My Animals

Pets are the hobbies that eat. And despite Mr. Franklin's advice above, I'm all for them.

Barkley

The ultimate and unforgettable pet of my life was a black labrador named Barkley (1996-2010), who was perhaps the most kind-hearted dog. He was an icon among our friends, family and neighbors.

I know what I'm talking about because I've seen some 200 dogs in my projects and even our trainers agreed that Barkley's sensitivity and manners were just exceptional, he was just a special soul. Somehoe he had his own life that didn't include us, because he spent time with my parents and because many of our guests took him for long walks in the mountains. There were many people who considered him a buddy for their own reasons.

Here is his little page at his breeder's website.

The Cats

The cats is sort of a collective name in our family, because cats simply lack the loyalty of a dog. They are with out one day and gone the next and that's just how it works. We first had a cat named Ciciolina who disappeared in the woods near our house in the mountains after a few years with us.

We then got two kittens from a pound, possibly sisters, who are with us today. They are named Google and Yahoo, because they are search engines. They spend every summer with my parents at the summerhouse catching lizzards and mice, sleeping, eating and exploring. This is another reason to talk about cats in plural, if you hear some noise in the kitchen, you just scream: "Cats!" ... and maybe they stop or maybe not - because they're ... well ... cats.

Then we had a cat named Emma that my roommate Michael found on the street in a horrible condition. Emma was the star in our studio and had a tendency to fall in love with some guests. It never occured to us to look closer and we only found out it was he some two years later, shortly before he died. He spent his last winter with my parents and inspired them to get a cat of their own. Cats are getting popular in our family.