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| When I first got the house, I had the definite plan not to have any pets. First off, there are times I don't want to be bothered to water the plants much less tend to the daily, if not hourly, needs of some creature. Second, pets are messy. I've never been to a house were a cat lived that you couldn't smell as soon as you walked in. The owner has gotten used to it and doesn't think others can smell it, but we can. Dogs scratch at doors, get fur on everything, chew your stuff, and need to be let outside every few hours. It was a new house and I wanted to keep it looking new as long as possible. That plan didn't last very long. John had his heart set on a Welsh Corgi. I at least made him wait till there was some yard - didn't need mud/dirt being dragged in several times a day. Guys at work joked that we had a bunny, not a dog. We found out that Corgi's love to chew. If you value your footwear, bedspread, rugs, etc... have several alternatives scattered everywhere around your house. Rawhides are good, stuffed toys get "skinned" pretty fast. (Oz will start by chewing the eyes off, then pulling out all the stuffing and turning the skin inside out).
He's gotten a lot bigger since then. He's a great dog - the only annoyance is that he seems to think he is a hearing-impaired helper dog. Door bell, telephone, alarm clock (intro theme for Lois & Clark for some reason) and he goes nuts barking and jumping until you take care of the problem.
Next on the list... Before John moved in he was in an apartment that didn't allow pets. When he moved in to that apartment he gave his Sugar Glider to his mom to take care of. After John was here for awhile she started wondering why she was still taking care of Sydney. Well, they are a little easier than dogs - if you completely ignore them you only have to pay attention to them once a day, at dusk when they wake up and start exploring for food. Fresh fruit and veggies with some apricot nectar (plus a vitamin supplement), peanuts are a special treat - and they go crazy for the occasional cricket. However they are very adorable and seem to really like people once they get used to you.
John's aunt raises them and about a year after Syd, she called to say she had a young male with a malformed eye. She couldn't really sell it, so John could have it if he wanted... Welcome Melbourne. (some maybe picking up on a certain theme - John has a fondness for things Australian aka Land of Oz). He was young enough we could get him fixed before he was able to breed. At first he was pretty cranky (even before chopping his beans off), but once they get used to your scent and realize you won't hurt them, they love being picked up and crawling around you. Mel's urge to explore is so strong, he usually makes a beeline out of the cage when you bring the food. If they could be housetrained, we'd let them run around loose. They get along fine with the dogs and have even taken a few rides on Oz's back.
Did I mention the Australian thing? Last winter John's brother called because a friend of his wife's was tired of having an Australian Bearded Dragon. Perth is pretty moody. Usually he is fine with being picked up (he doesn't like the dog). Last time John changed his sand, when being put back, Perth puffed out his beard and leap at John. He is also pretty picky about his diet. For a while he was fine with peas, corn, and shredded carrots - with the occasional cricket. He has on and off craving for pineapple. If you'd like to take a peek at him try the Lizard Cam  
Lizard Cam StatusYou'd think that would be enough. Taking care of the lizard in the morning, the gliders at night and Oz throughout the day made it very difficult to travel anywhere. (my family thinks I don't like them anymore). Plus with Oz finally reliably housetrained, we'd had the carpets professionally cleaned. This time I was the instigator. I felt sorry for Oz sitting home alone all day, and sometimes most of the night. So we got him a little brother! The name was easy enough to figure out - Tasmania is the smaller island next to Australia. We got him from the same breeder, so they really are brothers. Unfortunately the breeders vet was on vacation when the puppies were born so Taz had his dew claws removed when he had his little guy operation.
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