Bingham and Angela Merklaws were never supposed to be friends. The rivalry between cats and dogs is the oldest story in the book, but somehow these two were destined for each other. Growing up in separate parts of the country, it was Casey Mock, Manager, Public Policy, State and Local Tax at Amazon, and his wife Abby, who brought these two together.

Bingham, named after Grammy and Oscar-winning musician, Ryan Bingham, was adopted by Casey and Abby from a Washington, DC rescue organization after being picked up as an unclaimed stray in Clemson, South Carolina.

Angela Merklaws, named after German Chancellor, Angela Merkel, was abandoned and found by Abby in a Vermont grocery store parking lot.

As adopted pets with little known history, Casey was curious to find out more about their ancestry. So, Casey opened up the Amazon app and purchased a DNA kit. The results? Angela is a brown tiger tabby, and Bingham is a mix of Dalmatian, Rhodesian, German shepherd and Chow.

Angela and Bingham love to eat together – and who can blame them? Casey has made the unfortunate mistake of turning his back on two pounds of smoked brisket sitting on the counter. In less than a minute, without a sound or a mess, the two were able to devour every last bite. When there is no brisket around, Angela’s favorite food is ahi tuna, but Bingham will pretty much chow down on anything Angela chooses to share with him. When they’re starving, Angela will start opening all of the cabinets looking for the duo’s next meal.

We are thrilled to feature Bingham and Angela Merklaws as our October pets of the month!