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In tribute to a few Good Friends

Cepheus

• Born: 1966
• Adopted: 1966
• Died: 1983
• canine, female

	Cepheus was the family dog from before I was born (1971) and helped to raise me. She appeared to be a mix of boxer and retriever. She was named after the constellation visible year-round in the northern skies, which in turn is named for the mythological king from the legend of Andromeda and Perseus. Different astronomy guides give different pronuciations, but this dog's name was pronounced SEEF-us. With Cepheus, we did a lot of camping and canoeing.

Fred

• Born: April 1980
• Adopted: June or July 1980
• Died: February 2000
• feline, male

	Fred was added to the family when I was eight, and stayed with us past my college years. He was tiger striped, gray and tan, short to medium hair. Fred was also a star vole hunter. His namesake is uncertain, but was likely inspired by the character Freddie the Freeloader portrayed by Red Skelton- Fred the cat was often called by this nickname. Although he was the family's cat, there was no mistaking that Dad was Fred's human.

Collette

• Born: August 1, 2001
• Adopted: January 18, 2003
• Died: February 21, 2015
• feline, female

	I met Collette when I started volunteering at an ASPCA in Watertown, NY, though I didn't agree to take her home until several months later. She was a self black medium hair, with some streaks of white. She was a large cat, and had a reputation for fussiness and even meanness among the SPCA. I figured out she just needed to be greeted and allowed to examine you before you could touch her. I was one of the only volunteers who could. Her name was intended to be a bit of a pun, because although the spelling is that of the French diminutive form of the feminine version of Nicholas, I actually pronounced as collet, which is a part on a rotary tool. It's small and black and holds bits, get it?

Hiking-Sock

• Born: May 18, 2015
• Adopted: October 10, 2015
• Died: May 12, 2017
• feline, male

	This little guy lived hard and fast. He was the most energetic and full of character pet I've ever known. It was a constant challenge to find ways to engage his mind and body. Lincoln Logs, an inch of water in the bath tub, and walks on a leash were just the start. Cancer ravaged him before he could see his second birthday- he only showed symptoms for a few weeks. Hiking-Sock's namesake is an actual set of socks that I have, used especially for light-duty day hikes. The one pictured here is laundered, but after a day of mud and sweat, the colors and patterns of sock and cat were very similar.