Pets of Portland

I share my bathroom with an African Pygmy hedgehog. His name is Atticus, and when he’s rolled into a ball he looks like a fat, tan sea-urchin. He’s a simple pet who enjoys a very limited range of activities, none of which involve human interaction. Atticus’s time is exclusively spent eating, sleeping, and exercising; you’d […]

If Lola is the hot cheerleader of Laurelhurst, I guess that makes Jack the bad boy with a heart of gold. Starting life as a stray, his owner Ashley found him on craigslist just a few days before he was set to be put to sleep.  He was three and half hours away in Washington, […]

There is a social structure to every dog park. Many of the roles you see in the average American high school can be found amongst our canine companions. You’ve got the beefcakes, the clowns, the hall monitors. Lola, with her silky blonde locks and deep brown eyes, would be the captain of the cheer leading […]

It was mid afternoon at Laurelhurst Park, and a small chocolate blur was rushing around, pausing occasionally to pee on one of his canine fellows. The dog in question is Ira, “This American Dog”, and his owner Julia says that despite his diminutive size, he often finds himself dominating his dog park peers. Getting a […]

Elena and Keegan share their home with the lovely lab/pit mix, Enoch. Quite different from our last character, Oslo, Enoch is a sociable but serious dog. His owner’s describe him as a philosopher, saying he can often be found staring off into space having deep dog thoughts. Enoch’s family recently moved houses, and he now […]

When I spotted the vivacious lab/pit mix Oslo, he was sprinting through the park on a wide, arcing track as if he was running trials for some sort of underground dog-Olympics. Blissfully unconcerned to the state of his fur, his route cut directly through the swampy lowlands of the park, so by the time I […]

Behold, Cody. Cody is a dog that’s used to being stopped on the street. A visually stunning Husky, Cody’s black and grey markings give his face an intensity that stops people in their tracks. Perfectly embodying that fierce, directed Husky energy, Cory was bright, alert and patient, although clearly wondering what occasion had disturbed one […]

I was walking through Laurelhurst park last week on an uncharacteristically sunny day, discretely scanning the crowd for a really unique, news-worthy sort of pet when I spotted Tessa lumbering towards me. Tessa is an impressive dog, the kind of shaggy beast that turns heads for her sheer size and hairiness. It’s only when you […]