Of Cats and Dogs

I am one of those people who sincerely believe that pets make our lives better. In fact I can't imagine not sharing my space with a pet. As many of you recall, we presently have two pets, Owen, our Persian kitty (pictured here at left) and Sheldon, our Standard Poodle. It amazes me how social they both can be. Sheldon usually goes to work with one of us every day, and Owen works at home as guard-kitty. He likes to hide under the glass top table, in the middle of the base pillars that support the glass. I suppose with the chairs around the table base, it protects him from any wildebeests who could come charging in without a moments notice. Owen sure is smart about things like that. When we come home from work, Owen runs to the door to greet us. I swear that cat can tell time. Sometimes, if we are running late he will be waiting by the door, and immediately begins talking at us when we cross the threshold. Of course, Sheldon is so excited to be home again to see his brother that they soon run around and play together for awhile.

above: Sheldon loves to be outside on the patio, relaxing by the pool.

above: ...while Owen waits patiently by the door, inside wishing he could get outside to play. Aside from the heat, I don't want the cat outside, too many hungry hawks with sharp eyes.

above: Sheldon is such a social creature. He follows me around wherever I go in the house, and listens to everything I say. Sometimes I think he actually understands me.

above: Owen has a few other favorite spots in the house. This end table is handy for its proximity to the wild jungle-like plant.

above: Sheldon loves to sprawl out and relax, content with watching me blog away on my laptop.

above: When comfort comes first, Owen heads for his favorite side chair. This one has an especially comfortable spot on top, ideal for meditating and practicing mind control over humans. Funny thing is I think he is pretty good at it. I find myself mumbling "must open can of organic cat food for Owen...must open can or organic cat food for Owen...."

Well that's all for today. Hope you enjoyed this little post of Cats and Dogs.

-Rick Rockhill

The Adventures of Sheldon: All Grown Up!

I'm not sure where the last year has gone to, but Sheldon is now just over a year old, and all grown up. Well nearly grown up anyway. He still has that sweet innocence of a youngster- playful and energetic. His older brother Owen (pictured here) tolerates Sheldon's enthusiasm for life, although deep down Owen loves to play with Sheldon- provided it is on his terms! When I took this photo, Sheldon had just returned home from a visit to the groomer, looking handsome and debonair. Sheldon loves the oh-so-fresh feeling of being back from the groomer; he typically runs to the mirror in the hallway to check himself out. He even manages to catch his reflection in the glass French doors when the sun is just right. He is a smart poodle and makes me a proud parent everyday. I could go on and on, but I think you get the gist. I love my dog.
-Rick Rockhill

Adventures of Sheldon: Opposites Attract

Our young Sheldon has developed into a fine young boy, living the life of a prince-complete with the best quality natural food, organic treats, and a faux mink fur dog bed, of course! Among all of his other spoils, Sheldon has really bonded with his older brother Owen. They have really bonded and spend loads of time together- from chasing each other around the house, to "grooming" each other, to snuggling up for a nice long snooze. I managed to catch some video of them together the other day and thought it would be a fun way to end the week. Usually people think dogs and cats fight and just can't get along, claiming they are opposites. I have a different opinion. I say, "Opposites Attract" so check out this video as the "Adventures of Sheldon" continue...

(to watch the video, click the little arrow in the lower left corner of the box above. FYI- the sound is a little loud, I forgot to lower the song volume when I edited it.)
If it doesn't play, click here to watch it on You Tube
I hope you enjoyed that little video of the Adventures of Sheldon. They sure are cute, aren't they? Here is a great photo of Owen one morning when he woke up- he likes to sleep under the covers sometimes, although I can't say I blame him!
Oh, tomorrow I'm having lunch with one of my super famous friends, and by super famous I mean someone on TV. If I can write about it, you'll be the first to know, but you know how protective I am of those friendships...so stay tuned!
-Rick Rockhill

Owen's New Official Job Duties

Most of you are familiar with Owen, our Persian cat (see head shot at left). He recently assumed several new important responsibilities at home. His official duties now include: Secretary of the Interior, monitoring everything from furniture to furnishings and also has responsibilities for pruning plants and flowers. Homeland Security Chief, where he maintains a watchful eye on the property through window observation points. But most recently Owen has assumed an additional role, as Minister for Atmosphere and Entertainment. In this important new position, he has broad powers to oversee essential functions such as lounging, chasing things, watching TV, sleeping, and watching flickering flames from candles and fireplaces. In one of his first actions as Minister for Atmosphere and Entertainment, Owen instituted sweeping rules that require all fireplaces and candles to be in operation daily. In this photo, you can see the effect of the fireplaces and candles that give Owen plenty of distraction and entertainment. Having three official jobs keeps Owen quite busy. He is frequently torn between critical decisions such as whether or not to chew the plants, stare out the window or sit in front of the fireplace. Here is Owen hard at work:

above: standing guard in the light of day...

above: standing guard in the dark of night...

above: and after sitting upright for hours, Owen takes a moment to relax in front of the fireplace.

above: Owen's jurisdiction includes outdoor fireplaces, but he delegates these supervisory responsibilities to me. I frequently sit outside at night in front of the fire to blog, and carry out his duties with a glass of wine and my laptop. Owen's dedication and commitment to his three official duties are a true inspiration, don't you agree?

-Rick Rockhill

Adventures of Sheldon: Who's the Fairest of Them All?

One of the things I like most about being a pet parent is the unconditional love and affection they provide. But pets also provide an never-ending source of entertainment as well, and our kids are no exception. Take Sheldon for instance. First off, having a standard poodle is a totally new experience. Standard poodles have such a different personality from Koshimi and other dogs who have been part of my life. Sheldon enjoys showing off, prancing around and seems to prefer the company of people to other dogs. One of the more amusing habits Sheldon has is admiring himself in the mirror. It's the fun to watch him before he realizes he is being observed. He tilts his head, looks from side to side, no doubt thinking to himself: "Mirror, Mirror on the wall, who's the fairest poodle of them all? Well actually he is more likely thinking: "Damn I'm one handsome fella".

above: Lest you think that first photo was an exception, here is another photo of Young Sheldon, caught at the hallway mirror. He is one silly little puppy.

above: Best Buds: Sheldon and Owen share the bed. Owen is doing a pretty good job putting up with an energetic new puppy in the house.

above: Young Sheldon knows he is a special dog, with his own sitting chair, complete with chenille throw.

above: Here's Koshimi, hanging in there in his old age. He holds a special place in my heart. I love this dog. Thanks for spending a few minutes here catching up on the kids~

-Rick Rockhill

Positively Pre-Eminent Pets

Regular readers of this blog know that I am a huge pet person. In my opinion dogs and cats make the world a better place. There is nothing quite like having a dog welcome you home everyday, thrilled to see you and ready to help ease away all of the stress of the day. TV watching is always better with a dog curled up at your feet, or a kitty snuggling against you on the sofa. My friends have some great dogs too. Take, for instance, this little cutie here, Oliver, the Pug. Oliver is my friend BenWu's dog who I helped "raise" at work back he was just a lil' pup. Look at that face! (BenWu, thanks for being a faithful reader dude). Then there are these two beautiful girls below...

above: Two beautiful Poodles, "Miss Peaches" (white) and Miss Anne (black). Some of you may recall that Miss Peaches is actually a famous Poodle...she graces the package of a super premium dog food ProPlan Selects (photo above right). She may have had a bit of re-touching for her glamour shot, but she is a super model as far as I am concerned. Both girls are the daughters of my friend Candy who reads this blog from time to time.

AND FINALLY...

above: My pride and joy: Koshimi (my Shiba Inu) and Owen (Persian kitty). I took this photo Wednesday night while watching American Idol. They are good buds who hang out together most of the time.
-Rick Rockhill

Easter with the kids

Easter Sunday turned out to be a beautiful day here in Palm Springs; I woke up early to the sound of birds twittering, chatting away to each other about something or other. I had my morning tea and watched the early sun reflect on the mountains. It was a perfect Spring morning. I was grateful that I had already decided to attend the 11:00 am Easter service; the 7 and 9 am options seemed unnecessarily early for my taste. By the time I was heading to church, the sun was beaming and it was quite warm. Despite eventually getting up into the 90's it never felt too hot, although I was careful to keep my chocolate bunnies out of the sun! I am a bit traditional and made sure I had an Easter photo taken with the kids. Here I am (above) with Koshimi, my older boy. I love this photo, he was licking his lips, having just wolfed-down an Organix dog cookie. (Anything to get the pose).above: I was about to bite the ears off of my chocolate Easter rabbit but it was time for Owen's photo. He wasn't very cooperative so I just snatched him up with one hand and made him pose with the chocolate bunny. Despite the expression on his face, Owen LOVES to be picked up and held. I was so happy to get these photos taken and out of the way before the day got away from me. Later in the day, I treated both Shimi and Owen to their own Easter dinners, Halo "Spot's Stew" Lamb, which they both ate hungrily, as if they hadn't been fed in weeks. You can only imagine, that me being in the pet industry I spoil my kids to the very best there is. Believe me, they eat better than some people I know, but they are worth it! Anyway that was our Easter Sunday. Hope you have a good week.
-Rick Rockhill

Spotlight on Owen

This week I took Owen to the groomer for his usual "lion cut" haircut but he had so many knots and tangles that he had to be shaved down a lot shorter than usual. When he got home he was cranky...and paced around for awhile...

So I called him up onto his favorite bar stool to have a talk, "cat to man". He listened intently as I explained how he really needs to do a better job grooming himself in between visits to the groomer. But I told him what a good kitty he was, then he bowed to acknowledge my words.

And then he moved in close, stared at me and suddenly began talking. He is very communicative, and squints his eyes as he meows. He looks like something out of the Chronicles of Narnia or something. But he's my boy!

-Rick Rockhill

I'm A Bad Kitty....

I'm a bad kitty. This morning when Rick was driving down to San Diego, I wasn't quite ready to be packed up into the kennel and endure the two hour ride to the beach house. I was cranky and complaining about it, but he didn't listen. So I decided I'd get even and just pee and poop right there in my kennel. That showed him. Oh yeah. I forgot, I still had to sit in the kennel for the rest of the ride.

When we arrived at the beach houuse, he had the nerve to give me a bath. I was pretty angry about having to sit in a tub of water, especially while the dog watched, laughing at me. So I'm going to stew about this all morning.

Friend's Pets

OK, so since I work for PETCO, I thought I really should add a few more photos of pets. Here is Owen, (Persian kitty with a lion cut) and his big brother, Koshimi, aka "Shimi" our Shiba Inu.

Here is a publicity photo of Miss BabyCakes Casey-Altieri, taken for her upcoming appearance at the Palm Springs International Film Festival.

Below is Sandy, my brother's kitty who passed away in the fall. On the right is a rare two-headed Westie...

On the left below is Penelope, my friend Ben's dog and on the right is Stevie Nicks and one of her fans...

- Rick Rockhill