Our NOLA family’s been growing
First Iko, a doggie, became their new pet
Next he was joined by puppy Little Paws
Then Cody the kitten, perhaps the cutest yet
Iko in his youth was a mutt of the streets
Eking out a living on Tulane Ave
Kiersta found him and brought him home
To a life no one dreamed he might have
Iko is mainly a smallish-sized Schnauzer
Maybe nine, maybe ten inches high
He’s got a glistening coat that is silvery-gray
And a sparkling glint in his eye
Any noise on the step, Iko races to the door
Eager to greet whoever comes in
He stretches up their legs with his busy front paws
Checking the odors from places they’ve been
Everyone agrees that Iko’s a cuddler
Joining his humans on the sofa or chair
He lays right down with his head on their lap
Contented and happy with a life that’s so fair
From dawn till midnight Iko’s ready for a walk
Pulling at first, then sniffing this and that
He stares at the people a full block away
And his tail starts wagging when he spots a black cat
Little Paws arrived just two years ago
Vida picked him out from an online ad
He travelled from Georgia on a jumbo jet
Little Paws met Iko, he was so glad
Little Paws is just like Iko’s younger brother
Following Iko wherever he goes
When Iko smells some weeds, Little Paws smells them too
They stay side by side when they lie down to doze
Everyone in the neighborhood thinks Little Paws a cutie-pie
One half Yorkie, the other half Chin
Even though he is smaller than Iko
It’s easy to imagine him Iko’s twin
Like Iko, Little Paws loves going on walks
He strains on his leash as if out on a mission
Yelping at bad guys across the street
And watching the big dogs with a healthy suspicion
This little dog has his own Teddy Bear
Which he bring to the grownups to play tug of war
Last week Little Paws tugged Teddy too hard
Poor Teddy’s innards, all over the floor
Little Paws is also a talented jumper
Leaping three feet to get up on the bed
This dog has the energy of an Eveready bunny
No one thinks Little Paws a sleepyhead
Now there’s a kitten named Cody in the house
Five or six pounds with fur that’s jet black
Cody seems to think that he is a dog
And his brothers have made him a part of the pack
Cats and dogs are quite different of course
Cody has more of an independent streak
Even so he’ll come over and rub on your leg
And his purr has a special kitten mystique
At mealtime Cody sneaks onto the table
Justin grabs him and puts him back down
Then Cody’s back up again searching for snacks
He may be a cat but he’s also a clown
Cody loves to wrestle with Little Paws
Though the dog is the mightier of the two
Neither Little Paws or Iko would ever hurt Cody
The dogs and the cat are best friends, so true blue
Leo and Vida are pals with their pets
Vida’s been thinking of being a vet one day
The children, the dogs, the cat — one big bunch
A house that is teeming with whoopee and play
