The Dixon zoo animals

For my second post, here's an intro to our (mostly) friendly Dixon Zoo beneficiaries.

Heiko, the retired attack/drug dog. Chad was his original handler way back when he was active duty. When Heiko retired almost two years ago and Chad found out, he drove to Texas to get his boy. (The army will only let a former handler or a PD take a dog they are discharging.) Heiko won't leave Chad's side and won't listen to me whenever Chad is around. Unless I have cheese. Or ground beef. I have done a little "training" of my own in his last two years here and he has learned quickly, being the intelligent army boy (*cough cough*) that he is. He now knows how to drool and stare just like a proper house-dog should when dinner is being cooked. (Not because I share or anything, because I would NEVER do that.) He also knows how to pop a pool float with one tiny bite, knock over the kitchen garbage in search of tasty morsels and he loves oatmeal cream pies.

Missy, the baby dog of the family. (She's actually around seven years old, according to the rescue we got her from almost five years ago.) Emma has claimed her as her own and tries to sneak her into her bed. (Dogs are not allowed on furniture or beds at the Dixon zoo!) She loves car rides and often goes along when Emma is dropped off or picked up from school. She's a clown and a lovebug. She also has a touch of doggie tourettes (according to her therapist) and never shuts up if a lawn is being mowed, a vacuum is being run, or if anything resembling a knock at the door is heard.

Winston, the geriatric poop eater. Also a rescue. Was heart worm positive when we took him in three years ago and was scared to DEATH of people. Now he searches out any available sun spot in the house, or any spot that could possibly make a good resting place for his old man tooshie. Even if it has a hole in the middle. Winston, in a word, is weird. (He fits right in here!)

Sadie, the seven year-old spoiled brat of the family. She's irritating, hilarious, disobedient, and neurotic. She has two focuses - SNACKIES and her tennis ball. The original dog of the family, I bought her as a puppy when I was still single. She's kind of awful but we keep her around anyway. She's tried to go toe-to-toe with the attack dog over said tennis ball with disastrous results. We'll continue to keep an eye on this one!

Bailey, the sulcata. He's only a year or so old but he'll live for about a hundred and grow to be around 100 pounds. We'll put him in our will. We're taking applications.

Salt and Pepper the zebra finches. *Beep beep beep!* They're both girls and lay about a zillion eggs every week, which they sit on religiously. I'm constantly throwing away adorably tiny eggs. (I just realized how GROSS their sticks are! Ewwww!)

Emma's year-old cockatiel, Trixie. (I think it sounds like a stripper name but don't tell Emma that!) She's crabby toward everyone but Emma. When Emma gets home from school she'll screech for her until Emma comes to visit. She lives in Emma's room and is freakin' loud. We're glad someone out there invented doors that we can shut.

Dolfy the cichlid (named by a two year-old Emma), the guy who eats all of his tankmates and has destined himself to a life of solitary confinement as a result of this rude habit. Dolfy is the fish who never dies.

Danny, the siamese fishing fish. He's Emma's - named after her cousin, actually!

Fred and George Weasley, our most recent additions. They're kinda dumb. They're orange. They're awesome.

Growing up I was the kid who found homeless dogs and begged to keep them and fed all of the stray cats in the neighborhood. Chad puts up with a lot from me. I still desperately want to live on a farm and someday I hope to have a few horses and a herd a fainting goats I can honk at every time I drive up to the house. So stay tuned for photos of future additions! Right honey? :D