Meet Our Pets...

Conan, Wendy, & Juneau

Hunter & Ryan

Piper

Because our pets are very important members of our family, we thought we'd introduce them early on in our blog.  All four of them are "rescues", meaning we didn't purchase them from a breeder, pet shop, etc.  Ryan adopted Hunter and Sugaree (who has since passed away) from the Dane County Humane Society when he was living as a bachelor in a one bedroom apartment.  Piper came along when Hunter decided he wanted to take a "vacation" in the woods on the east side of Madison for about a month.  Some concerned citizens found Piper, mistaken him for Hunter, and contacted Ryan.  Thinking that Hunter was lost forever, Ryan took Piper in and saved him from going to the Humane Society.  Soon after, Hunter returned. Imagine my surprise when I came over to Ryan's apartment for the first time and learned that he was living with three cats!

A while after Sugaree died, I took Ryan to the Humane Society again to show him a cat that I had seen there.  Needless to say, we walked right past the cats and straight towards the dogs, one of which appeared to be a large, whiny puddle of sweetness known then as Sarge.  Because both of us had grown up with black Labs, we couldn't keep our eyes off him, and soon were taking him for a walk behind the building.  He was so gentle...and walked so well on the leash. When Ryan suggested that we foster him, I knew that we'd soon be adding a dog to our furry family.  Conan has gone on some great adventures with us (riding in his own bike trailer, canoeing, camping, etc.) and also volunteers with me as a therapy dog.

Juneau is our most recently adopted fur-child.  We rescued her from an owner who no longer had time or the means to care for her.  We had wanted to give Conan a companion to keep him company during the day, and had met a few other potential pets that just didn't work out. Juneau definitely has more energy than Conan, but she keeps him young and he sets a good behavioral example for her.  We were very careful about introducing the two of them, and now they get along great.  Juneau has made a lot of progress since we adopted her about six months ago, and has gained a significant amount of self-confidence and self-control.