BRUTUS

Woof everypups and everycats. We were very sad after Brutus left and didn't feel like playing at all, so we just hung out in the backyard. When Mom came home we could tell she was really upset. We thought it was because she gave Brutus away until she reached in the car and pulled out.......... none other than..........

Brutus!!!!!

Woo! Woo! We couldn't believe it! Mom had brought Brutus back. We asked her why she didn't leave Brutus at his new home and she said......and we quote......"There was no way in H%$#@ that she was going to leave Brutus with those %$#@ people. He would have been dead in a week". Mom was using words that we had never heard before. Those %$#@ people were going to put him in a tiny 8x10 chain link enclosure with very little grass or dirt. Now tortoises and chain link are not a good combination. Brutus could have gotten his little arms or even his head caught in the fence. And they had brick covering about half of the enclosure floor. Tortoises and brick? That's crazy bark. And the only shade was corrugated tin which would have made the enclosure really hot, especially in this desert heat. There were no trees for shade or plants for him to eat. And the only view he would have had was a block wall. Mom just apologized, quickly grabbed Brutus, and got the H%$#@ out of there before they could tortoise-nap him. Welcome Home Brutus!!!

GOODBYE BRUTUS

Woof everypups and everycats. Today is a sad day. We have to say goodbye to our tortoise brother(or sister) Brutus. Mom doesn't want to give him up but she doesn't want baby tortoises either. And since she is beginning to believe that Brutus is actually a girl tortoise and Cato is a boy tortoise, she decided to find one of them a good home. Cato is a special needs tortoise(he has a damaged beak and needs help eating) so Mom found a home for Brutus. We told Mom to take the tortoises to the Doggie Doctor and get them neutered but she just looked at us like we were crazy. Anyway we will miss him because he is just like us. He likes to chew on everything and dig holes, kind of like a tiny dog with a tortoise shell on his back.

OUR NEIGHBOR HENRY

Woof everypups and everycats. Toby here, this is me and Keiko in the backyard. We were talking about our neighbor Henry.

This is Henry. He is an Emu and he lives right across the road so we see get to him a lot. He is very friendly and loves to come to the fence to say hello. Henry was found wandering in the desert a few years ago and was in really bad shape. But his human Mom and Dad took really good care of him and now he is just fine. We think he is part dog because he likes to chase cars.

SNAKES

Woof everypups and everycats, Suka's post about his fearless battle with the monstrous snake in his yard reminded us that we have a couple of snakes in our backyard.

This is a tiny Gopher snake. Mom named him Draco and even though he is very small, this little guy can grow to be nine feet long. Draco just hangs around in the backyard looking for food.

This is what Draco will become. This is a adult Gopher snake(he's about six feet long) and he's recently moved in with the tortoises. Mom hasn't named him yet, probably because he scared the puppy poop out of her the first time she saw him.


Mom says that Gopher snakes are good to have around because they keep the yard free of other snakes and rodents. That's because they have an attitude problem, they didn't get the nickname "Bull Snake" for nothing. For more info on Gopher snakes, please visit the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum website.