PHOTO GALLERY: Queers with Pets

Emily, Isabelle, Mali / Anglesey, Wales

Her mother was found pregnant in the pound, so Mali came from a foster care. Now the mother and the litter of seven have found new homes. Mali is a little welsh name for a little welsh dog. The best thing about her is that she came to us when we really needed her and she’s always happy. We love to visit beaches, cuddle, watch TV and play. Her favourite show is Westworld (she hates Twin Peaks). Instagram: @malibu_puppup


Ella, Dijana, Octavia, Albus / 28, 34, 1, 3 / Melbourne, Australia

“I (Ella) nagged until Dijana agreed to get a dog. I told her she could name him but ended up giving her a shortlist of approved because she wanted to call him Choc Chip. It worked out because he loves her the most and I can’t even be mad because they have such a beautiful bond. He is the gentlest soul in the world and Octavia is obsessed with him, she feeds him all her food and gives him all her toys. He is definitely the heart of our family.”


Alice and Mio / 24, 2 months / Italy

“Ok, so I have so many pictures of my dog that I do not actually know how I can possibly choose, so I decided to send this picture instead (don’t worry, I talked about it with my puppy first. He understands my choice). Here I am melting while holding the tiny tiniest kitten I have ever seen in my whole life. My best friend found him in front of her house one morning last week and he looked so scared and so lost! We took him in and tried to figure out if he was a stray kitten or if someone had lost him, and thankfully we managed to find his owners through Facebook (this really sweet middle-aged couple who, when we brought him back, spent 15 minutes showing us pictures of Mio and his brothers when he was even smaller. So cute.). I want a cat now. This is me coming out as both a dog person and a cat person.”


Kimber, Kenzi, Digby / Winnipeg, Manitoba

“Both Digby and Kenzi are rescues I adopted as puppies. I met Digby’s pregnant mama in her foster home and Kenzi I saw on the rescue’s website with her mama and sister. Both of my pups are named after TV characters. Kenzi’s namesake is from Lost Girl; Digby is named after the dog on Pushing Daisies. EVERYTHING is the best thing about my pups. They are fantastic companions and are just as happy running through the park as they are chilling on the couch with me watching Netflix.”


Collins and Madison / East Nashville, TN

“Her dad, Jasper Jack, was how my dad decided to cope with being an empty nester back in the late 90s and I loved him so much that after college I decided I wanted one of my own. Both her and her father are named after small towns in northern Florida. I remember driving past the exit for Madison (to the west) and Jasper (to the east) Florida on I75 on the way to my grandmother’s house every summer during my childhood. My grandmother’s been gone for nearly 10 years now and Jasper’s been gone for almost 5. But my dad and I still love on this little girl as much as possible.

The best thing about Madison is that even though my job keeps me away from her every weekday, she’s always so happy to see me when I get home. That enthusiasm hasn’t waned even though she’s greeted my return nearly 5,000 times. Oh, and the cuddles. This dog knows how to cuddle. The weirdest thing about her is that similar to many Jack Russell Terriers, she can jump straight up in the air pretty high, almost like a kangaroo. Rather than making her feel weird about that, we gave her a nickname, The Roo! No Instagram (she likes her privacy) but sometimes she’ll let me post her picture on my Twitter. You can find us at: twitter.com/collins3779


Caitlin and Callie / 33, 2 / Northern CA

“This is my little monster, Callie, which is short for Callisto. She’s a Highlander, bred from the Desert Lynx and Jungle Curl (apparently these are not actual wild cats, which is a shame because I’ve been telling people they are!). She has the signature bobbed tail, but her ears are not completely curled, just slightly curved and very stiff. I found her at PetSmart’s kitten adoption day and it seemed like fate. My boss had offered me tickets to a Giants game and I would have accepted if my friend had been able to go. Instead of going to that baseball game I found myself at PetSmart looking at all of the cute kittens. When I finally got to Callie’s cage I knew I had to take her home with me. I wasn’t even planning on getting a kitten at that time, but when you find the one, you know it. She was already 6 months old and I do not know how she came to be at a shelter. I’m just glad I found her! That was towards the end of August 2015. Two years later and she never ceases to amaze me. She is the funniest, weirdest (sometimes worst) cat I have ever had. There is never a dull moment with Callie around! She likes to steal things (rubber bands, toys, clothing); she doesn’t meow (except for a funny little rasp); she likes shoulder rides (but they have to be her idea); she plays fetch and even knows the names of her toys. I don’t know what I would do without this crazy cat in my life! Callie does, in fact, have an Instagram. I didn’t intend to turn it into a Callie account, but she’s so photogenic! @identitytokens


Amanda, Heather, Freckles / 32, 34, 1 / Madison, WI


Amanda and Junebug / 24,4 / Fort Wayne, IN

“Junebug was an scraggly outdoor cat when he wandered up to my old apartment’s porch in June of 2015 (hence his name). The first time I saw him he was drenched from a summer rainstorm. Me, my partner, and our downstairs neighbor started feeding him. I was pretty adamant about not adopting another cat because Alo, my partner Tre and my first cat, had recently died. My heart was sore and we were already taking care of two other cats at the time. But one day we noticed June was sick so one emergency vet trip later (to treat an upper respiratory infection) and a week of trying to lure him out from under the porch stairs to take his medicine, and he came inside to live with us. While we lived at that apartment, he’d walk me halfway to work (until we reached the bridge) and often slept on the porch with my partner (occasionally warding off the family of raccoons that lived in our backyard). He’s the sweetest boy. He loves to play fetch and sleep on top of people. I can’t imagine my life without him.”


Kate and Ollie  / 26, 8  / Columbus, OH

“Ollie (Oliver) is a Brittany who had a terrible case of sibling rivalry when my sister began having human children. His name is Ollie, though we call him “ollieollieoctopuuuss “or “ollieball” or just “ball” or an expletive, depending on the day. This guy is the best thing about coming home. His need for attention (almost) rivals mine, and I love watching him transform from a zoomer into an elegant hunting dog when he’s in his element: the woods. He once licked his own penis so much he gave himself smegma and needed to go to the doggie ER.”


Linda and Cleo / 30, 1 / Stellenbosch, South Africa

“I was not a cat person at all until this lovely lady came into my life. Cats scared me! In fact, the first time we met she ran towards me and I screamed so loud my neighbors came to investigate. After I calmed down she came back and immediately wormed her way into my heart. She was a scared little stray that somehow saw me and decided I was home. I have never been so grateful for anything else! Needless to say I have said “I love you” and “you’re so cute” everyday for the past year she’s been in my life.

Black South Africans rarely have pets (especially cats), and my mom begged me for months to not keep her because of fleas and snakes. When she finally met Cleo she also fell in love. She now has a stray cat that she’s kinda adopted (she’s named her, feeds her but Jojo’s not allowed in the house). That’s the power of Cleo. She loves being silly/making me laugh, stalking things, climbing trees, digging holes in the garden and cuddling with her mommy.”

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lnj

lnj has written 310 articles for us.

87 Comments

  1. I want to pet all of them. Even the house plant.

    Also, I really, really wanted to participate in this one, but unfortunately my cat doesn’t live with me and I couldn’t make it over to my mom’s in time for the deadline. I even had the photo all planned out!

  2. Wow, after looking through all of these I have that kind of post-TV-binge feeling, like I am slightly stunned and unsure what to do with my feelings or my body.

    Also, did I miss Sue Perkins the sourdough?!

  3. 1. Weare, NH is one town over from where I grew up! Wow!!
    2. Everyone’s pets are so charming, omg
    3. I did not know there were this many queers in Ohio?
    4. Marty and Olive are delighted to have been featured <3 <3 <3

  4. Having a real moment over here with all the cute.

    I’m also shocked that the entirety of my crazy dog lady verbal diarrhea made the cut.

  5. I met some wonderful pups hiking Triple Falls in DuPont National Park this summer. One of my favorite parts of hiking is all the dogs I meet. I used to have a Springer that hiked all over Pisgah National Forest and The Smokey’s with me. As well as playing on the beach in Isle of Palms. It’s been a couple of years since my last Springer passed away. I have had all kinds of dogs, but we foster Springers. Hopefully, my sister and I will be able to adopt a couple of dogs soon. We already named them Biscuit and Grits.

  6. Lovely! So heartwarming to see the photos and read how all these lovely animals found their human companions.

  7. ok do you all have professional photos taken with your pets or what?

    …wait, can I have professional photos taken with my pet?

    • Right? I tried to use my good camera but that was a no-go with Mr. Grumpy Pants, so I ended up having to use my crappy phone camera instead. I am impressed with everyone else’s well-behaved fur friends.

    • Everytime I take a pic of reptar I am RISKING MY VERY LIFE because he hates phones. I think the screen doesn’t refresh fast enough for bird eyes to make sense of them? I’m p sure phones are murdery strobe lights for him

    • Maybe a little food before and after the shoot could make it more professional? Food to distract then food as reward when your pet does a good job.

    • Yes you can have professional photos taken with your pets (says the woman who has signed her dogs up to be calendar models).

    • I’ve done that before but Boris was very scared in the studio and tucked his ears all the way back. I sent one of those I turns to my dad and he answered me “your poor dog has no ears”

  8. So much cuteness! I thought I was going to die there for a minute.

    Glad to report that the result was this instead:

  9. Also wow wasnt aware we were meant to write essays on our animals?? I worked so hard* to condense mine

    *”hard”, “for five minutes”, potato, potahto,

  10. I wish I knew about this! I would love for you guys to meet my pet cock, Pirri, 10! I love that guy. ?????

  11. So many good animals and so many good animal names and so many good faces and pictures and ahhh! So much good I so desperately needed today. <3

  12. Thank the gods for this post today. I was already crying last night out of overwhelmed-the-world-is-the-worst-dumpster-fire-ever types of emotions. Then I woke up to the tragic news about vegas. This is a nice reminder that not all is bad.

    Thanks.

    ps. It looks like my pic with my dog is lumped into the folks pictures above me.

  13. All of your pets are adorable and I’m jealous that I am a poor grad student with a lease that forbids dogs and cats.

    Also I reeeeeally hope the next gallery is a Halloween costume gallery.

  14. Oh how I needed this gallery today! Rather than try to pick favorites, I’ll simply say that y’all and your pets are just *the cutest*. Thanks, everyone! <3

  15. This is the best thing ever. I have officially followed all of your instagram accounts, because whenever the world is bad I follow another 20 or so animal instas and this was a perfect opportunity. This thread is amazing and I wish I hadn’t forgotten to send in pictures of my amazing cats. You can see them on my instagram if you want; my username there is also ankhmorpork. It’s 90% my cats with a few selfies here and there. I don’t pet sit as much anymore but I tend to take pictures of the dogs and cats I sit for as well.

    P.S. Atlanta people, we should become friends so I can pet your dogs. And because half my queer friends have moved away and you seem like fun people. But also, dogs.

  16. Oh, my goodness. OH, MY GOODNESS! My heart. I can’t handle this right now. Look at all of this cuteness. Precious babies.

  17. So many beautiful humans with amazing animal friends! ?

    I was kind of expecting at least one snake or lizard though…but I’m very glad nobody sent in a photo with a pet tarantula! ?

  18. I love animals and I love you guys and everything is so cute and let’s choose to ignore the rest of the world, just for today

  19. YOUR PETS ARE ALL SO GREAT but now i feel guilty that i only posted my dog and not my cat, because he is also a star. instead of using a litter box, he likes to jump over our back fence, crap in the neighbor’s yard, and then come home, because cats are dicks. we used to be okay with this because we hated our old neighbors but now we have new neighbors, a nice gay couple who love him, so now he goes over there to crap and then they let him in their back door for food and treats. he has a second family and thinks we don’t know because he still comes home wanting dinner. anyway that’s my cat and i need you to know about his antics.
    my sister also has a ball python. she sleeps most of the day and hates men, so, ya know, relatable.

  20. This is the best photo gallery ever!! I just went and followed all the Instagram accounts! I kinda wish this was an ongoing queers with pets instagram. Haha. I also really want a cat now! I also absolutely loved that Kristin Russo and Jenny Owen Youngs had their cat here too and an instagram!! So exciting!! This has made my day. <3

  21. this was soooo lovelyyy!!!

    anna^2 i really want a christmas card from you and yours. that is year-round fridge material.

  22. OMG the adorbs. Part of me regrets not including my parents’ new puppy Ms Frizzle for the amazing cuteness factor, but Mikoto’s my priority. I was getting nervous that we weren’t going to be on the list but turns out we were just near the end.

    I miss my camp buds and now I miss your pets too ❤️

    • First thing I did was Ctrl+F my cat’s name, and then look through the gallery once I knew he made it in ~^_^~

  23. It is 7:25 am on Bainbridge Island in Washington, and I have been up since 5:10 am to take the ferry over here – so forgive my emotions when I say that all of you and your bbs are perfect. Gosh. Thank you for sharing.

  24. I thought my favourite page on the internet was a cache of 215 pictures of Kate McKinnon at the Emmys, but I see I was wrong. I live here now.

  25. This gallery makes me SO happy. Like it is the most heartwarming, relaxing, adorable thing ever. Thank you for putting this together.

  26. Shoutout to the people whose dogs are named Henry and Hazel – those are our dogs’ names too! <3

  27. I’m going back through this a page a day and reading every single word you all wrote about your furbabies, and I just laughed out loud at this: “fun fact: if you name your very independent dog Stella, every trip to the dog park turns into A Streetcar Named Desire.”

  28. Yo bookshelf, I’m really happy for you, Imma let you finish but Pets is the best gallery of all time.

  29. So good! I particularly love Boris the show cat who reminds me so much of my cat Spike. She was a show cat in her own mind.

  30. Wow, I wrote a god damn essay. I am sorry ya’ll lmao. I love everyone’s pets!!

    If you and your doggo live near Sacramento, CA, we need to meet up ASAP!!!

    • Beau and I are on page 13 and also we would love to be friends. He needs practice making friends because he’s not great at it and friends confuse him. Shoot me a message… I’m much easier to contact on Instagram or Facebook, so swap details with me and you can play with my dog?

  31. So many new instagram friends for Puck! I’m very glad we can keep this gallery going on instagram ^_^ And it’s nice to see there’s another mischievous Puck out there :)

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