Having had to deal with a sick Peanut last week, a pass along cold to me this week, and then ending the week with dental surgery for our dachshund, I can’t tell you how happy I am to hit the weekend. PJ’s jaw swelled up horribly on Thursday, resulting in a vet trip and a preliminary abcess diagnosis. Lots of antibiotics, an overnight at the vets and surgery with anesthesia later…and she’s home and doing fine.
Whew.
We have to keep a close watch on her, but the swelling is certainly going down and she is a much perkier doxie this morning. The begging for food has already begun, so we know she’s already headed back to normal.
I started thinking about how much this tiny little miniature dachshund has meant to us. She’s headed past 9 toward 10, no longer a puppy even though her size makes her look like one in perpetuity. She’s been with me through a whole lot of ups and downs, and that cold wet nose of hers has nudged up against my hand as her signature “love you” moment (or as a nudge to fill the food dish…) more times than I can count.
Funny how a doggie who can’t say a word can still speak volumes like that, isn’t it?
I’ve noticed that a whole lot of us have cats and dogs and horses and…well, you name it, including several parents in the audience trying to raise sentient and compassionate rugrats. And because I’m feeling a bit sentimental this morning, lap covered in dachshund and all, I thought we could talk a little pet shop. (YouTube)
I have a 9 year old minature black and tan short-haired dachshund named PJ — short for “pooch, junior.” Her real name is Gertrude Liebling, she’s the puppy of our older dachshund, Tasha, who had to be put to sleep several years ago now — but “Gertie” never seemed to work for her as a name for some reason. So, PJ it is. We also have a cat — Rascal — who is 7 and a half, and her personality and her name are well matched. She was a feral kitten when we got her, a stray who wandered into a friend’s yard and into our hearts as we nursed her back to health. She’s a sort of take no prisoners type of kitty.
Through the years, I’ve noticed that people who learn that with pets or animal ownership also comes a responsibility to care for them well are the sort of folks that I can call friends. Indifference to animals tends to translate into the sort of overall indifference that I find substantially offputting, to put it mildly. Longtime readers here know that Jane has some gorgeous standard poodles, and that she and I both love our animals quite a bit.
Recently, we’ve started getting The Peanut some riding lessons, making clear to her that caring for the horse — brushing, combing, feeding, watering, and such — is part of the deal, even though it isn’t our horse. That sort of responsibility needs to be taught early, at least, that is what my dad taught me, and we are trying to do the same for her. We’ve already talked about that quite a bit as we regularly fill our bird feeders in the yard — this just takes it to the next level for her in terms of responsibility and concomitant reward of then being able to ride.
Thought it would be fun to get to know all of you, your furry pals, and your thoughts about our animal companions on this lovely blue planet of ours. And, while I’m thinking of it, the folks out there who read but don’t comment, I just know you have some thoughts on all of this, so do join in the conversation. Pour yourself another cuppa and pull up a chair…
(Photo of an adorable black and tan doxie that looks very much like ours via Andrej_Filev.)
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Zed!!!!!
Good morning Christy! Now to tell the others.
Good morning, Christy, so happy to hear PJ is doing well! Big ol’ hug for the Reddhedd family.
PJ = pooch, junior LOL
(((((((Christy!)))))))
Good Morning!
I’m so glad to know PJ is on the mend!
The closest I come is my neighbor’s Great Dane, Annabelle. She’s all black, and as someone who grew up reading Marmaduke and watching Scooby Doo, I feel that I now have a live version of these beloved characters that I get to play with.
She’s such a sweet soul and as all dogs do, lives in the moment. A lesson that I need to learn.
Ok, this is a moment of embarassment. My screen name is my dog’s name. Not to imaginative, I know. I’d much rather be ‘pissedoffliberal’ or ‘pessimistic’ or ‘Snarkassandra’. But when asked for a screen name, I didn’t realize how tied to it I would be (was a lurker for months) and the first thing that came to mind was my dog’s name. So, a 10yr old shitzu and I share a moniker.
And my very best to PJ and the rest of the Redhead household.
The last of our 5 kitties died last year after 15 years of permitting us to live with her. We have just not been able to bring ourselves to adopt another so we are without at the moment. We really do miss the bundle in the bed but neither of us can bear the thought of another kitty checking out.
Reading about your attachment to PJ brings happy thoughts to mind. Thanks
Good morning, everybody. I find that animal lovers are generally people that I can relate to, as we share a basic set of values. I have found a great deal of joy in my rescue dogs, strays who have wandered into my life and become an indispensable part of it.
(((nomolos)))
Hi Christy! Did the headbands get to you?
good morning!
i live with lily, kismet, rosie, merry and lucy. lucy is a tuxedo rescue kitty and the others are tonkinese (lily and kismet are platinum mink, rosie is platinum point and merry is champagne solid).
… and we are all very happy this week because we’ve discovered the best cat brush ever (there’s a bigger version for dogs).
ccmask – (as you can probably figure out by my way late response) nope, no coffee yet.
I have a small gray and white tabby, Lulu, going on six years with me. I got her from a friend into whose yard she wandered; she was small enough to hold easily in one hand.
Talk about spirit – when my friend called and I went over to see her, Lulu was at the far end of the hallway, ready to retreat to the basement, but hissing like she’d tear me to pieces if I took one step closer! She’s beautiful, affectionate and I wish there were a way to upload my favorite photograph of her.
And she’ll talk endlessly if I hold up my end of the conversation, so she may have a trace of Siamese in her genes.
Good Morning Christy,
Madam and I are dog people and a few years ago had to put the last of our old beagles down because of old age and all the trials that come with it. Would love to have another but we are both at the age where a dog might out live us so we have to settle for the occasional visit from the daughter who always brings her two.
Today is the Turning and Burning Festival at the Hewell Pottery in Gillsville, Ga. so that is the agenda for today. Some country music, food and fun. If any firepups are in the North Georgia area it is free and always worthwhile. A lot of North Georgia potters and other craftspeople have their wares for sale plus there is an exhibit of antique tractors and farm machinery. Come out if you have don’t have anything better on a beautiful fall day in N.Ga.
Good morning Christy. And good morning from Nell, the talking cat, an 8 year old brindle cat rescued from a Chicago animal shelter. She’s in-your-face affectionate, 24/7, and she convinced my daughter-in-law, who’s living with us while their new house is being finished AND who’s allergic to cats, that she needs a feline companion in their new digs. (Allergy medicine seems to help.)
‘My’ dog actually belongs to my daughter. There were no pets in my house (by my choice) for years. When she was a high school senior, she went out and bought the dog. Less than a year later, she left for college and I got the dog. After graduating, she moved to NYC and I still had the dog. That didn’t work out financially for her, so she moved back home to get her masters locally. Now, she’s on her own, living a few miles away. She has the dog sometimes but mostly, the dog that I never wanted is mine.
The Future Mrs Downunder and I have the The Ten Kilogram Kitty, 22 lbs of orange cat. Like all cats his motto is “It’s all about me” but he is very smoochie and very skilled at getting exactly what he wants. He lies on my desk (occupying all the available real estate) when I work from home. I had a bluie (Australian Cattle Dog) for many years, a great, warm hearted dog, though it must be said, not the brightest light on the tree. The Future Mrs and I are contemplating that a border collie is in our future.
My beloved border collie died 2 1/2 years ago, and I miss her more than anything. I mourn that dog more than any human I’ve ever known.
Will there be another race to come along and take over from us?
Pets – Porno for Pyros
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7rH5Sl5tsg0
Good morning all.
We’ve got Toby and Abby (named for characters in our fave teevee show, West Wing). Toby’s a 5 year old tabby, Abby a gray and white 3 year old. They are cats but Toby acts more like a monkey. He loves to climb and crawl all over and sit in my lap with his paws on my shoulders like a monkey or child would. Before them were Dickens and Murphy whom we both miss a lot. All of my kitties have come from shelters. Wouldn’t do it any other way.
So my office phone number is now connected and forwards to my house so I can hear from those needing me. One hitch—most people calling it think its the fascist Dominos Pizza. Last call last night came at 1:20 am. This needs to be fixed!
Lots more of the sermon to write this morning. Burma is weighing heavily on my mind . . . . (as is the plethora of things happening here, but for this sermon it’s Burma)
See y’all later if I can get it done at a reasonable time.
Not dancing with wolves, exactly, but I like talking softly to wild deer to encourage them to come closer. I use my hand to form a deer-shaped ear, and fold it backwards to show deference. They like this well enough to flip their tails, showing they think I’m safe.
More conventional animals: childhood wee dog named Angel, who howled along when we played piano; my beautiful brittany spaniel Bernadette, the kids’ shepherd Hawkeye, and more recently a houseful of bunnies.
My husband and I live with three cats all of whom were once homeless and who have repaid us many times over with their love and companionship.
When I visit other people’s homes and I see that they have neither pets nor plants–no living things requiring their care other than themselves–I wonder about them in the same way that I wonder about people who don’t have any books in their homes. Those houses seem cold and un-homey and, I agree with you, Christy, that I don’t feel I have much in common with people that live that without pets, plants, and books.
My cat is a stray who I took home from work to get her out of the weather during a hurricane about 2 years ago. She is “the one who cannot be tamed”. I’ve taken in stray cats before but this one is definitelya challenge. She loves to be outside and graces me with her presence late at night. I have a mother & daughter cat who come to feed at night and then they go right back into the grove. They come as soon as it is dark, eat, and go right back whereever they live. My son says it would be funny if it was really our neighbors’ cats…..My other one got taken by a gator about 5 months ago and I still miss her terribly. She was one of those “fat cats” and very loving, following me from room to room. I’ve been thinking of getting another lately and I have a very funny feeling that one will show up and decide to move in any day now.
I have my eye on one at the local 7-11….if I can catch it.
Yeah, I’ve noticed that there are definitely pet people and non-pet people. The non-pet people seem to view them either as a nuisance or as a sign of lower class. Some of my friends are that way. I just think they miss one of the real pleasures of life. We’ve always had one or two dogs and a couple have been almost superior to human companions. We’ve got two great dogs now, but there will never be another like our Sheltie, Dart, gone for nine years now.
I like animals, insects and plants but am not much of a pet person.
Sammy and Frannie- recently adopted kittens from the SPCA. Brother and sister that I wanted to keep together for their lives.
They bring me great joy in the middle of this national nightmare we are living in.
anon @ 20
Had a border collie for many years – extremely smart wonderful dog, but she had some attitude. She felt that since she was the smartest one in the house she should be in charge. In retrospect she may have been right.
Glad to hear PJ is doing better. My sweet Pooh Bear died suddenly 3 weeks ago from complications of Shar Pei fever. She would have been 4 years old in November. Nothing quite like the pain of losing your best furry friend.
We’re owned by 2 cats — Sweet Pea who’s solid black except for her white whiskers (she’s getting on in years, about 17 now) and Victoria, a seal point Siamese who was named for Queen Victoria, whom she emulates. You can tell when she’s not amused… They’re both “found” kitties. Sweet Pea galloped across the street one day about 16 years ago, up onto the porch, and said “Hi. I’m your new kitty.” Victoria was abandoned and comes from an animal rescue organization here. They’re both wonderfully affectionate.
Hi Christy – Dave in Okinawa delurking.
We’ve now have 7 dogs that we care for. Five of them were strays of one sort or another, but they all have a nome with us now.
The newest one is a very cute young male border collie mix, who showed up in our neighborhood 3-4 weeks ago. He’s in the house right now, along w/ 4 of the others because it’s raining outside pretty good. I think we’re going to name him Roy-Boy. My guess is that he’s only 6-7 months old. He has a very soft and fine coat, with a black muzzle and cute white socks on his front feet.
petedownunder @ 29
lol. in my house, i’m not sure which one of us is in charge… but i’m pretty sure it’s not me. *g*
We have two dogs, collectively known as ‘The Babies.” The 14-year-old Cairn Terrier has been with us since my wife and I first met. The other, an 8-year-old shepherd-husky mix, is one of the sweetest dogs I’ve ever met. They’re both blessings.
my partner is a ‘dog person.’ I mean loves dogs just delights in dogs.
loves their faces their mannerisms their goodness their joy their love.
Quiet Corner @ 24
And art on the walls or other surfaces.
Those four things can tell you much more than words.
I have a dog and two cats, I mean I have one, a tortoishell, and the dog has a gray tabby.
The dog, a nonplussed golden retriever has a most devoted friend — she sleeps with him, keeps his face clean, and even goes on walks with us — always taking the lead with tail upright when we get to the last block home. Oh yeah, and I’ve even caught her bringing him fresh killed morsels, too!
My kitty’s too shy for walking the neighborhood but she’s devoted to me, purrs ALL the time and insists on a massage when she takes her bath. And she’s the designated spokesman for the group, always telling me when the dog wants to go out or if he needs water or they need kibble. And as all you cat owners know, she will not be denied.
The dog is a doll, never complains and only barks if there’s really something to bark at — which makes it alarming when he does.
Love is in the water, love is in the air…
Collective Soul – Shine
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pP3yeqkkYBE
Our cat is named Ginger. He was about 2 when we got him. Within a couple of days of getting him, we had a carpenter here doing some drywalling for us, while my husband and I were working. When we came home we heard meowing, but couldn’t find Ginger. His cries seemed to be coming somewhere between floors. We finally figured out that Ginger had inadvertently fallen asleep where the carpenter had been drywalling and been trapped. After removing the drywall (thank goodness, it hadn’t been mudded), we found our boy.
He has given us many moments of laughter, being a brave and adventurous soul, he goes where angels fear to tread.
Our friends just got a brand new golden retriever puppy, they named her Gracie Allen, and she is the most adorable puppy ever.
Egregious@23
That is such a neat trick with the hand! I wish I would have known about it earlier. I once lived in a house which was sited upon an oasis of wooded land in the suburbs of Baltimore and had a small herd of about 8 or 10 deer. Over time, some of them became fairly trusting & would come close enough to eat veggies which I had placed on the ground close to me.
and i love the word their
i think i’ll take it for a walk
introduce it to the othere words out for a walk in the park
later go to the thesaurus society and see if i can take home a stray
OkiDave! Long time no see. Hope you’re doing well.
Mornin’ all.
My 5 year old boy and his 2.5 year old brother now have a frog named Sibley. They caught her at Sibley pond when she still had a tail. If you’re wondering, my boys have no thoughts of putting a firecracker in her mouth. We just have to make sure they don’t hug her too tight.
I love pets and grew up several family dogs and cats…but they were always outside animals. At the risk of starting internecine war; we teach our children that pets are just that. They are loved but there is a significant difference between our human family members and our furry and slimy ones.
Quiet Corner @ 24
i have some african violets, but have hesitated to get more/differnt plants…i know the cats will chew on any plant i bring into the house and i worry it won’t be good for them. sometimes i bring home wheat grass which the cats all love and it’s supposed to be good for them.
any suggestions on absolutely cat-safe plants?
OkiDave @ 32
Dave,
I was stationed in Okinawa many years ago. My youngest son was born there. We lived in Naha-Machinato, and I worked at Yoza Dake (cliff on southern end of island.) I’ve seen recent pictures and it has really changed.
Thanks Egregious – doing fine. I’m finally taking a couple weeks off from work. The oldest daughter came home from college (in mainland Japan) for a few days. She loves to come home to see all the four-footed kids.
Hey OkiDave! I lived at Naha for several years when I was kid. It was still an AFB then (59-63) It was quite an experience for a youngster. Where are you at?
Good morning from L.A. Wonderful news that your pooch is on the mend. And isn’t it funny how back to school inevitably signals the beginning of cold/flu season for students, parents, & teachers… ;->
Grew up on a farm, so have always had myriad cats (got to de-mouse those sheds, cellars, etc.) & dogs (living way down a back road you need a few barkers/howlers to let you know when folks are coming).
In a big city for yrs. now, & there are always strays- got 3 cats camping here & our own 3 dogs. Two doggies are Heinz 57 rescue pups, the other is my daughter’s French bull dog that she can’t have @ her apt. Our most harrowing dog rescue was on the Ventura Fwy, where a colleague & I stopped the car to chase & eventually grab a terrified chihuahua on an exit ramp. He lives w/her now & is a wonderful little guy.
My philosophy- pick up those strays if you can (safely is better, not running a race w/one near the fwy) even if you have to take them to a shelter. It’s better than the alternative…
I live alone with my adorable doggie Natasha, a stray who was abandoned in nasty weather around Xmas 10 years ago in Indianapolis when I lived there. She’s a German Shepherd something (Basenji? She’s got a Basenji butt for sure). Very friendly, cuddly Daddy’s girl.
Had a second rescue dog Millie here in Madison (a purebred German Shepherd, as neurotic and sweet as all getout), but had to have her put to sleep last year after a long neurological illness. Didn’t have the heart to rename her Boris, sometimes things just don’t work out as planned :-) Haven’t yet had the pluck to get out and get Natasha another playmate, but hope to.
Its a beautiful fall morning on the Seacoast of New Hampshire. After I finish up with my morning blog check, I will do what I do every weekend morning, drive to a little barn on the Great Bay and spend some time with my old bay mare. We’ve been together for 13 years. She is my first horse and has taught me so much. When I got her she was a run-and-gun, will-jump-the-moon thoroughbred. Had to learn how to ride a hot horse will fast or suffer the consequences (which I did on occasion). We had our ups and downs. She wasn’t quite the horse I wanted and I wasn’t quite the owner she wanted. But eventually we learned to compromise on our expectations. Now, in her final years (she is now 25), we are best friends. I can still ride her a little, when her arthritis isn’t too bad. But horses do more than carry you on their backs. They carry you into the world of nature. When I hand graze in a magnificent nature preserve behind the barn, the other critters – crows, deer, foxes take no notice of me. I am part of her world, and that makes me aces in their eyes.
Gotta go – have to make a stop at the grocery store to buy a bag of carrots.
selise @ 44
heres’ a link to links of cats and plants
PMA – that must have been a long time ago. Machinato is now a huge retail shopping complex along with some very upscale residential areas, with the monorail running through that area up to Shuri.
OkiDave @ 52
Yessir, it was 1967-1969. There were only scattered neighborhoods between Kadena and Naha at that time. We lived at the base of a long ridge called the Urasoe-Mura Escarpment. They were still running across 16′ naval shells when doing construction.
solai @ 7
I did that too – One of my cats is called Fern – the others are Meena and Zoe.
Quiet Corner @ 24
Uh oh. That’s my dream life (except for the ‘no books’ part). To have a house perpetually clean and requiring the tiniest amount of maintenance sounds like heaven.
Morning Christy and all
I don’t have any pets though we have talked about getting a coton de tulear. They are very cute but busy schedules have gotten in the way.
A friend of mine just started a coffee roasting company called “Muddy Dog”. His 9 year old daughter came up with a great slogan for the company: “Sit. Stay. Have some coffee!”
I thought that was pretty clever.
OkiDave is that huge cannon on top of the hill at Naha still there? It was in a big pill box overlooking the sea. It was still there because it was so large that it was too much trouble to remove. It made an imposing landmark.
Elliott @ 51
I wish I could find plants the cats won’t eat – they eat them down to the roots, then pull the roots up and eat those too.
Good morning nonplussed – you lived here on Okinawa before reversion (May, 1972). Wow – that’s going back some in time.
I live up above the Camp Butler HQs area – Kitanakagusuku. We’re very close to the Nakagusuku-jo or castle on the very top of the ridge overlooking Nakagusuku (Buckner) Bay, on the east side of island.
Lady Bug @ 50
NH seacoast today is lovely sunshine but was a little warm for sleep last night. Tide is half in. Going to Newfields farm stand to see John Finn and get some more great organic garlic. We still have carrots in the garden!!!
Interesting that humans can have dearly loved companion animals, use animals for work, and amusement, and then of course eat them.
Cognitive dissonance.
Animals think, and suffer, feel joy and sadness.
You can judge a nation by how it treats its animals.
We slaughter 100 billion of them a year.
Hey you White House, ha ha, charade you are
You house proud town mouse, ha ha, charade you are
You’re trying to keep our feelings off the street
You’re nearly a real treat
All tight lips and cold feet
And do you feel abused?
Pigs – Pink Floyd
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gaXHT8Sv2OQ
Anyway, I have a pair of dogs who are with me all day and have been together all their lives though from different litters. They are completely inseparable, react and think alike. They had two names, Belle and Beau, but they are now called Bellibo, two dogs, one name, always together… always.
nonplussed @ 57
nonplussed – this is before my first time on Okinawa (1981). I think most of those war relics are gone. The Okinawans rebuilt Shuri Castle a few years ago, and they are very proud of their restored landmark.
OkiDave @ 32
Seven! Holy moly. I’d hate to pay your vet/dry food/flea collar bill!
We’ve got two Jack Russells and they are nuts, I tell ya. We also have an orange cat who just decided he liked our house. Have a pet door in the back and he started to come in and visit us when we had another, big black cat who was my favorite. I would see the orange back end go out when I would get up in the morning to feed everyone. Wouldn’t come up to visit for a few months. Then, one night about 2 AM I woke up with an orange cat lying on my side and kneading me. I thought, I don’t even know you and here you are in bed with me! He is still with us and sadly, my big black buddy died at 16. One of the dogs makes it her business to get skunked at least every couple of months and she has a mad passionate hate for the raccoons who come up to the back to eat her dog food. I also wonder about people who have no pets, no books and no art….it makes me think they have no soul. I would imagine the bush’s house is like that….certainly the cheney’s.
Good Morning Animal Lovers:
We’re also a family of cats and dogs….the current ones are an orange tabby named Hobbes and an epileptic (and therefore expensive) German Shepherd named Bodie. But we wouldn’t have it any other way. By the way…for anyone within driving distance of the Foster School of Veterinary Medicine in Mass. I would most highly recommend using them if you have ANY concerns with your pet. They hooked us up with a new drug for epilepsy and, knock wood, the results have been astounding.
And, for laughs, remember Toonces the Driving Cat?
My current feline companion is named Dan’l and he’s sitting on the window sill surveying the world outside. I adopted him four plus years ago and the shelter said then he was “twoish.” He had been socialized as a kitten as he is very friendly (and vocal when other animals are around). He’s mostly indoor but I can put him in a harness and on the leash so that he can walk me. And he travels well in the car as we have moved from Albany, NY to Denver, CO to Apollo BEach, FL to San Antonio, TX.
I adopted him after mourning my previous companion for a year. LS was almost the exact opposite of Dan’l as she was small and highly anti-social. She had been my sister’s cat for 4 1/2 years before coming with me and staying for 13 1/2 years. But she loved to sleep next to me and get her head rubbed all the time!
My husband and daughter are both veterinarians. Pets of every description have make their home with us. When my husband and I started our practice, we lived in the clinic. It was not unusual to find a snake or two in the refrig cooling a bit in preparation for some kind of medical procedure. Snakes tolerate refrigeration better than anesthesia.
As long as they didn’t move too fast, I didn’t mind them.
ccmask – I do pay some vet bills, but to me, it’s worth it. These dogs deserve to be treated with dignity and cared for, and they give back much more than I spend to make sure they are in good health.
It’s a circus however when we take them all for a walk in the local neighborhood, as they just have to bark furiously and lunge on their leashes for the first 100 meters or so – it’s obviously a dog thing.
I’m so glad to hear PJ is doing better.
Hugs, Christy, for you and yours.
We have a black and white beagle-dachsund mix. Such a sweetheart, extremely protective of us. She reminds my sons of Chris Rock when she barks and tells us off.
“You came home finally! Well, give YOU a cookie!” lol
Years ago, my little dog, sort of a peke-poodle-mutt mix, was sitting on my lap when I was a teenager and was reading “The Island of the Blue Dolphins.”
During one very sad part of the book I just cried so hard I could hardly breathe. That little dog licked my face and my tears.
Fierce love!
fallenmonk @ 16
Have you looked into fostering? Almost all animal shelters & rescue groups are in desperate need of foster families, to care for dogs or cats as they transition to “permanent” homes.
There’s a particular need for a tranquil home environment for pets who’ve been traumatized or need socialization before they can be placed.
This option would get you a furry presence, and give you the warm feeling of doing a good deed, but assure you that if your “resident pet” outlasted you, it would be well cared-for.
It can be difficult “letting go” of a foster, but it’s gratifying knowing he/she is going to a good home, and that by releasing him/her you’re making room for the next pet in your home.
Just a thought. [From Ms. Chow Rescue who currently has four furries in my house. If I knew how to link pictures, I would.]
Just behind Parliament Hill (and the Parliament bldg.) in Ottawa is a little wooded area where (I assume he’s still active) the ‘cat man’ keeps strays, all sorts of them, little houses with lots of bowls for catfood.
you can see him busy all the time. people leave donations for cat food.
nomolos @ 60
Hasn’t the past few weeks been gorgeous (we do need rain though; I’m beginning to worry about the water tables). Had dinner in York Maine last night, right on the beach. Didn’t mind the warm evening because the breeze from the ocean was so brisk. But oh the smell and sounds of the waves crashing against the rocks, it was heaven. Carrots from the garden – mmmm – my sweet old girl would love those (and me too).
How nice to know there is another Firepup on Seacoast (I’m in Portsmouth). Have a great day.
SanderO @ 63
abo gato @ 66
those are both cute stories!
I’ve been awakened by all kinds of cats in my life but never one with orange hair making love to me.
OkiDave @ 70
That is so funny. I had a flashback of some dogwalkers I knew in Manhattan. These guys really know how to walk through traffic and street lights like nobody’s business. Always been amazed by it. That’s love, times 7.
Oh heehee there are 3 deer in my yard. brb
Late to a pet thread ! Black and yellow labs Siri and Zoey send greetings. One or both are usually at my feet when I’m here so it’s not like they’re strangers to FDL.
Elliott @ 51
thanks, Elliott. do you know of a list of safe plants?
As I write this my Italian Spinone is snoring on his doggie bed nearby. The Yellow Lab has the Spinone’s spot on the couch. They are great pals and devoted to our family as we are to them. Both our kids are away at college now. Sometimes I think they come home just to see the dogs. :) It is a joyful reunion to see.
When we had to euthanize our old Golden Retriever 11 years ago, I swore I’d never have another dog. Now we have 2, and it will break my heart all over again when they die. Then I suppose I will get more … I can’t imagine being happy without a Good Dog by my side.
Good Morning Christy and all firepups!
I am glad your daughter is feeling better and that PJ, your pup, is on the mend. Also, I hope that you will shake off the headcold soon.
We have had many pets over the years. Usually they were other peoples’ pets who no longer were wanted . Little animals like guinea pigs, hamsters, gerbils, parakeets, mice, fish, two kittens(Isis, and Godiva), and a rat. We had our own pets too, rabbits(Alice, Anakin Skywalker, and Precious), and Rusty, our miniature pincher.
Each one was loved dearly. Our children helped take care of them and learned that pets are not owned but are entrusted to them.
Recently, last winter, a friend of my son could not keep her 2 poodles, Belle and BJ(Bing Jr), when she moved into her new apartment. Belle and BJ were 9 and 11 years respectively. She was frantically seeking homes for them both. She had even had to separate them to find safe places for them. After a few weeks she would have to find a new place. She feared sending them to the shelter especially with the dogs being so old.
My son told her about me and how I had taken in animals over the years. He asked me if I would take Belle. One thing led to another and I had both pups to care for over the winter time.
The back story on this young woman and her dogs was that she and they had been together since she was 11 or 12 years old. The separation from them for her was heartbreaking and distressing. Her dogs also were having separation problems.
It all worked out with a happy ending for her and for her pups. She moved into a rural house with a fenced in dog run. I cried a lot after those pups left. It was a short time, but their love toward me, well, let me just say that I think animals understand a whole lot more than humans give them credit for.
I apologize for going on and on. Thank you Christy for the wonderful work you do along with Jane and all the others. I have learned so much from each of you. And thanks for giving me a chance to share. Love to you and all firepups! :)
selise @ 79
Asparagus ferns are safe for cats, that one I know.
We have, along with 2 dogs who read our minds, a beautiful, sweet 18yr old cat who is in great shape for her age except for some arthritis in back legs. Anyone have experience with what treatments help elderly, arthritic cats?
When she finally goes to that happy hunting ground someday, I would like to get a couple of long-haired kittens & like what I read about Siberians. Anyone know what their personalities are like?
egrDaughter’s volunteer work is training other volunteers at the animal shelter in how to calm traumatized and abandoned creatures. Wonder if there is such a thing for humans.
dakine01 @ 82
Catnip too :)
Have any of you seen the documentary “Why Dogs Smile and Chimpanzees Cry”? It’s wonderfully done and truly touching. One of the faves in this house.
egregious @ 77
I see deer every morning on my way to work. And cows. Lots of cows (it’s what’s for dinner! the billboards read everywhere you go). This week two baby cows were born. I swear, on Monday, this new baby brown cow had a white streak across his head that looked exactly like a lightning bolt. He could barely walk–not sure of his footing yet. It was so adorable!
selise @ 79
I guess I would just make sure what I picked out wasn’t on one of the lists. A good nursery should be able to help, I would think.
It’s not something I’ve ever had trouble with, cats eating my plants, but then they aren’t indoor cats either. (Apparently I’m the only one in the neighborhood who let’s their cats out but I’m not feeling guilty about it, they’re spayed. *sniff* I love kittens.)
Lady Bug @ 74
Yep in Portsmouth as well. Lots of active progressives here.
Great blues at York Harbour Inn from Bob Halperin Sunday evening.
We are doing a house party for Edwards after our vacation you are welcome.
my email finn@campaignfree.org
twolf1 @ 85
LS (my previous companion) actually had a catnip plant all her own that she never touched! I wound up with a plant that grew all over the kitchen!
Good Morning, Firepups!
It’s still foggy here in central Jersey this morning, with more summer-like temperatures in the forecast.
Always had dogs as a kid: a dalmatian named Snoopy, then a great miniature wire-haired dachsund named Missy [who would beg, howl, and generaly thought of herself as human]. We briefly owned a German short-haired pointer, and then the first of two Scotties. All of them great animals, and great friends.
Reading this book: The Emotional Life of Animals, by Karine Lou Matignon. Great photos.
solai @ 18
My daughter begged us to let her get a Yellow Lab from a litter my sister’s Lab had 4 years ago. We already had our Spinone, so I refused. My husband (without telling me) said ok. That pup drove me nuts for 3 months. Both kids had school and swim practice twice a day their part-time jobs, so guess who got to take care of the pup … while also trying to keep her from aggravating our poor old Spinone to death? I was furious for a while — even considered giving her back to my sister — but this dog has become the sweetest shadow ever. She’s loving and alert and obedient and playful, and she and the Spinone are best friends. It was truly a blessing in disguise that my husband caved.
We once had a cat named Toonces. Unfortunately, her skills in proper cat urinating etiquette were as bad as her namesake’s driving skills.
Our house is a very, very, very fine house with two cats in the yard,
life used to be so hard,
now everything is easy cause of you…
Our House – Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4hIufDhAmUA
radiofreewill @ 95
oo good selection for this thread!
And now Dan’l has joined me in the chair. He’s wedged himself in on his back and is sleeping peacefully. We do have to fight for the space at first though. :})
Then, there is another side to dogs. I grew up in San Antonio in the pre-leash law days and had a paper route. My Dad taught me not to show fear. It wasn’t always easy. Try peddling a bike with a boxer toying with each heel as it comes back on the peddle.
Thanks, Christy for this thread — I’ve enjoyed reading all of the comments about everyone’s pets.
The dogs are settling in for the night. A late season typhoon is passing well to the south (smacking into Taiwan), so we’re letting the kids stay inside for tonight, as it’s wet and windy outside. They love it when we let them come in for the night.
Good night to all you Fire Pups.
Dave in Okinawa
egregious @ 84
Maybe not a direct answer, but related, I think.
My parents just got a puppy – King Charles Spaniel(?). Cutest little thing you ever saw (and yes, I *am* thinking about borrowing her for a day or two for some ‘nonchalant’ walks around downtown). Mom named her after her late sister. Dad, who is suffering from Alzheimer’s, adores her, and is as happy as I’ve seen in in two or three years. Every time I call, Sophie (the dog) is sitting on his lap while they watch a little teevee and take turns napping at the end of the day. Everybody’s happy, and that little puppy gets the credit.
Good night Dave, thanks for awakening all of my old memories! Especially Shuri Castle, it was only the foundation blocks and and gently undulating terrain-the landscape caused by the ferocious shelling of the battleship’s gigantic guns. I googled it, the castle is truly magnificent now!
Gotta keep movin’, gotta keep movin’…
Hellhound on My Trail – Fleetwood Mac
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zskkCFiE3ug
I have a resident toad, too.
I once bought a Japanese Toad Lily just to see what it would look like when it bloomed, and like the next day, I had a toad. And I gave some to a friend and she got a toad and when I moved, I moved the toad lily and voila! I have a toad here. I suppose it’s because toads are everywhere but I like to think it’s the lure of the lily.
BTW the toad lily is blooming now, that’s one of the neat things about it, it blooms late September early October (zone 6 here) and it has very clean foliage, too.
I have one outside cat (who was exiled because she was petrified of the other cats and marked every carpet in the house–all of which has now been removed), and four inside cats. The outside cat and one of the inside cats are my daughter’s cats, both rescued, neither sociailized as kittens. The other two are tabbies, and littermates. One day about 9 years ago, a half-grown kitten wandered up the driveway begging for food. My (now) ex said ’she’s not hungry, she looks well-fed’. I suggested that instead she was preggers. And she was. The kids and I spent our evenings that summer ’solializing’ them….in other words having a blast playing with them, with the undestanding that we would find them good homes. I wanted the kiddos to have the experience of being around kittens since our others had been from the rescue society. It was our Kitten Summer, and a lovely time. We ended up keeping two….Chaucer and Galileo. Chaucer weighs 9 pounds and Galley weighed 23 pounds before an acute pancreatic attack that cost about $2K to save him at a time when I had to pull the money out of my retirement fund to do it. Most people would say I’m nuts, but I couldn’t see letting my dear friend go. Both Chaucer and I would have been lost without him. Now it’s insulin shots twice a day, and I’m pretty tied to the house. They are great office cats, since I work from home, and Chaucer is my sandpaper-my-face-with-his-tongue alarm clock. Galley’s my shrink…always knows if I’m down and comes over to talk me out of it.
Last year, my parents moved to a nursing home and I inherited my dad’s yellow tom, and he didn’t like the other cats, so I had to give him his own room. Mornings and evenings he must have lap time so I lure the others downstairs with ‘treat time’ to get them out of my room so he can have his social time.
It’s a zoo….and that’s before the raccoons and possums that come at night to eat the outside cat’s food. Oh, yeah, and I live in the middle of a city…it’s a regular urban wild kingdom around here.
Over at TPM, Josh is saying that Senator ToeTapper is likely to be censured but will stay in the Senate. Vitter may be censured also.
jayt @ 100
(((jayt))) sorry to hear about your father.
I used to take my dog to a home that cared for patients with dementia, it’s amazing what a connection is made. There was one woman who was really withdrawn, didn’t respond to people but she sure came out of her shell when the dog was around!
I’m another who has appropriated a pets name for my screen name. Pade was my wonderful Airedale. She lived to be almost 15 and is missed every day. This house is very full of dogs. There are two Airedales – one is Pade’s great great granddaughter. Then there are 9 wire dachshunds – the standard size. They keep my life busy and make me laugh every day. I have had Airedales since 1974 and wires since the late 80’s. They all get along wonderfully and have a great time playing together. A number of the older ones are on the bed keeping track of me as I type. The youngest are out playing on the kids playground equipment I have found for them to climb on. They are really my family. After I retired I searched for a place in the country and found the perfect place for us. We have lots of space and no real close neighbors. Dachshunds in a pack can be a bit noisy.
All enjoy your animal companions.
I recently did the math and realized that Brady, who we got from collie rescue and don’t have an exact birthdate for, is probably around 10. I’ve started to notice that he’s getting a bit arthritic. My heart sinks at the thought that he’s no longer a young dog with lots of years left. He is a *great* friend.
solai @ 105
Talk about herding cats.
When I had my restaurant, I had ordered 2 umbrellas for the patio tables. I took the very long box home and filled it with styrofoam peanuts and used it for the kittens. Everynight I would drag out the box and they would climb in and out of that box (the box was great because it wasn’t very high but it was very long and can hold a lot of cats & kittens) and have so much fun. My other two cats would also climb in the box and I swear, you have never seen a bunch of animals have a better time. When they were done, I would put all the peanuts back in the box and back under my bed. Cat Disney.
Good morning all, wicked hot in Indiana today. Glad to hear your pup is on the mend Christy.
Since my wife is allergic to cats, we got the next best thing-Pomeranians! We got Lizzie from a breeder in 1994, she could’a been a contender but we didn’t want the hassle. She greeted our kids with great skepticism, but finally adapted.
A few years later, my wife met a lady in Wal-Mart who had rescued a bunch of Poms, so we went to see them. They had a bunch of young ones and 1 old one. When we got there, the old one came right up and put her legs on us, so we kew she was the one. She had heartworm so bad you could see them on the ultrasound, and a heart murmur, but we nursed her back to health and enjoyed her for a few years. We finally put Trouble to sleep after her heart gave out, very traumatic.
2 years ago, we found another Pom that needed to be rescued. He is a boisterous boy named Pippin, and he is a handful! My wife says that Trouble sent Pippin to us because he has 2 white spots on his back that look like angels wings.
I present you my Firedogs! (with weapons to fight the fascists)
Slide show for Big Cat lovers…World’s Fastest Chicken at 1:25…
Bungle in the Jungle – Jethro Tull
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m98PPRdcyBc
egregious @ 84
I learned how to mesmerize a chicken from our high school psychology teacher. She brought it in and stroked it and talked to it very soothingly…slower…slow…er…until it just would lie there like a rag doll in her arms.
It came in very, very handy when I had to calm people who had OD’d and were getting NG tubes, charcoal, the whole works. They were able to tolerate it much better.
I grew up with a standard poodle named Coquette. We got her when I was just shy of two years old (this is a very long time ago). One of her endearing habits (to me, at least) was to follow the girl next door to her school where she was a crossing guard. Coquette would stay with her until she had to start classes, and then return home, raiding every garbage can on the way.
At least once a month, we’d find her in the front yard facing down the dog catcher. My mother would dutifully write the check for the fine and life continued as normal. I’ve never not had a dog since, usually two or three and once four. The batch of four included a rescued Great Dane. La vie est belle…
For those of you who’ve lost pets and think you aren’t ready for another, remember that if you adopt a rescue animal, you’re saving a life. Not necessarily the life of the pet you adopt, but somewhere down the line an animal on death row will get adopted who would otherwise be passed by. For the couple who didn’t want to adopt because they think the pet might outlive them, how about adopting a senior animal? We see some wonderful senior animals in rescue; often their owners have died or moved to nursing homes.
I hate losing pets, too, but I remind myself that their life spans are shorter than ours. I just had my last cat put to sleep last week at almost 19. Some people have tried to comfort me, but this was a triumph! She was found feral at five weeks old, and she lived a long secure, and pampered life. I count that as a plus in my column that I nurtured and protected her while she was here.
greennotGreen
9 dogs, 12 birds, 1 frog, 1 lizard
A week ago Thursday, at about 11pm, a neighbor found one of the stray kittens that the other neighbors feed (I don’t and there’s a reason) with his left eye out of the socket. He caught him, put him in a carrier and took him to the local vet Friday morning. That evening Jeff came over and asked if there was any way I could take this little guy. He had tried all the agencies and none would take him because either he was a stray (SPCA) or was injured and the volunteers couldn’t care for him (Friends of Strays). I thought about it and agreed to take him, even though I already have a house full of little house lions. I’ve had issues with the local vet for some time now and when I saw this little guy the first time Saturday morning my feelings were just validated. The surgery looked as if it had been done on somebody’s garage workbench. Tuesday we went to my vet because the wound had abscessed over the weekend. Wednesday morning my vet called me and said he would be fine but preliminary bloodwork showed little MoJo was positive for a minor strain of leukemia and he strongly recommended that I not reintroduce him into my home. Needless to say, I’m still devastated. The local vet never bothered to do the bloodwork any vet would normally do for a stray, or any other new animal for that matter. I could never forgive myself if any of my animals became infected due to a selfish action on my part. When I took MoJo in I wrongly assumed that the local vet had done his due diligence. Luckily my vet has a great tech working for him, Julie, who has an extensive network of folks who rescue animals and little MoJo will find a good home. He’ll be in the hospital for about a month but will get the love and care he deserves. And the neighbors have gotten a loud and clear wakeup call about dealing with strays. And Michael Schroeder, DVM is the greatest vet I’ve ever dealt with. He and Julie set me up, and I do mean set me up, to take my oldest, Missy, when she was 19 and recovering from thyroid surgery. But that’s another story.
Love your animals like you want to be loved. We’ll all meet at the Rainbow Bridge one day and I want my loved ones to be waiting for me with lots of purring and rubbing.
One of my friends lost his very elderly father a few yrs ago. The father’s name was John. He immediately bought his widowed mother a cat to keep her company. He tells us that one day as he was walking into his mother’s house, he could hear her talking and she kept saying “Johnny, would you like to eat” or “Johnny, shall we watch TV?”. Well, as I’m sure you’ve figured out, this lonely old lady named her cat after her deceased husband. Both funny and sad at the same time.
Twisted Martini @ 111
Blackwater ain’t got nothin’ on them!
radiofreewill @ 112
lol
So true about animal lovers being the sort of people that it’s generally a pleasure to relate to! I have had three labradors, and am down to the youngest who turns nine in December (oi!).
The first one we got was my heart-dog — she would do anything we asked her to do, and it was a lot: she was first trained as a disaster dog (avalanche, earthquake, etc), and then later as a cadaver dog (more euphemistically a body recovery dog), all of which took hours of patient training, which she poured her heart into and had quite a career.
My second was the ultimate sweetie, a complete marshmallow. We were going to have her trained the same way, but she didn’t stand up to the pressure, and I just couldn’t bear to push her in training. She had plenty of love and licks to spare, and later when I found some activities she enjoyed and actually did go hard charging for, I incorporated that into our lives.
My third one is as smart as a whip and is by far the quirkiest of the lot. She’s sneaky, likes to play games, and bounces around. She’s as smart as my first dog, and is plenty affectionate, but has always had those little “devil’s horns” on to trip me up, at which point I swear she smirks at me. At the same time, she’s a massive cuddler, if I let her up on the bed or couch with me, she nearly pushes me off (I don’t *think* it’s intentional *g*) because she scootches right up to smoosh into me.
It was very hard to lose my first two and I’ve dithered on whether to get another one to keep her company or what. These days I spend a lot of time away from home (when I got them as puppies, it was completely the opposite and for many years I could also take at least one to work with me).
Ah, labbies. Sweet dogs.
nice toad story, too, Elliott.
We have a calico cat….she’s about 4 (we’ve had her 3 of those years). She’s very smart and curious and we think she’d like to have a job. She’s fascinated with the pen when I do crosswords and if she can get the pen when I’m not looking she stashes them under the rug. She was a stray who wandered into a friend’s yard. Their kids loved her but were allergic. I said we’d take her and they took her to the Humane Society to be spayed first. The Humane Society called to say that she tested positive for feline leukemia and did I want her euthanized. Since I hadn’t even met her yet that was tough. I said I’d call them back. I did some research and found out that a high percentage of those tests are false positives, so I opted to keep her. She hasn’t been sick a day so far in the past 3 years. We love her.
greennotGreen @ 115
Wonderful to read yr. post, greennotGreen. Thanks for sharing.
Talk about crafty. Our small female sheltie, Gwen, stands in front of me and stares until I get up to let her outside. When I open the door, our swaggering male corgie, Beau, rushes out to be first out. Then Gwen won’t go. She just lured me into getting him outside so she has the house alone. They use me like a tire tool.
Oh, I’ve done rescue work too. I’ll never forget my first rescue. Mind you I knew quite a bit about labs, training, etc., but almost nothing about dogs that had been abandoned, traumatized, illtreated, whatever. The first one I pulled out of the shelter turned out to be at least 10 years old, arthritic, and in general a complete shambles — hardly the kind of dog people want to adopt. He was super sweet though. I must have had him for six months — I was sure I was going to wind up keeping him — until I found his adopter: a 91 year old man being cared for by his daughter who missed terribly having a dog but was convinced he couldn’t adopt one at his age. His daughter spotted Kody’s profile and contacted me. When I brought Kody over to meet the man and see how they got along, I swear Kody never looked back at me, and immediately adopted the old man on his own! This was just supposed to be a meeting to see what everyone thought; I wound up filling out the paper work and leaving him there. Kody lasted two more years and the man himself died about six months later. His daughter sent me a picture of them every six months or so, and that adoption was the most special one, out of all the ones I ever did…
I was told for this project at work to make sure I had a book handy, as there was likely to be a lot of down time. Turns out there wasn’t. Most days this week I was doing lecture prep on my lunch hour.
Last night I finally got a chance to read a bit of one of the books I borrowed from the Ohio Center for Autism and Low Incidence. We really need to be better prepared for the whole IEP thing this year.
Will be bringing that with me in a few minutes to read while Daughter is in choir practice.
(Guess last week’s “Dog Party” post is kind of on topic for this thread.)
Four meowsers who rule the leinie household.
The oldest is a long haired black and white stray named Hippy. The sweetest cat you will ever meet – he lets little kids just drag him around. As a friend once said, “That cat’s part stuffed animal.”
Next is our only female, Mau Pau, a tabby with gorgeous green eyes. She tolerates Hippy and hates the other two boys. We love her anyway cuz she loves us.
Billy Bob is a flame point siamese with all the crankiness that encompasses. He’s a stray we took in, despite his FIV positive state, cuz we just couldn’t see him put down. So far, the rest of the cats are ok and haven’t caught it.
Finally, Squeaker just wandered into the yard one day and said “I live here.” That cat’s got more personality than any ten cats. He’s too much fun – and makes the coolest noises.
Thanks for sharing, all of you, it made me smile. Enjoy your weekend!
No pets, but here on our hill in North Carolina, the deer come into the yard and take naps,play, and search for a bit of grass (or dogwood leaves) to chew. Our 8 year old son chased them when small, but now just enjoys their activities.
I am getting over a sinus/ear infection – and enjoying a little bit of rain we had,not enough to help the drought, but refreshing, nonetheless.
I was really hoping W would stop in and tell us about his pet goat.
chun yang @ 128
I would rather have root canal than a sinus infection. They are so painful! Feel better soon :))
Sorry, I was up early flogging the oven and missed this delightful post. I grew up in a house with one cat. Pets were not a big deal when I was a kid. But once I was married and moved to what passes for a farm (more like a farm-ette, but I digress), and we started with livestock, our whole outlook changed. Our three kids grew up having to take care of livestock. The dogs and the cats came later, but I feel that the lessons they learned from the livestock became even more valuable with the pets.
First and most important was: It does not matter how you feel when you wake up at 5:45 a.m. to join the rest of the family to go up to the barn. Unless you are running a fever of 102, have open sores or a broken leg, you have the obligation to take care of your animals (each child had their own livestock). The animals are under our care. They trust us to do what needs to be done to take care of them in terms of keeping them healthy, fed and watered. Put your crankiness second. You can indulge that when you get back to the house. If you ARE sick enough to “get off”, you STILL have to negotiate with someone else to do your duty. Only equal duty will be allowed (no, “I’ll wash your dishes if you milk all my goats this morning”). Don’t try to take advantage of smaller sibs to get this done.
Second: The animals under your care deserve your best attention. Nothing less is allowed. It is not that the animals are an investment (even though they were and the kids knew it – every Easter season, they would line up along with the rest of the 4-Hers to haggle with the buyers from New York for the lambs. And they would leave with a pocket full of their own cash and a well-deserved trip to the bank), it is that they are living beings having been put on the plant and that we all have the honor and obligation to care for them. These are the animals who came in from the dark and allowed us to touch them and keep them by the fire. Whatever “jobs” they do in their connection with us (frighten away other less-friendly animals, vermin control, help to feed us and clothe us) is secondary to the immeasurable goodness they add to our lives.
Are my kids saints because they grew up taking care of animals? Saints? No. They are really good kids, who happen to be extremely compassionate, whether it is for animals, children, GLBT, or people of other religions and cultures. They are all liberals and fighters for the cause. They don’t blow up frogs, lie about weapons of mass destruction, or try to take other people’s rights away. They don’t believe we have the right to a greater share of the world’s resources just because we live here in the US. They are extremely curious people who read widely, ask questions and feel extremely comfortable challenging what is going on.
And I really do believe that growing up with, taking responsibility for, and learning to love animals had a part in making them who they are today.
‘Morning and congrats on successful surgery, Redd. I love pets, too. We are at our lowest inventory in years, having just moved and lost our beloved kitten Toby to the call of the wild. He loved the outdoors, and jumped out a second story window one night and disappeared. We suspect coyotes.
Currently we have a black and tan “rotten lab” (rottweiler/lab mix) named Brownie by the Sprout; an 18 lb., 10 yr. old cat named Lucky and an orange tabby,now 7, Nick. We adopted last them year after their owner passed.
As many of you know, the Sprout is now 8 1/2. He is funny and smart and sweet and loving (boys, who knew?) and marches in the small-town parades with us dressed as Suuuup-er Democrat Boy in his sparkly Uncle Sam hat and whatever wondeful costume he comes up with. He came with us to YKos the first year and caused a stir with his “I already know more than the President” T-shirt. My beloved cat, Emma, died while we were at YKOS, too, of kidney failure.
One unexpected pet love, the direct result of being mom to a boy, was our rat, Scabbers. OMG. How can you love a rat? But we did. He was amazing. Sprout would let him out sometimes and twice he escaped to the outdoors…and returned, waiting patiently at the front door for us to find him.
He and the dog would play soccer and flip-the-rat. They had a hacky-sack that they would take turns rolling up and down our hallway. Then Scabbers would come up to Brownie, do his little happy-rat dance and Brownie would flip him in the air with his nose. Scabbers loved this game and it entertained us all immensely. Unfortunately, rats don”t live very long.
Since we have been kind of rescue central for a lot of animals in our lives, we are teaching Sprout both the responsibility of pets but also a zen mind set – how to love them with your whole self, knowing they will break your heart when they leave – in a box or out your second floor window. We are currently on the hunt for kittens.
Our cat Tenny is almost 21.
My daughter picked her out of a litter from our friends barn when she was in Kindergarten.
She is now finished grad school and in the working world.
Tenny is old, but still rules the home. She is the sweetest most lovable cat there is and I don’t know what we will do without her, it will be like losing a child.
I had cats all of my life, sometimes as many as three, until about 10 years ago, when I had to put the last, old and sick, to sleep. Over the years I developed an allergic reaction to them, and since my job responsibilities often required travel, I decided not to “re-cat” the household. And my now 6 year old granddaughter and my 13 year old grandson are both asthmatic, so not having pets at my house is probably better, too.
But I miss my sweet kitties.
ccmask @ 129
lol
Or, the drugstore cowboy could tell us about his fear of horses.
solai @ 135
Yeah. That is so hard for a rancher, too.
After World War 4, your Dog will tell You what to do…
A Boy and His Dog – Trailer for the Modern Cult Classic
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_9ermq_-jog
I have cats. They have come as strays. It is terrible that people adopt an animal and then leave it behind when they move.
I love animals and have tons of animal stories.
I only have one cat with some health problems. He is doing really well now. He has FiV, which in fact is not so contagious that he can’t live with other cats (it is not feline leukemia which is really contagious), he is not aggressive and won’t bite any of the others. He recently had most of his teeth pulled, and one day after the surgery was able to eat food directly from a can, something he had not been able to do for months.
It is wonderful to have him eating without pain.
radiofreewill @ 137
Don Johnson!
Morning, all.
The essential quality that people who aren’t animal lovers are missing is empathy. It has been widely noted that this trait is shared by many supporters of a certain political party. Go figure.
radiofreewill @ 137
Personally, I think it’s a great movie, but I wonder how many parents take their kids to see it expecting a traditional pet story and then drag them out cursing in disgust.
What a nice post and thread. Can’t escape without mentioning my Molly. She’s a 14-year-old beagle/jack russell mix and for all of her time on Earth has not strayed too far from my side. Recently she suffered a mini stroke, so the vet says, and no longer has the use of her hind legs. This makes it difficult for her to stay by my side, but until her doggie wheelchair arrives, she slowly drags her overweight body across the carpet as best she can to be near me. I’m confronted with the thought of her passing and what a huge emotional drain that will have on me. In the meantime, though, I carry her outside to do her business and cheerfully pick her up and bring her back into the house. God, what a great friend she’s been.
In case you haven’t seen it yet, here is a cat flushing a toilet, over and over and over…
My precious little rescue pug died on Election Night last year, as I was watching the Dems take control of both houses. I try to imagine it was a worthy sacrifice. RIP, Worf.
Mommiebrain@132
That is terrific rat story! I had a escaped rat (he was originally destined to be a rescue snake’s dinner) but he eluded me for several weeks. When I finally discovered him/her, the rat was dining with my traitorous cat! It was classic, a white rat and a black cat, sharing a bowl of food! The rat had also roughly doubled in size and it’s fur was kind of spiky, apparently it was a rebellious teenage rat. It was definitely thriving on Purina Cat Chow. It’s only a consonant away, I guess…
Morning Christy and pups.
So glad little PJ’s on the mend. Boyohboy they tug at the heartstrings, don’t they.
Since I was a stay-at-home mom/serious gardener in my previous life (retired now, whew), we had lotsa critters. Strange to say, there was no basis for this in my own childhood home, except they always had a pet dog or 2.
So we ’self-taught’ gardeners/back-to-the-landers found people to mentor us – our major prof. in grad school, a landlord, later a neighbor, lots and lots of book-reading and experimenting 1st hand. But learning first hand from a kindly friend was the best.
I had had a horse as a teenager/early 20’s, and missed her terribly. But we had no room for horses, and no money for boarding one, so I searched for the next best thing for our own home – and we discovered Alpine goats. One of the sweetest, smartest “pets” known to mankind, and they happen to give milk on the side. Our kids grew up with their kids, joined 4H, and hand-raised their own little goat babies (bottle fed by choice, because it makes them so tame and loving, and allows the family to control the milking process easier).
Long-winded, round-about story to say having those goats was golden in helping our own youngsters to become responsible, caring adults. Parents can rant till their faces turn purple, but their power is weak compared to that of a sweet pet who calls to her boy that she’s hungry, and it’s time to be milked. ;->
‘breaking’ banner at msnbc.com: Source: “Magnitude-6.0 quake strikes near Mariana Islands in Pacific Ocean”
msmolly @ 134
That’s a tragedy!
I don’t know what I would do if that happened to me. I’m a natural born cat person
(btw I swear it’s a heritable trait, that gene just does not exist on my mother’s side. I am the only one on that side of the family that has a cat, but not so on my father’s side. :)
I have never been much of an animal person. My brothers and sisters had lots of pets, and I didn’t mind them. But I liked books more.
However, I have kids. Over the years, my three have had six dogs, three birds, two rabbits, an iguana, two cats, a turtle, and the “Horrible Snake That Freaked Mom Out”. Oh, and 28 guppies. (I loved the guppies…)
What I loved about our pets was how they, by their simple needs and their unconditional love, brought out the very best in my kids.
And I still get a giggle out of some of the names the kids chose: “Cow” (black and white kitten) “Seven” (the Dalmatian), “Satan” and “Jesus” (rabbits), and “Olly-Her” (originally Oliver, till we discovered she was female).
I’m sad. A year and a half ago, I found a parakeet at a horse show on the bumper of my truck. I brought him home and he has entertained us ever since with his hilarious antics. This morning Mr. LS noticed he was acting oddly and on the bottom of his cage and 15 minutes later, he died of an apparent stroke/heart attack. He had free range to fly around the house, but slept in his cage at night. I never knew his age, but I think he was older because of some things, so I’m chalking it up to old age. Burt RIP
nonplussed @ 145
lmao!
LS @ 150
(((((LSs! & ‘keet!)))))
msmolly @ 134
I don’t know all the ins and outs, but I was mildly allergic to Dan’l when I first adopted him. He likes to lay on my chest when I first go to bed and I would be just completely congested. But after about six months, I adjusted to him and we’ve been fine ever since.
RIP Burt
So sad. RIP Burt.
We had a parakeet once, he died the same way.
LS, don’t be sad – when parakeets are done, they get to…
Fly Away – Lenny Kravitz
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JOQcNzdDa50
poohsmom @ 30
I’m so sorry. We had a shar pei mix for years and loved him. What is shar pei fever?
Ah the kids’ pets. Under the category of things you never imagined doing, we shopped weekly for live crickets to feed their four anoles [like mini gekkos]. I felt a little sorry for the crickets, but loved our anoles, who turned green in my hand when gently rocked and sung to.
PeteCO @ 140
then there’s the type of mommy-dearest who aids & abets and laughs along as her little urchin of a spawn mindlessly blows up frogs with firecrackers. Bar. I hardly know her, and I don’t think I wanna know more. But I often wonder if she has any regrets or even the slightest twinge of an idea about what she & the mister have loosed on this poor world.
Oh fer chrissake, I turned on MSNBC and what are they discussing?????? Obama’s flag pin.
we have Jack. A 14-year-old (in Feb.) dobie/lab mix. He has 3 legs, having lost the back left to benign tumor last October. He did well for a long time but now his right front is bothering him and he cant walk by himself. In all other respects, he is hisself….happy, catching treats, glad to be rubbed on the belly or chest. though at 95 or so he sleeps allot.
the biggest challenge is using a sheet under his haunches to help him walk. he weighs close to 100 pounds. and some days he doesnt quite get the bodily function done near the tree.
We have a “dumpster kitty” – a calico that I literally found in the dumpster at work. She is “Miss Attitude” and rules the house that she shares with a lab mix, Maya, whom we rescued while on vacation on the island of Vieques, and a young Golden Retriever that we got after our oldest “baby” died. I agree Christy. If you’re feeling low, sick, or even happy, they are always there to share the moment with you. I don’t know what I would do without them.
LS @ 150
I’m sorry. That sucks. There is a commenter upthread who said they wouldn’t get another cat because losing them is too hard. That’s completely understandable; I’ve had cats for most of my life, so I know the pain of loss-they are family members. However, there are so many animals in need of a good home that I would never consider not having animals. The joy they bring far outweighs the pain of losing them. We have four cats and they make us laugh, almost constantly.
PeteCO @ 140
Yeah, I wonder how a parallel thread topic would go on a wingnut site. Probably something like,”How I managed to sell my homing pigeon 12 times before having it on a bed of rice.”
Good morning!
We share our home with three uncivilized felines, who are the joy of our lives. Mojo and Oscar are our big Maine Coon boys. They love to cuddle, sleep in the bed with us, whatever. Maine Coons are the dogs of the cat world, so the two of them want to be wherever we are, ALL the time. Their sister, Holly, is an eight pound tuxedo cat we got from an animal rescue organization twelve years ago, and she is the alpha. It’s hilarious to watch her smack her much larger brothers around.
I would have slept a little longer this morning, but Oscar needed some kisses, so there you are.
I hope that PJ is feeling much better soon.
-S
pma @ 164
Funny, but I doubt it’s true.
Adie @ 159
Animal cruelty is a capital crime in my book. Here in Colorado it’s hunting season, and many of my co-workers head up the hill to shoot things, which they do actually have butchered for food, to their credit. I get that it’s cultural, but I don’t understand the mentality of someone who deliberately shoots other living things in the name of “fun” or “sport”. It’s sick.
solai @ 7
Ditto here. But I’m not embarrassed. We had two dogs years ago – Jiminy & Cricket, and I do miss them. They were followed by Dakota & Kahlua, who so worked their way into my heart. Dakota was a foster dog that we adopted, after determining that his mellow personality would fit well into our household. (Single mother, three kids, one hyper – needs mellow dog!)
Dakota got cancer in 2001, and about $2,000 and two surgeries later, he was fine. Even though he was old at the time, I couldn’t let him go.
When my teenage son went to live with his father, he took Dakota & Kahlua with him. I was so worried that my ex would not love them the way they should be loved – they were, after all, my dogs – I had gotten them after the divorce. I should not have worried. They worked their way into his heart. Dakota now is REAL old and has arthritis, and it’s amazing to hear that my ex lovingly carries him upstairs at night and downstairs in the morning.
I now have two cats, Cinnamon & Simba, who I love dearly, but I feel like I’m a dog person at heart. My first dog, Alyosha, was more than a dog, some swore he had human traits. He grew up with me in the 70’s and I’m just thankful he could not write a book about his life – the stories he could tell! LOL
My father-in-law, Delmer, has a toad in the basement. Toadie keeps him company when he goes to the basement to shower. He has perfectly calibrated one faucet to drip just enough to keep a little puddle for Toadie.
This is Delmer’s second toad. He accidently stepped on his first one last winter. This summer while visiting a neighbor farmer he saw Toadie and grabbed him and brought him home to keep him company in the basement. Delmer’s 76, I think Toadie is less than a year.
LS @ 150
LS, I’m so sorry about your loss. I think the best part of all is that Burt obviously chose you. He knew that he’d be loved.
-S
Pets to Goopers are symbols of the world they want:
- pure breeds
- ‘pretty’
- mean
- spoiled
- barking at others is okay
solai @ 166
Perhaps you’re right. It’s hard to picture visalize GW, Cheney, or any of the others wandering the fields with a beloved dog. However, Hitler supposedly liked dogs.
Anyway, thanks for the nice stories and have a nice day, everyone.
I found my kittens, Purrsia, Crystal and Shadow, in the yard of the house next door. The mom had been frightened off by construction going on. Their eyes were just barely open, they were covered in fleas and they were starving to death. My husband and I fed them with eye droppers to start, with husband doing all of the day-time feedings, since he was doing a lot of paperwork for his work at home. So, I suppose this scene is understandable. They read the news with him every day. In the confusion after Katrina and the flood, Shadow ran away. Crystal went missing about a year later, after we’d returned to New Orleans, so Purrsia was an only cat until we got an abandoned calico (Kali-Kat).
We also have a catahoula who is deaf and loves to swim and ride in the car…Deuce.
carmen @ 169
I toadily love this story!
well, except for the part about the demise of number one toad.
Oh gosh, so nice to read about everyone’s animal companions this morning.
I have three cats at the moment, all feral rescues. This household is never without cats. The oldest is a beautiful, shy, cute little tortoise-shell named Sophie. It took literally years before she’d allow us to even look at her, but gradually we’ve worked our way up to actual petting and conversation. The other two are siblings who were born in our back yard. We didn’t mean to adopt them, but when it became clear that they were going to survive we started taming them to get them caught and neutered. Fully intended to release them afterward, but during the after-care one of them stole my heart. They’re Maine Coon crosses, big, smart, beautiful.
Then there are my horse partners. They don’t feel like pets, they feel like family members. Surprise, the 17 year old Appy-Trakhener cross mare, who has been such a good teacher for me, and Cai, the 5 year old Lipizzan colt. I just started him under saddle this summer. He’s deep in my heart — I leased his mother and bred him and have raised him from birth.
Good for you, Christy, teaching the Peanut about caring for her horse as well as riding it. When I was a little girl learning to ride, my teacher impressed mightily on me that the horse comes first. To this day, I can’t bring myself to even get a drink of water after a ride until my horse has been untacked, cooled, cleaned, fed and watered.
Elliot, our pet rat died inexplicably about a year before we moved. While we were packing up to move, we would find his stashes of dog-and-cat kibble, tucked into the toes of our shoes, in sprout’s camping gear drawer, on the bookshelf behind John McPhee’s books (good taste, that). He kept us laughing…
I once had a cat who had her fist litter in the upstairs bathroom, in the tub. She knew it was private, no one really used the room much. One day we heard tinkling and a flush and went up to see who could be using the potty.
It was the cat! Reluctant to leave her new babies, she used the toilet and flushed every time.
Glad that PJ and the Peanut are feeling better.
I have a Border Collie named Kylie – a rescue from the deep South and now living in NJ – and a parrot named Millie. Kylie is almost 2 and suffers from seizures, which seem to be under control with phenobarbital. Not sure if that was the reason she was in a kill shelter at 10 months. Millie is 13 and has been with me since she was 4. Both are intelligent, funny and I’m fortunate to have them in my life. Glad to meet all of the other humans owned by their pets!
PeteCO @ 167
I hunt small game. Always makes sad to watch the animal die. Much better eating than anything out of the super market.
egregious_love your technique with deer. Have you explored their spirtual meaning?
Here in the heart of Texas, hunting is quite the “sport”, too. You can even shoot exotic (African imports, these are the “Canned hunts”) animals set up just so you can kill them. While I get no rush from extinguishing a life, obviously, there are those that do. It is not making the shot, or these sportsmen would be competing in various “live action” venues. These people are like; “Look at that magnificent animal, I’ll kill it!”
My pup is a standard poodle/ golden retriever mix. She’s 10 months old and weighs 60 pounds. She HATES to be left alone- needs constant companionship- and provides same. Don’t know how we got along without her. Constant bundle of energy.
Mommybrain @ 176
that was one smart cat!
It’s a shame we can’t post pictures here in the comments, but I can include links to my favorite photos of our pets.
Here is a picture of Mojito (we call her Momo most of the time), a stray kitty who wandered into our apartment complex:
Mojito’s formal portrait
And this is my wife’s little Jack Russell terrior named Lily:
Spoiled rotten Lily
I had two daschunds when I was growing up. The first was imaginatively named “Weiner”. We lived in the country then, he was an outdoor dog, and unfortunately was hit by a truck when he was about 4 years old.
A few years later my youngest brother wanted a beagle because he loved the kid’s book “Barney the Beagle”, but my mom didn’t want a beagle, so we got another daschund and named him Barney. He lived for about 12 years. Daschunds are great pets, we loved ours!
nonplussed @ 180
There is nothing “Sport” like about what you describe.
Must log off. Enjoy the day.
twȝk @ 184
Indeed. Canned shoots is not hunting.
twȝk @ 184
They also pay large sums of money to do so.
Mommybrain @ 157
Familial Shar Pei fever is a hereditary disease that manifests itself in fever of unknown origin that comes and goes, often with accompanying swollen hocks. Shar Pei that have FSF are at great risk of developing amyloidosis in their kidneys and/or liver which is fatal. My Pooh had a rare complication of streptococcal toxic shock syndrome. She had a fever episode, but it was not like others. Normally she would sleep hours on end, but this time she was very agitated. I had her at the vet on Friday, and he said to give her normal medicine. When we woke up Saturday morning, her entire hindquarters looked like she had been savagely attacked and mangled. It was similar to the flesh eating bacteria that humans get. We rushed her to the hospital and she was put on iv antibiotics and steroids, but she died in the night on Sunday.
She was the sweetest baby. She was my shadow and would talk to me, but not my husband. When I asked if she wanted to go outside, she would reply, “mmmm mmmm mmmm mmmm mmmm.” If I inquired further if she needed to go poop, she would reply with a single bark. She was a very funny girl and missed terribly. We have another Shar Pei, Bubba, who is 2 years old and he is grieving mightily. Pooh was the leader and he won’t even touch the toys or play with us.
FSF is very much like a human disease, Familial Mediterranean Fever, and so the NIH has done some research on FSF trying to find treatments that will stop the fever episodes and development of amyloidosis in both humans and dogs.
twȝk @ 178
I hunt small game. Always makes sad to watch the animal die. Much better eating than anything out of the super market.
I eat meat, and I’m very conflicted about it. I’m not sure I could ever stop completely. We try to eat free-range whenever possible, but I know that’s a cop-out.
pma @ 172
However, Hitler supposedly liked dogs.
If you ever watch any of the clips with Hitler and his shepherd Blondie (iirc) you’ll see the dog slinking up to him with her tail between her legs, maintaining that frightened posture even while Der Fuhrer pats her on the head. Tells me the dog was petrified of Hitler. Imagine that.
good morning firepups, it’s a glorious October morn here in the Land of Enchantment, the aspens on the mountain side are like a river of gold, flowing down to the city.
I’m delighted to hear that you’re taking the Peanut to learn how to ride and care for horses. I started when I was 6, in Virginia, with a friend of my parents, and that experience and the work it entailed gave me so much joy (and sometime refuge when things got bad at home) for so many years.
My Mom has been gone for 20 years, but I would still like to thank her for being so brave, standing on the other side of the paddock fence, watching her little girl get on a pony, get thrown from that pony, and then six weeks later stand and smile and encourage me to get back up on that pony after the cast had come off my right arm.
(Don’t worry too much Christy, just make sure Peanut understands safety issues, wears a helmet and treats the horse with respect. The experience will give her confidence and teach her body awareness and coordination).
Hope you all have a wonderful weekend, I’m off to the farmer’s market for apples and fall flowers.
Peace and Joy to you all
twolf1 @ 187
I can hunt all year for about forty bucks.
My totem animal is the crow (or raven, depending on where we are). When they show up in my life, it is meaningful for me.
There was a woman named Ellen Maloy, a writer married to a seasonal BLM ranger. She spent 8 years running the section of the Green River that we ran this summer, with her ranger husband. She wrote a book about it, and she kept coming back to the fact that not a single crow or raven could be found in Desolation Canyon. Crows are always found near humanity.
She died a few years ago, and since then, there is a single crow who lives near the ranger station and perches on the top of the cliff each morning to see the boaters safely aweigh.
nonplussed @ 180
What was Cheney doing when he shot his buddy in the face? Shooting artificially raise quail, wasn’t it? No empathy, none.
I taught my 8 year old Mastiff to say Wa-Wa for water when he was a puppy. He always says wa-wa, wa-wa when I’m filling his water bucket. One day a couple of months ago, we had torrential rain, and he came trotting into my room all in a tizzy, saying wa-wa, wa-wa. True story.
Ruby Tuesday @ 191
You’re in Santa Fe, aren’t you.
Mommybrain @ 193
What a great story.
SouthernDragon @ 190
I’ve seen clips of Boosh in which Barnie moves away every time he leans down to pet him.
Late to the lake this AM. However, am so happy and greatly relieved to hear the good news about PJ.
It’s been such a treat to read this entire thread. Love to hear about people’s pets and to see how many relatively new posters this topic brought out.
My extended family are “dog people” but I won’t have one in NYC. Have to travel too often and the sidewalks/parks in my neighborhood are not pleasant for walks.
But I do “have” pets. By my middle school years, the family had settled on dachshunds and poodles…still the breeds of choice. I now get to be the indulgent aunt who lavishes love and attention when I’m visiting.
My favorite of the pack is my twin sister’s 11 yr. old black and tan short haired dachshund Molly. She’s both the smartest and most loving animal I have ever been around. Also, she loves my reading FDL because she knows I will let her on my legs while using the laptop (she licks it too).
Molly’s been a true gift to all of us. My only child (now 29) was raised in a culture where very few, if any, of her friends had animals. Molly’s been the patient one who has taught her how to relax with a dog and to open herself to that wonderful canine adoration. (And to get up off of the couch when Molly needs to go out!)
Blessings to all you firepups. Aren’t Christy’s Saturday morning’s a great way to start the day?
While we’re waiting…Jimmy on acoustic…
Bron Yr Aur Stomp – Led Zeppelin
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j5X09vzLjq4
If anyone needs crows- we got a shit pot full of em—”FREE CROWS-FILL YOUR TRUNK”.
SouthernDragon @ 190
They also used Blondi to test the cyanide they took (the Goebbels family) in the bunker in Berlin, IIRC. Nice people.
PeteCo – yes I live in Santa Fe County, you too?
(gotta go but will check back later for your response)
Barnie could get back at Clusterfuck with one jump…A snarling bite to the balls during one of dunderhead’s speechifying attempts would be GREAT…Go for it Barnie —WOOF WOOF.
puppy pride Finian the most laid back terrier ever
here we are out for a kayak adventure
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uYrWTNC3Iks
the very attractive paddler is a family member
the river bag lady is me
PeteCO @ 194
plump tame birds raised in cages.
quite the hunter.
a real davy crockett.
“the quail will meet us as their liberators with open wings and flowers”
PeteCO @ 189
I see nothing wrong with eating meat. Smaller portions of meat used to augment a meal. I think hunting is also good because your an active participant in the food chain.
Reminds my of my Grandma too. She would harvest a chicken for dinner when would go visit.
Interesting how contemporary life is so removed from the food chain for most people.
chun yang @ 128
SW NC mtns here (at least for part of the year). Currently in SE NC and coming back from a bike ride had two does and a speckled fawn dash across the road in front of me. Love them “dearly” but, dang it! I sure do wish they’d find something else to dine on other than all the stuff I plant in the yard. *g*
Barnie would need to plan the attack- hiding behind the podium as Clusterfuck approaches- one the english language mortification begins- it’d be a piece of cake…
Millineryman @ 179
Well I was reading about a person who felt deeply alive/in touch with the Holy when they went for walks in the forest. My reaction was, that’s just how I feel when I talk to animals and very young children.
Millineryman @ 197
Yeah, I’ve always like crows/ravens.
radiofreewill @ 200
good one!
Something to make your blood boil.
From TPM:
We are working to eliminate it. Money talks in Texas, they have it. There was a story here about some people that had an exotic pet of some sort (I can’t remember what exactly, I’ve been googling) but he was snatched and sold to one of these operations. He had been murdered before three days had passed.
I don’t get it. The only things I kill nowadays are attacking insects, pets, plants, or person. All life truly is sacred.
radiofreewill @ 200
3 kicks ass, for the acoustic stuff.
heh- a friend of mine went off the deep end after moving to the country and becoming a hunter and trapper. he had been a vegetarian.
note: i see nothing wrong with hunting or eating meet if it’s actually hunting-
anyway, i made a joke about trapping and bartering- situating the activity in the city- as in ‘yeah i trapped a moose behind starbucks yesterday and traded the meat for a sweater at the gap’
how do you spell OFFENDED ?
man, i had no idea he’d be so touchy about it.
egregious @ 210
That’s great that you found a source that you can connect to. The deer have a significant place in Native American spiritual beliefs and the Celts also hold the the deer in high regard spiritualy.
Ruby Tuesday @ 203
No, Denver, but I’ve visited Santa Fe a number of times. Pretty town.
Your love has set my soul on fire, burning out of control…
Heartbreaker – Pat Benatar (live)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BoVBp_Cr3po
Mabel’s Wig Shack @ 216
707!
I’m sitting here, scrolling through all these wonderful comments and enjoying them so. At the side of my chair just where she can feel my presence is my snoring Gordon Setter, sleeping off her morning walk and digesting breakfast while dreaming dreams of squirrels and rabbits and found pizza crust. She sometimes chases in her dreams and even yips a bit in the chase.
She is about the most loving, gentle and friendly dog I’ve known, second only to her predecessor, the sadly departed Honey, also a Gordon.
And, when the wise brown eyes of a setter fix on yours, any idea of “dumb animal” immediately dissipates.
Phoenix Woman chimes in:
Come Saturday Morning: Great Moments In Irony
a guy from the maritimes, a ‘nut case,’ decided to load his car trunk with guns and drive to toronto to shoot people. (????)
he went to a busy park where a dog chasing frisbees with owner came up to him and befriended him. (or was the dog’s name Frisbee? I can’t recall)
anyway- the guy went up to a policeman and turned himself in.
the dog story made the front page on the toronto star.
Late to a wonderful topic that I can actually speak to ~ my handle of long-standing says it all … but I have been dipping into the “lake” since the very beginning as an appreciative lurker mostly; you people are WAY more savvy about discussing all of this worldly insanity than I am ~ although I *get* it on a gut level, coming here and reading is my source of sanity these days when I think I can’t take it anymore. TRex and late-night always requires I cover my keyboard, and prepare to laugh my ass off; there is blessedly “intelligent” humor written on this site on a regular basis. Also ~ gut-wrenching truth.
Christy ~ Peanut could not be a luckier little girl than to have two such loving, involved parents. And to allow horses to come into her life as teachers ~ is a gift. Like all animals, they are mirrors to our truest selves; pretence is stripped away and they will reveal what is best and good in us if we will let it “be”. Sensitivity, feel, love, acceptance, appreciation for how “energy” can flow and work in our lives ~ my horses have taught me all of that and more. We as humans have to be open to accepting those lessons though; be humble and quiet and let the animals teach US.
I have often read about the stupidity of so many that are discussed here and that are toxic to our world; thought “OH MY … if only we could get rush, bill’O, the monkey in chief, cheney, rove and the rest in an enclosed round-pen with an off-the-range, un-touched mustang” ….. but then I think Naaah…..I wouldn’t want to subject the poor horse to that!
Take care all here ~ you are a ray of hope and light in the dark. I sincerely mean that ~ Susan
radiofreewill
thanks for all the tunes this morning, much appreciated!
We were blessed with a rescued Aussie for 7 years. I’ve never met a dog like this one. When I went to meet him, I was with a friend who knew the rescue-er but had never met the dog. We walked into the house and the dog walked right up to me and sat in front of me with this look of “All right, then – this is it.” This really surprised me because my friend is a very doggy person – she trains, owned 4 at that time, so I figured he’d go right up to her immediately. But no, he came immediately to me.
When I crouched down, I was very close to him and he put his head on my shoulder. That was it. He came home with me, adopted all of our kids (my son especially) and was a complete member of the family until he developed multiple cancers at the age of 12.
Although Aussies are real herding dogs, this dog was not so much a herding dog as a “nurse” dog. If we had any of the animals who were small and needed to be kept warm and nurtured in the house in the winter, he’d park himself right next to the baby’s bed (which was usually the recycling bin)and refused to leave until he saw something had changed.
We once had a kid angora goat that the vet told us was not going to make it – the baby had developed a selenium deficiency and it was definitely going to be touch and go. I could see no change in the goat – we really did not think it was going to live but the dog refused to leave. All of a sudden, Sonny started barking and barking and when I turned around, the baby was struggling to its feet and stretching and the dog would not calm down at all until I had picked up the baby, offered it a bottle and it had eated.
I miss that dog.
Millineryman @ 217
I learned deep respect for animals from my grandfather who was 1/8 Cherokee. Come to think of it, the Scottish comes thru him as well. Thanks Grandpa!
Horsewoman @ 224
don’t be shy!
dog in park story:
http://www.adorablog.org/puppies/index.html
near bottom of page
Ruby Tuesday @ 203
I can picture the mountains I grew up seeing every day from our house. That’s exactly the right description for the Sangre de Cristos in fall: a river of gold.
Hi Christy,
I love your site; am more of a lurker, so I almost never post.
I have an orange Tabby, a boy.
My mom and sister found him in a vacant lot in Spokane, WA (I live in Seattle). He apparently was under a lot of debris and was meowing and crying; they almost didn’t hear him at all. They rescued him, took him to the vet, got him all his shots, etc. and brought him home.
They asked me if I’d like a cat, and, being single, I figured that this was a good and also (for me!) healthy thing to do. So I said “yes”.
Here’s the funny part: my family and the people at the vet in Spokane thought that the cat was a girl, so I named it “Bubble”, after Edina Monsoon’s airhead secretary (played by Jane Horrocks – she’s brilliant!) in the Brit Com “Absolutely Fabulous” (AbFab), one of my favorite comedies. We figured that name would be appropriate, because since the cat was an Orange Tabby, it’s pretty close to being the blond secretary from the show.
But, when I took my little friend to the vet here in Seattle about 5 months later to have “her” spaded, it turns out the cat is a “he”!
Well, I felt I couldn’t do much about the name “Bubble”, but I started to call him a more generic “Punkin’, or, of course, “Pumpkin”.
That one really seems to stick.
BTW we were concerned that my little friend would be severely effected by gender issues because of the the new info from the vet.
Actually, I don’t think he cares at all. :-)
Jim in Seattle, WA
We currently have three cats–Regina, Olivia and Quin. My cat life started with my Clio, though, who passed away just over two years ago. And it still hurts. My brother rescued her and since he couldn’t have cats, he asked if I could take her. The first time she jumped up and sat on my lap, I was hooked.
Now I put up with nighttime maulings from my Reggie, who likes to sleep with her arms around my neck, but has an annoying tendency to flex her claws occasionally. My husband brought Quin and his 20-year-old Laserhead (who died a year before Clio) to our marriage. We’re the Brady Bunch of the pet world.
And I assess people by their reaction to pets. If their eyes bug out when I say I have 3 cats, I step back. If they then ask, “Do you let them on the counters?” I run away.
I still have a place in my heart for dogs–I grew up with as many as five in my family. But I know I’m not home enough to give a dog the attention they need. But I still pine for one now and then. Good thing I have a good friend with a bulldog.
Thank you so much for what you wrote! I don’t have children, but my (possibly) chihuahua-Jack Russell mix Bert imbues my life with a joy I wouldn’t have thought possible.
It comforts me to know there are people out their like you passing on values such as you described to the adults of tomorrow.
More power to you!
Hello everyone. Your invitation to long time lurkers (like me), and the subject of pets, has finally given me the courage to post. Everyone here is so smart and informed, I usually feel I have nothing of interest to add. I’ll try to get over that in the future. On pets, I now have a very loving and very old red shorthair dachshund, who I fear will need to be put down pretty soon. He’s blind and deaf, and now seems to be really on his way toward the end. I have a 19 yr old son who has autism, and the dog is such a good friend to him. I could use some advice on what kind of dog to get when good old Fritzie is gone. When my son was little, I really wanted a Border Collie to keep him from wandering off! Jack Russels are so cute, but I don’t know much about them. Are they very hyper? Does anyone have good experiences with a paraticular breed and persons with autism? By the way, my house is filled with books, plants and art! Thanks in advance for your ideas. I love FDL. I’ve learned so much visiting here.
Nice to meet you janetplanet! Come by often please.
Welcome, janetplanet! Galaxy girl in the house, everybody!
Hi Janetplanet, now that you have de-lurked, there’s no going back.
…and speaking of planets: See a Celestial Summit Meeting
As for suggestions on dog breeds, I think the border collie is my favorite–loving, loyal, and the smartest thing you’ll ever find. My parents currently have a Jack Russell/heeler mix, and honestly, Dan is the only dog who I have ever genuinely disliked. He has a mean streak, and bullies their border collie, Dougal. I don’t want to say that’s a Jack Russell thing by any means, it’s just my only experience with them.
Beyond those, if you can live with snuffling noises and the occasional stinkiness, the best dog in the world is a bulldog. I’ve known several (all owned by a dear friend) and had the great honor of being Gracie Allen’s best friend (she’d run to the door when Connie would say I was coming). I miss Gracie more than I can say.
Horsewoman, the monkey in chief is afraid of horses! Vincente Fox tried to make a gift of a gorgeous white stallion, the Chimpenator put his hands up and backed away.
Says a lot.
Mr. Dido & I could not survive without our elderly border collie. We pine for him whenever we’re out of the house. He mostly sleeps now (in decorative poses, of course), but he still keeps a sheep-herder’s eye on us and makes sure we don’t get lost in the house. We’d get another dog, to keep us from being utterly bereft when his time comes, but he would hate that. He is completely selfish and resents any other quadruped who gets any attention from us. We’re hoping for another couple of years, and since his health is pretty good for a 13-year-old dog, that seems a reasonable hope. In his wild youth, he was a constant-motion machine, and kept us laughing all the time. Even though he does very little these days, he still keeps us in good cheer. We can’t imagine life without him.
egregious @ 235
Thanks. I’m ashamed to say I’m here every day, but never post! Now that I’ve wiggled my toes in the water, I think I’ll be diving in soon, headfirst. The lake is very deep.
PeteCo @ 202
It was Hitler who gave the dog the cyanide before he and Eva popped their capsules IIRC. Goebbels and wife poisoned their children, then themselves. Yeah, really nice people.
Ever see any of these worthless pols with an animal? I mean, there’s nothing like a photo op with a child or an animal. You see neither with these evil people. The only children you see with them now are props in the SCHIP controversy.
Having read all the pro-hunting comments, I have only one question. Are any of you who kill an animal and justify that act by saying you eat it in such a position that you cannot afford to buy meat that has been raised for no other reason than human consumption? If not, what is the motivation for the act? OK, that’s two questions. And I’ve heard, and disagree with, the thinning the herd for the well being of the herd argument.
I have hunted both men (Viet Nam) and game animals. After shooting, with a Marlin .444 lever action, a beautiful elk while living in Oregon, I approached the animal and just fell to my knees, sobbing uncontrollably. I’ve killed nothing but grass and weeds since. Nor do I eat meat.
Janetplanet, my mother in law, who doesn’t get around as well as she used to, has rescued Scooby-doos (Great Danes) for years. They are gentle not wild, love to curl up in your lap or near you (but mostly in your lap, go figure) and have exceedingly gentle temperaments.
There are always, it seems, a supply at rescues like Gentle Giants. I don’t know how big your place is, but they are less hyper than a jack russell, for sure.
I’ve got a 14 year old calico Persian cat named Chicklette, who’s been with me through 3 cities and more relationships and moves than I care to recall. In the last year or so she’s become even more affectionate (suddenly, likes to sleep in the crook of my arm).
Been quite a hectic week for me too — but one highlight as I mentioned at the time was having my letter to the editor published in the LA Times! (even though they edited some of the bite out of it)
janetplanet @ 241
Certainly nothing to be ashamed of. I was here for months before I made a single comment.
todd @ 244
You got a letter in the LA Times — congratulations todd!!
Do we get to see it, hint hint?
Hi, eg – Glad to see you’re still on the thread and a big “hello” to all the Lake lurkers out there.
So many good stories, so many good people and their pets all swirling wonderfully in the water today.
Samoyeds love people, very affectionate & intelligent. They do need grooming esp when they lose their winter undercoats but they are not smelly dogs. When wet they smell like wool. They are happiest when the temperature turns cool.
Samoyeds rate A in personality, imo.
Mommybrain ~ I did not know that; yet oddly – how surprised I am — NOT — that the wanna-be cowboy monkey in chief from Texas … is scared of the big horsie!
I also have 6 cats here on our ranch; 5 outdoor and one declawed rescue who purrs in my lap as I type. Hard to imagine a cat, sitting in the lap contentedly of any of the toxic people who have done what they’ve done to our country. Maybe that should be a new litmus test for any world leader ~ you’ve got 10 minutes to get a cat mellow and purring in your lap – or – NEXT!
I live in a fantasy world :)
Mommybrain @ 243
Thanks for the info. Great Danes are really big and I’m not sure I can do that. My daughter’s boyfriend just got a Boston Terrier who is the sweetest thing on four legs. Into everything. Expensive though. I’m more of a “go to the Pound and see who needs a home” kind of person, but I had such a bad experience with a second dachshund we adopted there (with the authorities, not the dog) that I am now turned off to them. It was a classic No Good Deed Goes Unpunished event in my life. Its a long story, but if you’re interested, I’ll bore you with it someday.
My friend is a real estate appraiser. Her job takes her all over LA. She comes home with an animal she has rescued (one from the LA River, one she took from a homeless guy that had just drop-kicked it into the street in front of her car) about once a month.
This is my only Republican friend. She has dogs (mostly) all over her house, waiting for homes. Get this – her repub friends never take the animals, only her Dem friends. I tell her constantly this should make her rethink some positions, but she’s too set in her ways…
ironranger @ 248
My step-mom had a samoyed who went berserk whenever we went swimming. I think he thinks we need rescuing, as did the squirrel he rescued from the pool shortly after they moved in. He had never acted like that before the squirrel incident.
He also used to love carrots cooked in chicken broth.
I’m glad to hear PJ is safely home. We have a miniature Dachshund also. He’s red, short haired, three years old and his name is Oscar. The kids named him “Oscar” because our last name is Myers. I had the same kind of dog when I was a kid. Once you have one in your life, then it’s never the same again. The one I grew up with, “Rudy”, lived 17 years. I hope Oscar is so lucky, or should I say, I hope we are so lucky.
egregious @ 245
And now look at her – can’t shut her up! /snark
I love your comment – the lake is very deep.
You got a letter in the LA Times — congratulations todd!!
Do we get to see it, hint hint?
I don’t have the text of the letter at home, but one of my big pet peeves is shoddy political journalism. There was a headline in last Sunday’s LA Times asking if John Edwards’ “rich-guy image” would trip him up in Iowa. I responded by asking why a self-made man from a small rural town would have a “rich guy” image problem but blue-blood scions of political families like Romney or Bush don’t.
Of course, the writer had to bring up the “widely derided” haircut, which I said was only widely derided b/c lazy writers keep bringing up the narrative. I asked if we would be hearing how much Romney spends on a tan or Guiliani on a suit. (they cut all of the Romney comments out).
Ended by saying that this country is facing dire problems, and that media should focus on those rather than such trivialities.
Janetplanet, on my way to Saturday Activities with the Sprout, but I would love to hear your No Good Deed Goes Unpunished story. I’ll check when I return this afternoon.
mommybrain:
We see the same thing. When any of our dog’s people are swimming in the lake, they sit on the dock watching them carefully. And they really hate it when someone is under the water & they can’t see them.
Our dogs don’t like to swim, those heavy coats are a big drag soaking wet, but they do enjoy wading & trying to catch little sunnies or perch. So far no success but they can do this for 2 hours straight.
I’ve known several Samoyeds & I think this is one of the best of dog breeds.
Janetplanet – there are a lot of breeds that would be good for your situation. You should think of size, coat type, exercise needed etc. Most of the breeds have dedicated rescue people who work with that particular breed. No dog is more grateful than one who has been in the wrong place. There are amazing stories about dogs that turn out to be helper dogs often with no special training. Roger Caras wrote one a few years ago. I can’t remember the title. A good source of information is the AKC’s web site. http://www.akc.org I think it is. I taught children with autism for many years. They are very special. Turned me into the best teacher I could possible be.
Good morning!
Thank you, Christy, for this post on our beloved pets
I lazed around this morning and finally open my screen to check out the world. I couldn’t resist this topic even though there is a thread upstairs.
I love dogs. We are a dog family of many breeds, shapes, sizes and unique personalities. All spoiled with no regrets.
As I write this my six pounder, Molly Ann, Papillon redhead, is curled up on my lap. She likes to rest her head in my arm making it difficult to move around the keyboard. I indulge her. Molly Ann is a tomboy, fiesty with an attitude that has an attitude. Everyone she meets is her new best friend. They fall in love. With that much love and affection coming your way how can you not? No matter how gloomy the day, she brings out the sunshine.
Molly Ann hears “I love you” spoken tenderly many times throughout the day. She reciprocates in kind. She loves to drive the car which I let her do on the parking lot. She stretches her head looking both ways, turning the steering wheel and doing her doggie excitement dance. I howl at her antics.
Nearly two years ago my dear friend and loving companion Ellie, a tricolor Sheltie, died. I still grieve. She was the dearest friend and from her I only knew love. Through illness, she cared for me. She cared for my elderly Mom. The day began with a sweet greeting from her that set the tone for the rest of the day. I have a memorial engraved stone for her in our Sierra Nevada home set at her favorite place, overlooking a panoramic view. She selected the best spot.
So many times I lament that humans are not as evolved as dogs. As news gets ugly, I turn to our family dogs to remind me of the kindness that is within nature. I’ll spend my day with Molly Ann and we’ll butt heads a few times on whose executive decision we will follow – I hold the leash. Show me a person who loves and cares for their animals and I’ll show you a humanitarian.
Afternoon folks, and thanks for this lovely thread every week Christy. After a weeks worth of craziness, Saturday morning pull up a chair is pure balm.
Glad to hear you’re all on the mend. Nothing quite so miserable as the big sick eyes of a dog who is showing you with every ounce of their body,”mom, I don’t feel too good”.
We are animals lovers here ( or furry people, as my son and I think of them). And we’d have more but we live in a small house and my husband has drawn a line, which my son and I grudgingly go along with (for now). We have Lou, a 100 pound black lab, a wonderful sweet boy who, let’s just say, is a dog of special needs – read: basket case who needs to be handled with kid gloves, special diet, and even a doggie psychologist when he was younger.
Then there’s Max, an enormous tuxedo cat who came from nearby Simplicity Farm; also a special case. His mother was run over when Max was two weeks, so he came to us with NO cat skills. This is the only cat who I have even heard of who needs help washing – I take him in the shower from time to time, and the other animals pitch in and try to clean him up. He is not very smart, extremely stinky, but as lovable and sweet as they come.
Finally Wolfie, also a former feral cat. A wonderful woman (Hi Rita!) in upstate New York rescues feral kitties – often grown cats left behind by college students – who have no shots, aren’t fixed, and go live in the woods eating out of garbage cans while having litter after litter. Wolfie was one of those rescued kittens, who came to us at 4 months, absolutely starving and stunted in growth. He wouldn’t have made it much longer. While small, probably 3 – 4 pounds, he is extremely fierce and independent, while secretly he’s a big love bunny. He’s also the smartest cat I have ever known. He studies the workings of faucets and knobs, and if he had thumbs, he’d be running things around here. He’s the one we leave in charge when the furry people are home alone.
Christy and those of you with younger children – or grandkids – say up to 10 ish -
There is a wonderful book called “Our Animal Friends at Maple Hill Farm” but husband and wife – Provenson? I believe.
Wonderful because besides mentioning the dogs and cats and horses and cows and chickens, they don’t forget to mention the “underground” friends who lie under a tree with special painted rocks marking their resting places; also the racoons deer and skunks that come around, the mice that live in the wall, and even the beetles and ants that find their way into the house and barn. All part of the community. Wonderful.
We think of it that way too. We live with mice, who we rescue from the cats; we rescue spiders and turn over beetles stuck on their backs, we rescue salamanders and catapillars from the road, we stop for snakes and get out of the car to get them to the side of the road safely, we’ll even stop to move dead animals off the road. I have deer friends, and I’ve made friends with a fox, magical; I befriended two different squirrels who would come at my call; one who would come right in my kitchen window to help himself to the basket of walnuts I kept there for him; and of course I’m well known to the birds here, particularly the chickadees and even the woodpeckers who let me get close.
Thanks for setting up this thread. Good luck to all pets and their owners. We have a peach-faced lovebird, Porky, three dogs (Biscuit, an American Eskimo, toy size with a fine pedigree; Tia, a rescued-in-the-nick-of-time elderly Chihuahua lady; and McDuff, mostly Bichon, who arrived one day to rescue us). Each has a completely distinct approach to life. Outside, there are some feral cats who have come by twice a day for years to eat and drink; by night we have second and third generation raccoons and skunks. Every evening a delegated raccoon mom raps at the window to remind me they’re all waiting. The dogs and raccoons often do a little intent staring through the window…
By the way, the Chi is the ruler of the universe, not just the house. For the outside guys, I recommend Purina Beneful. I’m planning to have it for breakfast soon myself.
I AM NOT GAY…but apparently dachshunds (aka wiener dogs)are. they appear to be the dog of choice in our gay community. the boys hold the annual “wiener” race in a parking lot of one of the clubs. 40 dachshunds dressed to the nines parked next to their proud parents. fantastic!
Hi Christy. Hope your little doggie gets well soon. Nothing like worrying about your child, your dog, and yourself in the same week. Time for a vacation! :-)
If you eat meat, then the only ethical choices are to raise your own, hunt your own, or buy locally raised (and slaughtered) animals from a farm which you know treats animals humanely. Buying mass produced beef, chicken, pork, veal, etc supports a horrendous situation for the poor animals “raised for consumption” in the most miserable tortuous conditions – factory farmed animals live lives that are so abjectly miserable that their deaths are the best part of it.
I really appreciate what you said about shooting the elk, and refusing meat after that. But I have to say hunting, and I mean hunting well, a quick clean kill of a grown animal, is far preferable to the fate of a factory farmed animal.
My beloved 12 year old Golden Retriever Lucy was diagnosed this past January with bone cancer (just about the same time as my breast cancer diagnosis) and while I seem to be on the mend, we had to make the most horrible decison which eventually comes to most pet guardians…So in March of this year, we lost the smartest, nicest, most gentle and loving dog I have ever known. I will get another, of course, because pets are such a blessing…but not just yet.
Christy, I’m so glad that PJ is feeling better…and that you and the Peanut are also recovering nicely.
We have three boys. Sam is a loving, gentle 3 yr old lab mix that nuzzled me through pneumonia last year, is gentle and kind. Sometimes he’s very anxious and insecure because of Tucker, the 1 1/2 year old mix that we rescued from a Crazy Lady when he was a tiny puppy.
CL said as we we drove up to the tenement, “I’m glad you came along because I was going to drive him into the country and let him go…” Please remind everyone you know – if you rent, ask your landlord if you can have a dog!!
Tucker is my stalwart companion and melts my heart every time I look at him. He and Sam have a typical older/younger brother thing: they tussle and tangle, chase each other around the yard, then fall into each other and sleep at night.
Stinky the cat is another story. He used to be known as my Little Man because the black markings on his head give the appearance of a hairpiece. He keeps his distance from the dogs, although sometimes when the three of them share the couch they form a kind of furry pretzel. It’s quite a sight.
I agree with everyone about people that don’t live with animals, art or books: there’s something not quite right with those that aren’t open to where loving a dog, a novel or a painting can take you. Being open to those feelings/experiences is what makes us human – and it’s probably why our four legged companions stick around and put up with us!
Afternoon folks, and thanks for this thread. I have two Aby Oops kitties, mom is a purebred Abysinnian and dad was a Capitol Hill backdoor man. The alpha cat thinks his younger brother is his cat. The beta or Buddha cat as we call him had to have $1500 of oral surgery and the alpha cat grieved the whole day he was gone. I also do purebreed rescue and am fostering a purebred Bengal. Anyone in the DC area who is interested? He’s a cuddle bug, unlike the Abys who are content with each others company, and mine occasionally.
carolyn urban @ 265
I in no way support the meat industry. The Topps company going out of business because of this latest recall should be a warning. Cargill has also had to recall its products from Samm’s Club. It’s a disgusting industry and the quest for profit is poisoning one of the primary source of protein of Americans. What is the alternative? I’d venture to say there isn’t enough wild game left to support any segment of the population.
For those who live in areas where hunting is permissible I still question the motivation. Does killing wild game provide the primary source of protein for the family? Again, if not, what is the motivation?
I lived in Imnaha, Oregon, summer home of the Nez Perce, for a time and watched the big white bwanas flock to the town from Portland during hunting season. We treated more rattlesnake bites than they took deer.
Slaughtered humanely. The concept just doesn’t grab me. Can any living thing be slaughtered humanely?
Over the past 2 years I have lost my two sweet wonderfuldogs that I had since birth and who were, in many ways, the last physical link to my late hubsand. (doberman-husky’s- a great combo)
i will get others but these lived 16 & 17 years…unbelieveable. I had Mom before marriage and at 11 she gave birth to 8 puppies. Trained the 2 we kept too!
My rule is no one in this house dies just because they are incontinent~ an issue because the one cat I still have is incontinent and lives in downstairs bathroom-rendering it unuseable by humans.
My 85 yo father likes my rule.
SouthernDragon, I don’t think we’re disagreeing. I always passionately objected to hunting; but as I still eat some meat, and living rurally where my neighbors hunt to supplement their winter food, I’ve had a change of heart.
As for “slaughtering humanely” you’re right – an oxymoron. Yet even so, as meat eating is part of our culture, far better for the animal who is put down at home, with a shot to the head; then the animals at a factory farm. Lesser of two evils, that’s all.
As for me, I’ve moved away from meat eating, to beans and cheese and eggs for protein; but I haven’t sworn it off entirely. I make sure to buy local humanely rasied chickens, eggs, and meat. For now, that sits uneasily on my conscience. I imagine in the future, I’ll swear off meat entirely.
met my dear husband 10 years ago walking our dogs; he had an already crotchety and old cocker spaniel and i had a young lab mix … both pound pups.
this summer, the cocker spaniel went to the place crotchety old cocker spaniels go. (there are several schools of thought re the destination) and we got an elder toy poodle to keep the big dog company.
the big dog is as bossed by the poodle as he was by spot
Raising three daughters who are now (30,28 and 2o) on 80 acres often meant our house and land was filled with our own animals and many homeless critters. We had (all passed over) four large dogs that all lived long lives. Two dalmations, Chester and Lucy and two husky wolves, Lobita and Snuffy.
At one point my daughters had picked up so many homeless dogs that we had 18 dogs on the property. When they would take these dogs on they were responsible for cleaning feeding and finding homes for them. I of course had to buy the food and at one point I wondered if their would be enough $$ to feed the kids (kidding but sure felt like it at times)
Also assorted cats, horses (2 quarter horses and a pony), chickens etc.
Two of our four family dogs(all lived to over 12) died peacefully at home. The two that we took to the Vet to put down were difficult decisions to say the least. I will never forget the scene at the Vets when Chester our very large strong dalmation became seriously ill. Chester and my youngest daughter Alana were lying next to each other in the very large cage on the cement floor at the Vets. Alana had her arm around Chester and she was sobbing (so was I) as she looked into his eyes and said to Chester “you’ve been like my brother and I will never ever forget you”. He knew it was true, he sighed and lifted his long paw and placed it on her. The Vet assistant who was also crying and I looked over at each other with tears streaming down our faces and then started hysterically laughing knowing how much people love their animals, how much they can mean to us and what an extremely difficult decision it is to put them down. When the Vet told us that Chester was not going to make it (liver failure) and we made the decision, Chester tried to get up off the floor and we decided that was a sign. He died that night on his own.
All I can say is
“Lord, Help us be as good as our dogs think we are”.
Ruffian @ 270
good rule
Hey Ruffian ~ just lost our dear Tigger last month after 24 years … people would come to the house and go “oh poor thing; sure you wouldn’t be kinder if you put him out of his misery”? Sure – he LOOKED like a 24 year old cat; scruffy and skinny … but he’d still jump on my desk every morning to “show me how it’s done”; he’d work his food like it was his challange for the day; he’d come in and *tell* me if there wasn’t enough of it ~ cranky? You bet. Still purr? ALL the time. Still had quality of life? No question. Reminded my hubby and I both of “yep – I promise to cut YOU the same benefit of the doubt when you’re the equivalent of 100 plus years old”!
And when Tigger himself finally decided it was time?
I spent 3 days lovingly thanking him as he did it on his terms ~ being loved and held and comforted ~ for being such an invaluable part of of lives……
Quiet Corner @ 24
Sorry you feel that way! de-lurking as a non-pet and plant owner (and stopped buying books when I became a librarian– I just borrow them from the library :-)
I didnt grow up with pets, and I think this makes a difference in the decision to get a pet once one leaves home/college. I’m not anti-pet or anything, it’s just not a commitment I think about for myself. Plants… I keep trying, and killing. I’m probably due to try again soon. Very forgetful about plants– I suppose it *is* a moral failing, the more I think about it. oh well.
Anyway, despite all that, I bet we have lots in common politically, as we both enjoy FDL! And it’s OK with me if you want to judge me on lack of plants and pets (I do still have my older books). But I will point out the Bush and other Republican presidents have had their pets, too….
Having had 3 generations of mini-dachs all named Sloopy (easy guess as to my age)Your PJ pic brought a flood of pleasant memories. We’re been a cat family for the last six years but the love given and received from our dear Sloopys is a joy never to be forgotten.
Horsewoman @ 275
Beautiful
Mommybrain @ 256
Had to dash off quickly this AM, and I have to run again now. I’ll recount the whole sorry story this PM, OK?
Mommybrain @ 254
You’re not the first person who’s said that about me. I’m humbled you liked my comment. Thank you.
Thank you all for the greetings and the suggestions. I’m still getting the hang of using the quotes thang correctly. I’ll catch on eventually.
janetplanet @ 281
Welcome, Janet. We’ve all been there. Please feel free to use this thread to experiment.
janetplanet @ 279
Janetplanet, I’ll be around for late nite. I’ll see you then.
Horsewoman, re: Tigger. Wonderful.
Very late. Way to hang PJ!
Kathleen: the story of Chester. Wonderful too.
I’ve been laughing and crying over these animal stories all day. Haven’t even made it to the next thread.
My Chihuahua is named Fernando. While I abhor my President, I love my little dog. Fernando is a little love bug, George W. is not. Enough said.
I’m down to my last cat, after having had pets continuously since we’ve been married 35 years. Now, I’ve got grandchildren that I have to travel to visit them. I’ve tired of the mess and responsibility of pets. My husband wants a puppy, but I’m not in mood-I’ve quit smoking and I’m going through menopause and I’m crabby as all get out. I do, however, keep a bag of dog biscuits for my neighbor’s dog, who comes to visit daily.
laurie9 @ 276
Well and gently said, Laurie9. Nice de-lurk.