OOOH Isnt that dog cute!

New York City is so amazingly animal friendly. My out of town visitors always marvel at how many cute pups they see


being walked ...




waiting patiently ..







in stores helping their caregivers work.





others who are just too cute not to stop and photograph




and let's not forget those shy indoor pets




I didnt know when I posted this that I would need to add something to it .. today my friend Elaine's cat Portia passed, she'd been experiencing seizures on/off for the last few months .. I am going to c/p Elaine's words ..

Sadly, I had to take Portia to the vet for the last time just this morning. She had gone from having a seizure just once every couple of weeks to having several a day, and the seizures themselves were getting worse. Today she was crying out and I knew it was time. Even though she had always been her usual self in between the episodes, it was obvious now that she was suffering, and I already knew there was nothing they could do for her medically.

Portia was the smartest cat I have ever known, and she continued to show that brilliance right up until the end. Today we sat together in the kitchen and she ate all her favorite foods (she was always ravenously hungry after an episode). She knew where all the different foods were kept and she had particular spots in the kitchen where she liked to eat each one, so she led me around the kitchen for each thing she wanted, just like she'd done for the past 19 years.