Meet the Crew
Hello and Welcome! Our family has always had at least one pet. Mostly dogs - Beagle, Rat Terrier, a mutt, Jack Russel, Pug, Chihuahua, and German Shepherd, in that order. When the children were young, we cycled through a variety of small animals such as a hedgehog, rats, ferrets, lizards, chinchillas and rabbits, to name a few. However, our small pet era came to an end about eight years ago, when we introduced the cats.
Currently, we have just cats and dogs, six in total. Just like in West Side Story there are the Jets (the cats) who constantly taunt the Sharks (the dogs), as both struggles for control of the house.
I thought this site would be a fun way to share their unique personalities and how it influences the dynamics of their relationships. They are a source of entertainment for our family, hopefully, for you too!
Scroll down to meet our crew.
Starting with the Sharks…
Korben Dallas (named after the hero in the movie The Fifth Element). Born Oct. 2017, Korben is the newest and youngest member to join the crew. We picked him up on New Year's Eve - can you think of a better way to celebrate? He’s a BIG, all black, high drive, 100% Czech Working line German Shepherd. His mother Baraca z Daskonu, is here in the US, while his father Vrisco Niox, a stud in the Czech police breeding program, is still in the Czech Republic.
Korben is extremely determined to get what he wants, which right now is Leeloo’s toys, the other dogs, the cats, things that hang, dangle or squeak, fingers, toes...basically anything that moves. When he’s not trying to attack, he’s an exceptionally cuddly and lovable, chunky monkey, who loves to give kisses. We are excited to have Korben as part of our crew and can’t wait to see how his personality develops.
Leeloo Minai (named after the heroine in the movie The Fifth Element), or Leeloo
for short. Leeloo is a Working Line German Shepherd
and technically my husband’s dog. Born
January 2016, she is the youngest of the crew. Loving to all, Leeloo is extremely protective of our family, she is also
the apple of our eye.
I look at her as a highly intelligent
toddler with ADHD. She can learn and do just about anything, providing she can
sit still long enough to pay attention. And despite successfully graduating
from obedience training, Leeloo still pulls
on her leash and guaranteed to act out
and embarrass us in public!
Nala, our Deer Head Chihuahua. You may be thinking, ‘hey,
I’ve seen this dog before!’. Well, you
may have. Nala was Toto in our middle school’s 2017 production of The Wizard of Oz.
We got Nala from a
local shelter in 2015 when she was two. Often sweet and easily timid, Nala can
be quite ferocious. She has no problem defending
herself when Leeloo gets a little too rough, and will even jump up and hang from her jowls
when provoked. Despite their quarrels, Nala is Leeloo’s crony, and any interest Leeloo shows in a Jet often kicks
in Nala’s pack mentality to give chase.
Sondra, at twelve, she is the
oldest crew member. We bought Sondra for my son when he was ten and infatuated
with the movie, The Adventures of Milo and Otis. He HAD to have an Otis of his own. Since we already had two male
Jack Russells we couldn’t get another male dog, so a Sondra it was!
Sondra behaves
more like a terrier than a typical pug, sassy and fearless at times, especially
when it came to protecting my son. In her younger years, she would even instigate
fights between the Jack Russells. Now a
senior, Sondra has slowed both physically and mentally. This past year has
been especially rough on her (and us!), she has become more frail looking,
sleeps more than is awake and often howls for no clear reason.
Sondra has been
a huge part of our family and has been there for my son during the most
difficult stages of his life. They share
an incredible bond, she loves him tremendously and would follow him to the ends
of the earth.
And now introducing the Jets…
We got Marie the fall of 2009 for my daughter when she was six. She was
part of an orphaned litter that my sister-in-law had found and raised. From day
one Marie has behaved like her namesake in the The Aristocats, prissy, spoiled and full of attitude. She was even sick
as a kitten and suffers from Pemphigus erythematosus, an autoimmune disease
that causes ulcerations in her mouth and on her paws.
Marie and Leeloo have a
strained relationship, one minute the two are laying near each other, the next
Leeloo is trying to chase or taste Marie. What really puts Leeloo in a tailspin
is seeing Marie rub on and sit with her human pack members - she can’t handle
it. So needless to say Marie does this in front of Leeloo a lot!
Milo (AKA FFFRRAANcis),
he is a littermate of Marie’s. As you can see he looks a lot like the Milo in The Adventures of Milo and Otis, hence the name and why the kids said we HAD to
have him. Anyone that meets Francis loves him.
He’s technically the family’s
cat, but really he’s mine. At night, Francis
sleeps between my husband and me and sometimes he will even hold my hand. Laid
back and chill, Francis is a lover, not a
fighter, and for that reason, he is always
getting picked on by the Sharks and pushed around by his fellow Jets.
We found Scarlet the summer of 2011 while looking to buy our
current home. The house was unoccupied and it appeared she was left behind. At
approximately a year old, Scarlet was small in stature and looked unkept. She also
had a gimpy front left paw, an injury most likely associated with being hit by
a car. Super friendly and happy to have visitors,
Scarlet, would hobble after us as we
walked in and around the outside of the house. She was also very pregnant!
We
took Scarlet home with us and about a week later she gave birth to an unhealthy, malnourished litter of four. Only
half survived, one kitten we found a home for and my oldest daughter took the
other as her own. Despite her disability, Scarlet puts up nothing from no one,
she has no problem swatting at Leeloo and putting her in her place when push
comes to shove.
