Pets & the humans who love them
 

I have a mini Dach. Her name is Scout, from the movie To Kill A Mockingbird. She is 9 years old. She has been blind for about 4 years because of cataracts in both eyes. She is my buddy!!! As long as she is at her house you would never know shes blind. Take her out of her element, and she gets very upset, and disoriented.

We have five:

Monty, the Eyeore of the family is a recue boy; he is by far the most sensitive and tender-hearted dog I've ever seen. He is a mixed breed of pointer, perhaps lab and maybe something else. He goes out in the driveway every day and brings the newspaper in. He has been agility trained but doesn't do much of that anymore as he is getting up in his years. He is a sweetheart but can sound like a monster if he needs to.

Pinkie Lee, the red-head; She is the herder and also a mixed breed rescue girl. She can cut corners like nobody's business! She doesn't like big trucks, motorcycles or bicycles and can turn into devil dog when she sees them. She is a sweetheart to those she loves. In fair weather, you will find her outside in the backyard keeping watch on everything. Not sure of her mix, but she looks a bit like a Corgi or similar type herding dog.

Lucie, the tough one of the family. Lucie is a Schnauzer rescue dog. She will eat damn near anything including a wide variety of vegetables. She loves to play ball and go for rides in the car. She keeps everyone else in line,,but don't tell Monty that. Lucie has lost a great deal of her hearing, but she knows hand-signals. She is in charge, whether the rest of the family knows it or not.

Miss Daisy, one of the miniature long-haired dachshund sisters. Although she is a mini, she grew almost to the size of a full-sized dachshund. She is by far the most hard-headed one of the lot. She is the hunter and has, unfortunately, already caught a dove in the backyard. Sometimes her food bowl is her life and she will hover over it and growl, even when no other fur child is even close to her. She may be a hoarder, lol.

And finally, Shadow, the other mini dachshund. She is a mini, coming in at about 12 pounds. Her mantra, "I'm tiny and I'm cute,,what's not to love?". She tries to keep up with her larger sibling, but she just isn't as rough and tumble as Miss Daisy is. She likes to be completely covered up when she gets in her bed. She will lay in her bed downstairs and just bite the side of the bed and hold it in her mouth. Not really sure what is up with that.

So, that is our fur kid family! We love them all dearly and they love us. Our life would be less rich if it weren't for all of them. They are a source of fun, love and humor all the time. Sometimes they get grouchy with each other, but at the end of the day we are one big happy family!

Glynn

Just call us Schnauzer land...

Max, the 23yr old mini schnauzer. (Yes, twenty-three) who is a crotchety ole fella. Hard of hearing (or ignoring us), only about 6 teeth left, and still plays like the younguns. He never fails to bring me a baby (he leans towards stuffed ducks) and flips over on his back so I can "get belly." I surely love that lil ole man.

Scooter, the 10ish Katrina rescue, also a mini. He is our OTJ boy. He is always very busy from his perch atop the loveseat, keeping watch. He loves to jump up in your lap and give hugs. He takes his front legs and puts them on your chest and presses down. The sweetest boy evah, and because he is so damned cute, his "chatiness" is ok.

Samson, our 6 yr old giant. That's my BOY!!! I love that big ole bear. He is quite a handful at around 120lbs, and the folks in our lil town are always stopping me on walks to ask, "Whut kinda dawg is that?!?!?" He loves to play ball and is very protective of his yard and his peoples. He was also a rescue and while Jess was initially skeptical about such a big dog, I think now Hy secretly puffs up Hys chest in pride as our big ole boy is the king of the world!

Sookie is our 8-9ish giant girl and the latest addition to our pack. She was rescued from an evil place last December and out of the 57 dogs taken from this home, only one of 13 who lived. She weighed 27lbs, fully grown, when she was found in a medium sized crate with an adult shephard who had died, curled around her. Her front teeth are all ground down from trying to chew her way out of the crate, but it hasn't slowed her appetite. I drove around 10 hrs to pick her up and bring her home, and its really been amazing to watch her go from being barely able to walk to wiggle-buttin around the house and running thru the yard with her boys! She has NO idea she is as big as she is, and tries to get in your lap sitting on the couch. She now weighs in at about 79lbs and has really settled in.

In as much work as they are, I can't imagine life without any of them. They are so unique in their personalities and bring us so very much joy!

Yay for schnauzerland!!

Awww...we have a mini named Shadow too, about the same size. He's my son's dog and has attachment issues. Right now he's sharing a chair with Rooster as he plays his computer games. He sleeps with him too, under the covers, every night....and will persistently wiggle his way under any afghan, blanket, etc. on the couch with you as well.

We also have two cats....Mabel (aka the Princess), a black long-haired beauty with a laser pointer obsession, and Banshee (aka big mouth or brat), who is the loudest meowing cat ever born. He's short haired, sort of butterscotch colored, and has a kink in his tail where it was broken before we got him. He's the king of attitude... and also the only cat I've ever known who's happy to be carried around belly up like a baby. :)

We used to have many more animals before our move to FL...two rabbits, one who died of old age, and the other given to a woman who had other rabbits and did education and petting zoo stuff for kids...a rowdy Collie named Lily, who was given to a friend (she was honestly more dog than we could handle, and the friend and she adore each other....last pic I saw of her was posted on his facebook page, with her in his bed, under the covers, head on his pillow, drooling :giggle: )...and two other cats - Bree, who vanished in NY the day we moved and hasn't been seen by neighbors since, and Soyen, a half Siamese who never was even remotely social, and went over a tall fence as soon as we arrived and is now living wild in several hundred acres of scrub preserve near our old apartment.....we saw him several times and he looks good, but would take off when we tried to get him.

It feels odd to have only 3 critters after having 8....but Scoote and the Rooster are conspiring, and I'm guessing that two more kittens may be headed our way. :)

I gots Bob. Bob is a punk of the highest order. Bob is a chihuahua, so he is a barking, growling, bed hogging little monster. And my best friend. Punk ass.

I have two cats: Romey & Louie; they are ginger toms, they are brothers. They were rescued from a foster home near Boston when they were quite small and quite poorly, they have kitty-herpes. They are about 4.5 years old now. They are very naughty and very loving. They are in good health these days, each weighs nearly 20lbs :|

I have a dog named Cosmo; he is a 75lb Rottweiler/Shar pei mix. He was rescued from a no-kill shelter in Denver. He is about 3.5 years old now. He is very sweet with people, adores babies and toddlers and anyone who will play with him; but has become dog-aggressive/reactive - which is a real shame as it severely limits the amount of time he's allowed to be outside off-leash.

My brother has a "red" Siberian Husky, very smart...sometimes-cough-..At first, I was very worried about how Enik would react towards my Ferrets {They were here first}, my worries were laid to rest when I returned from Dialysis one evening, apparently I forgot to secure their cage..
She was waddling by all proud of carrying one of my Socks, and since He tends to be the ringleader, I was expecting to find him getting ready to pounce her...
I found him...cornering the dog.
That was..a sight to behold...a big ass siberian husky, lookin at me with a "please get him away get him away he's scaring me!!" glance, his front paws kinda taking turns touching the ground gingerly, almost as if he were trying to shoo him away....
I did grab TehToh though {ya never know} and gave 'em all treats, put the "evil twins" back in their dwelling...

Mathilda was a recent addition, she's a Rescue, to the unfamiliar person, she would be difficult to identify and distinguish from the other.
They look like fraternal twins, and when she's pissie she'll resemble him in tantrums.
I gave her the name for 2 reasons, a nod to the movies My relatives love {Matilda*danny devito* + The Professional *Jean Reno*}, and to the Song we kept singing.."Waltzing Mathilda", oddly enough whenever we sang it she'd stare blankly then squirm.
When she wants you to let her go {gently} she'll start "praying", folding her front paws together, pushing outward, squirming like you're torturing her, and yawns..a lot....Which btw, reveals very impressive Fangs..
She sometimes has a naive "duh" glance, but I've learned that's pure unadultered b.s., when she doesnt see im there, I've seen her true colors..She can be a little bully, and she loves wrestling with her toys, and they are HER toys, Tehtoh cant touch 'em...she will literally grab it, and waddle away with it...

Tehtoh, I gave him the name from Nausicaa of the Valley, he lives up to his name, however, I'm the only one in this House he hasn't sunk his Fangs into...yet..
He's also a Rescue..
I'm careful, when he's hyper and playful, I have felt the pinch of his rather sharp ...pointy...big..."Vampire" fangs...
Just a Pinch, though, he knows better.
I do warn anyone and everyone who seems to think they're immune, one of my brothers friends ignored my warning, while they were cleaning her finger, I showed her Tehtohs vet records, and smiled saying "I did warn u"..
Once he knows u, and likes u, he's a big pudgy ball of love..
He tends to be a cautious curious explorer, but..
When he finds something, and he knows{they're smart} he shouldn't have it and I'm approaching {ex: dog kibble, dog squeaky toy}, most of the time, he doesn't run..nah...it looks like he flies off in the opposite direction, which is quite a sight...A large Ferret, runnin' like a bat outta hell, holding on to a toy that is almost as big as him...
Unless I'm in a rush, it always makes me laugh..
When he returns from wherever he stashed his treasure {he rarely eats what he finds}, he has a Smug satisfied strut and a glance that can only mean "fuck you, it's mine !"

Personally, I think u can tell them apart, if you pay attention..the 2 best ways is to pick them up..
She's "plump" but soft and almost fragile to hold..
He's..heavy, thick and his fur is less plush, and much bigger..
Her head is narrow, like an Arrow, He has a "bull" skull, wide...
That and he'll cuddle you to Death, unless he's bored and see's something he wants to explore...
Her? She'll give u maybe 10...15 seconds of quiet snuggle...
Then the "praying" starts...

Yes, my ferrets throw tantrums.
Yes, they're spoiled rotten..
They also define "party animal"..When theyre happy they Hop around, a lot..sometimes they'll roll and Hop, and pounce each other, and make funny noises{I'm told}..
Sometimes their Tail will "Poof", I make sure it's cuz theyre happy...
Only 2 reasons a tail will poof, very hyper & happy...very scared & pissed off.

For my mother's birthday, I got her 2 peachfaced lovebirds.
Merlin and Ygraine..
I'm still figuring out how she knows their "sex", but, as long as theyre happy, and she's happy, I'm happy...
:sunglass:

3 dogs, 2 cats, 3 horses, all 'rescued', all loved beyond measure! :D

We have five cats and a dog. All are rescues.

Cupid is our oldest kitty. He's 14, with kidney disease and a chronic peeing problem. We are having some difficulty dealing with this, I admit. Samantha and Zoe are one sibling group, and Mickey and Miley are the other kitty sibs. We love them all. They're an endless source of enjoyment for us. All indoor cats and all from shelters.

Freeway is our old man. He's a 12 year old border collie/lab mix. Looks like a brown border collie with the utter sweetness of a soft lab. He was malnourished and neglected for years by a kindly older person who couldn't take care of him properly. He's a bit old for his time--with diabetes, arthritis, and cataracts with almost full blindness. He doesn't know how to play with toys, but he loves to ride in the car. He doesn't bark, but he smiles a lot and actually answers "yes" (I swear) when we ask if he wants to go for a ride. He still dances like a puppy when he goes in the car or when he is able to get us to let him out by staring at us. :)

10 cats
1 Coyote
5 Racoons
Deer-?
Birds-?
1 Possum

We have 3 cats with all different personalities.

Miz Kitty was willed to Rufus. Her owner died and Rufus got her because her owner knew Rufus was the only person who would not give her away or put her down.

Then we have Jilly. She was a stray that I picked up in the middle of a very icy Nebraska winter. She would come around for food, I would let her in to warm up, but after 10 minutes she would want to leave. Then, one day, she stopped by and at the end of her 10 minute visit instead of heading to the door to leave she took a left into the kitchen, curled up and went to sleep.

Then our last cat is Buddy. He showed up in the backyard one day looking for food. A neighbor had moved and we think they had abandoned him. We fed him for awhile but he was so pitiful and so obviously a former house cat with no outside skills that we took him in. He is now a 20lb monster that we love to death.

Melissa

My 15 year old cat, Luciano is in kidney failure, but doing well, actually. He gets sub-q fluids every other day and is on Rx food. He is still king of the abode (even over my French Bulldog) and keeps the neighborhood in check. Yes, he has slowed down, but is a tough cat! Now he comes in early in the evening to snooze in his heating pad adorned bed under my desk. I have a talk and ear scratch session with him every night on the floor and he purrs the best tunes!

Have another cat, an orange manx (Mario), also a rescue. He is 7 years old. Always been a nervous fellow and very sweet. I have caught him more than once cleaning Luciano's ears under my desk. He knows his big brother doesn't feel well all of the time. Fortunately, Mario loves the dog and they are pretty close. So, when we lose Luciano, he will still have a fur person he loves around.

I lost the last of my Boxers 2 years ago (Valentino) to a brain tumor at age 8 years. Had Boxers for 30 years, some rescused, others, not. I miss him and the breed, but it is best to have a small breed for me now.

That brings me to Ranocchio the Frog Dog!! He is a tiger-brindle French Bulldog and he is 5 years old. Kind of like having a short Boxer, actually. Total clown... with attitude! A great companion and friend!

I'm an introvert and although I do like people in general, I prefer home and quiet and being able to trust my fur kids. My human family is number one on the people scale. I spent my working life in fields directly dealing with people and people problems and education. Unless someone truely loves pets, I'd rather they not even visit me. This is their home, too. I'm done taking care of people in my personal as well as work life. Totally retired! The kid is raised and has his own family and is stable. The rest is for me and responsible, conscious, considerate humans ... and my pets! The only shit I am going to clean up any more is what's in the litter box!

I would like to have another pooch, but right now with my older cat's health needs and expenses, that isn't the thing to do. Probably piss him off, anyway....

No More Kids.....
 

I didn't get my first doggy until my children were grown up, out of school and on their own.

It's wonderful. And I don't care whether my Lulu is the brightest or the dumbest in puppy class.

and, I care even less where my dog goes to college or what her grade point average is. Ivy or state school; it's irrelevant. Graduate school: forget it. You don't need it to lick your butt with any sort of proficiency.

Babysitters...No problem. Just toss her in the zip up bag and take her along. Leave her for a couple of hours with a new chew toy and she thrives.

The question of what might appeal to her for dinner is mute. It's gonna be dog food.

The most outrageous act of adolescent rebellion might be an accidental piddle in the kitchen or the insistence on taking "froggie" along on a walk.


Dogs are definitely easier to raise than children and often far more gracious and appreciative than people.

Not having any more kids. Just shih tzus!!

Your Ferrets...
 

You said:
Yes, my ferrets throw tantrums.
Yes, they're spoiled rotten..
They also define "party animal"..When theyre happy they Hop around, a lot..sometimes they'll roll and Hop, and pounce each other, and make funny noises{I'm told}..
Sometimes their Tail will "Poof", I make sure it's cuz theyre happy...
Only 2 reasons a tail will poof, very hyper & happy...very scared & pissed off.

______________________
Curious. My adult daughter has two ferrets which are not really house trained. She claims they are, of course, but any available corner appears to be a "toilet" and she just places a kitty litter box in all four corners of their room. They miss it as often as hitting the spot. Just wondering if you've had a different experience and actually have house trained ferrets in tow. They've had ferrets forever and have actually had to always have an entire room adapted as "the ferret room" because they choose not to cage them. I enjoy playing with them -- at HER house. :mohawk:

Judith

We have cats...six of them.

Moxie was mine, adopted her from a shelter in Alaska once I got my first apartment & she's been with me ever since. Brown tabby, with gorgeous green eyes and the Queen of the Bedroom.
Romeo is daisy's..orange tabby that is just "one of the girls" and brother to Cricket.
Cricket is the Momma of the brood, eternally kitten sized and a spaz pro. She's also Zilla's Mom.
Zilla, aka Catzilla....sweet, "special" twenty lb, polydactl cat. Don't mess with her though, she's got lightning quick reflexes.
Gidget is a year old kitten of a barn cat that daisy adopted for me before I moved here to help me get over the loss of my other cat, Belly. She plays fetch & currently enjoys following the newest kitten around, grooming her and playing with her. Which leads me to Linnea, our 10 week old tabby kitten with amber eyes. She was adopted from a rescue group while they were at a local pet store, it seems that Linnea and her siblings were dropped there previously because they knew the rescue organization would be there. I approved her adoption because daisy really wanted her, and it was her birthday. She is still growing into her meow and has Daddy wrapped around her little paw. She's also into everything!

Of course...if anyone asks...we just have 4. ;)
~SAB

TOUCHE!! But at least kids are kids! Love my grand kids. It's the adults stuck in adolescence that make me nuts! And believe me, this occurs at any adult age! Not talking about customary passages through human development. May 20 year olds have more sense than some 50 year olds I know.

But, give me my fur kids!

23? Wow! I've got to ask, what brand of dog food do you give him/gave him most of his life?

_____________________

Interesting. Of course grandchildren are a delight. Can enjoy them thoroughly and then send them home to their parents and crawl in bed and watch a good movie uninterrupted.

I have been noticing that this generation of "kids" is very different than their parents, and in a positive way. Perhaps it is just because I'm the grandparent, but I sense more maturity, more sensitivity, stronger conscience. Speaking for myself, of course, but our kids were more selfish. Wouldn't it be lovely if the "me generation" is something of the past.

To keep this in the puppy thread. Adding an addendum that my doggy is universally charming, deeply spiritual and considerate and I spare no opportunity to tell my kids that she's been far easier (and less costly) to raise than they were. (And that her estate will be somewhat more substantial than their own for that reason alone.)

I have four cats. In order of when they moved in, they are:

Clyde and Charlotte - I got them when I was living in Vancouver in 2002. The woman who lived in the townhouse next to where I worked got evicted and left many of her pets behind. We never got the actual numbers because we couldn't catch them all - but both cats and dogs in her house were up in the double-digits. They were both around 2.5-3 months old, so I took them both and a friend of mine took their mother. I wasn't in a position to take on an adult at that time because I still had Mo at that time (he has since passed away) who was also a rescue and was aggressive with other adult cats, but I knew him to be friendly with kittens (for some reason.)

Clyde is gigantic, weighing in at nearly 20 pounds. He's not FAT however, he's just huge. I have never seen such large feet on a cat, and he is incredibly long. He chirps rather than meows, so I suspect that he is part Maine Coon. He is VERY talkative and a real lover - seriously. He loves love.

Charlotte is a diva. She has a naturally snotty voice (for a cat) and if you pet her she will often groom the area that you had pet afterward - I think she thinks I am dirty. She ignores me all day, but once I am in bed she asks to snuggle. She likes to be held like a teddy bear until I fall asleep.

Eliot is the only cat I have ever had who wasn't rescued from somewhere. A friend of mine (who lived in Michigan at that time) had a cat who had kittens and she posted the pictures on facebook - it was all over from there. I MADE Nick take me to Michigan to pick Eliot up once he was old enough. He is Clyde's best friend, and still (although he is nearly 3 years old now) tries to nurse on Clyde's belly. He likes foil balls, is very tolerant of my desire to put hats on him, and usually lays across my lap when I am on the computer.

Elphaba is just over 3 years old and has been with me for 2 years now. The woman who used to have her had a nasty habit of going out of town for WEEKS at a time and leaving Elphaba locked out on the balcony. It was summertime and hot and she had no food and water (aside from the food and water I would climb up on a chair to give to her) and there was so much feces on that balcony that you could smell it from quite a distance away. One night I decided that feeding her wasn't good enough - so I got up on the balcony and "stole" her. She was really thin and scared and sickly, so I got her to the vet and got her healthy and kept her. She is still not quite over her "I don't know when I will be fed next" impulse and breaks into my garbage can on occasion - but I forgive her. She's very friendly and no matter what I am doing or where in the apartment I am, she is always right by my side.

My black lab mix of 13 years, Beaker, died in early August. His picture is in my gallery. I got him as a puppy from the Animal Rescue Foundation and he almost made it to 14. We had to tearfully let go of him when his spinal arthritis made him paralyzed and incontinent in his hind quarters. I miss him every day.

We adopted Popeye in late September from the Homeless Animals Lifeline Organization. He is now 6 months old! His pic is in my gallery as well. He is a german shepherd/terrier/lab? mix and cute as a button. He is a love bug and thinks he is a lap dog. He is very much a puppy and chews on everything, so he has TONS of toys and bones and chewy rawhides so he wont chew the furniture and stuff. He is a joy in our lives and a bit of a rascal. I just love dogs. :)

I like cats too, but I am allergic. :(

I'm so sorry about Beaker. People who aren't animal lovers really don't get how our pets are our FAMILY and it's just as traumatic to lose a hairy member of the family as it is to lose the 2-legged kind.

You did got by him, I promise. :)

I forgot to mention our outdoor feral, named Roo. He actually looks a lot like Moxie, and is very vocal. I feed him twice a day and he likes to sleep under our sycamore tree. He currently has something wrong with his rear paw and hops around on three legs, but other than that it does not seem to bother him. If we had a Trap & Neuter program locally and we could pay for it, I would but I found out the closest one is almost an hour away.
He used to sleep and eat in the garage, but he doesn't want to go in it anymore, even though we keep one of the doors cracked. Other cats use it now to stay warm. I am thinking of getting a cheap wood doghouse for Roo so at least I can keep his food dry and he's got someplace to go to stay dry and maybe get warm for a bit. He won't let us pet him but he gets within a foot of us while we are feeding him before he gives a look that says "Go away I am hungry!"
I've also seen a tabby cat with a lot of white in our yard and a skinny Siamese. I wish I could let them all in the house...:(
please spay & neuter!
~SAB

All of your cats match their names! So many times, I see animals and their people say, "Oh, his name is Snotrocket!" and I just think "But he looks like a Charlie, not a Snotrocket!"

I think it's lovely that you and your family don't abide by the gender police concerning the naming of your pets. Mimi for a boy and Jeffrey for a girl is fantastic!