While I was living in my first purchased home, I purchased two blue parakeets and named them Pete and Repete. They were quite the characters and happily filled my home with their chirps and whistles. Pete never really became hand-trained, but Repete was a pro at it. So at least once a week, he had the privilege of being cage free for a few hours. When he was cage free, his favorite spot was my large front window. He would cling to the curtain and report to Pete everything

Duke is the first pet that I can remember. He was a beautiful liver and white English Springer Spaniel. He was the family pet. Duke was no show dog…he hunted for a living. In fact, if he flushed birds three times and you didn’t bring one down…that’s it he was done for the day. He would meet you back at the truck. And as I became aware of my surroundings there was Duke. My first memories revolve around Duke and my baby brother. (Okay…so I was only 14 months older than my