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Here are some other very important members of our family!

We currently have 8 dogs and 10 cats that reside with us permanently.  In addition, we usually have one or two "fosters" living with us until their forever home can be found.

This is Jack, our first born and forever our baby.  He was a purebred Italian Greyhound, not registered, weighed about 10lbs and was totally blind by the age of  7 or 8.  He fooled us for a long time until we moved to our current home and could tell something was not right.  He was so hesitant to walk around the house - I even told a friend that I thought he didn't like our new floor for some reason!  But eventually we figured it out, had him examined by a canine Ophthalmologist and he confirmed it.  Looking back, he started showing signs even before we moved but he knew his way around our previous house so well he managed to fool us!

Jack got along just fine without his sight.  He navigated by sound, smell and touch and seemed to still be able to enjoy his life!  He was our dearest treasure!  All the worries of the world would melt away when I held him.

We don't know for sure, but he most likely was born in a puppy mill in southern MO.  We were his second home and had him since he was 6 months old.

Sadly, Jack passed away on August 9th, 2007.  He will be forever missed and is truly irreplaceable.  He was 11 years old.

Until we meet again...Mommy loves you.

This is Oscar.  He is a purebred smooth-coated Chihuahua, not registered, weighs about 6lbs and was born in 2000.  He is a total clown and just about the cutest thing you've ever seen!  He's got endless energy and makes me laugh every time I see him!  He's just adorable and we can't get enough of him.  He loves to give kisses!  He has to have a toy in his mouth constantly - he runs around the house carrying some little stuffed animal that probably has its ears chewed off!  We bought him from a local in-home breeder and brought him home at 9 weeks.  He fit into a coffee cup!

This is Carmelita.  She is a purebred smooth-coated Chihuahua, registered, weighing about 7lbs.  She is Oscar's mom.  Carmelita is a very special little girl and we almost didn't end up with her.  It was a long road that required a lot of diplomacy and begging, but we finally were able to pick her up and bring her to her final home in 2004 at the age of 10.

The first time we met Carmelita, she had given birth to some adorable little pups, one of which was Oscar.  She was living in a loving home where she had great vet care, comfortable surroundings and lots of attention.  But due to unforeseen circumstances, she was sold in a lot of many dogs to a woman that turned out to be less than reputable.  We only found out by placing a phone call one day to ask how she was doing and to see if she'd been "retired" yet from breeding.  If so, we were going to ask if we could buy her to be one of our family.   To our horror, we discovered she had been sold and there was no contact information available on the new owner.  But, we were given the phone number of someone else who "might" know.  After much detective work and basically begging, this "other" person intervened on our behalf and got us in touch with the new owner.

But it didn't end there.  This new owner was basically a puppy mill and had no regard for how we felt about this dog and how much it would mean if we could have her.  I was told things like "she's 10 years old and crippled!  What do you want with a crippled dog?"  I cried for days.  Finally, the "other" lady called and said she had convinced the current owner that she had no use for the dog and we could have her if we came right now to get her.  We jumped in the truck and headed for the home.

It was a shocking sight, but we had to maintain our composure or we might not get out of there with Carmelita.  The owner said "she's been running with the boys and if she's pregnant I want at least one of the babies.  She's the last of the blah blah line and I need one of the babies."  We agreed even though we had no intention of following through.  We just wanted to get out of there with the dog.  What was a crippled 10 year old dog doing running with "the boys" anyway?

We got Carmelita in the truck and couldn't believe how poor she looked.  She smelled like she'd been dipped in 409 or some other cleaner, her nails were bleeding because the lady had trimmed them too close, she was basically non-responsive.  We thought she was probably blind and deaf and we hoped we'd at least be able to give her a peaceful place for her last few days.

That was 4 years ago and Carmelita is going strong!  She is in fact crippled in the back end, but that doesn't slow her down.  We carry her outside, to the feed and water bowls and to our bed at night.  The rest of her day is spent on our couch under a blanket!  But when she has a mind to, she scoots herself all over the yard - exploring everything that is interesting.  She sees and hears just fine and is bright-eyed and otherwise very healthy.  She has no teeth so her tongue hangs out all the time, but it just makes her that much cuter!

In addition to the many dogs at this location, there were several minis tied to tethers in the yard and she had 4 or 5 foster children - all girls.  These children seemed very unusual.  They were very quiet, very polite - unusually so.  While we were there, they were doing all the chores; feeding and cleaning up of the dogs and horses.  We think this lady had these children so she didn't have to do any work.  It was a very sad and creepy place.

Ethyl is a Chihuahua that we adopted from a shelter in 2005.  At that time she was estimated to be as young as 10 to as old as 15 years.  The shelter named her Ethyl because she was found on Ethlyn Road in Lincoln County.  She was covered in ticks and fleas, and in serious need of a bath and nail trim.  Mark initially brought her home as a foster but of course we loved her instantly and knew we'd end up adopting her.

Ethyl goes to all the horse shows with us and loves it!  She stays in the living quarters part of the trailer most of the time, but sometimes you'll see her at the stalls with us.

Although she only weighs 3.5lbs, she is totally in charge at our place!  No other dog or cat will even think about messing with her.  She has them all so afraid of her that they don't even make eye contact with her anymore!

Tigger the cat is a domestic long hair who found me while I was shopping at an antique shop a couple of years ago.  He was still a young kit at that time and obviously a stray.  He really wanted to come into the shop, but of course was not allowed.  As I walked around looking at all the items outside the building, he kept following me around, rubbing up against me, mewing.  I told myself if this cat follows me to my car, I'm taking him home.  Sure enough, he did... and I did!

He's full grown now and he's huge!  He's also a total pain in the you-know-what!  If there is something of value that can be broken, he will find it and surely knock it to the floor!  He thinks he's a dog and never met a stranger.  Want a kitty?

Toby is a registered Italian Greyhound.  He's a big boy weighing about 15lbs.  We adopted him after he was turned in by his owner who no longer could keep him.  He's got a ton of energy and can run like the wind!  He and Tigger get along very well.

Button (as in "cute as a") is a beautiful young cat who found her way to our front porch one afternoon and has been with us ever since.  She was probably only a few weeks old at the time and was in need of food and warmth.  We suspect someone tossed her out of their car as they drove past.

Well, we are tickled to have her!  She's very friendly and affectionate and we enjoy having her around.

Button would probably be considered a domestic shorthair, but she has unusual coloring and I've tried to research what type she may be, but haven't come to any conclusions.  She has a dark grey nose and pads on her feet and her fur is that of a Russian Blue.  Her eyes are a golden yellowish color.

This is pretty Olive, a domestic shorthair.  We've had her several years and she's always a lady.  We adopted her from a shelter where she was abandoned, along with her newborn kits, on the doorstep.  She was barely a teen and certainly too young to have babies.  But they all received great care and we were lucky enough to bring her home.  She's a sweetie!

Our livestock guard dog, Isabella, is a purebred Great Pyrenees.  We've had her since she was only 8 weeks old and she's lived with our minis every day since.  She loves the little guys and gets along very well with all of them - stallions, mares and babies.  She protects them but also loves to play with them as evidenced by the picture of her grabbing Elvis' tail!  She loves for the babies to "groom" her and will stand in front of them until they chew her ears - she loves it!

At 2 years of age she weighs about 110lbs!

Not yet pictured are Sammy (Chihuahua), Barney (German Sheppard/Rott mix), Diego (Chihuahua) and 7 barn cats!

Parmela and Mark Bonney
Troy, Missouri  63379
314.415.0050
info@starridgeacres.com

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