365/20 I don't own her, I just open the can of food.

Dogs have owners. Cats have staff.

Our sweet little cat. When she's not being a right pain in the ass. Everyday I encounter a reason to kick her out of the house. Everyday I find a reason, like this photo, to let her stay. I don't know if that makes me mean or a sucker. Probably both.

Our house is full of rescues and adopted pets. We lost one of them, a 17 year old golden retriever) to old age last year and it hasn't been quite the same. We swear we can hear her stretching and groaning while the sound of her collar tings as she shakes. Spooky.

The first two cats we got, we took from some neighbors. Their cat just had a litter. Well, it's not so much that we took them. It's more like they gave them to us before the kitten's had even opened their eyes. Net result, we had to hand feed them via bottle for the first two weeks we had them. Nothing like having to wake up at 3am to feed the kittens with little squeeze bottles.

We also have a german shepherd mix. He's the sweetest dog until you try to break into the house. He came damn close to ripping a guy's leg off once. That was an entertaining evening.

Our third dog was, literally, thrown at my wife's car while on the highway. Some !@#$ was chucking pups out of his truck. She tried to save them all, but he was the only one who made it. I keep joking that I should have named him Highway. My wife doesn't laugh.

The third cat is a beast. 75 pounds of pure, unadulterated, asshole cat with a sweet streak. Ok, maybe he's not THAT large. He's still a beefy kitty. Likes to muscle his way around the house, claws and all. The cat above still whips his ass despite being clawless and the runt of the house. It's entertaining how badly tilted the dominance roles are with those two.

I talk about my pets because they're part of the family. I miss them when they're not around. They provide entertainment when you're not expecting it and happiness when you need it.

And today, I learned that a friend lost his stallion of 30 years. I know what it's like to lose an animal after only a few years. It's heartbreaking. I can't imagine what he's gone through. 30 years is longer than most marriages these days.

Pets aren't replaceable. New ones may come along to fill a gap, but they're still going to have their own quirks and psychotic episodes. That's what makes each one lovable. And that's why I take photos of mine ... to remember that, while they're psycho, they can still live in the house.