Old pets are the best.

Puppies and kittens are adorable, of course - baby anythings are adorable - but I really love old pets the most.

Here's Gary the Guinea Pig. Gary (she's a girl, by the way) is a sweet old lady-pig of unknown age. I think we have had her for 5 years now. Maybe only 4. But I think 5. And before that, she was owned by a pet shop where she was kept in the back and allowed to have litter after litter of baby piggies over and over again. I don't like to think about what probably happened to her babies. The store catered to reptile owners. Anyway, when Barry bought her to use in a photo shoot, I feel like he rescued her. She was thin and in poor coat, and her nails were so overgrown that her feet are permanently turned sideways.

After the photo shoot, she lived at Barry's office for a couple of weeks, but all the comings and goings were too much for her, so he brought her home. She is the sweetest thing, very gentle and affectionate. She is getting really elderly and is spending more and more time just napping; I keep thinking one of these days we'll get up and find that she has died in her sleep. But so far, no. She "wheeks" for food, for water, and most of all, for love and attention. She enjoys the cats and tries to wash and groom them. She purrs with petting and with unusual sounds. She's just a dear old thing. She's no longer playful, but she has a dignity that I really appreciate.



Here is Bo, standing guard. He never likes the cats to get too close to Gary, and they were lurking around nearby, so he stood very close to her and growled at them when they came too close. He is very suspicious of their motives.