This is where you can meet my furry children. I share custody of the rotties with my ex-wife and good friend, Lisa, but they will always be "my boys".

This is Lugar & Duke. Duke passed away at 9 years of age in February, 2004. Lisa and I got them back when we were married. Lugar was my birthday present to Lisa for her 26th birthday and Duke was a rescue that we got at a year old, 4 days before Lugar was due to come home from the breeder. Lugar was born in November of 1995 and is 130lbs of love and devotion. This guy is the best security system a person could have. He is dopey one, always clowning and looking for treats or scratches on his "bowtie". Duke was the calm one, gentle and obedient (most of the time), always ready to make a new friend. They were a great team for 8 years. Lugar was devastated when Duke died, not wanting to eat and having no interest in anyone or anything. He finally recovered and managed to go on for a couple of more years, but sadly passed away in March of 2006.

This is my sweet Emmy, who passed away in July of 2004. She was with me for 17 years and saw me through 2 divorces and numerous "relationships". My first wife brought her home as a tiny kitten, rescued from a dumpster at a 7-11 store. She got her name because my first wife always said she put on an Emmy Award winning performance to get taken home. *smile* I had been allergic to cats as a kid and I have to admit that I was not very happy when she came to live with me. However, it seems that time did it's thing and, after a few months with her, my nose ceased to run and the itchiness went out of my eyes. Definitely a cats cat, she prefered to ignore everyone most of the time....unless it was time for breakfast or dinner. *laugh* She would, however, lowered herself to my level at least once a day for a good petting and would usually bite me to let me know when she had had enough.

This beautiful lady is my Jazz. She was born in the summer of 1993 and is named for my favorite type of music..classic jazz. I got her from a college friend of my second wife's who was desperately trying to find her a new home because his current cat hated the sight of her. I wasn't sure how Emmy was going to react to her, but she was just so cute and endearing that I agreed to take her home. She is a true calico with fantasic markings and a personality to go with them. A keen hunter, she is always the first to bring in a dead rodent (or squirril or rabbit or snake) for me in the Spring and will usually continue with these lovely "gifts" well into winter. She is a snuggle slut and is ALWAYS on someones lap. She prefers to make me her cat furniture, of course, but any lap will do in a pinch. :-)

Ah, now THIS is the man of the house. His name is Tom and he is a husky bundle of orange love who was born in the Fall of 1994. Lisa got him as a gift for me to cheer me up after a good friend of mine died. The friend's name was Tom, hence the orange guy's name. *laugh* He is a 'fraidy cat of immense proportions! He either dives under the bed or runs out the door and into the woods whenever a car pulls up the driveway. He is also a love bug, though. He loves nothing better then to lay on my stomach and chest while I am reclined in my chair watching TV. At night, he sleeps under my left hand...the same place he has been since he was a tiny kitten many years ago. A better cat is yet to be born.

This is Belle, who I often joke should have been named "Siren" since she never shuts up. *smile* She was my first truely southern kitty, born and raised in NC. She was born to a barn cat mama in 1998 and she has never lost her love for the great outdoors. She spends most of her time sitting on my roof, surveying her domain, or hunting in the woods which are her playground. She also likes to sit on my dump trucks or on my cars. She has discovered they are high enough up for her to see her next prey, but low enough that she can jump down quickly to begin the hunt. Never much of a cuddler, Belle wants to be petted when SHE wants to be petted. If you try it any other time, you are apt to get bitten.

My little Cocoa Kitty turned up on my doorstep on Easter morning, 2003. I was certainly not in the market for another cat, but I couldnt very well leave a defenseless 6 week old outside to fend for herself, could I?! She has grown into a very tiny cat with a super short tail. We laugh at her "girlish figure" because, like many ladies, Cocoa has an oversized rear end. *giggle* She wiggles her butt as she walks, too! Prior to my getting her spayed, she was very standoffish and had no interest in people. Since I brought her home from the surgery, though, she has become the ultimate lap kitty. She is always squeezing in next to me on my recliner or pushing her way between myself and my guy in our bed. I'm not sure what changed during her surgery, but it really made her do a complete round about face personality wise.

This is George. I didnt adopt George. He came in through my cat door in the late Spring of 2005, decided he liked it here, and never left. I dont know how old he is, but he's definitely an adult cat...perhaps even a senior citizen. He is friendly and likes to lounge on the couch in the living room with the rest of the family. He has also discovered a "secret" passageway into my garage and Charles will often find him there, laying on the futon, when he opens the garage up in the morning. He got his name because I have always wanted to have a cat named George so I could say "Which way did he go George? Which way did he go?" (Bugs Bunny reference, for you youngsters).