Chris, The AnarchAngel has a good back-to-basics post explaining why it is actually best to carry a 1911 in Condition One.

If you are a reader here who does not understand exactly what Condition One, or "cocked and locked" is, go read it.

Gun Owners of America has posted their own candidate ratings guide, if you care to check it out.

As requested by James at Hell in a Handbasket.

Both dogs I currently own are rescues.  I've had several pet cats in the past, and they were all rescues.  Almost every dog I've owned was a rescue, and the rest were all free puppies.

I've never bought a dog or cat.

I don't have any pictures of pets on hand, but there you have it.

Rescued cats:  Louis (named by my mother), Pooter (named by the girl I rescued him from), Psycho, Dexter (both named by myself) and a few others who were not nearly as memorable.

Dogs:  Far too many to name, but a few of the best were Rex, Patches, Two-Bits, and Baloo.  Rex was a German Shepherd/Border Collie mix, and was an absolutely tenacious varmint dog.  Patches was a mutt (who knows), and specialized in squirrels.  Two-Bits was a four-part mix of blue tick hound, Rhodesian ridgeback, leopard cowdog, and black and tan hound.  An okay coon dog, but not as good as Rex.  Baloo was a leopard cowdog/black and tan hound mix, and based on a few brief experiences, he would have been an excellent coon dog, but by the time I got him I didn't really have time to stay up all night chasing varmints anymore.  He was an excellent watch dog, had a beautiful baritone bay, and was the best dog I ever had.  I had him for 13 years, and he died just last year.

The current dogs are named Brownie and Pepper, both named by my kids.  Brownie is a black mouth cur mixed with no telling what else.  Pepper's dad is an enormous black Labrador.  His mother is another very large dog of indeterminate mix.