This is how we reward Man's Best Friend. Last night, we were watching "Weeds" and there was a rat on screen, very unexpected and very close-up. I screamed (unnatural rodent phobia) and Seamus came tearing upstairs, ran over to me, saw that I was okay, inspected every inch of the room, and spent the rest of the night guarding me. I never even liked dogs before we got Seamus, but ya gotta love that. Whenever the kids go outside to play, I just send Seamus with them if I'm doing dishes and can only watch from the window. He always stays right near them.

Now, the scabby cat is the worst pet ever. She's allergic to everything and has gross scabs all over her skin. She does all sorts of gross stuff. She won't eat any of the expensive cat food from the vet, she only eats dog food. Even O has stopped petting her, because she's just cranky and icky. M wants to tie bacon around her neck and build a little platform, tying her paws to it as a little sacrifice for the coyotes. She's spent a few nights outside but always makes it through the night. We figure she's like the moldy cheese at the buffet: even the coyotes turn up their noses...