So, I have this pit bull.  He looks more like a mix and not very tough looking … judge for yourself.  He is quite the character and sweet as he can be.  He has owned me (as of August 2017) for seven years.

Beau very much dislikes storms and can smell them hours ahead of time.  He usually gets to sleep with mama on stormy nights and then assumes he’s got carte blanche for several nights afterwards.  But, I’m already digressing from what this post is about.

My dogs (I have two – more about the other later) have a taste for the written word.  Actually, they are pretty good about not destroying things with the exception of books.  Beau has ruined a number of my books on the bookshelf in my study so I have had to make some amendments.

First, I installed a pet door in the door to the study because I have cats too.  The door had to be a decent size because a couple of my cats are, uh, fluffy.  Their climbing tree is in that room and sits in front of the window where they can somewhat enjoy the outside world.  Well, come to find out, Beau, who is 65 pounds, can wiggle through that pet door in seconds!  I discovered this one day when I was traveling down the sidewalk with my other dog for a walk and turned to look at the house and Beau was enjoying the view from my study window.  I immediately came back into the house to find him in the hallway looking all innocent.  Hmmm, we know differently, don’t we?!

Presently, there is a flat pad with a small battery attached box … a scat mat of sorts, that emits a high pitch sound quite unpleasant to his ears, that lays just inside the study in front of the pet door.  The cats can easily enter since they are quite nimble but if he attempts to he’s going to land on and set off the mat. He definitely won’t like that very much!

Cats are funny animals. You can’t say that you don’t like cats because, just like people, no two are the same. They all have different personalities. I have four and they are all different. One in particular, which this post refers to is nicknamed Mr. Annoying. He does things quite intentionally to get my attention. Cats are not dumb! Example. Because I don’t have an ideal place to put my cats’ bowls they are in my master bathroom; hence, adjacent to my master bedroom. When this particular cat wants to eat and his bowl is empty (bowls are ceramic), he just rocks it repeatedly to make it known. This could be cute but unfortunately it usually happens in the wee hours of the morning when I am sound asleep. If I get up and shut the door, then he makes his next move which is playing with a toy that has a ball that spins around in a circular channel. THAT usually does the trick! Sidney, his real name, is on the road to obesity at best.

Another annoying habit of his is plopping down next to my large dog and strategically placing his rear end within reach for a butt bath–ugh! His favorite time to do this is when I’m talking on the phone and, of course, the dog is just a foot away from me.

Sidney, Sammy, Lexie (in bed)

I don’t know what I did to deserve the number of neurotic pets I have!! I seem to have more than my share, it seems.

Heidi, a cat I had for 15 years was obsessed with water. She would  jump up on the kitchen or bathroom counter with anticipation of my turning on the water faucet. I could barely use the the faucet because as soon as I turned on the water her head would be under it. She loved drinking right from the faucet and even having the water gush over her head.  Unfortunately, I don’t have a picture of her doing that but here is an adorable one.