Dr Schell just showed me this thread :D I do love pets.
We used to have Guinea Pigs, but they died after about 7-8 years. Matt (my husband) had one that was extremely fat, named Snuffles (white). Mine was Tickles (black). They lived very happy lives and we just adored them. We kept them inside in an "apartment" we built out of underbed storage boxes.
Now we have a fierce and ferocious dog named Cloudy (my husband and I share a passion for meteorology). We've had him since he was 8 weeks. We first met him at 4 weeks and I am totally and completely in love with the little fluffball. He is the most gorgeous thing ever. I grew up with big dogs, but now I've gone miniature I will never go back!