I'm Otis and these are my friends Jason, Mary, and Patches. It might look like I don't have much in common with my housemates, but we're more alike than you think. We all were strays at one time or another, but now we're spoiled rotten in a home with humans who think we're the best. The only thing that bugs our humans a little is our common urge to drink out of the toilet bowl even though there are big bowls of fresh water for us.

Mary is the youngest of us all, but she's a real smart kid. She had to be because she was born in a feral cat colony and seems to have learned a lot about how to survive from the cats who brought her up. When she first came to live with us, she had a problem trusting humans. Even now she's not big on cuddling, but she shows affection by rubbing up against people's ankles every now and then and she loves it when the humans throw plastic balls for her to chase. She sure knows how to keep Jason in line because sometimes he thinks he's the King of Beasts, and not just because of his lion cut!

Speaking of Jason, he's the newest addition to the family. He's been with us for several months and when he first arrived he was in really bad shape. He came from a shelter in the city and had been taken off the streets. His fur was so matted that almost all his hair had to be shaved off, which explains his lion cut. He also had ear mites, parasites, gingivitis and an upper respiratory infection. In spite of all this he's the sweetest guy to humans. He loves to cuddle and play. Whenever our humans come home he joins me in greeting them at the door. Sometimes I wish he was as nice to me as he is to them. Usually we get along okay, but sometimes when I get in a happy mood and bound around the house he gets scared and hisses. I guess he just doesn't understand what it means to be half Border Collie.

Patches is the oldest feline in our house. She's fourteen years old and likes to spend most of her time sleeping. Don't hold me to this, but I think she was a little relieved when Jason came to live with us because he's taken over as Mary's playmate. Mary wanted to play with Patches all the time and she sometimes got annoyed. One thing she hates is to have her beauty sleep interrupted. Patches is a domestic long hair and that means she sheds worse than any dog I've ever met. I kind of like that, though, because it makes me look good in front of the humans.

I guess I should tell you a little about myself. I'm a Border Collie/Labrador Retriever mix. Several years ago I followed a little boy on a bicycle to an animal shelter where they took me off the street and gave me food and a nice doghouse of my own. I only got to stay there for two weeks before I was adopted by my human family. I think they liked the forceful way I jumped up and greeted them when they came to visit, not to mention that I got along great with cats. Boy was I glad when they took me home and gave me a nice bath to get rid of the skunky smell because I'd been sprayed really bad in my travels.

Well, that's about all. Thanks for stopping by to visit and remember, if you're looking for a pet, go to an animal shelter. I'm so glad my humans did.