This is PHAT RUBY TUESDAY of SHADOW RIDGE. She is the 8 week old darling of the Pizzolato Pugs family who breed gorgeous Pugs. She was an only puppy but came 6 days before another litter of three. The moms share the babies and they are all a jolly bunch. Ruby is very sweet and tolerant of her younger "siblings". Julie Pizzolato tells me Ruby is just a ham and already loves to pose for pictures and is a real prima donna. She says she intends to keep her as she is the perfect black she has been working for for years and has a very special personality already. Perhaps we will be seeing her at Westminster one day... with this much charisma at 8 weeks who knows what the future could hold!

Rudi is one the most beautiful horses imaginable. He will be three on March 6. His birth was just miraculous. His mom, Elisienne or Lily as she is called, a gorgeous Oldenburg mare, was bred to Ruffian, a handsome Oldenburg stallion and the fertilized egg was placed into a surrogate mare, so Lily could continue her training. The surrogate, Margaret, a quarter horse mare pulled off a slaughterhouse truck, really lucked out. She grew the baby and gave birth to him and was a wonderful Mom. It was always very funny because Margaret would never let Lily even look at "her" baby... whenever Lily was around Margaret would stand between Lily and Rudi. They all live the good life at Traumhof, my daughter's dressage training barn. Margaret just lives a life of leisure and Lily continues her dressage training. Rudi will soon go into beginning training himself though with the warmbloods their training tends to begin later. I love to set him free in the arena and watch him just float around, he is so incredibly beautiful, though he is a handful to deal with.

Bangle Bonnie the Bengal is this month's cat and the newest member of the family. She was my grandson's Christmas gift, a long planned for and awaited delight. I have heard and read about the Bengal but had never seen one till the other day when I met Bangle. True to the breed she is extremely active, smart and loving. She just adores her new family and sleeps cuddled up to my grandson. She is so playful and funny, an endless source of hilarity. She likes to be in the middle of anything you are doing with a "Surely you need me to help" attitude. Her fur is softer than silk satin and has a gossamer golden sparkle to it which I had read about, but you have to see it to really appreciate. I left a big jar of quakehold with my daughter to stick down every breakable. This little imp just goes 90 miles an hour, a true match for my grandson.