Avery is not what you’d call an “easy” dog. She’s hates strangers. She requires sedation just to have her nails trimmed. And to make matters worse, she’s camera shy! Unlike Lily the Beagle, Avery has no interest in co-hosting my cooking videos or garden tours. She runs out of the kitchen whenever I record there. So imagine my surprise when she suddenly agreed to appear on film. Apparently, I made her an offer she couldn’t refuse:
(Click the “play” arrow above to watch the action.) I should probably mention that Avery and Tiger are both rescue pets. Ditto for Camille, our other cat. Tiger and Camille were adopted from Animal Kind in Hudson, New York, 16 years ago. Avery was picked up, 2 1/2 years ago, as a stray in North Carolina. She was placed in a kill shelter there. Mercifully she was brought up North by a rescue organization in New York. She spent six months in and out of foster homes before she fell into our laps.
Are you the proud parent of a fur baby? Talk to me in the comments field below!
Honeybee says
Spike is our much loved, 8 year old silly, entertaining and loving 18 pound Maine Coon cat. He showed up on our door step about 7 years ago. The vet told us his breed and that he would grow for a few more years. And my goodness he did! His chip stated his name was Spike and since he responded to that name he kept it. Who know what happened to his first family, they never responded to our calls. We are just glad he picked us.
Amy says
LOVED this, Kevin! Thank you for the much needed “aww” and laugh today! Your kitty needs more airtime on your videos – she’s got personality plus!
Pam in Virginia says
Hi, Kevin!
I nearly died laughing! In fact, I still can’t stop. You are a comedian extraordinaire and your assistants are tops in their field. Avery is indeed one Smart Cookie. It is a little hard to tell with Tiger . . .
Pam in Virginia
Sandra Payette says
Love your fur babies, Kevin. I have a kitty too. Her name is Kitty. She loves to eat. Avery is quite smart with her tricks. Glad they have a beautiful home chez toi. xoxo
Maraya says
Your love for Avery and Tiger is a beautiful thing to watch! My cat never pays attention to screens, but, for some reason, Tiger’s meow really caught his attention.
Meghan Girroir says
Feeling a bit anxious and this made me laugh. Please get Avery some food-she was pretty definitive about needing some sustenance-lol! Your pets are adorable. We also have to sedate our French Bulldog for a nail trim. Tiger is very vocal and one vet told me that if a cat talks a lot it means the owner talks to the cat-so Kudos to you and Mr. Fox.
I was thinking of baking some bread and making soup during this time, and it will be your recipes in which I turn.
Kathy says
Thanks for sharing. I knew about Avery but, had no idea you had cats. We have 2 rescue dogs: Sammi is a yellow lab who ended up in the shelter after being handed off to others by her previous 3 families. She has been with us for four years. Because she is so afraid of being left behind, we searched for a calm companion for her. After two years of searching, we found Bea. Bea is a 13 year old black lab mix, who has been Sammi’s companion for the past year. What a difference she has made! She is a very easy, go with the flow kind of gal. Aren’t rescue pets the vet best?
Patt Reid says
Our Hannah is a rescue, too. She’s a little afraid of men in general, but she and my husband are attached at the hip. She’s an Australian Shepard mix of some kind, and really smart. He taught her the same tricks you’re teaching Avery, plus “High 5”. He has her to the point that hand signals alone instruct her. We inherited a 12y/o mini dachshund named Stella when my granddaughter had her 2nd baby. Stella became jealous and made the babies cry, so I have her now. What a joy, she’s one very funny dog. You can tell if she’s sitting or standing, her legs are so short. She loves swimming in our lake with Hannah, chasing & retrieving balls. Stella was not housebroken when we got her, but is now. Hannah helps by letting us know when Stella needs to go out. It’s a hoot.
Karen says
I too have a dog who had 2 days left at a high volume kill shelter in Philly. She is unpredictable with strangers and I am always aware of this. However, she adores those she is around all the time. I don’t think I will ever have a dog that loves me as much as she does. I’ve been a pet parent to many rescues over the years. They have all held a very special place in my heart. How fortunate Avery is to have found a home with you and to all the other pets who have done the same ❤️ – Karen
P. S. enjoy your emails!
Jill says
I show my dogs in AKC obedience and rally events and LOVED this! You are so correct with your comment to cue the praise with whatever command you gave (Good Sit, Good Down, Good Stay). Excellent advice.
Cindy T. says
You are a very nice loving man. We rescued 2 greyhounds from the track years ago. They raced each other around our home until one day they disappeared into the woods. I jumped into the pickup, and found them running together in the middle of the road, tails happily in the air, as cars pulled over….me hitting the horn behind them. Hilarious.. they did stop. They were so happy, how could I rephrehand them…because of that
, they could no longer be let out together. They got me started jogging.
I am what the Feline
rescue place calls a failed foster parent…end up adopting cats.The last foster I adopted is an outside cat…absolutely goes crazy if not out. When window is open, he picks at the screen tab until it’s out and knocks the screen out..that’s when I was fostering him…now I use duct tape and he pulls out the closed window inserts to get my attention. Water spraying doesn’t deter him. But I love him..he is so smart.
Judy says
Molly is a yellow lab who adopted us almost two years ago. She showed up one Sunday afternoon and decided we were hers. She has an interesting quirk – she barks at cars. She will calmly watch out the window as one of us gets into the car in the driveway, but as soon as the car starts moving, she goes crazy. I suppose it’s because someone dumped her from a car and drove away.
Anne says
And ‘they’ say our critters can’t talk! I loved seeing Avery and Tiger… beautiful family members.
AllisonK says
I have 3 rescue kitties. 9 year old Eurwyn (air-wen), which is a Welch name meaning “gold & white”, which she is…she’s part Persian, so is very laid-back and cuddly; she has a much bigger vocabulary of understanding than the other two cats. My other 9 year old, Freyja (named for the Norse goddess of war, food, love, etc) was very obese when I acquired her; I got her to lose some weight, but she’s still a big sturdy girl. She is extremely clever—I swear she has a kitty tool belt hidden away. If she had opposable thumbs I’d be in big trouble! Genbu (Japanese turtle-serpent hybrid god of the NW sky) my youngest, is a 4 year old calico that was the lone survivor of a litter of kittens that was dumped off near a former work place. I took her in at 3-1/2 months old (still have scars on my hands from her razor-sharp claws and teeth!); she is the most bull-headed/determined of the 3, but also the best-trained as she was so young when she joined us.
Often my apartment is a zoo with them zooming around, fighting, playing, getting underfoot…but I wouldn’t have it any other way! I just bought my first house at age 55–same town, closer to work, moving in May/June—and it has a big 3-season porch the cats will LOVE.
Mary Christiani says
LOL!! They’re beautiful! Avery’s so smart, putting her hand in her bowl….so funny, so bright! I have 2 babies with 4 legs. An older man dog, Lil Bear (a morkie, maltese and yorkie) that I was gifted with 10 years ago after my wonderful Bodacious Beagle (we called him, Beau, for short) passed away – AND – our 7 month old rescue mix, Bill, who’s probably part cocker, border collie, maybe beagle or hound mix. OHHHH, how I love them both! xoxoxo
Claudia Travis says
Hi Kevin and friends,
I have Tucker. A rescue via Craigslist. He was named Baron at the pound but he never answered to that but responded when I was going through name possibilities. I knew my husband needed a dog at the time. We had lost our previous lab. Tucker stayed with my husband as a constant companion until the day my Bob passed away from a brain tumor. He is now my companion. He loves my friends and they love him in return. He’s a lover of nature walks…..well I walk he roams. He ignores the deer and moose now and rarely makes the robins fly. His one flaw? ….he buries chew bones or digs holes trying to get the pesky ground squirrels.
Thanks for your blog. I thoroughly enjoy it.
I’ve still not been successful on the milk jug greenhouse but I keep trying. One day!
patrice says
Glad to see Avery got over her stage fright!! She’s a charmer. Over the years we’ve had many pets. Mostly cats. Tiger is pretty darn cute too. Nice to see your beautiful fur companions. Thanks for sharing. I look forward to your weekly updates Kevin. It’s full of great ideas and fun information.
Yvonne says
Thanks for sharing your fur babies with us. They’re adorable!
Anne-Marie Deryaw says
What a lovely happy treat on a Sunday morning!! Thank you so much, it was a treat to see your little family and I loved the “empty” dish emphasis!!
Corrine says
I really enjoyed seeing you and your dog together. You both looked so happy and relaxed. Thank you for the pet video.
Kathie Tinucci says
Thank you for sharing your fur babies Avery and Tiger with us! We currently have 2 indoor cats, Phoebe and Riley that we rescued 14 years ago and we have 4 outdoor feral cats that we feed on a daily basis. We lost our 14 year old Maltese Lucy (also a rescue) last July and we are finally talking about getting another fur baby or two!
Elaine ransom says
We have a rescue walker hound. She loves visitors but chased deer until they chased her( sigh of relief), good natured, house broken, doesn’t steal food,likes the cat more than the cat likes her. She had weaned a litter when we got her and was younger than the estimated two year…perhaps not even one yr old, but so great we don’t know how anyone could have given her up! She s now about 5 and especially with covid, missing visitors. Luckily we are in a rural area with huge ” crown land” we can group walk and still maintain social distancing, talk on the road and be distances apart. My best wishes to all that are confined.
Elan says
love to see your pet family ….. I have 4 ex-feral tabby cats (that I domesticated … hard work) …. one even looks almost exactly like your tabby kitty with the white feet and 1/2 white nose. Also have 1 older cat who strayed into my yard and would never leave. She loves the tabbys and adopted them as well as me.
Dominique says
Hello Kevin, we rescued a badly abused little Sydney silky who was 2 at the time. He was in shocking state , riddled with flees , cigarette burns on his back ( as vet showed us) etc…. ) I wanted him ( against what my husband was saying…!) For 2 weeks, he only came out from under the couch at night… We could hear him patty pat on the tiles when we were in bed. Eventually I managed to stroke him but he was afraid of all strangers especially men. Terrified of cars when I walked him so I bought a special doggie front pack and purposely took him where it was busy so that he could get used to noises and people. It took me 18 months to get him settled but he always remained cautious of strangers. He became the most faithful little dog I ever had. Sadly we had to have him put to sleep when we realised the time had come. He was short of 2 weeks from his 18th birthday ! That was 6 years ago and although we have an other delightful little dog, I still miss him….
Ana says
Thank you for this post.
Laura says
Our pets. We have a pound puppy, named Poppie. The vet said she was a bearded collie. She is beautiful, and the smartest dog we have ever had. She is a 80 pounder and 13 now. Then there is Dudley, a street dog. Twenty pounds of guard dog! He is 4 years old. Spike, our old orange cat is 15 – can’t see well any more – but a sweet boy. There are also 4 chickens. Speckle was a foundling and wild. All of them are well behaved – but spoiled.
Lori says
I’m down to one dog now after putting our beloved Sofie down with severe breathing problems. She left behind Koda, a 10 year old Australian Shepard mixed with a Chocolate Lab. He’s finally snapping out of his depression when he realized she isn’t coming home anymore. He’s a silly looking dog with a underbite that makes it look like he’s going to take off your leg when he is simply smiling. But with any nervous people, we just move him inside. We have 3 cats. Simon is an orange green eyed cat, with Momma Cat and Alvin. We had a home for Alvin and then the new owners decided they wanted a little kitty. So I fixed the boys and momma gives us a small batch of kittens once a summer. My husband has 2 big fur babies that live in the barn, along with my daughter’s big fur baby….Dancer, a paint horse, Break Away, a rescue paint horse and Jovie, not sure which kind she is but we had her since she was a little filly.
sue hetherington says
so delightful to see how happy you are, being with little avril. and your kitty! and you look younger not older !
youve done a fantastic “job” of training avril. its easy to see she is smart – showing you her bowl with her paw!!!
dogs can only learn when they are relaxed, like us….
your kitty, that meow, is he older?
God bless you for all the love you share with both human and pet critters.
sue
Linda C Cramp says
My dog Pix was so similar when I first got him 9 years ago. Love Love Love turns a dog like that around. I used to tap his chest with my palm and say’ this is you heart. It says boom ,boom, boom, love love love..” He would calm down. He is an entirely different dog from the guy who bite every one. he barks when he sees neighbor he knows and stands wagging his tail in hopes of a hello. The nail thing is still a problem. When he is sleeping and a paw is sticking out out I sneak up with the nail trimmers and get 1 to 2 nails. Make sure head is covered over lightly with a towel or blanket!!! Pix is a fox terrier or rat terrier so he likes to burrow his head in the covers when he sleeps which makes the towel over his head easier.
Gretchen says
Your love for Avery and Tiger shines through in the video! You are such a gentle soul; it’s easy to see why Avery felt safe with you. Thanks for this sweet diversion, and for the recipe. I’ll be making some soon. Best wishes to your clan!!
Cath says
Oh my goodness! Thank you for sharing the video of you and your pets. Kevin, your face just lights up from the joy that they bring you. Tiger is a talkative kitty. People may not know, but pets actually prefer to eat and drink from glass, porcelain and pottery bowls. Pets can be quite selective about how a vessel impacts the taste of what’s for supper or their liquid refreshments. It is nice to see that you have a glass water bowl and a china dish for food. How cute is Avery with the paw directing you for filling the food bowl!?!? Such a clever pup!
We just lost our almost 16-yr-old Glen of Imaal Terrier, Clara, a week ago. We are missing her terribly as she was our pack leader. We will bestow her ashes upon her favorite place where she ran, played and swam at a local Trustees of Reservations property for so many years — our memories will sustain us, walking with her on the coldest winter days and on sunny summer eves when the fields are abuzz with birdsong, crickets, and the flow of the brook. We’ll make a donation to the Trustees in her memory. We have her son Griff who is a happy 10 years old. We love Glen of Imaal terriers. Dogs make such great companions, especially when you have the luxury of working from home.
Doreen says
Our two rescue dogs, Zara Wackadoodle and Wendy Woo, both were incredibly intrigued by your fur babies! Thank you for sharing all the joy that our animals bring to us -especially in these very scary times. Sending best wishes from Dutchess County – Be well!
susan rieske says
Hi Kevin, thanks so much for sharing your life with us. Michigan is locked down, no restaurants, gym, shows, no gathering places are open. Many are sent home from work. So, it’s nice to “hang out” virtually anyway, with you. Thanks for the drive, it’s nice to get out. We have two standard poodles. Alaina is 13, and Cody is 10 months. So beautiful and smart.
Regina D'Amico says
Hello, I have 5 adopted babies, 2 that are mixed black and a blonde mix lab, both about 12+/- years young; an almost 3 year old very yappy brat mixed rat terrier, a Doberman (supposedly mixed), but at shelter who knows, the vet thought she was pure bred, adopted at 6 weeks, now 2 years old and Roscoe P. Coltrane, my only boy, 14 months young, with no known pedigree that my son thought he should donate to the menagerie. They drive me insane most days with the barking, but again keep me sane on so many other “bad” days, they are always there to offer love.
Joan says
Hi – I have adopted 2 Bichon Frise, One passed away unfortunately a year or so ago. He was the love of my life. Then I found this wonderful older Bichon and adopted him. I can’t see life without him and wouldn’t want to be around if anything ever happened to him. You see, I love animals much more than MOST people. They asked nothing from us, only to be loved and looked after in a kind way. If only humans were as wonderful as these creatures.
Lin Willett says
Avery has star power, thanks for sharing her.
Pam R says
Thank you for sharing!! Avery is coming along!
Valerie H says
Oh gosh…..SO adorable….thank you for sharing your sweet babies with us! 🙂 🙂
Mari Gardner says
I adopted my good boy I named Sammy (as in, Sammy Davis, JR.) from the SPCA when he was 9 years already at that time. He’s a very sweet, spry Cocker Spaniel at 16….that is akin to 124 human years! I thank him every day for having chosen ME to walk every day!
Barbara V. says
I know I’m a bit late watching this video, but Avery is adorable! I am glad you decided to rescue a dog instead of going to a breeder. I’ve been volunteering at an animal shelter in NJ for about 7 years (adopted 2 of my own pups) and there are so many good dogs that come from the south. Many are very adoptable and some need a little extra patience but there is so much potential. I am also planning on making your sweet cream vanilla cake tomorrow. Looking forward to more videos.
June says
Every animal I’ve owned… or that’s was in my family when I was a child… have been rescued in one way or another. Some from shelters (or what used to be called “the Pound”), some from the streets, some wandered into the yard and begged to stay. I fed them, gave them training, talked to them like they were equals and human (and they always understood me better than I ever understood them), treated them with love and kindness… and the rewards were a million times greater than anything I could do for them.
Although my Niki died 6 years ago, she will always be in my heart. She was a rescue of sorts… the farmer whose dog had birthed the litter, thought that 8 weeks old was “too old” for puppies and was going to shoot the 4 that were left (of 12) the next day. A friend of a friend showed one to me… and Niki reached out from her arms, trying to get to me. So I wrapped her into my arms and brought her home. I never regretted a moment. It took me telling her once that “doing her business” in the house was unacceptable and she never did it again. She was the most intelligent being I’ve ever known… and I miss her terribly.