21 May 2011 Puppy (and cat and lizard and cow and bird) love
This month 501 LIFE is celebrating those special friends who for so many are really a part of our family – our pets!
Since we began publication, our regular “Special Friends” feature has been very popular. Along the way, we’ve presented a variety of pets – from dogs and cats to exotic turtles and frogs.
With such a positive response, we decided to dedicate an entire issue to these special companions.
Katy (and Kris) Allen
City: Conway
Job: I plan to teach next school year.
Pet: Zorro Allen (7-month-old French bulldog)
How did you meet your pet: I met him when he was delivered to our front door when he was 8 weeks old. He was a surprise early Christmas present for my husband.
The name: Just take a look at the little mask on his face.
What you love most about your pet: His adorable personality! He loves everyone, and he always puts me in a good mood! He also has super cute ears!
Favorite memory: Taking him to Los Angeles! We flew across the country together, ate at outdoor restaurants, went shopping (they allow dogs in most shops there) and went to the dog beach in Malibu. He even did the press line at American Idol!
Activities you enjoy together: We love to take walks around downtown and the bike trail. He also loves to snuggle.
The future: Zorro is going to try out life on the tour bus once Kris goes back out on tour. He won’t be there the whole time, but we do plan to try it for a few nights at least.
Other: He is the most amazing dog in the world. Everyone who meets him falls in love with him, and we are so lucky to have him in our lives!
Jon and Katie Patrom
City: Greenbrier
Job: Jon – Marketing/sales training director for First Service Bank. Katie – Children’s ministry director at Springhill Baptist Church.
Pet: Annabelle (3-year-old Basset Hound)
How did you meet your pet: Katie and I had been married for around four months and had never discussed or considered getting a dog. That all changed one day when she ran to the store to get tomatoes and came back (no tomatoes in hand) begging to let her get the Basset Hound that they were selling near the store. I said “no,” put my foot down and said “OK.” Little did I know, Katie had already purchased Annabelle and called her mother to watch Annabelle at the store with the sellers. She had made an agreement that if I said no, we would get our money back!
The name: Katie has always wanted two dogs, a boy and a girl, one to be named Annabelle and the other Baxter. Baxter is not so near in the future since his sidekick Annabelle is a true handful!
What you love most about your pet: Bassett Hounds are known for being a very witty dog. Annabelle has held true to this characteristic! You never know what she is going to do. Even as nosy as she is and as much stuff as she can get into, she really is a good dog. However, when she is in trouble, she knows just when to droop her eyes and look like she is about to cry! Now who can be mad at anything with droopy eyes and ears that almost drag the ground!
Favorite memory: Katie loves to buy Annabelle clothes and costumes around Halloween! Our first year to have her, she was supposed to be a princess, however, she could not find a costume big enough (Annabelle is a healthy girl). I will never forget the look on Annabelle’s or Katie’s face when Annabelle walked out wearing a dinosaur costume! They both did not look happy, and I am sure for different reasons!
Activities you enjoy together: Basset Hounds love to sleep and spend most of their time trying not to exert any more energy than necessary. However, the minute you say “let’s go,” she is at the door!
Katie drives a convertible so she loves to get in the back seat all belted in and drive around with her Mom! There is nothing more comical than to look back and see a hound in the rearview mirror with ears fully extended, eyes closed and nose up sniffing the air – she is totally happy!
The future: Annabelle is queen around the house, and she makes sure her Mom and Dad never forget. Katie and I have begun to think (side note to all family, yes we are thinking, but nothing is in the immediate future) about a family, we know Annabelle’s world could potentially be turned upside down. Our hope is that she will transition easily from being the only child to maybe realizing she is a dog! Of course with the way she is pampered that may be impossible!
Other: One odd quirk with Annabelle is she is scared to death of oven doors, cameras and barstools lifted upside down! Yes we know all of these from experience!
Daneen Carson Hensiek
City: Conway
Job: Owner of Elan Spa
Pet: Kingston George a.k.a. King (5-year-old Samoyed)
How did you meet: I ordered him from a breeder in New York.
The name: Kingston is Gwen Stefani’s little boy’s name.
Activities you enjoy together: He keeps me company, and I never feel alone.
Other: When I picked him up from the airport, he looked at me like he had known me before and leaped right into my arms and cuddled.
We love to play ball and cuddle in the morning. Sometimes when King looks at me, I see an old man in his face and eyes that make me feel safe like he is my guardian from a long time ago.
Mallory Hardin
City: Little Rock
Job: Anchor of KARK 4 Today and KARK 4 News at Noon
Pet: Ellie (9-year-old West Highland Terrier)
How did you meet: A few years ago, we were covering a news story at the Little Rock Animal Village. I saw a sweet Westie in one of the kennels and fell in love with her! She was a stray that had been found on Chicot Road with a shoestring around her neck. I adopted her that day!
The name: She just looked like an Ellie.
What you love most about your pet: She is the sweetest dog! She loves to sleep (a girl after my own heart), she loves to cuddle in your lap and she always knows how to cheer you up!
Favorite memory: As soon as I adopted Ellie, we went over to our dear friend Anne Pressly’s house. She fell in love with Ellie! She was the only one who could get a bow to stay on Ellie’s head! She spent a lot of time with her “Aunt Anne.” I will always cherish those memories.
Activities you enjoy together: We love going to the dog park!
Other: For years, I have been trying to teach Ellie to shake (hands). A few weeks ago, she finally did it! This proves you really can teach old dogs new tricks!
Tanner Riddle
City: Damascus
School: 5th grade (homeschool)
Pet: Dixie (13-month-old Holstein)
How did you meet: I met her at the dairy farm where I bought her. She was three months old.
The name: I like the Dukes of Hazzard and Dixie is the name of Daisy’s Jeep, so I named her that.
What you love most about your pet: She is gentle and no matter how long she is out in the field, she always comes up and wants attention. She shows really well also.
Favorite memory: Winning Junior Showmanship at the Faulkner County Fair.
Activities you enjoy together: I enjoy sitting on the fence rail while she eats and talking to her and brushing her.
The future: In June, we are going to the Four State Dairy Days Invitational. She will show there and then we will prepare for the county fair in September.
Other: Dairy shows are dying out. These animals offer many foods that we enjoy. I hope people will come see us at the fair this year. We show on Tuesday mornings. It would be great to have a good audience!
Jansen Riddle
City: Damascus
School: 9th grade (homeschool)
Pet: Milkshake (18-month-old Holstein)
How did you meet: I met her at the dairy farm where I bought her; she was three days old. I took her home and bottle-fed her and halter broke her for dairy cattle shows.
The name: I wanted her name to be dairy related, but something that would stand out in the ring. I like milkshakes, so that became her name.
What you love most about your pet: She shows perfect in the ring; she is gentle and listens to me when I talk to her.
Favorite memory: This past year at the Faulkner County Fair, she and I won showmanship in my senior division and overall. She did an awesome job working with me.
Activities you enjoy together: She enjoys being at the fairs and having people visit her.
The future: In June, we are going to the Four State Dairy Days Invitational. She will show there and then we will prepare for the county fair in September.
Other: June is National Dairy Month. There aren’t very many dairies left in the Faulkner County area. We would just like to remind everyone to drink milk and support the dairy businesses.
Mark D. Clements
City: Conway
Job: Owner of Clements Property Rentals
Pets: Greengo (10 years) and Tabbi (6 years). Both are mixed Tabby and Calico.
How did you meet: Greengo showed up at my house and was sleeping under my storage building. I rescued Tabbi’s mother and her litter of kittens from under a mobile home. I found homes for all of them.
The names: Greengo – her eyes are very green. Tabbi is very much a Tabby cat – she hunts like a predator.
What you love most about your pet: Greengo is a lap cat who stays close to home. Tabbi’s like an alley cat, always gone and looking for prey.
Favorite memory: Greengo – I found her after the loss of a great friend, Eric Lancaster. She was a great comfort to me. My favorite memory of Tabbi was pulling her as a tiny kitten out of my jacket was pulling her as a tiny kitten out of my jacket to show her to the kids. It was all smiles afterward.
Lydia Milner
City: Conway
School: Junior student at UAMS Nursing School.
Pet: Sprite Milner (Miniature Shetland sheepdog – 13 in human years).
How did you meet your pet: When I was 8, my parents took me to a house in East Conway that was selling puppies. I had no idea where we were going. It was the best birthday present ever. (Good job family!)
The name: My brother, Drew, was really into Calvin and Hobbes at the time, and the writer of that comic had a cat named Sprite. Drew thought that would be a good name. Being 8, I completely agreed.
What you love most about your pet: She knows who her momma is and is very loyal. She always walks under my legs and sits with me. Sprite can always tell if something is wrong and will sit right next to you for as long as you let her.
Favorite memory: Throughout middle school and high school, my dad would let Sprite inside and she would run as fast as she could straight to my room and wake me up every morning.
Activities you enjoy together: When Sprite was young we would play in the backyard all day. She had this thing with birds and would act as if she was protecting us from them by barking at all the birds in the sky while running in circles. Now that Sprite is older, we enjoy just hanging out and taking it easy.
Future for you and your pet: Sprite is well into her golden years. I don’t know how much longer she will be with us, but I know we will continue to enjoy each other’s company until that day comes.
Other: Sprite, the wonder dog, really is the best dog in the world. No, really, the best.
Trapper Padgett
City: Conway
Job: Employed by Dakota Services Landscaping and Irrigation and a freshman at University of Arkansas Community College at Morrilton.
Pets: Chickens
Name: Lady or the Ladies (there are five of them); 2-month-old Black Australorps.
How did you meet: Caldwell Feed in Conway.
The future: My chickens are layers; I bought them mainly for eggs and would like to get more in the future.
Other pets: Lil Ms. Sunshine (14-month-old Maine Tanier heifer) and Lt. Dan (18-month-old Himalayan rabbit).
Other: “I have always wanted to live on a farm and hope to have one someday.”
Kyla Jo Edwards
City: Enola
Job: Accounts payable clerk for Centennial Bank.
Pets: Bearded Dragons – Pepper (9 months, 15 inches long), Peaches (6 months, 12 inches), Pretty Boy (6 months, 12 inches), Chino (3 months, 8 inches) and Fred (3 months, 8 inches).
How did you meet your pets: We ordered three online from a breeder in Oregon, and the two babies we got from PetSmart. We have had the babies for about 3 months, and the rest we’ve have for about a month and a few weeks.
The names: Most of them are because of their color. Pretty Boy, well that pretty much explains it. He is a beautiful yellow and cream color, and he knows it!
What you love most about your pets: They are each very different. They wave occasionally, which is hilarious to watch, especially when they do it in unison. They have wonderful personalities and they love to be held. They are very curious and like to explore.
Activities you enjoy together: Peaches likes to curl up in our laps and sleep, and the rest of them like to run back and forth on the couch. Sometimes they will even watch TV.
Other: My 10-year-old son Lincoln is a reptile lover. He has wanted a Bearded Dragon since he was around 3. My husband got him one back in February, and he liked them so much he had to have one himself. My son couldn’t be happier with the pets of his dreams.
They like to take a bath and bask in the sun in our window. Pretty Boy knows when it is bedtime. When the lights go out, he immediately goes to his hidey hole and goes to sleep. They are such an interesting pet to have. They are definitely not your typical household pet.
Julianne Cole
City: Maumelle
Job: Executive director, Maumelle Area Chamber of Commerce.
Pet: Dezi (3-and-a-half year-old Cavalier King Charles Spaniel)
The name: We got Dezi when he was already 4 months old, and he had been named “Izzy.” I didn’t think that sounded like a boy’s name, so I changed it to “Dezi” so he could have a boy name without being thoroughly confused.
What you love most about your pet: He is ultra friendly, and he tries to talk to us – sometimes too much!
Favorite memory: When the kids are playing in the pool, he will let them push him around on a floating mat. It looks like he’s surfing.
Activities you enjoy together: We play “fetch” with his toy giraffe. It’s THE ONLY toy he will play with. If you throw him a ball, he looks at you like you are crazy, but he will find his stuffed giraffe anywhere in the house when he wants to play fetch.
Other: Dezi was a special gift to me from my husband after I suffered a miscarriage. The picture is of me, Dezi and my youngest son Hunter, who I got pregnant with shortly after I got Dezi – I ended up with a double blessing!
Elizabeth Parsley
City: Conway
Job: Realtor at RE/MAX of Conway – Team Parsley.
Pet: Bella Grace Parsley (8-year-old Maltese)
How did you meet your pet: I got her as my birthday present when I turned 16. My family and I drove to Marshall, and she was such a precious and beautiful puppy – the minute I saw her I fell in love.
The name: I took French in high school, and Belle in French means beautiful. I love the French language because it is such a beautiful and aesthetically pleasing language.
What you love most about your pet: She is the sweetest, cutest dog ever. She loves to be held and loved on. Bella loved my grandmother most of all and always used to sit with her every day.
Favorite memory: I recently was hospitalized with a brain injury and lost much of my memory. However, I still remember everything about my Bella. Baptist Hospital allowed my parents to bring her in to see me, and I loved it! I was so excited to see her, and I do remember every memory I have with her – they are all my favorite!
Activities you enjoy together: She loves to sleep, so she’s a sweet cuddler. We also love to go to Toad Suck Park and go running or walking.
Other: My sister has a Maltese, Ace Baby, and my mom has a Maltese, Bailey. Therefore, our family has three Maltese dogs, and they are all best friends and love to get together and play. Ace and Bella have had four puppies together, and they are all precious.
