My father has a bit of a Noah complex. He is unwilling or unable to turn away an animal in need of a home. Therefore, he has been the caretaker over the years of several dogs, cats, goats, chickens, rabbits, birds, hamsters, guineas, a wounded opossum and one lizard.

We once had a chicken arrive in the mouth of a hungry collie. The collie was disappointed when the chicken became a pet rather than dinner. The chicken took up residence in the shed which housed a dozen cats or so. My father said it had an identity crisis. "Must have been the stress of the move."

With the responsibility of animal husbandry comes the pain of losing one. We've lost animals during birthing, because of accident or sickeness and some just disappeared. We lost many a cat to the dairy farm next door. They were required to work for their pay, but the benefits were amazing. Cream, cream and more cream. Saying goodbye to a favorite pet is just part of life in the country. Recently, Bob's Petting Zoo and Animal Reserve suffered a couple of losses.

Zyphod, the hyper active and somewhat out of sync chameleon simply could not handle the harsh northeast Tennessee winters. The little guys are sold at the beach and are counted quite lucky if they survive the trek home. Hayley was sure her Grandfather could keep him happy and healthy. Pop built a state of the art cage, complete with heating lamp and a vast supply of crickets, but it wasn't enough. I think he took that one personally.

Peanut was a miniature rabbit. He was very friendly and would eat from your hand, as long as you didn't try to remove him from his cage. This agoraphobic rabbit, upon removal from his wire home would scratch, bite and howl unlike anything you've ever heard. Mr. McAmus sold the rabbits with a warning. "These animals only live 3 years. Don't expect much more." Mr. McAmus died within a year or so of the transaction. Peanut was almost 8.

The menagerie remains, although some of the more exotic and interesting animals have gone on. There are spaces available at Bob's Petting Zoo and Animal Reserve. I expect a phone call anytime now.

"Come over," he'll say excitedly. " I got somebody for you to meet!"