George and Joann Purcell are my kind of folks. They love animals so much it’s hard to call them humans. Imagine this: George rigging a tunnel of paper towel tubes through the house for his pet hamster.
OK, now imagine his wife Joann letting him.
These two have so much fun with their pets that you wonder why they bother with cable TV. George used to “raise” albino hamsters, Joann says. Animal husbandry at its least challenging, I would say, but who am I to diminish his effort? He has a degree in mechanical engineering – from Georgia Tech, no less. Joann says he worked in management at Ford for 32 years. (Bet he’s not a fan of rooftop pet carriers.)
Anyway, this one hamster, Snowflake, won George’s heart. And his bellybutton. Joann says he used to put food in his navel to train Snowflake to disappear down his shirt.
That hamster even played with their dogs, albeit in one of those snap-together balls. The dogs used to roll Snowflake around the house in it.
When Snowflake finally died (nothing to do with the dogs and the ball), George buried her in the backyard with a tombstone.
Now that they’re through raising albino hamsters, they’re back to being a two-dog family. They’ve always had two dogs, their whole married life, probably because there’s more to laugh at.
One dog is a Japanese Chin named Kyoto; the other is Gigi, a Pomeranian. Kyoto is the senior of the two – he’s 11. “Things live long here,” says Joann.
Maybe that’s because life with them is low-stress. Joann says she isn’t allowed to yell at the dogs. “If I say, ‘Gigi, hush,’ George will tell me not to. I’ll say, ‘But George, she’s going nuts at the squirrel.’ And he’ll say, ‘So chase the squirrel away.’ “
Gigi is only four, but she’s having some trouble walking after she had run-in with a car and hurt her leg. She now gets a daily massage from George. And they bought her a stroller to ride in while Kyoto walks along beside her.
Recently, George had to have hip surgery, so he’s using the stroller to lean on. You may have seen the four of them at Mr. Manatee’s having breakfast. They always get the corner table on the terrace. If you notice Gigi tucked under the baby blanket in the stroller, try not to stare – she just got a very awkward haircut. Her whole body is just about shaved but her head and tail are still furry. The groomer called it a lion cut, but Joann says it’s a life preserver. Pomeranians have two coats, apparently. And when Gigi got in the pool, her fur dragged her down.
With the lion cut, she’s much safer, Joann says. And probably funnier to look at.
