Happy families and a message of peace! Gregory Pike, from Colorado, toured America and then for some years was a familiar sight on the streets of Santa Barbara and San Francisco. Residents and visitors alike came to love to see him with his 'family' - Booger, the Rottweiler, Kitty, the American Tabby and Mousey who is in fact a rat.
It all started when some kids were talking about cartoons where animals of different species are portrayed as friends. The children said it wasn't possible. Gregory Pike took it as a challenge. He had worked with animal rescues and rehabilitation centres for mountain animals and has some experience of animal training.
Greg rescued Booger from an animal shelter. A little later he discovered a litter of kittens whose mother had died. He found homes for them all except Kitty as Booger had singled her out and believed the little kitten was her puppy. Booger and Kitty were brought up among a variety of small animals, so when Mousey appeared one day neither the cat or dog turned a hair. There have, in fact, been several Mouseys.
Greg's ambition was always to start a free animal shelter. His overall motivation, and the reason he continued to bring his animals out to meet the public, was to provide hope and happiness in a messed up world. "Everywhere I brought them, they made people smile, and it just made me feel really good inside," Pike said.It's been a struggle but, he says, "a happy struggle."Booger may well have become one of the most famous animals in the world, with appearances on Animal Planet and the YouTube video, with almost ten million hits.
In September 2012, Gregory Pike went back to his home town of Telluride, Colorado, to give his animals time to rest. Booger was 12 and Kitty is 11. He still intended to take them out for their morning and evening walks. “My dog earned her last few years to be in her favorite spot,” he says. “She always loved the high altitudes and the cold, so I’m going to go back and stay. I’m happy for what I did, and I’m glad I touched people. I have no regrets.”
Sadly, Booger died at the end of October from kidney and liver failure. She was 13."I think my eyes are drained. It really hurts," said Gregory. "She didn't die in pain at all. She passed away in comfort in Telluride, where she loved to be." Gregory will continue to focus on animals and bringing joy to people but there won't be another dog-cat-rat act. That was a once in a lifetime adventure. Booger will be cremated and her ashes will be scattered on Gold Hill, in Telluride "her favourite place on earth".
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