Adrian C. Sinnott's Traveling Sketches

Haven’t quite made up my mine as to which species this belongs. It’s sort of a dog and sort of a cat.

With the arrival of Matilda, we’re finding all those things we forgot to puppy-proof. Last night it was my iPhone case. Luckily, the phone was not in it. So, since she’s such a big part of the news around here, more doggie sketches.

The case was O.K., but it would have been crunchier if the phone was still in it.

This post is for those of you considering getting a new puppy.

And this is Matilda!

P.S. It’s worth it. The bite marks will heal in time.

Well, we went back to North Shore Animal League and this time came home with, what my mom would call, a “Heinz 57 varieties” puppy. “Matilda” just seemed to fit.

Once home, Matilda was introduced to the two cats. Stanley shrugged it off with resigned indifference but Tea Leaf didn’t come out for a day. They’ve progressed to where they can all eat in the same room without Tea Leaf’s tail expanding three times it’s normal size with fright. Matilda’s got a crush on Stan and loves to follow him around.

A one-sided love affair.

Our dog, Suki, passed away a couple of weeks ago. She was over 15. We planned on getting another but thought we would wait a while. Turns out we’re so use to having something shedding, we couldn’t wait any longer. So, for Valentine’s Day we went to the North Shore Animal League to see if we could find a puppy to chew on the furniture.

We're breaking out of here tonight. You look cute and, when they open the gate, I'll clear the path. Then it's every dog for himself.

They say all a dog understands is the inflection in your voice. Whether you’re praising or reprimanding them. I’d have to disagree. I think they have a limited vocabulary. Food, cat, food, squirrel, food, cat and, of course,

Walkies!

Another pet sketch

Hmm . . . I think it's time to bite the hand that feeds me.

One of our cats hates the weekends. That’s because, during the week, she gets something to eat at about 5:30 a.m. On Saturday or Sunday, she has to wait until 8:30 or 9. She expresses her displeasure with an initial tap on the nose with her paw. If that doesn’t have the desired effect, she comes leaping onto the bed. If you’re on your side the leap is not too much of an issue, but if you happen to be lying on your back, having a 15 pound cat land directly on your stomach does tend to awaken you.

Pardon me, the service in this establishment leaves much to be desired!

A few years ago, neighbors of ours were burgled. The next day, two detectives arrived at the door to be greeted with the barking and howling of three dogs. When we were asked if we had heard anything during the night, we responded, truthfully, that we hadn’t. With our dogs persistent barking, I don’t think the police believed us. I’m sure they thought we didn’t want to get involved. But the burglars had parked their van in the driveway and entered through the neighbor’s garage which was on the opposite end of the property. Besides if the dogs had barked, we probably would have told them to be quiet.

Shush! Can't you here that? It's burglars, I tell you!