Michael Angelo Torres
Welcome to my website! My name is Michael Angelo Torres, and I live in San Francisco, CA. I love all animals, but senior dogs are my passion. I feel blessed that I am able to take care of these little ones and share a life with them. When I am not busy cleaning up potty accidents, I also like to write, create collage, and listen to punk rock (I still listen to the same bands that I listened to as a teenager!).
“MY LITTLE DOG – A HEARTBEAT AT MY FEET.”
- Edith Wharton
Ladybug
First, there’s Ladybug! Ladybug is about 16 years old, and we adopted her back in January 2019 when it was believed she was 10 years old. She was adopted from Casa de Love Animal Rescue, who are now located in the San Francisco Bay Area, but back then they were located in Modesto, California.
Ladybug is the undisputed leader in our family. She may weigh less than 6 lbs. and stand shorter than a pigeon, but she’s the boss! The funny thing is when we first met her at an adoption event, she was wearing a small pink sweater that had “I’m the Boss!” printed on it! Truer words have never been said or worn. As Ladybug has gotten older, she does get a little confused at times … but who doesn’t?
Ladybug also loves taking naps and playing with her little lamb doll, and her favorite treats are frozen pieces of banana—but not too frozen, because she no longer has any teeth. Every day with Ladybug is an adventure—even when the day is spent at home—and she always makes life seem exciting even when it necessarily isn’t.
Cricket
Next up is Cricket! Cricket is believed to be about 13 years old, and he was adopted back in February 2019. We adopted him from Muttville Senior Dog Rescue—which is one of my favorite places in the world—when he was believed to be about 7 years old (there’s a joke that Cricket was probably younger than 7 years old and that he must have used a fake ID to get into Muttville).
Cricket’s previous names were Mochi and Springsteen (these were names given to him from the shelter that he was surrendered to, and from Muttville), but I renamed him Cricket because I thought the name would go well with Ladybug, which is his sister’s name. Also, I knew he was named after Bruce Springsteen, and I just couldn’t let that name remain.
Nothing against the Boss, but we already had a boss in the house named Ladybug! Besides, with Cricket’s faux-Cleopatra-Elizabeth-Taylor type of coloring above and around his eyes, he looked more like Siouxsie Sioux than Bruce Springsteen… and believe me, I’ll continue to talk more about this resemblance in the days ahead!
Cricket loves to lay around on the couch and in the laundry basket, hates going potty outside (he prefers to go on his potty pads in the comfort of his own home), and he loves barking at his food before he eats it.
Unlike Ladybug, he isn’t much of a foodie and doesn’t really go for treats—but he occasionally likes to snack on a piece or two of popcorn, which he sometimes then hides in my shoes! I know from experience that there are worse things that could happen to your shoes than having a piece of wet slobbered popcorn placed in them, so I am OK with it.
Forever in our hearts...
Millie Milkshake
Millie Milkshake joined our family in February 2017 and left us in February 2019. Millie Milkshake weighed less than three pounds and we believe she is about 13 years old when we adopted her. She was found as a stray in the San Francisco bay area and was rescued by Muttville Senior Dog Rescue.
Millie Milkshake was a member of their fospice program when we adopted her. The word “fospice” is a combination of the words “foster” and “hospice” and the program was created for dogs with major medical issues who weren’t likely to get adopted in the traditional sense.
In addition to some of the typical aliments that affect senior dogs, Millie Milkshake also had a high stage of kidney disease. This meant that we needed to regularly monitor her values, and she needed to receive subcutaneous fluids every morning. Fortunately, Millie Milkshake was very good about her daily injections… and I think part of the reason is because she knew she would get treats afterwards!
For such a tiny lady with medical issues, she was very active and had a lot of energy. She loved nothing more than to be held and she loved to sit on laps. She also loved to take naps in her favorite little bed burrowed under all of her baby blankets. Because of her medical ailments, we had no idea how long we would be able to share a life with Millie Milkshake. We were blessed to know her for two years, and we are incredibly grateful for every moment that she was with us.
Little Eve
Little Eve joined our family in December 2017 and she left us in January 2019. We adopted her from Muttville Senior Dog Rescue in San Francisco, CA. We believe Little Eve was around 12 years old at the time of her adoption. Little Eve had been rescued from a hoarding situation in Fresno, CA. She weighed about eight pounds and didn’t have any teeth… that’s why her little tongue would hang out!
Little Eve was always in a good mood, and she loved to eat her favorite treats. She also loved to bark at the pigeons she used to see while we were out enjoying one of our walks around the neighborhood. This little girl touched the lives of everyone who met her, and we felt sure that she knew that she would never know neglect or experience any type of abuse again.
Popcorn
Popcorn joined our family in March 2015 and left us in June 2017. Popcorn was rescued from a high-kill shelter in Lancaster, CA. He was found as a stray and was in pretty bad shape, but thanks to the love and dedication of many in the rescue community, he was eventually pulled from the shelter and made his way to Muttville Senior Dog Rescue where we adopted him.
Popcorn, or “Pop-o” as he was also known, weighed about seven pounds and we believe he’s about 12 years old when we adopted him. Towards the end of his life, Popcorn suffered from a little bit of doggy Alzheimer’s, but that didn’t stop him from enjoying some of his favorite things such as being held like a baby, eating treats and running up and down those famous San Francisco hills when we were out on our daily potty walks.
Delilah the Pomeranian
Delilah joined our family in March 2013 and left us in December 2016. What more can I write about this amazing little girl that I haven’t already written? She was my little angel, and I think about her all the time… I still miss her so much. We adopted this little girl from Muttville Senior Dog Rescue when she was believed to be about 11 years old.
Delilah was rescued from a high-kill shelter in Fresno, CA (we believe Delilah was used as a breeding dog and, as she grew older and was seen as no longer being of use, she was surrendered to the shelter by her owner). The years of neglect that Delilah suffered were easy to see when we first met her, she was in horrible physical shape and was emotionally shut down.
It took a lot of time, but eventually Delilah became a happy and confident little girl who enthusiastically embraced her new life as queen of our house. Although she liked to wear little dresses and there were times she would act like a puppy, she was very much a no-frills girl who loved nothing more than laying on the floor just to the side of me and eating her favorite treats: pieces of pizza crust and pieces of hot dog buns.
When Delilah passed away, I felt my world ended… but I am still inspired every day when I remember her strength. She endured so much and yet remained so happy. She left us too soon, and she will always hold a special place in my heart.
