Nena (Dog)
After years as cat owners, but still secretly dog lovers, the stars finally aligned properly for Melissa and me to adopt a dog when Melissa became a full-time freelance designer who could set her own hours.
Nena is a chihuahua/terrier mix who was born in Puerto Rico and brought in by an adoption group in northern Virginia. She was about seven months old when we adopted her, and she quickly learned her basic commands and took to house training with only a couple of accidents right at the beginning.
She has crazy-long legs, chihuahua-style bug-eyes, and a great personality. After a day or two she made herself right at home, and she gets along great with our neighbors, both human and canine.
Her birthday is December 4, 2012.
Vincent (Cat)
In 2008, Melissa had the bright idea of stopping by PetSmart after we returned a tuxedo rental . . . and we came home with a new adoptee to keep Mei Mei company. He’s another orange tabby, although he has a lot more white than Mei Mei and we’re pretty sure he has something else mixed in. Vincent is distinctive because of his swirly pattern and his polydactylism (extra toes). The swirly pattern, reminiscent of a Van Gogh painting, is why we named him Vincent. His extra toes—one on each foot—is why the pet adoption group had named him Mittens originally.
Vincent, quite to our surprise, established himself as the dominant cat over diva Mei Mei. It’s probably because he has no fear. While Mei Mei is quite timid and cautious, Vincent will just plow right ahead without a thought. He gets himself into a lot of trouble this way. He has a patented quizzical tilty-head look. He’s very lovable, but not very bright.
When we adopted him in September 2008, they put his age at about four months, so we’ve approximated his birthday to May 31, 2008. The two cats get along pretty well. They pretend to hate each other but, if we get home early and take them by surprise, it’s not uncommon to find them curled up together on the couch.
Former Pets
- Mei Mei (cat) – 2006-2021
Childhood (Family) Pets
- Spike (dog)
- C.K. (“Curiosity Killed”) (cat)
- Bruno (dog)
- Bonnie (cat)