A musical hound and a blind cat make it a full house for two recently engaged locals.
Daniel Cullen grew up without pets and his fiancée Crystal Fritz, Ph.D., lived on a farm where there were many animals. Now the newly engaged couple, East Falls residents since 2014, share their home with Django, a cheerful 7 year-old Springer Spaniel-Beagle mix and Homer, a 3 year-old, sweet, gray, blind tabby.
If you happen to be one of Daniel’s students at Rawk U in Sherman Mills, you already know charming Django, who loves to greet his dad’s students. It is his favorite activity other than long walks and treats.
During the music lessons he peacefully snoozes and doesn’t howl or tap his paw! He probably has a greater musical appreciation than most, given that he listens to guitar, bass, drums, vocals and keyboard. When he’s really happy, he puts his paws on the shoulders of some students.
Daniel adopted Django from a rescue at 6 weeks old because he liked that he was half Springer. Daniel grew fond of the breed as a result of “co-parenting” a few older, Springer Spaniel rescues in his 20s.
Crystal and Homer moved in with Daniel in June 2014. She adopted Homer a month before the move. “A good friend of mine does cat rescue in Philadelphia, and that’s how I met Homer. At first, I was concerned he would be unhappy in my small, city apartment, but he was perfectly content. When we moved to Daniel’s house, Homer wasn’t intimidated at all by the large space.”
He quickly adjusted, and one of his favorite activities is to race up the steps. He’s also not afraid of running into objects—he just gets a little startled.”
Despite being blind since birth, he seems as happy as any contented cat I’ve been around. Unfortunately, he also suffers seizures which cause him to feel discomforted for about five minutes, after which he returns to his normal self.
As with most dogs that have cat siblings, Django, in true dog fashion, enjoys a butt sniff! If Homer is not in the mood to be sniffed or play, he swipes, but they do interact frequently. When it’s down time, the two often sleep next to each other on the couch.
Though both are named for famous people (Homer, the blind author of the Iliad and the Odyssey; Django for Django Reinhardt, the legendary gypsy jazz guitarist — CLIP HERE), they have no desire to be famous. Homer and Django are just two happy pets, well loved by their humans.
Time Out for Pets
Leslie Levy and Theodore Sheridan, of Time Out for Pets, are highly experienced pet-sitters who provide your pets with the love, attention, and exercise they need. For more info: call 215-588-5627
Rawk U
Philly’s answer to “School of Rock,” where the coolest local kids study music (and rock out). Actually, not just kids but rockers of all ages learn guitar, bass, keyboards, drums, vocals — even the art of playing in a band.
3502 Scotts Lane
215-844-7295
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