This is Mike, who passed away at the end of July after 15 years living with Gary and his wife. He dramatically changed lives of his parents after they reluctantly agreed to let Mike stay with them in 1999. Gary and his wife were not animal people when they took Mike in, but they ended up becoming indulgent pet parents. Gary started volunteering at animal shelters, changed careers and started fighting for animal welfare and co-founded the vegan outreach group Compassion for Animals. Mike and Gary took walks in the yard every day and were constant companions.