Duke and Charlie (I)

I was introduced to animals at a very early age. At birth, my grandmother (Mater) and grandfather (Grandpa) had a Cocker Spaniel named Duke, and a Siamese cat named Charlie. While Duke seemed to really enjoy me and my attention, Charlie would have none of it, and spent most of my visits hiding. That, more than anything else, speaks volumes about the differences between dogs and cats. You won't find a picture with Charlie and me. Here is a picture of Duke, hanging out with me at Christmas. I think only one of us was really excited.

I also remember hanging out with Duke in my grandparent's backyard. This next picture was taken there, as we shared a chair. You could do anything to that dog, and as a baby, I think I did.

I believe that the first pet my own family had (other than me) was a Mynah bird named Fritz. Someplace is a picture of Fritz, just don't ask me where. What I remember most about Fritz was that we had a tape recording of some of my early words, and that my father recorded Fritz trying to talk over my recording. Did I mention that my parents are divorced? Now if a Mynah bird could talk like an African Grey, that would be different. More on that later.

I have already introduced Charlie, the Siamese cat my grandparents had. My father had a friend with a female Siamese, and the adults decided to breed the two together. That litter included two brothers, Charlie, and Chan, who were going to be my next pet influences.

Unfortunately, the female cat scratched the first Charlie in the eye, which led to an infection that led to his death. My grandparents took one of the litter, and named him Charlie - after his father. We took home Chan. Get it - Charlie Chan, Siamese cats. I thought it was clever. I was six.