We lost War, at the age of 7, to bloat. Frank stayed with him until the end. Many large dogs don't live much past 7. It is a hazard of their size. Schnitzel was, once again, our only pet. One day, Ron showed up with a CAT! We have never had cats. Merlin joined our family and became Schnitzel's pal.

One night, returning from Bingo, I found Schnitzel had passed away, probably in her sleep. She had been moving around that evening before I left. So, that now left Merlin without a friend. Ami's boyfriend, at the time, found a litter of mostly Lab puppies and gave her one. That is how MacGraw, "Mac", came to live with us. Then, Frodo, an Old English Mastiff, became a part of the family.

      

One day, Ami snuck in another cat, Bitty Kitty. So, our zoo was complete with 2 dogs and 2 cats.

Bitty was our "wild child" and escaped the house twice. And, twice, she produced litters of kittens. Here is Frank with two of the kittens from the first litter. Frank chose the kitten on the left, named him Cadillac and took him home. Here is Caddy today:

         

One other critter came to live with us. A teacher friend was unable to keep her pet hedgehog in her school anymore and passed Sonic on to me. Sonic stayed in school during the year, and came home to live with us during the summers.

As Frank and Ami grew, they became involved in Scouts and sports. Both played Parks and Rec soccer when they were little. By the time they reached middle and high school, Ami's interest turned to cheerleading. Frank continued on with soccer and made the Varsity in his senior year.

         

They also put their athletic abilities to work playing music on a "foot pad" hooked to the TV!