Pinball has been with us since he was eight weeks old. His birthday is August 25, 2000. He came to us all the way from Albany, New York. This dog captured my heart from the first moment I saw him. His ability to love overwhelms me! I always wanted a Golden Retriever and when we bought our home we agreed it was time. I actually started researching breeders in May and Pinball was born on the day we closed on the house. It was destiny! We named him Pinball because he is such a klutz. He is always banging into things. Bill always says "Pinball was absent the day they taught graceful!" He loves to play catch, and do all kinds of tricks. He has these long conversations with us. We ask him a question and he will proceed to bark back a response. The more questions we ask him the more long and drawn out the responses he gives us are. It is so funny. Every night we joke around, going back and forth at the dinner table "Pinball, do Daddy’s feet stink?" and he responds "Ruff"…. "Oh yeah? Well then tell me Pinball, is Mommy having a bad hair day?" "Ruff Ruff Ruff Rrrrrrrrrrrruuuuff" "Oh a real bad one, huh?"…. all the while my son, William laughs hysterically! Pinball also suffers from Acute Lap Dog Envy. My gentle giant will clime up and plant himself on my lap while towering over me. He smiles, pants and looks at me from the corner of his eye as if to say, "I told you I am a lap dog!" He is such a ham. He is never happier than when he sees us laughing.

Cheeky is a Pomeranian and she joined our family when she was four months old. Her birthday is September 5, 2000 – only 11 days apart from Pinball. Ceci, a family member saw Cheeky in a pet shop in Cherry Hill, New Jersey and fell in love with her right from the start, so she brought her home. Unfortunately, her work schedule kept her from giving Cheeky all the attention a puppy needs. Cheeky was already familiar with our home and her playmate, Pinball. Ceci asked if Cheeky could live with us and we happily said yes. She has been part of our family ever since. Ceci still sees Cheeky all the time. They have a special bond – She is her second mommy! Cheeky is the most lovable dog you could ever ask for! She is not for the squeamish of doggy licks because this is absolutely her favorite past time! She sings to us when we get home with her cute little howl. She loves to bark for her treats and sits next to us while we watch TV. Every now and then she likes to give her Daddy a hard time and won’t bark for him. Finally he gets tired of standing there with a doggy biscuit so he says to her "Okay Cheeky, sit there and look cute… Good Girl!" and he gives her the treat. (She’s got him trained as you can see!) She is obsessive when it comes to giving and receiving love. We take her with us everywhere in the summer. She loves long trips. She is the center of attention wherever we go. In true lap dog style, she thrives on the attention she gets at parties, barbecues and the like! She gets along great with other animals except when at PETCO where she goes nuts! She barks like crazy at all the other animals. As soon as we get to PETCO she seems to think she’s Cujo!

Nero joined our family in August of this year. He was ten weeks old, having been born some time at the end of May. He is an American Shorthair – a tabby cat. My friend, Michelle who lives in Queens, New York told me that her veterinarian had two kittens left over from a litter, which he couldn’t find a home for. We live in Northern New Jersey but as you can see, we can’t seem to get a pet locally! Michelle was kind enough to pick Nero up for me on a Friday and I went to New York the following day to go get him from her. Nero bounced around their house all night! No one got any sleep that night – not her husband, not her dog Princess and certainly not poor Michelle, the kittensitter! The first thing he did when we brought him home was to take one look at the dogs and start chasing them! I knew right then that we had our hands full! He is now a "teenager" and still does all those crazy things that kittens do so well. He runs all over the place and will hang off the ceiling if given the opportunity. Nonetheless, Nero is not the typical "go do his own thing and let you know when it would be convenient to be petted" type of cat. He always wants to be with people. He sits and watches TV with us, and follows me to the bathroom (actually all three of them do that but only to me – I have given up on the idea of privacy!). Nero especially loves to be held like a baby, lying on his back while you stroke his belly and chest and play with his four paws and his tail. You can nibble on his paws, twirl his tail through your fingers – there is nothing he is not willing to let you do… no matter who you are.

Pinball, Cheeky and Nero get along like brothers and sister. They actually hang out together all the time. The three of them play what looks like a game of tag. They chase each other, jump on each other then quickly run away and the one who seems to be "it" then chase the others! There is nothing funnier than seeing Nero chase after this fluffy Pomeranian and big Golden Retriever. As they take off you can almost hear them screaming, "Run for the hills!"

The three of them have such unique personalities yet they all love people and each other unconditionally. We are very lucky to have them.

Patty Carpio