Leonard Nimoy passed away this week at the ripe old age of 83. He was an actor, a musician, a director, and a photographer. But one thing you might not know about Mr. Nimoy is that he was also an avid pet lover.

In fact, Mr. Nimoy’s adoration for pets was so strong that in 1970, he opened his own pet store in the San Fernando Valley, just north of Los Angeles. Nimoy explained his rationale to Michele Jacques in an article called His New World:

He (Nimoy) wanted to stock a pet store with all the kinds of animals available that he often wished he see in other shops he frequented. So now Leonard Nimoy’s Pet Pad stocks chipmunks, monkies, crocodiles, boa constrictors, a South American Otter and, of course, cats and dogs, just to mention a few. But the cats and dogs are not just the ordinary variety we find anywhere. They are all sorts of exotic and rare types. Leonard also has a tortoise which runs free in his backyard, His children love it, and take excellent care of it. Probably better care than they would of any “ordinary” animal.

Wherever you are, Mr. Nimoy: thanks for the inspiration.