Aaron got me Ernie for Christmas two years ago. He is an English Angora rabbit. I have to say is the the most laid back, easy going bunny. I can carry him around or roll him over on his back.

He has a toy called "bouncey bunny" that you put treats inside and then he kicks the poo out of it to get the treats out.

Ernie lives inside, he is a house bunny. He lives in his hutch when I am gone, and when I am home he comes out. He is litter trained and goes back to his hutch when he has to go.

I get a lot of questions about Angora rabbits. Yes you can make sweaters out of them. You save the wool you get when you brush them and spin it into yarn.

I haven't tried it yet, but plan to someday. I think he would make a nice sweater. I was sure to pick a bunny in a color I liked. hah hah.

Oscar and Ernie get along fine. Ernie was way bigger than Oscar when the pup came to live with me, so Oscar doesn't think he is the boss of the bunny.

Still, I never leave them together unattended. Mostly they can be found laying under the dining room table together. And when I call "Treat!" they both come running.

People also ask questions about getting an Angora rabbit. Although he has one of the best personalities I have seen in a rabbit, he is a LOT of work. He needs constant grooming. He gets brushed a lot. The wool has a tendency to matt and then you have to cut them out.

I try to trim him down in the summer so he doesn't overheat. You also have to be sure he is elevated from his poo or it sticks to his wool and then you have a horrid mess. I would not recommend getting one unless you have a lot of time and energy to devote to it.

There's lots more bunny information at the House Rabbit Society.

Torty: quicker than you think

After Bunny died, I wanted a pet that would be around for awhile. Boris T. Tortoise, Torty for short is a Russian Tortoise. He should be around five years old and will live to be nearly one hundred. I will probably have to provide for him in my will.

He won't get any bigger than my hand. He sleeps a lot in the winter and come spring wants to eat a lot. He will devour a large pile of lettuce and veggies pretty quick.

He isn't that slow. When I take him outside I have to keep an eye on him or he will take off and hide under leaves.

Gone but not forgotten

This is Max. He was a weimaraner my family had when I was little. He was the best. I used to hang all over him, drag him around the yard and he quietly went along with it.

I will always have a soft spot for wiemaraners. Everyday I visit Oliver Daily to look at the updated pictures of the weimaraners, Oliver and Hugo that live in France.

Snowball was my first bunny. She was albino, with pink eyes. I got her for Easter when I was a kid and I love this picture of her with that years Easter eggs.

I used to carry her around the yard. She was a bit feisty.

We got Chuck after Max passed away. Chuck was a German Shorthaired Pointer. My family seems to like the German dogs.

He was a nut. Ran around like crazy. Good at catching frisbees.

This is Bunny. He was a Mini Lop. Aaron got me Bunny when I was in Grad school and I loved him a lot. He used to lay in front of the TV in a turkey roasting pan. He also liked to jump on Louie's bird cage.

He had a whole lot of personality and also got carried around the house like a baby. He always let me know when he had enough and would jump down. He passed suddenly and I don't think I have ever gotten over it.

Petunia was my first hamster. I think she was a Syrian hamster, nicknamed "black bear". She looked like a little black bear. She was so sweet. A real cutie.

She used to stuff her cheeks with seeds til I thought she would fall over. One night in my apartment, she broke out of her cage and made a run for it. I never found her. I imagine she took off for Vegas.

These were my goldfish, Fish and Chips. I had them for about three years which is quite a feat for goldfish under my care.

They died rather mysteriously... each one during a different visit from my family. Hmmmm.

Louie lived to a ripe old age, 12 years. He was a bit crotchety in his later years.

I got him when I still lived at home and in my first year of college. He went with me to graduate school, back home for two summers, into my apartment and now my house.

He liked to chirp like mad when it was getting to the really good part of the movie you were watching.