Though there are lots of animal lovers in Spaulding Farms, the Fosses may be one of the largest ones. This is shown by the variety of pets they have taken into their homes and everyday lives: Daisy & Coco (dogs), Cuddles (cat), and Lilo (a gecko).

 Their breeds are seemingly random, but they fit together quite well. Daisy is a goldendoodle while Coco is a mini bernedoodle. Cuddles’ breed is a bit more of a mystery because she was adopted, so the Fosses have no idea what she is. Lilo is a fat-tailed leopard gecko, which is the most popular type of gecko pet. 

The breeds of all these pets are expansive, just like the ages. The eldest of the clan, Lilo, is about 10-11 years old (they don’t know for sure). The second oldest, Daisy, is turning 8 years old in August and Coco is turning 4 years old this month. The youngest is Cuddles. She’s 1 year old and turning 2 this summer!

 Just like humans, all pets have their favorite foods. Probably the most random one of this family is Lilo’s favorite food: crickets. According to Rebecca Foss, “it’s one of the coolest things to watch her eat. Never in my life did I think I would be at the pet store weekly buying live crickets!”. Cuddles the cat loves tuna, which she gets more so as a treat than regularly. Coco loves eating all kinds of things. She loves eating so much they had to put her on a diet this year. Apparently this backfired a bit, because once they (the Fosses) put her on weight management kibble, she began counter-surfing. This was something she had never done before. Both dogs love treats. The biggest crowd pleasers for them are milk bones and bacon treats. 

    There aren't very large background stories about each pets’ names; most of them are character names. Daisy’s name came from Daisy Duck, while Coco’s came from the movie Coco and Lilo’s came from Lilo and Stitch. Cuddles is the only one who isn’t named after a character. She was originally named Sabrina when they bought her, but Anne Marie (the Fosses’ daughter) renamed her the day they brought her home. “Sabrina” became “Cuddles” and Cuddles came from the fact that she’s cuddly. 

    Though the names don’t have huge stories behind them, how each pet came into the family does. 

Daisy was the first pet the Fosses got. She came from a breeder in Georgia the Fosses had followed. They saw Daisy’s litter (which apparently was precious) and Daisy caught their eye. Anne Marie picked her out of the litter of 10 puppies. 

The family got Coco because they felt Daisy needed a friend after their old dog, Maya, was gone. They two dogs became fast friends and now they are each other's yin and yang. After they got the two dogs, Anner Marie began begging for a cat, which she continued to do for years. Her parents finally broke down and said Anne Marie could adopt a cat. She was SUPER excited. They took Anne Marie to the rescue and she picked out Cuddles. She was apparently very decisive in her decision, but it turned out she picked the perfect cat. According to the Fosses, “Cuddles is the BEST cat and has completely changed us (the Fosses) from “just dog people”. ” 

Not only was Anne Marie asking for a cat, but she also had been asking for a gecko for a while. Right as she had worn down her parents enough, the Fosses’ neighbors (the Chastains) posted that they were looking for a new home for their sweet gecko. Their son was getting older and was ready to give Lilo to a new family. The Fosses are the third family to have Lilo. 

 Each pet has their favorite place to sleep, like most. The pets’ favorite place to sleep is in their parent bed, specifically on Rebecca’s side. Whenever they try to kick them off the the bed, they manage to sneak back up there after their parents are asleep. Both dogs get on Rebecca’s side and she ends up moving her body to fit in between. If they aren’t in their parents’ room, they know they’ve gone to bed with Anne Marie and shall not be disturbed. Cuddles will either sleep on the dog bed or she will jump on the end of the bed with Coco and Daisy. During the day the pets will all cuddle on the dog bed together. Lilo sleeps in her cave during the day and moves around at night in her aquarium (because geckos are crepuscular, which means they are most active during dusk and dawn). 

 Two of the pets have some out-of-the-ordinary habits. Cuddles like to get on the roof. This scared the family the first time she did it but then it became a  normal thing. Coco will not let ANYBODY have attention or affection around her. She will go and throw her body in the middle of hugs or go over and insist on attention if Daisy or Cuddles are getting some.

    The Fosses have a whole furry (and scaly) family of love, and they wouldn’t have it any other way. They love their pets with all their hearts and will keep loving them as long as possible.