Dad disappeared into the shed where I keep the wounded and orphaned animals he finds on the park grounds. I fix them up and release them if I can or pass them onto a rehab facility if I can't. They aren't pets. Fitz is the only exception, a former patient who sticks around for free food and protection from predators with all four of their limbs.

My only "pet" is Kenjii, a German Shepherd that my parents bought when we moved to Salmon Creek, and they decided a hundred-pound canine companion was a wise idea for a girl who liked to roam forests filled with bears, cougars and other critters that might mistake her for a nice light snack.