Family Member names (humans): Ellie, Andrew, Nell (6), Rosie (2)

Harvey is a mix between a Rhodesian ridgeback and a coonhound. He’s around nine years old, though we aren’t positive as he’s a rescue.  We took him in as a foster dog in 2015. He was not eating in the shelter, and when we met him he was skinny and nervous.  The Humane Rescue Alliance described him as having “a lot of energy”, but once we got him home we discovered that wasn’t the best description of him. At first he wouldn’t leave the house, even to go to the bathroom - he just wanted to stay in the little room we set up for him and cuddle.  Eventually, we got him out into the woods and he finally learned how to go potty outside again, and he started to blossom from there.  He seemed to finally feel safe and happy.  

We ended up really falling in love with Harvey aka “Hobby Lobby he likes to pahty, don’t cause no trouble, don’t bother nobody” (the song we made up that we incessantly sing to him).  Once he came into our lives, we couldn’t fathom anyone else having him, so he became a permanent member of our family.  He is the most handsome creature in the world; we joke if he was a human he would be someone like Idris Elba or George Clooney- definitely People’s Sexiest Dog Alive.  He’s very soulful and will gaze into your eyes for a long time.  He is also a troubled and anxious guy; we don’t know what his life was like before us.  He is a fierce barker, but only out of anxiety.  We love his huge sweet heart, and his angst is even endearing.

Winifred (Winnie for short) is an English Bulldog and she’s just over a year old.  Winifred is hell on wheels.  She has an unmatched zest for life, and is not at all like a bulldog (or maybe she is and I just never really knew what a bulldog was like).  She is incredibly athletic and can jump vertically 3 feet high- I am not fully convinced that she is not in fact part goat. That being said, she may also be part bowling ball. She runs at a dead sprint into people and other animals and knocks them over with aplomb.  She is a luxuriant sleeper, and she sleeps in every position imaginable. She eats everything and anything and has pooped out several small plastic kid toys since she’s been with us, including a small unicorn. 

Just this very moment our dog walker returned with Winnie.  He, in a very concerned manner, said, “So you know, Winnie had a lot of mishaps today.  And, she’s going to be coming with a lot of scratches- she punches above her weight class.  She’s going in with the ninety-pound German shepherds.”  And that’s Winnie.  Don’t threaten her with a good time. 

Arya is our twelve-year-old fluffy gray kitty. We think she is part Maine coon.  She has designated herself the queen of the manor and takes her role very seriously as the leader of the household.  Royals come in many forms- the benevolent ruler, the graceful _____.  Arya reigns supreme with an iron fist and primarily uses terror to control the dogs and people around her.  She is not one to let a stranger enter her land without first asserting her dominion over them.  However, once she determines that a person is good, she allows the affection (but don’t get too cocky or she’ll hiss at you).  Despite her ferocity, she’s very loyal to us, her family.  At night, she comes to our room when I go to bed to have some surreptitious cuddles.  

My biggest complaint about Arya is that her favorite place to sleep is on my computer and keyboard. It is not a mystery that my laptop runs a bit hot now…

We got Arya when she was a tiny kitten from the humane society when I was studying for the bar exam and felt a need to have some levity and love.  This was, as you can probably surmise, from the period of Game of Thrones, hence the name “Arya”.  

Arya believes she is the real mother of my children.  When I was sleep training our kids, Arya would come screaming at me as if to say “You MONSTER, go help them!”.  Then, when I would go into their rooms in the morning, she would come barrelling and meowing through my legs to bust into their rooms and ensure they were ok.  Then she would turn back and look at me with disgust.  If she could have shaken her head at me, she would have.  

Stayed tuned for next month for Ellie's Zoo part two!