Boss Lady

Life with Cleo is a breeze once she impressed upon me one simple fact - her way or the highway. This means I am free to hike the beautiful hills and coastal trails here in lovely Pacifica all day, as long as I adhere to a few modest requests. Number one most important - breakfast is to be served at 3:30 a.m. She is happy to remind me of the time by stepping on my head. Should I ignore this gentle reminder, Cleo will step to the edge of the bed and launch herself into a full body slam against me, which sends me flying to the kibble closet, quaking with fear at what might come next. Breakfast is followed by the gentlest stream of water from the kitchen tap, and once her thirst is quenched Cleo is ready to begin patrolling her garden, a job she takes quite seriously. For the rest of the time, whenever I'm in the house, my one responsibility is to respond immediately to her swift rap against the window, signaling her desire to come in and snack.

At nightfall, Cleo will curl up beside me on the couch, and allow me to pet her, as long as I don't get carried away. When I remark on her great beauty, she quietly agrees. And when I admire her lovely orangeness, Cleo says that she is really more golden than orange. She went on to explain that golden cats are the highest form of life, and that they are in direct communication with all of the magical beings. "What? Magical beings?" I stammer, wide eyed. Cleo pauses, yawns delicately and then stretches. " Not for humans to know," she murmurs, and then settles down to sleep, ignoring my questions completely, until I finally give up. After all, she is the boss.

Chloe/Katherine

I know what you're wondering - which one is which? Not only is the resemblance uncanny, but they are both spirited, feisty women who enjoy an active sporting life. And now that Chloe is getting up in age, she even has a little bit of that shaky limb thing that Hepburn was so famous for not hiding. But most importantly, Chloe has a huge dose of that sparkly, magical star quality that makes people do a double take when they pass her on the street.

Do people reincarnate as dogs? If they have an inkling of the good life ahead, as in Chloe's case, they'd be foolish not to.

And I think we all know Kate was no fool - I'm just saying ...

Fibby

Unlike her elusive brother Tibby, who is a man of few words, my gal Fibby is a real chatterbox. She has opinions on just about every subject under the sun, which she freely expounds on all day and night. As smart as she is though, Fibby is often puzzled by the strange behaviors of the humans she sees on TV, and will wander around the house asking  "Why? Why? Why?". I never know what to tell her - we humans certainly are a strange lot. Usually we agree it's best to just cuddle up on the couch, and do some serious head scratching. That works out well for both of us.

Sparky

Older brother to Josie, Sparky was almost my first client. He was a robust, sturdy young man then - a real people person, especially pretty women, and never really cared for other dogs, and wasn't afraid to say so, if asked. Now Sparky is an elegant gentleman, old and slow, but just as handsome as ever. He keeps his strolls to a minimum, taking care of business and then turning back towards home. Still, he always has a happy wag for anyone passing by, but a word to the wise canine - do not attempt to sniff his butt, because he won't hesitate to tell you to back off!