Once again, we put out a call for photos and stories of your furry friends, and once again, we were reminded that Athens is crazy about its pets! A big thanks from all at Flagpole to our many readers who submitted to this year’s Pet Issue. Because, honestly, we all needed this.
Believe it or not, our dear, sweet Millie was an owner surrender to animal control with a litter of puppies. She was just a puppy herself! Since we rescued Millie in August 2017, our daily routine starts with a face full of licks. In between kisses, she loves car rides, taking walks, playing fetch and all things four-legged. [Louisa Herrera]
If he is not asleep, Gunner is usually computing the trajectory of breakfast. He also speculates on what sex would be like, but the only girl dog he knows is his sister, and she is totally disinterested. Gunner will die a virgin, but breakfast will arrive many times. [Matt Beall]
This is Melo and Sampson. They are brothers from another mother and enjoy the finer things in life, like trash and roadkill. They look furry and friendly, but don’t let that fool you, for they can manipulate minds. FYI: Don’t stare too long into their eyes. [Jacob Hammond]
This is Bea (or Beatrice if you’re feeling formal), and I figured it was time I shared her with the rest of the world rather than hogging her to myself. I adopted Bea after my first semester at UGA Law, and I honestly cannot imagine my life without her (and I certainly couldn’t have made it through the bar exam without my fuzzy study buddy). She is the ultimate co-pilot. Bea’s favorite activities are snoozing through movies and listening to bedtime stories. (No, seriously, I have to read aloud to her, or she gets fussy at night.) [Patrick Najjar]
Photo Credit: Alex Nicholson
Born in our nation’s capital, Moses, the cross-eyed wonder, now makes his home in Newtown, where he spends his days laying in the sun and generally being lazy. [Will Bramlett]
This is Kitten. She is 3 years old. Her hobbies include napping, being angry, eating treats and cuddling with her boyfriend, Uga. He’s her favorite thing in the world, even though their love is unconventional. [Grace Bullabaugh]
This is my little buddy Sherman. I adopted him from the Atlanta Humane Society two years ago. He is very charming, but a bit hard-headed. Literally! He is fully blind, but always on the move. Bumping into shins is the least of his concerns. I hope for many more silly years with him. [Janessa Alvarez]
Name: Cuz
Gender: Male
Age: 8, but does it really matter?
Hobbies: Skateboarding, minding my own business, barking at things that “matter”
Fave movie: Big Trouble in Little China ( When I’m not worshiping Bart Simpson, I’m admiring Kurt Russell)
Fave Food: Real chickens when I can get ’em, but Taste of The Wild works for me. [Rachel Gibson]
Photo Credit: Patrick Heck
Tuxedo is a corgi. His favorite things to do include walking around North Campus, chasing squirrels and making new friends! Pictured here is the Corgi Sploot! [Hillary Davis]
This is Vidalia, like the onion. She was adopted as a stray wandering around Athens, and she’s been with us through everything and everywhere, from California to Washington state and finally back to Athens. She’s about 16 years old now but still acts like a puppy, and we love her to bits. She’s the best good girl, and I couldn’t have asked for a better companion for everything from road tripping to hanging around the house. [Rhys Lindquist]
Photo Credit: Emily Tomlinson
This is Sugar Ray. He showed up as a crooked-tailed kitten at my townhouse in Duluth. So sweet—he didn’t want to fight, hiss or kill anything. So, 14 years later, he’s just as nice and living the good life in Athens. Had a serious hip disorder, but Dr. Cown fixed him up. Keep on rocking, Sugar Ray! [David Gill]
Photo Credit: Samantha Martin
Oscar is our miniature Dachshund and the namesake of LongShot Farms’ homestead, “Long Dog Homestead.” Little Eevie is one of our newest Nigerian Dwarf doelings. She and her brother were little miracle babies, because they had a difficult birth. The babies (and their momma!) are doing great, and we’re very thankful. [Laura Podriznik, LongShot Farms]
Jerry, the free-range rabbit who is addicted to climbing (up stairs, ladders, on tables—one day we found him on the mantle) and Rufus, the rescue who copies everything Jerry does (now on table too) are the best of friends! They play, chase and groom each other. Love, love, love! [Ben and Ella Salt]
Photo Credit: Janet Berthelot
Taco: Philandering art wanker. Recovering townie with a stubborn predilection for all things disco. Perfect day: lounging with the ladies, smoking a catnip fatty while listening to the soothing sounds of DJ Mahogany. [Julie Daniels and Kurt Wood]
Ani is 7-and-a-half pounds of warrior dog. She was used for breeding in a horrendous South Georgia puppy mill and was turned in with over 140 other rat terriers. A year later, she was the only one left no one wanted to adopt. I fell in love instantly when I held her little body and felt her lion-hearted spirit inside. With her expert human training skills, she has taught me to move mindfully so as not to scare the dog and to crawl on the floor while she leaps on, around and under me, exhaling in doggie laughter and gotcha yips. [Shannon Bayless]
Wallace has no less than one but not more than seven lives remaining. He lost his first one shortly after birth, when he ran away from his feral family to explore an abandoned house next to Cicada Rhythm’s place in Commerce. Dave and I happened to be exploring the same house around this time when we heard terrible meows coming from inside. When we entered, they got louder, but the source was nowhere to be found. It seemed to be coming from the wall. After pinpointing the location, we cut a hole in the drywall, and Dave reached in to see what he could find. He was promptly slashed by the dust-blind, angry beast within. I gave it a go next and managed to get ahold of his scruff, pulling the tiny but fierce creature out and into the light, where he could get a better angle on me for a sampling of my blood. He did, it was good, and thus was the birth of Wallace. [T.S. Woodward]
This is Hummus! She is my 9-year-old English bulldog with a heart of gold! She loves to visit nursing homes to cheer up the residents. She enjoys her orange ball, short walks and long naps. She puts a smile on everyone’s face that she meets! If we could all be more like Hummus! [Nina Santus]
Toula Maude is my 4-year-old doxle. I adopted her on July 11, 2015. She comes across as quiet and very sweet, but she has a lot more attitude than seems like should be able to fit into a dog this size. Her favorite things to do are go on hikes and cuddle. She loves to hang at Normal Bar and Atomic Vintage, too. As it turns out, she also loves to hunt squirrels. A few days ago, she presented me with her first kill. Mostly horrified, I tried to not make her feel bad about it. Ever since that day, when I let her out into the backyard, she just sits like a statue, waiting for her next prey. [Erica Strout]
Juno is a 1-year-old old calico we rescued from the Athens Area Humane Society. She is also a near-perfect chimera cat (genetically her own fraternal twin). She is always looking for action and play fights, and generally harasses her two older and much larger cat brothers, completely without fear. She is also the klutziest cat I have ever had—and I have had a lot of cats! So far, she has broken two glasses, one mug, one plate and a sculpture! Not to mention the number of things she has merely flipped over. But we love her! Here she is contemplating her next misdeed. [Lizzie Z. Saltz]
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