Behind every great writer there is a beloved pet, providing inspiration in life and in death, and companionship in what is often a lonely working existence. This book salutes all of the cats and dogs, budgerigars, monkeys and guinea pigs, wombats, turtles, and two laughing jackasses, who enriched the lives of their masters and mistresses, sat on their keyboards, slept in their beds, and occasionally provided the creative spark for their stories and poems.