PHOTO GALLERY: Queers with Pets

Erin and Ollivander / 24, 4  / Pittsburgh, PA

“I decided to take Ollie in after my girlfriend at the time could no longer keep him, and it was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made. Unlike most cats, Ollie hates to be left alone. He meets me at the door to yell at me every time I come home from work. If I’m walking around my apartment, he’s either laying on my shoulders or flinging himself on the ground in front of me so I’ll pet him.”


Shea, Beau, Arrow / 27, 7 months / Chicago, IL

“These two goobers were found on one of the train cars at my work, they were barely a day old and we think their mom missed the ride to the repair shop. Luckily my boss let me watch them/feed them at my desk until they were old enough to stay at home. Beau is an aggressive cuddler. Arrow is recklessly brave. Seven months ago they fit in one hand and now look them!”


Nunu and Rous Rose / 28, 140 (dog years) / Limburg, Belgium

“Hello Autostraddle! My name is Nunu and this is my pet gaymo Rous. She loves it when I allow her to scratch the luscious curls on my belly, but not so much when I jump onto the table and eat half the curry it took her 3 hours to make, proceeding to spend the next two days adorning the floor and furniture with explosive diarrhea. The absolute best thing about her is that she allows me onto her bed, even though she knows she’s not supposed to do that ’cause she needs to appear dominant (ha, as if). The worst is that she gets mad when I bark my loudest bark at our neighbour’s lesbian harem of chickens. It’s just that I really want in, but I don’t know how to ask.”


Eva, Katie, Hazelnut, Henry / 34, 29, 2, 3 / Sandbanks Provincial Park, Prince Edward County, Ontario

“We took this pic the morning after getting gay engaged! The dogs were there and obviously ate one of the ring boxes. Henry was only a twinkle in his mom’s eye when I became obsessed with Minpins and contacted a lady about getting me one. Hazel we found on Petfinder! She was being fostered in Thailand, and as soon as we saw her, we were like, ‘Uh oh, we love her.’ I sent Katie the adoption link and she called me weeping from her work bathroom about how she should be ours. A week later, we picked up our curly nugget from the airport! Henry’s full name is Henry Tim Riggins. Henry because he’s a little gentleman, and if you don’t get Tim Riggins, I can’t possibly explain it. Hazel’s full name is Hazelnut Clover, and it’s because we like old lady names. Plus nature-y things. The alliteration with her brother’s name is also good!

As our dog walker put it, ‘Henry has the best personality to size ratio of any dog I’ve ever met.’ Plus, his bulgy little round eyeballs. Hazel is infinitely generous with her love. Some of our favourite activities include: snacking, snuggling, running around in the woods, scritches, under-our-shirt-snuggles, socializing with other pups, hard chilling with their dog cousins, pooping when we don’t have poop bags. Henry is truly a top-notch weirdo. If he doesn’t like the way a garbage can is placed in a room, he will bark until someone adjusts it to his liking. Hazel’s obsessed with bushes. She makes a beeline towards them, and then just like…snuffles around inside for a good long time. Instagram: @henrythesmall. I’m really busting my butt trying to make him an #influencer, but he couldn’t care less about his brand. He’d rather try to lick up our noses.”


Sarah and Cheddar / 29, 6 months / San Francisco, CA

“I had wanted a cat for a while and finally decided to take the plunge. I met Cheddar at the local SPCA and he definitely picked me. He looked right at me, walked over to the window, and I knew he was the one. I had picked out several names before I went to adopt a cat, and Cheddar was on the list if I ended up with an orange kitty. It seemed to fit him perfectly. The best thing about him is how much personality he has. He’s silly, full of energy, and does the funniest things — currently, he’s obsessed with playing with ice cubes. He brings a lot of joy to my life and helps remind me that even when bad things happen (like him throwing up or breaking something), I can handle it.”


Jess, Syd and Teva / Southern OR

“Syd fell into my lap nine years ago after previous owner died. She’s calm, confident, and doesn’t put up with others bullshit. She’s basically everything I want to be in dog form. Teva is a shelter mutt and is the best adventure buddy a queer gal in the PNW could ask for.”


Diana and Katniss / 24, 2 / Isle of Palms, SC

“I adopted Katniss when I was living in North Carolina from the Humane Society. She and her siblings were all named after Hunger Games characters by the shelter staff. We now live in Atlanta and go to the dog park every day so she can run off her seemingly endless energy. She’s also my personal paper shredder. My girlfriend’s mom calls her “a good lookin’ dog.””


Mary and Goose / 30, 2 / Charleston, SC

“Goose has a wonderfully shrill voice, and gives great high fives.”


Anna, Anna, Kristen Stewart (Stewie), Teddy / White River State Park, Indianapolis, IN

“Stewie and Teddy are both incredibly high maintenance pups who make up for it by being adorable and cuddly. Stewie, whose full name is Kristen Stewart (because let’s face it, they look exactly alike), was surrendered by her previous owner to Indianapolis Animal Care Services. One of the amazing volunteers there paired us with her after listening to what we wanted in a dog — medium size, not super energetic, does well with other dogs and cats. We could tell right away that Stewie had an old soul and we wanted her to be part of our little petting zoo family. Her brand of high maintenance is having really bad separation anxiety, but with the help of a behavioral vet and anti-anxiety meds, we are slowly but surely making progress. Our favorite thing to do together is a tie between hugging each other, and walking in parks (mainly to see the squirrels). She also looks really adorable while eating green beans.

We got Teddy a year ago. We were at PetSmart getting cat food, and there just happened to be an adoption event for a local shelter. We saw this little teddy bear looking pup in a cage, and went over to him and fell in love. We originally decided against adopting him, but after driving about a mile away from the store, we decided to turn around to go back and adopt him. Not long after getting him home, we noticed he was panting really hard and his breathing seemed labored. Being my household’s Jewish mother figure, I was naturally worried. It was a Sunday, so we took him to an emergency vet and after some tests, we found out he was in diabetic ketoacidosis and the outlook wasn’t great. So after only having him a few hours, we had to leave him in a vet hospital overnight and were expecting about $3000 in vet bills. Luckily he responded to insulin quickly and we brought him home the next day! And now we have the pleasure of giving him insulin shots at 7 AM and 7 PM every day!

The weirdest thing about Teddy is that when he cries, it sounds like a human doing a dolphin impression. Our favorite activities to do together are belly rubs, and giving hand shakes for carrot treats. They don’t have their own Instagrams, but you can find them using their official hashtags: #DogKristenStewart and #TeddyTooters.

Also attached: Our 2016 Christmas card. From left to right: Teddy, Bo, Mogwai, Mister, Rosie (may she rest in peace), and Detective Olivia Benson (may she also rest in peace; 2017 has been a shit year!).”


Emma and Leo / 36,3 / Madison, WI

“Leo is a Shih Tzu/Bichon mix who came to stay at my house for a weekend 5 months ago and never left. It’s a long story. He lived in a Chicago high rise before and had never learned any commands or been house-trained. He’s a work in progress! Even so, I’ve never loved an animal the way I love Leo. My housemate gives me shit when she catches me singing to him, which happens all the time. The best thing about him is morning snuggles and his derpy face. Leo loves going out with me- he’s a favorite at my local beer garden. When I give him a biscuit, he will carry it around in his mouth for a while and then “bury” it under my pillow. He doesn’t have an Instagram yet, but he’s definitely the mascot of my crew. (Also, he loves being on the water and is a pro at stand up paddle boarding).”

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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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