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The love we feel for our pets is timeless, ageless and unconditional.
It is a gift as humans to share our lives with pets.

It is heartwarming to see an older pet. They are a reminder of the many years of memories we have shared with our own furry (or feathered) family members. Celebrating the bond that exists between animals and humans throughout a lifetime is the inspiration for this feature of TAME. To prepare, we visited veterinarian offices and talked to our friends in the animal community. Our goal was to discover some of the area's longest living pets. Boy did we! We think you will be amazed and touched by the stories of these special animals. We all hope to share as many years with our pets as they have.

Breed        Pomeranian
Birthday     December 25, 1987
                (22 years old)
Vet            Carlson Pet Hospital
                Dr. Carlson
Groomer    Carlson Pet Hospital
Likes         Shrimp from Long John 
                Silvers, eating ice 
                cream cones and
                traveling.

Shannon's life has been a delight to everyone that has come in contact with him. He has traveled the whole U.S. by car and motor home. In his younger years we would go to the airport to watch the planes land and take off. If he spotted a plane in the air he would bark twice, one bark was for the moon. He has lived from Florida to Arizona, traveling with me where my job took me. His eye sight and hearing have declined, but he is still the one that keeps everyone going because he brings so much love to those around him. We hope he lives past his 23rd birthday so we can have another party for the pets in our building.
-Rebecca Parsons, Springfield

Photographed by Dawn Shield Photography - Dawn Shields

Breed      Labrador Retriever
Bitrhday   August 1992
Vet          Springfield Animal
              Health Center Hospital
              and Clinic
Boarder   Bit of Country - Cathy
Likes       Frisbee, treats and
              learning new tricks

Tater has been the best dog I have ever known. Tater was bred to retrieve, but since I don't hunt, she became an "urban retriever" going out each morning and returning with the newspaper-whether mine or not. When Tater was younger she was a frisbee dog. At seventeen years of age she is pampered more than ever, but I dread the day she leaves our lives. She has had a great life and has enriched ours, training us to be good masters and more caring people.
- Jim Downing & wife Nancy Hackett, Springfield

Photographed by eyecrave photography - James Pauls

Breed       Tortoiseshell Himalayan
Birthday   March 26, 1989 (20 years old)
Vet          Carlson Pet Hospital - Dr. Priegel/Dr. Carlson
Groomer   All Breed Pet Grooming - Tanya
Likes       chasing laser lights & feathers, catching mice,
              laying in the sun

Xuxu LuTu came to live with us as a six week old kitten. She was my girls' cat when they were small and has grown up with them, now ignoring my granddaughter. There is no doubt she has been Queen Kitty for most of her life and rules the roost. Like royalty, she loves the hunt and was quite a mouser - even catching mice last winter at 19! Now, she loves to lay in the sun and sit in the flowers. We have been blessed to have Xuxu as part of our family, especially for this many years. She has been a constant companion and has enriched our lives in many ways.
We love XuXu!
- Carmen Boyd, Springfield

Photographed by Uturn Studios - April Turner

Breed     Congo African Grey Parrot
Birthday  1981 (28 years old)
Vet         James River Animal
             Hospital
Likes      Loves to dance and click
             to music and watching
             over the household

Greystoke came into our lives after living in Texas for 18 years and Christine's Pet Shop for 7 years. When the store closed, we jumped at the offer to take Greystoke. As the eldest of the four birds we have, he takes his responsibilities quite seriously. He has even taken over some of the training of our other African Grey, Mr. Peabody. He understands English quite well, nodding and whistling when he has an opinion to share. He says "Hello" when the phone rings or the front door opens - a habit left over from his working days. He is a big, grey, sweetheart!
- Mike & Diane Webster, Rogersville

Photographed by Freedom Photography - Matt and Heidi Giles