It’s the first of the month which means another Hollywood story. I wondered what I could talk about this month and I decided I’d share a list of all the animals I’ve worked with over the years. (Although I use that term loosely since I didn’t necessarily work with the animals so much as share the same set with them as I worked with the actors around them.)

So, keeping in mind that this list is probably forgetting one or two or ten of the animals I’ve shared a set with, here we go:

I worked with Mike Meyers and a bear for one of the Oscar telecasts.

Countless numbers of dogs, cats, ponies and horses (this includes a zebra).

An elephant (Who also happened to be the elephant that starred in Water for Elephants.)

Orangatangs, monkeys, possums, goats, cows, snakes, iguanas, lizards, spiders and every type of bird you can imagine, including an eagle and falcon.

A tiger, although I made sure I was off the set when that bad boy got there.

A sea lion, which the trainer billed as a wet lion. I’m sorry, but I had to chuckle at that. I might not be able to outrun a lion, but I’m fairly certain that on dry land I can outrun a sea lion. (I’m may be small, but I’m fast. LOL.)

(Of course there was the time I came face to face with a black panther, but that wasn’t Hollywood related. It happened in Texas when I was very young so it doesn’t count. But I felt inclined to add it since you don’t get much more exotic when discussing animals!)

Hm… I think I might’ve covered everything. Not a bad list, right? I’m a huge animal lover – especially dogs – which might explain why I put a dog in Dangerously Close. (Roamer is a combination of my old dog, Sam, and my new dog, Zachary.)

What about you? Any history of meeting a unique animal that didn’t include the zoo?