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We previously had three dogs (two Chow-huskies and one Siberian husky), but last July one of the Chow-huskies had to be put down after a having a few grand mal seizures over the course of a few months. Then the week before Thanksgiving we lost our Siberian very suddenly (and we felt rather dramatically) when she went into kidney failure. Our surviving Chow-husky, sweet girl, immediately went into single-dog mode and is one of the happiest animals ever. She was always sort of a sour girl, and not all of her wariness is gone completely, but she seems to be enjoying life so much more now. She does not have any other animal to contend with for a good place between our legs in bed at night, she rolls over and exposes her belly constantly (whereas before she felt much too vulnerable around the other dogs).Most recently she has become more obsessed with her dog kong: carrying it around in her mouth, throwing it down the stairs in order to loosen the treat inside - she has even gone so far as to carry it outside with her when going to the bathroom. Ever watch a dog pee with a kong in their mouth? Cutest. Thing. Ever.
She has also trained my boyfriend to give her treats just by looking at him. We do spoil her now, but honestly... she has the responsibility of being three dogs in one body now. :)
The last cat ( and I do mean the LAST cat) that I lived with had several interesting traits: he banged its head against the kitchen cupboard door at his dish until we fed him, never ate weiners which the children would eat, hmmm?, went out the front door & in at the back door - sometimes repeatedly every 5 minutes, but his most endearing trait was to sneak into my bedroom about 300 am daily (how I don't know as I close my door & the children denied ever opening it soooo...) , hopped onto my chest & HOWLED to be let out! Yikes!
Dogs:Sadie is submissive and a worrier (I mean, she worries about Ace, our other dog).
Ace is too adventurous for his own good.
Cats:
Madame Fifi is reclusive yet affectionate.
Gozer is our "uh...what?" cat.
Zuul is flinchy and timid.
Laszlo is needy and sensitive.
Dolores is lazy and grouchy.
Cosmo is the troublemaker.
Clarence is mysterious.
Hector is bite-y and claw-y (it's playful though)
Arthur is not afraid. He also likes to be held like a baby and carried around.
Tiny Rufus is tiny and is Laszlo's (unwanted) sidekick.
I know! 2 more and we can do a calender!
LOL Just start and end the year with a dog. :P
I'm sorry for your loss El, but its nice to hear that your other dog came out of her shell. Ours are very spoilt too.wow, 10 cats? That would keep you busy!
We found our other dog as a stray. He was in bad shape and extremely scared of people. You only had to call him for dinner and he'd hide under our house.
Now, he's developed a vocal ability and tries to talk to you. He'll happily come over at dinner time and make low growling happy barks at us to tell us that he expects to be fed now (in a comical and happy way, not a menacing forceful way) and generally if you ask 'what did you say?' he'll start up again.
Both dogs also do not like the rain. If its raining and even if they really want to go out they'll turn their noses up and race back inside.
Mary is my cat hero :)This may be too much information, and I don't mean to offend, but my 2 boys wait until the minute I get home from work to go # 2. I guess I'm flattered -- LOL!!
When I was a kid, we took in an abused dog, a chocolate Doberman named Buster. He was skittish and terrified of men when we got him, his ears and tail were mangled from when they'd had them cropped - probably trying to save a buck and had a friend do it- and he had a bald strip down his back where they'd left him tied out in the Florida sun without any shelter or anything. Anyway, he was a great dog. When he adjusted to living with us he was hilarious! He used to pull us kids around the block on skateboards, and he absolutely knew when we were trying to shortchange his walks and would refuse to budge until he got his full walk. My dad would watch those concert shows on PBS and Buster would sing along like he was half of a duet!
We had to put him down, unfortunately, because we found out too late that he had a fullblown case of heartworms that his previous owners had left untreated. It broke my heart. :(
Oh Becky, what a horrible sad story about Buster. Some people can be so heartless with animals. At least he had a good life with your family for a little while.
I know... It broke my little girl heart and made me rather bitter toward people who act like animals are only animals and can't think or feel or hurt or love. I think it's cruel to crate train, kennel, rub animals noses in their messes, declaw, crop ears or tails, etc. My animals are treated like they are my kids. I let them know I love them (even though they are cats and 9 times out of 10 don't want me to - like teenagers!), I talk to them, and they understand and sometimes actually respond. My cats have more furniture in my apartment than I do, almost. And I take the time to clip their nails every few weeks because I refuse to declaw them, even though they are strictly indoor cats.
I always donate money to the ASPCA. And I always have my animals fixed so that there aren't more unwanted animals out there.
OK... sermon over! :)
El, I'm so sorry for your loss. We had to put down our 15 year old black lab over Thanksgiving. His main habit was following my mom from room to room around the house. She works at home a lot so he got used to her. He also liked to lie under the table at dinner in hopes of getting fed. He was terrible about begging and it was so hard to say no with his huge brown eyes and perked eyes staring at me. We all miss him but it was so hard to see him suffer towards the end of his life.Becky, Buster's story is so sad. He sounds like such a sweet dog! I totally agree with you about many of those things. We would occasionally stick Troy in a kennel, but only when we left the house and only when he was really young and old (ages when he'd leave messes or tear blinds down or swipe butter). My mom is actually writing a book on humans and animals (although we currently don't know if it will actually get published). I also think it's sad when animals are bred to guard and be vicious :(
I appreciate your sermon. I sometimes volunteer at my local humane society because those animals need love!
I'm sorry about your loss too Liz and Becky, we've had a number of dogs over the years and it's always hard to say goodbye :( A previous dog we owned, used to love a game of ball and would bring you absolutely anything from an average ball, to a torn piece of one, to a Toothpick sized stick and stare at you and it, until you did something with it. (obviously we never threw the toothpick sized ones no matter how much he pleaded) Our dogs like to beg too, and we've tried to teach them not to. The one we found as a stray (which we named Lucky, due to the fact that his future may not have been so bright if we hadn't of found him) now sits away from us, facing just so he can see us out of the corner of his eye (I'm not really looking mum, honest!)
I don't get how people can be cruel to and ignore their dogs, they have such wonderful, different and often strange personalities.
Diane D. wrote: "Mary is my cat hero :)This may be too much information, and I don't mean to offend, but my 2 boys wait until the minute I get home from work to go # 2. I guess I'm flattered -- LOL!!"
Our dogs are like that! We had a cat too, who'd only go outside or use the bath plughole if she was stuck inside for some reason. A plug hole is certainly easier to clean up than the carpet.
I have a long haired male cat that is a nut! He is the total opposite of my previous cat who I had for 17 years. My parents have a westie, and my cat out weighs him by at least 4-5 lbs and is taller and longer. I have discovered his many different talents in the 5 years I have had him. He runs up door frames to the top hangs there and goes down again with out leaving claw marks from his back claws. Another talent is wrapping his whole body around my leg when he wants me to play with him,like a child would do to a parents to get them to stay.He is trying to figure out how to open the cabinets now, that should be fun if he accomplishes it.
Oh Shelia, he sounds wonderful!! I have a black and white long haired boy that is similar, but he doesn't run up the door frames -- that must be a sight to see -- LOL! (He is the one on the right in my picture)
Becky, I love your "sermon" too : )
We had to do the crate with our husky. She was a rescue dog for us, we were her fifth and final parents. She had been highly abused and traumatized, and we learned early on in our relationship with her that if we left her out during the day while we were at work she would destroy the house and hurt herself. She was terrified of rain (don't even mention lightning and thunder), and would get into places that she couldn't herself out of again. Many times we would come home and find her in some truly bizarre places, and she would be terrified. Having been a kennel dog for most of her life (adopted, returned, adopted, returned), she did well with a large crate. In many ways I think she felt like she was safe and at home. It eased her mind and curbed her appetite for boredom and anxiety.My boyfriend had the two chow-huskies since they were babies, and they were about 5 when I moved in. He had done the crate training thing with them in the beginning more for their safety than anything else. I think it is important for a dog to understand that a crate is not a punishment, but a place to feel safe. Occasionally our remaining chow-husky will sometimes just go into the crate to sniff around, remember her puppyhood and continue on her way. The door is always open even though we've never had to use it with her in her adult years. We just haven't taken it down since we had to put down our husky in November.
So I'm not opposed to crates in general, used in the right way. I'm also not opposed to kennels - the right kind of kennels. We've used the PetHotel at PetSmart on several occasions and our husky loved it. She was able to socialize and get treats all day, and they treated her like a princess. They're very hands-on, there's a vet clinic right there in every store in case there's an emergency, and I've never heard one complaint. It's much better than taking a dog to a regular kennel where they're caged most of the time and ultimately ignored because there are too many other animals and not enough staff. The two chow-huskies would not have enjoyed it or even fared well there, but just like children you know your animals' limits and what works for them and what does not.
My husband and I are unable to have children, so instead we have 2 fur kid cocker spaniels. We treat them like children, well- minus putting them in clothes or shoes - that's just wrong! :)They are quite quarky. Our eldest, Roxy, will NOT go outside to potty, if my husband is the one who opens the door, and I am home. She will only go if I will stand at the door, and then she hurries, goes, and bolts back into the house as if something is going to attack her in our backyard. She, not my husband, spoons me at night. Oh and she will do anything for a sip of Kahlua, Crown, wine, or...really any alcohol for that matter (can you tell what goes on in our house?)Roxy follows me EVERYWHERE, and if I'm on the computer in the evening, she'll just sit about 3 feet away from me and stare at me until I get off. She loves watching t.v. And it's amazing that she can tell the difference between humans and animals on t.v. Even if animals don't make a sound, if they're in the background of a show, she'll growl lowly. It's very cute. Pigs, horses, cats, dogs...her boyfriend is Duke from the Bean commercial. If we ask her, "Where's Duke" She goes to the t.v. and barks.
Our newest addition, one year old Vader, is completely spastic. She's the antithesis of Rox. COMPLETELY OUT OF CONTROL, But the sweetest personality- you say her name and she wags her tail like her butt is going to fall off and rolls on her back so you can rub her belly. She runs into walls and barks at ceiling fans. She'll just stare at a smoke detector for an hour. Can dogs be autistic?
Anyway, im really rambling - I love my dogs!
I also have a cat, Digweed. My husband calls him "a rodent that we let live with us". He's the coolest cat. He opens doors and cabinets, which is fun for the dogs. One day he opened the pantry- while we were gone ofcourse, and Vader (see above), had a party with a huge container of Splenda. DO you know what kind of a mess it is to clean up sugar ALL OVER THE FLOOR that has been licked for hours by two dogs?
True El. In the situation that you described, it's not cruel at all. I just hate when people are lazy use the crate/kennel as a crutch or worse as punishment - that is cruel and what I cannot stand. If the animal is comfortable in it, or feels safe and secure or happy, then I'm not against that at all. I am always in favor of happy, secure animals. :)
LOL - Liz, your description of your dogs and cat made me laugh so hard!We have one cat, our spoiled little baby, named Charlotte-Anne. She is a pure-bred Birman and is definitely the princess of our household. She has had several nicknames that have evolved over the three years of her life. Charlotte-Anne... Charlie-Anne... Chuck-Anne... Charlie... Charlie-bunns... The Bunn-Bunns... Bunny-kins... Bunnies... Bunnicula... and so on and so forth.
My husband and I both work from home, and she hates it when we aren't in the same room. She will yowl loudly and try to find a spot in the hallway where she can watch both of us simultaneously. Her absolute favorite time of day is when we go to bed. She purrs so loud and makes biscuits all over the bed until she finally settles down and goes to sleep on my left thigh.
Her favorite food in all the world is yogurt. She can hear the little foil lid being pulled back from a mile away. She never ever begs for food, unless its yogurt. Her favorite toy in all the world is one of my old Bare Essentials makeup brushes, which she carries around in her mouth and throws up into the air. (Gross.)
Cathy and all - It's so funny how we nickname our pets, isn't it? Dougy's nicknames: Buggy, Buggers, Dougy-Buggy
Jack's nicknames: Junior, Jacky-Wacky
Heidi's nicknames: Heiders, Heidy-Bidey, Biders
Crazy :))) because sometimes they are not even close to their real names -- LOL!
I wanted to pipe in on the crate thing too. El yes, when crates represent a safe haven/comfort for the dog(s) I think they are wonderful. In my opinion, they should never be used for punishment. Love that you never gave up on your rescued husky. She had to go through a lot to find you both :))
I have two cats: Alfalpha (Alfie) and Indica. Alfie's Nicknames include: Monster, Catface, Sir Alfred, and Monkey
Indica's Nicknames include: Indica Marie (I just started saying this one day and it stuck), Indi-cat, Girl, Babygirl, Miss, and Puppy-kitty.
They actually respond to all these names, too.
Thanks, Diana D. When we went back to the shelter to tell them about our husky, they all cried with us. Unbeknown to us, the new crew had even heard about us, and what we did for that girl. It's a local no-kill shelter, but I have a feeling that eventually someone would have killed her. We think she might have either been born with some mental disability or had been abused to the point of creation of mental disability, and former owners just didn't know what to do for her, or how to help her. Heartbreaking.Oh, I love animal nicknames!
The husky's real name was Juno, but we called her Ju-Ju or Ju-Ju B most of the time. I also took to call her Boo-Boo because she had the cutest scar on the bridge of her nose.
The chow-husky we also had to put down last year was Paolo, and he had some of the most bizarre nicknames: Pau-Pau, Noo-Noo, Bubbies, Grumpas, Squeakas (the only boy dog in the house and he was the biggest baby).
The surviving chow-husky is Odile, and we mostly call her Diddy. Or P-Diddy. :) Occasionally, and we don't know why, my boyfriend will call her by his sister's name. Not intentionally, but if he gets angry with Odile sometimes he calls her Jill. Alternatively while talking to his sister, he often calls her Odile. Again, not intentionally. Jill hates it. :)
Becky, Indica is a great name! Can I ask where you came up with that?
El wrote: "Becky, Indica is a great name! Can I ask where you came up with that?"My boyfriend picked it - a remnant from his wilder days... He said he wanted to name his daughter Indica, if we had one... I wasn't crazy about that idea, even though I liked the name, so when we got a girl cat he pulled it out and dusted it off. My mom loves the name and got a huge laugh out of it when she finally found out from one of her friends what it meant. It's a type of cannabis actually, LOL, apparently the kind that makes people couch-potato mellow.
So, my boyfriend named her before we had even seen her, but she fit her name so perfectly it was like fate. When she wasn't being a pouncy kitten, she was like sack of potatoes calm and limp, and would just drape herself where ever she happened to fall asleep: couch arms, peoples shoulders, Alfie, half off the stairs, anywhere. It really was like she was stoned! LOL And then of course she just grew like a weed...
Hahaha Becky!! I don't know what is funnier the "couch-potato mellow" or the "grew like a weed"! What great reasoning behind the naming of Indica! And the visual of her just nodding off anytime, any place!
El - I volunteer at a no-kill rescue facility and I can totally relate to the workers and volunteers having heard about you and crying with you.
Diane D. wrote: "Hahaha Becky!! I don't know what is funnier the "couch-potato mellow" or the "grew like a weed"! What great reasoning behind the naming of Indica! And the visual of her just nodding off anytime, an..."LOL! Did I mention that she's ALWAYS nibbling on something? She'll take a few bites of food and wander off, and then come back 5 minutes later for a little more... It's like a kitty case of the munchies! :P
By the way, here is a picture of the children if anyone wants to see. This was taken a couple months after we got Indica. She's the little black one, and Alfie is the white and black one. :)http://www.goodreads.com/photo/user/1...
Becky wrote: "Diane D. wrote: "Hahaha Becky!! I don't know what is funnier the "couch-potato mellow" or the "grew like a weed"! What great reasoning behind the naming of Indica! And the visual of her just noddin..."Becky, you're killing me!!
And I just looked at the photo. Adorable!! What a great shot! Indica looks so endearing and Alfie looks so comfortable with her cuddled up next to him.
Yeah, they were so cute when they'd cuddle in that catbed together. Now they are too big, but they will lay together still every once in a while. Somewhere on the net I have a video of Indica letting me file her nails. She's just calmly sitting there, getting herself a manicure. I'll have to see if I can find it. Hilarious!
El, that's so sad about your husky. It sounds like you were able to give her a good home. I agree with those who don't like crates for punishments. Once when we first had Troy and left him in the house not in a crate he tore down the blinds, broke through the screen windows, ran outside and sat at the bus stop waiting for my brother and I (he would come with my dad and wait for the bus with us). Unfortunately, he was two hours early so when our neighbors saw him sitting there they tied him to our door with a piece of string. He chewed through that and when we got home to a message on our answering machine from a different neighbor saying that they had found him and he was swimming in their pool (they let him) when we wanted to come get him.We would sometimes take Troy to pet kennels/motels if we had to but we'd always get him the TLC feature or what have you. There was also a family with two kids and two dogs and he loved it at their house. Nickname was he was also referred to as Troybee or dog boy.Liz, your descriptions of your pets crack me up. Cathy, Charlotte-Anne sounds like quite the cat! And Becky, even though I already commented, your cats are so cute.
Aww, Liz I can just imagine.. 'See ya mum, I'm going to the neighbours to have a swim.' We used to live on a bit of property, and my mum and her partner purchased a couple of cows. They had a thing for carrots, and we used to have bags of them to feed them. We got a call one day to say they'd gotten out and were visiting a neighbour a few houses down and about a kilometre up the road. Mum took a bucket of carrots up and they followed her close behind all the way home, no trouble.
We've often given our dogs nick names too, currently our dog lucky gets lu or variants of lucky and lu and Boof, because as a younger dog, he was quite clumsy. He'd run into things all the time and one day he was sitting up on the front steps (a set of three short stairs) and fell over backwards off onto the ground...for no real reason, he just lost balance. (he's grown out of that phase now)
Our smaller dog (in the picture)s name is Rami(pronounced 'rahmee'), and gets called Roo.
I'e mentioned that we spoil our dogs, my grandfather always thought too much, until he met his neighbours, who feed their dogs full t-bone steak and home-roasted chicken (apparently they can tell the difference if its store roasted so she has to roast it herself.) He doesn't comment too much about ours now..
That is a great "tongue shot" of Roo, Kate. SO cute!Liz, sounds like Troy may have had separation anxiety?
Diane, Troy definitely had separation anxiety. It was particularly bad when he was young and in his old age. I think it partially got worse again because when he was older my mom started working at home more often so he hated it more when we left and we had a big move when he was around 12 years old (Ohio to Minnesota).However, he was a very sweet and loving dog who was always thrilled to see us when we got home. He didn't really jump on people too often and was generally quiet in his old age. He was also very forgiving, except that he'd follow us around he house whenever we got back from being away. It was so cute, sometimes if he was lying on the floor and you walked over he would start wagging his tail so it would thump really loudly on the wooden floors. Actually, another one of his personality traits was he always slept on the floor next to my mom and he'd lie under the bed so his legs stuck out, but then every morning he would kind of get stuck and it would take him a few minutes to get out.
For example, The dog in my picture is our eldest dog. He'll sleep with me for the first half of the night, wait until I turn off the light/tv and settle down, and then he'll start to slide himself gently down the bed and eventually jump off and head into mums room. Its as if he wants to make sure I'm ok for the night. He'll also stare you out of the kitchen because he doesn't like anyone watching him eat.
My other dog sleeps on the floor in mums room, doesn't jump on the bed unless invited... generally, or unless mum turns off the light.... then he'll sneak up on the bed in the manner of 'the lights are off now and she can't see me, ha.'
In a rather OCD fashion, he's also taken to guarding mum if she's in the bathroom by sitting outside the door... even if he wasn't at all worried about where she was beforehand.