Pets chit chat thread

[thalassa]

Re: Pets chit chat thread

It really is completely different, but kinda useful in its own way too, like if an aunt was diagnosed with something.... But so brave from a 6 year old! I'm thinking of my 6 year old students and none of them would ever say something so profound! Good job on the parenting Thal!

Lol, thanks!

I don't take any credit for Phee's profundity...if I believed in that business, I'd say she was one of those Rainbow/Crystal/Indigo kiddies. We've just made a concerted effort to teach our kids to have empathy (a lot of discussions that go "would you like it if I came in your room, and knocked everything over? well, how do you think that spider would feel if you wrecked her web?" and "hey, would you like it if I scratched all your skin off and pulled your hair out? Then why are you peeling the bark off the tree and pulling its leaves off? Don't you know that the bark is like the skin of a tree?"), and recognize that they are just one little part of life on this planet. Phee's got that lesson down, Sharkbait is still working on it.

[Heka]

Re: Pets chit chat thread

Lol, thanks!

I don't take any credit for Phee's profundity...if I believed in that business, I'd say she was one of those Rainbow/Crystal/Indigo kiddies. We've just made a concerted effort to teach our kids to have empathy (a lot of discussions that go "would you like it if I came in your room, and knocked everything over? well, how do you think that spider would feel if you wrecked her web?" and "hey, would you like it if I scratched all your skin off and pulled your hair out? Then why are you peeling the bark off the tree and pulling its leaves off? Don't you know that the bark is like the skin of a tree?"), and recognize that they are just one little part of life on this planet. Phee's got that lesson down, Sharkbait is still working on it.

sounds like a good way to raise kids. I'll remember that one when I have my own!

[Rae'ya]

Re: Pets chit chat thread

The little guy did not make it

Chickadee has bravely said that "Now he is running in the endless tunnels of fun in the Hamster Spirit World, so I guess its okay mom. That's better than being sick. But I'm sad, really sad, because he was my little buddy."

That's so sad, but your daughter is so brave. Her response makes me smile.

The dog keeps crapping on the rug. It's almost always the same rug in the kitchen too. No one else was awake so I had to clean things up. Mom won't let me use the washer so I left a note so she can toss it in in the morning. Anyone know a way to make her stop? my dad throws a fit when anyone suggests kenneling them for the night and I feel guilty about caging our other dog since he's always so well behaved and we can't cage just her and let him go.

Pretty much what the others have said. It sounds like a bit of dodgy scheduling to me... they need to be let out in the late evening or accidents will be inevitable. A dog can only hold on for so long, especially an older, arthritic dog.

Is the night-time rug poo the only time she toilets indoors?

Also, if she's arthritic then that will change her habits some. And if she's elderly then she may start to lose some control and not be able to hold on as long.

Don't yell at her or punish her or make a song and dance about it... that's the worst thing you can do. Don't cage her or revoke indoor-rights or anything like that... that's the second worst thing you can do. Revisit your schedules and routines, ensure that she's got regular access to outdoors. You may need to reinforce training if she's started to make it a habit... go back to taking her out and rewarding her for toileting outdoors. Clean up any accidents with an enzyme based cleaner, NOT bleach or ammonia products.

Dogs are dogs, not humans. We are asking them to live by human standards and in some cases do things that are totally against their instincts. It's important that we put in the routines and efforts that will let them succeed at what we're asking them to do, especially as they get older. Pain, changing bodies, loss of muscle tone, loss of vision and inconvenience become a factor for older dogs and so we need to recognise that and make life easier for them.

Would we expect our 90 year old grandma to make it 12 hours without a toilet break? Or to walk all the way across the pitch black house at 1am and climb through a door that's barely larger than she is in order to go to the toilet?

[kijani]

Re: Pets chit chat thread

I have a standard black and white (parti) poodle who is three months old, and my mom has a cockapoo/shorkie mix... Who just might be so ugly that he's cute. His name is Trevor. My standard's name is Shepherd, and he's going to be trained to be a service dog. So far, he's doing wonderfully with the potty training thing (I've only had him for three weeks and he's already pretty much got it down. When he has an accident, it's usually my fault) and has started some basic obedience already. He's a brat, but he's soooo smart. Trevor's favorite thing to do is steal his toys and hide them so that Shep can't find them. So that's been interesting... lol.

Oh. And my cousin has a cat named Snickers. I feel bad for it because unless I pet it no one seems to pay attention to it and we have to remind her that Snick needs food and water in order to live. Very pretty cat. Just wouldn't be surprised if she's secretly plotting doom in her spare time.

[Rae'ya]

Re: Pets chit chat thread

...and my mom has a cockapoo/shorkie mix...

A what? lol

I've seen 'cockapoo's before (though in Australia we tend to stick with 'spoodle' regardless of what type of spaniel went into the mix), but never a 'shorkie'. Presumable a Yorkie cross something?

I don't mean any offense, but I always have an internal giggle when I see 'breeds' like this. I once had a client swear to me that the puppy they bought for $800 was a maltese shihtzu cross westie with papers (meaning registration papers, which are only awarded to purebred dogs from registered breeders). It's getting difficult for us to denote breed on medical records... technically these 'designer dogs' aren't breeds, and so a cockapoo means nothing from a legal point of view. Cocker Spaniel X Poodle is what we're supposed to say. If there's more than two breeds in there then it's technically a 'Mixed Breed'.

And talking about breeds... welfare centers and rescue centers are TERRIBLE at recognising breeds. I once had a client who only got his dog back from a rescue centre because he reconginsed her barking and made them let him through. They swore she was a Staghound but she was patently a pure bred Bull Arab. It wasn't until he showed them photos that they believed him. Staghounds don't look anything like Bull Arabs! The number of dogs I see who quietly undergo a 'breed change' when they come to us for the first time from a rescue center is a bit ridiculous.

[Wickedjr89]

Re: Pets chit chat thread

I have 2 cats and a dog. I had 3 more kittens but a house fire last year took them My dog was outside at the time as was one of our cats, an older cat (only about to be 5 now, almost 4 at the time, so not old just no longer a kitten). The kittens we lost we got at 8 weeks and they were a few days away from being 6 months old. The house fire destroyed the house, everything we owned and took our 3 kitties with it. It almost took me too. Even though their lives were cut short i'm grateful we got the time we did with them.
Our other cat our friends found last year at the time it happened as a stray very little kitten that was going to die. So many different kinds of worms among other things. Sadly they didn't care about properly taking care of her, at all. So once we found a new place (we were in a tent for awhile) we took her in and nursed her back to health. I wasn't feeling a new cat at the time, newly mourning the loss of our 3 kittens I didn't want to get attached....tough I got attached. My hubby got attached right away. I couldn't leave her to die though so the plan was to nurse her back to health and find her a good home. Well we nursed her back to health and in that time she captured my heart, for which I am grateful. She is a cuddle bug! We nursed her to health and was rewarded with lots of kitty love! <3 It's a been year now (the fire was Sept 8th last year) and i'm glad she stole my heart.

Our dog is named Bear, the older cat that was lucky to be outside at the time is Mandi and the kitty we nursed to health (which is no longer a kitty, our best guess was she was born around last July/early August of last year) is named Fuzzball aka Fuzzy. Our 3 and 4 year old nieces named her.

[Auseklis]

Re: Pets chit chat thread

I have 2 cats and a dog. I had 3 more kittens but a house fire last year took them My dog was outside at the time as was one of our cats, an older cat (only about to be 5 now, almost 4 at the time, so not old just no longer a kitten). The kittens we lost we got at 8 weeks and they were a few days away from being 6 months old. The house fire destroyed the house, everything we owned and took our 3 kitties with it. It almost took me too. Even though their lives were cut short i'm grateful we got the time we did with them.
Our other cat our friends found last year at the time it happened as a stray very little kitten that was going to die. So many different kinds of worms among other things. Sadly they didn't care about properly taking care of her, at all. So once we found a new place (we were in a tent for awhile) we took her in and nursed her back to health. I wasn't feeling a new cat at the time, newly mourning the loss of our 3 kittens I didn't want to get attached....tough I got attached. My hubby got attached right away. I couldn't leave her to die though so the plan was to nurse her back to health and find her a good home. Well we nursed her back to health and in that time she captured my heart, for which I am grateful. She is a cuddle bug! We nursed her to health and was rewarded with lots of kitty love! <3 It's a been year now (the fire was Sept 8th last year) and i'm glad she stole my heart.

Our dog is named Bear, the older cat that was lucky to be outside at the time is Mandi and the kitty we nursed to health (which is no longer a kitty, our best guess was she was born around last July/early August of last year) is named Fuzzball aka Fuzzy. Our 3 and 4 year old nieces named her.

I am so sorry to hear of your misfortune and the loss of life is heartbreaking to say the least. I am thankful you are ok and the rest of your animal friends. From what you have written you have a very special way with animals and care deeply about their wellbeing. You are a blessing to a planet where many people care more about their own species than any other.

[Wickedjr89]

Re: Pets chit chat thread

Thank you. I still cry when I think about them, but I also smile. They taught me a lot though in their short lives. They each had their own personality. One was the boss, Max, he was a bit aggressive and also sometimes the hardest one to find but he was also sweet. Ghost was a cuddle bug, like Fuzzy is and Smoky, the girl of the trio, was on the shy side but was learning to finally stand up against her brother Max (not in a mean way). They weren't my older cats kitties but they were all from the same litter.
It is sad so many people care more about their own species than any other. We're all citizens of this planet. So many animals are going extinct, at the hands of humans. It's very sad to say the least .

[Auseklis]

Re: Pets chit chat thread

Thank you. I still cry when I think about them, but I also smile. They taught me a lot though in their short lives. They each had their own personality. One was the boss, Max, he was a bit aggressive and also sometimes the hardest one to find but he was also sweet. Ghost was a cuddle bug, like Fuzzy is and Smoky, the girl of the trio, was on the shy side but was learning to finally stand up against her brother Max (not in a mean way). They weren't my older cats kitties but they were all from the same litter.
It is sad so many people care more about their own species than any other. We're all citizens of this planet. So many animals are going extinct, at the hands of humans. It's very sad to say the least .

I couldn't agree more and as you stated, each animal has a distinct personality and path in life. I think we forget as humans that our paths are no more or less important than that of an animal... even an ant. To be honest I have seen more pro-active ants than I have humans... I have met a lot of lazy humans in my time.

[Shahaku]

Re: Pets chit chat thread

Assuming the picture worked, new puppy! She's adorable. And hyperactive when she's not passed out. Thank goodness there's a limit to puppy energy... and having another dog helps.

[DanieMarie]

Re: Pets chit chat thread

Awwww how cute!

[Shahaku]

Re: Pets chit chat thread

Yea. She's some sort of husky mix. She's gonna get huge too. Her paws are crazy big already. Still have to take her in for a vet visit, needs her shots and everything. And I have to get her her second dewormer. She's only 8 or 9 weeks... Really not sure. My husband's little brother's girlfriend had pups and we offered to buy one.. now that we've got a house and a yard an all. I've wanted a big dog for ages and can't wait.

It's only two days in though and I'm already a little worn out, but at least last night I felt okay actually going to sleep. I know people really recommend crate training, but so long as they can hold it most of the night, I'm okay with leaving em out and in bed with us. She's already got enough manners to at least climb out of the bed before pottying and I'm sleeping light enough to hear her and let her out. Only had to get up twice last night and once was actually this morning at like.. 6ish, I just don't usually get up that early. I can't wait for a doggy door. We've just got to save enough for a fence, which we can put in ourselves, we just need material, so that shouldn't be too bad.

[nbdy]

Re: Pets chit chat thread

Yup, puppies are a lot of work, but worth it, imo. Congratulations on your new bundle of energy ... um, I mean joy.

[nbdy]

Re: Pets chit chat thread

It did not want to just post the picture, so I am writing something.

old yeller.jpg

[Shahaku]

Re: Pets chit chat thread

Deworming is a disgusting process. Why the hell do all puppies have worms anyway? Is there no way to protect them? Also... dogs get hiccups too. Never knew this, but my pup gets them all the time. It's kinda cute.