We received 329 Louisville-area submissions in our third-annual Cover Pet Contest. Now, meet our 2018 Cover Pet, Ellie May, voted on by our readers, as well as six other submitted pets that caught our eye.
All photos by Jessica Ebelhar.
ELLIE MAY
Weimaraner, 15 years old
Before living with her current owners, Ellie May was abused and neglected to the point that one of her hind legs needed to be amputated. Later on, she broke a front leg and was down to two legs for a couple months — but that didn’t stop her from chasing a squirrel, one of her favorite activities. She loves socializing and going to the vet just to meet the animals and people. “Ellie May seemed (like the perfect name) because of The Beverly Hillbillies character (Elly May), who loved all animals, just like Ellie May does,” says owner Kimberly Kearney. “Plus, she was rescued in the month of May.”
CAMRYN
Alpaca (age unknown)
Camryn’s pedigree goes back six generations to ancestors in Peru. Though alpacas tend to be skittish and standoffish, Camryn is relaxed and friendly around people. She comforted the family’s newly rescued and skittish Pyrenees dog by walking up and touching noses, and the two continue to bond this way. One of her favorite things to do is take a bath under a hose — and then roll around in dust. “Sometimes right after a shower or bath,” says owner Jerry Cappel. “Mud city.”
ZAZU
Sun Conure Parrot, 16 years old
ZAZU’s favorite song is “Old MacDonald Had a Farm,” and she will dance when you sing it to her. She likes pistachios, maraschino cherries, sunflower seeds, jellybeans, grapes and whipped cream. “Sometimes I’ll have a friend over to watch a show or to catch up, and when we laugh, ZAZU will randomly laugh right after,” says owner Ann E. Fangman. “When she’s tired, she will climb inside my shirt and go to sleep.”
MARGO
American mini pig, 10 months old
Margo is on a strict diet of cherry tomatoes, squash, zucchini, blueberries and pellet feed. She enjoys swimming in her kiddie pool and taking naps with her sibling, an English bulldog named Louie. “She likes to go to Lowe’s with me,” says owner Brandie Crawford, “and she’s learned that going through a drive-thru always ends in getting attention from the person in the window when they see her sitting in my front seat. One pig thing is that when you scratch a certain spot on her side, she literally falls over.” Margo also “barks” at the vacuum.
MALLY
Lionhead rabbit, one year old
Mally, short for Mallymkun from Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland, enjoys hopping around and sitting under a chest of drawers. He likes being rubbed behind and on his super-soft ears. “When he sits on my chest and eats his treats, it’s the cutest thing ever,” says owner Arielle Suddeth.
EPIC LeGOAT
Nigerian Dwarf Goat (dairy show breed), two years old
On weekend mornings with her daddy, Epic LeGoat watches her favorite superhero shows — Luke Cage, Daredevil, The Flash, Supergirl. She’s often out and about with her humans playing Pokémon Go. She’s a curious goat who loves to open cabinets. “It’s not unusual to walk into the kitchen and find her standing, looking innocent with a spatula in her mouth,” says owner Jami Guess.
DUDLEY
Tuxedo cat, three years old
Dudley was rescued as a kitten from a car engine, where he held onto the battery during a drive from Shepherdsville to Okolona. The driver’s neighbor heard meowing. The owners who took him in once had a cheese-wedge cat scratcher with holes for normal-sized cats to climb in and out of. “Dudley decided he wanted to squeeze into one of the holes,” says one of “the humans HE owns,” Kay Brunner. “He got in one hole, but when he tried coming out a hole on the other side, he literally got wedged in the cheese wedge and couldn’t get out.”
