Friday Five: Pets!

Sophia over at RevGalBlogPals writes:
My son's tiny beloved lizard, Elf, is looking and acting strange this week. His skin/scales are quite dark, and he is lethargic. We are adding vitamin drops to his lettuce and spinach and hoping and praying that he is just getting ready to shed his skin--but it's too soon to tell. Others in the ring have also been worried about beloved pets this week. And, in the saddest news of all, Songbird has had to bid farewell to her precious Molly, the amazing dog who is well known to readers of her blog as a constant sacrament of God's unconditional love.

So in memory of Molly, and in honor of all the beloved animal companions who bless our lives: tell us about the five most memorable pets you have known.

1. My heartdog, Munro, a.k.a. Eaton's Eastshore Yorick, (1990-2003) Munro was the first dog that ever owned me entirely, I bought him for myself as a gift for getting my Master's degree. He was a light colored Golden Retriever. I could write books about him - he helped me adjust to living in Chicago, far from family. He was a Frisbee champ - and if you said the word "Frisbee" - he would cock his head just so, and his ears would perk up. We played about 1/2 hour every day before I left for work. When he was about 3, my husband began bringing him to work with him in the physics dept. of the University of Chicago. He became kind of famous, for Starman set up a webcam that would take his picture in the office every 5 minutes. There were lots of Munro Channel fans. He helped with physics demonstrations for freshman physics lectures, and would sit and wait for a ball to be "shot" from a "cannon" and hopefully land in his mouth. He helped me get through the years when we longed for a child, through miscarriages and a still birth. When Skye finally arrived, he was the best big brother ever. He was unassuming, and kind, and just about perfect. He died from bone cancer - we had his leg amputated in June, but it had already spread, and we had to put him to sleep on December 27, 2003.

2. Cricket was my family dog from the time I was 1 to 13. He was a ball of energy, a Heinz 57 mongrel with lots of border collie in him. He could climb trees to get a ball, pull us on our sled, jump through hoops and over sawhorses. He was a really fun companion. When I couldn't sleep, I would go into the hall where he lay and lie next to him, and my mom would find me there the next morning.

3. Dunstan, our current Golden, a rescue who was about 18 months old when we got him in the summer of 2005. A goofball, very pushy for attention, very unlike Munro, but he tries to be good. He is a great companion for my morning walks, and yesterday spotted an otter on the ice on the lake for me. He follows me everywhere. I wish I liked him the way I loved Munro.

4. Breezy, or Kentucky Breeze, my sister's horse, who is kind enough to let my children ride and groom her every summer when we come to visit. I have grown to love her.

5. Bramble, my sister's Australian shepherd dog, whom she has trained for wilderness search and rescue. He can find anyone anywhere, and has gone on countless searches as a team with her. He did find an 80 year old retired priest in a field after the man had been missing for two days. Although a bit dehydrated, the man was fine. I love to watch the two of them work together and am very proud of both of them.

In the photos: Breezy and Skye with my sister PiperGirl, Dunstan and Bramble on a summer hike, Munro with Skye on his last Christmas in 2003, and as a bonus, Shammy and Lucky our brother-and-sister cats, also a part of the family and great cuddle kitties!