyone except Max.
If a dog leaves on a train from Chicago to NY at 5pm and a cat leaves on a train from NY to Chicago at 3pm, where will they meet?
When Barak Obama expanded the presidential family a couple of years ago to include Bo, a Portuguese Water Dog, two of Bo’s distant cousins from North Jersey must have said, “It’s about time one of our own got into the White House.”
I realize, of course, that it’s unlikely the eminently likable Buddy and Miley are fact-checkably related to DOPOTUS (Dog of President of the United States), but a little breed solidarity never hurt anyone.
So on to Buddy, 3, and his younger sister, Miley, 2. If the name of the breed wasn’t a tip off, these guys love the water. And running. Then running some more. I think Miley is a bit faster than Buddy — or maybe he’s just being a considerate older brother by letting her get to the ball first most of the time. Because we all know how considerate older brothers can be.
Buddy
Miley
This is MY pool!
Buddy can run fast...
...but not as fast as Miley
When you throw together a 30-pound Beagle named Crumbs, a 10-pound Mi Ki named Ginger and a 9-pound Mi Ki named Jack, who do you think will be top dog?
Jack, of course.
He may be small in stature, but don’t mistake Jack’s pint-sized body with his personality. Because he’s large and in charge. I met the friendly gang recently with treats (and a camera) in hand. There’s Crumbs, a lovable guy rescued by his current owner after he was hit by a car and his prior owners wanted to euthanize him. He’s afraid of balloons, cameras and flashes. (At least I wasn’t bringing everything that freaks out Crumbs…)
Then there’s Jack and Ginger, who are Mi Kis, a mix of Japanese Chin, Maltese and papillon breeds. Ginger likes carrying around stuffed animals. Jack and his snaggletooth like playing ball, and bossing around Crumbs and Ginger.
And in fact during the session, Jack chased Crumbs, Ginger chewed on a stuffed animal and Crumbs…well, let’s just say I’m proud that Crumbs seems to be over his issues with cameras and flashes. As for the balloons, I didn’t want to push my luck.
Jack showing off his snaggletooth.
Ginger in her over-the-shoulder pose
Crumbs seems to be over his fear of cameras
Jack, of course, is higher than Crumbs.
Back in January, when I photographed Valentyne, the Boxer with limpid eyes and a stubby tail that never stopped wagging, veterinarian specialists had given her just two months to live. At the time, even though her gait wasn’t the best, Valentyne wasn’t fazed and she went about her business like she always had — with a smile. (You can’t really see a smile on most dogs, but somehow you can just tell when they’re doing it.)
Valentyne loved looking at the camera.
I checked back in with her owners at the 2-month mark and Val was doing great. But I was thinking about her this weekend and when I
got an email from her owner early this morning, I had a feeling it wasn’t good news. Valentyne had gone downhill in the past week, struggling to walk. She died a little before 7 a.m. In his note, her owner said,
She was strong and amazing right to the end. What a lesson on life she taught me.
You’ll be missed, Valentyne.
One of the great things about our pets is they’re always in the present moment. They’re not worried about what happened five minutes ago or what’s going to happen five minutes from now — or in Valentyne’s case, two months from now.
Valentyne, a sweet and happy Boxer, has a triumvirate of nasty cancers swimming around in her body. The veterinarians who helped her beat thyroid cancer a couple of years ago told her owners recently she probably only has months to live.
But Valentyne doesn’t seem to know or care. She’s a bit gimpy in the hind legs but still pops around, playing with her meatball of a brother Deacyn, carrying her tennis ball and wagging her stumpy tail.
When her owners called asking me to take photos of her for them to remember her, I felt honored. I know all too well how strong a bond we can develop with our cats and dogs — and how difficult it is to soldier on once they leave us.
Valentyne loved looking at the camera.
If some of that snow would melt I could get to the pool!
Valentyne giving her patented over-the-shoulder look
Deacyn wanted to be in every photo.
Valentyne and her dad do their nuzzle.
If you live in North Jersey and have a pet, chances are you’ve made a trip to Animal Emergency & Referral Associates (AERA) in Fairfield at 2 a.m. after your beagle ate half your coin collection or you noticed your kitten had the same piece of string hanging out of her mouth…and her other end.
Well, now there’s a reason to go there even if your pet isn’t sick — Flying Fur Pet Photography’s photos!
I had a hard time choosing just four photos to put up on the walls, but knew one of them would be of Alpine, the black lab. That’s because the doctors at AERA helped nurse him back to health in 2009 after he got sick with a serious immune disease.
I also couldn’t resist hanging images of Trey, the lovable German Shepherd-Sharpei mix, Cash the kitty and Snickers, the brindle pit bull mix who just may be the sweetest dog who’s ever lived.
So stop by and check out the photographs. You don’t have to visit at 2 a.m., of course, but if you’re out and about at that hour, feel free — the hospital is open all night. Just make sure that coin jar is safely out of reach.
Alpine the black lab.
Snickers behind the counter and Cash in the background.
Trey near some exam rooms at AERA.
“Human sacrifice. Dogs and cats, living together! Mass hysteria!” − Bill Murray in Ghostbusters (Anyone? Anyone?)
Okay, so Saturday morning wasn’t that crazy. But photographing two energetic German Shepherds, a Bengal cat who thinks he’s a dog and an Egyptian Mau cat with a stranger aversion made for an exciting day!
Eris the dog, named after the Greek goddess of discord, is happy, excitable and loves her puppies (the cats). Veit is a big boy with massive paws, who will push Eris out of the way for attention but gives in to let her have toys.
Billy the Bengal cat is outgoing, talkative and inquisitive, while Mandy is shy and would probably be happy if no one ever photographed her again.
The dogs and cat all live together in a 125-year-old house. But as far as I could tell, there’s no sign they need the services of Peter Venkman and his cohorts.
Eris the German Shepherd.
Veit having some alone time with his toy
Veit and Eris on the move. Don't get in their way!
Billy the Bengal cat striking a pose
Mandy the Egyptian Mau on her perch.
