Free For All Posted March 28, 2006 Report Share Posted March 28, 2006 (edited) Peter Johnson's recent thread about his new lab pup has made me think about this topic. Actually, right now as I'm writing this my dog is asleep under the computer table having a "doggie dream". He's moving his feet ("paddling") and moving his mouth, sometimes he even makes a little sound. I'd give about anything to know what's going through his head. Sometimes I'd guess it's about a romp at the dog park, but sometimes it seems to be about something a little more intense. My dog doesn't do a lot of fancy tricks, but it's just the "dog stuff" that interests me most. When he looks at me I swear he's reading my mind. He knows when we're going to the park, even before I "tell" him. He knows when I or Mrs. FFA am in a funky mood. Sometimes I have felt guilty for experiencing a greater sense of emotional anguish when hearing about animal abuse than certain instances of human abuse (not always, just sometimes). At several points in my life I've felt stronger feelings about losing a dog than I've felt for losing some relatives! Anyone who says animals don't have souls is TOTALLY wrong in my opinion. So feel free to share special pet moments, whether they be cool tricks or just instances of intuitive awareness. Cats and other non-dogs are welcome, of course.................. EDIT: Yowser, he just farted. Making my eyes water. Edited March 28, 2006 by Free For All Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Free For All Posted March 28, 2006 Author Report Share Posted March 28, 2006 (edited) BTW, this is a picture that quite closely approximates what our dog looks like. He's a rescued mutt, a mix of Border Collie and this, a Belgian Shepherd. He's got white feet and a white chest, but is just about as "hairy" as this one. He is a stunningly beautiful animal! ........and those MF eyes look RIGHT THROUGH YOU! Edited March 28, 2006 by Free For All Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rooster_Ties Posted March 28, 2006 Report Share Posted March 28, 2006 (edited) Two cats in our household. The dominant one (Emily) is about 7 or 8 years old, and she means business - and rules by fear (rules over the other cat, not over us!). But she loves a good scratch behind the ears, is a great lap-cat, and is a glutton at the food bowl (and it shows). The two cats don't fight in any real serious way (we never hear hissing), but they're not the best of buddies either. Pepper is the younger one (at about 5 years old), and she must have been the runt of her litter, since she doesn't look a day over 8 months old (in terms of her size) -- and she acts just like an "older kitten / young adult cat" to this very day. She loves to play, and has boundless energy. She LOVES to help make beds, and fold laundry (usually on the bed in the main bedroom), and she never misses a chance to explore down in the basement (which is normally closed off, expect when I need to run down there to do laundry). Although I do like well-behaved dogs (though I've never owned a dog - and probably never wil), I really love cats - and have always felt a special bond with most that I encounter. People tell me that I can charm even the most anti-social of felines. EDIT: Oh, I thought of one trick that Pepper has been doing recently. My wife and I usually sit in bed to watch the news on TV, or (more likely), The Daily Show, etc... Pepper has decided she sometimes wants to get under the covers with me or us. I'll hold the sheet and bedspread up, and she crawls in and curls up in a ball next to me. She usually only stays under the covers for about 10 or 15 minutes, but it's just the cutest. Pepper's really a sweetheart of a kitty. Edited March 28, 2006 by Rooster_Ties Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave James Posted March 28, 2006 Report Share Posted March 28, 2006 (edited) We have a 190 pound Mastiff named Cookie. Don't ask me how this started, but she sleeps with us. We have a California King, so there's a fair amount of room, but fitting a dog this big and two people into a finite space can be a struggle. Manys the night I've gone witout covers when Cookie decides to reposition herself. Over the last year or so, she's also began "running" in her sleep. I kid you not, there have been a couple of times she's almost pushed me off the bed and onto the floor. Cookie's other endearing quality is drooling. I like to say if I had a nickel for every time I've cleaned up after her, I could have retired several years ago. When she has a drink of water and then decides to shake her head, you best be getting out of the way. I've cleaned spit off the ceiling on more than on occasion. But, as we like to say, "drool is cool" or "spit happens". The very best thing about dogs, as Free for All has said, is their sensitivity. I've always had dogs in my life and I continue to marvel at their ability to "read" their human partners. It's just remarkable. The other great thing, of course, is their unflinchingly upbeat attitude. Have you ever come home and not had your dog glad to see you? Can you say that about your wife or your kids? Don't think so. Dogs rule! Up over and out. Edited March 28, 2006 by Dave James Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robert J Posted March 28, 2006 Report Share Posted March 28, 2006 My border collie burps like a man after his meal. It sounds very human to those who've not heard him do it before. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
7/4 Posted March 28, 2006 Report Share Posted March 28, 2006 My border collie burps like a man after his meal. It sounds very human to those who've not heard him do it before. Now that's talent! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Evonce Posted March 28, 2006 Report Share Posted March 28, 2006 I've got a mini-dachsund who does the burping thing quite well. And she's good at crafting a "bunker" out of any loose blanket. My wife's parrotlets (very small parrots) will take Cheerios over to their water cup, dunk them, then eat the softened result. And the budgies are very industrious, although I don't think they do anything out of the norm. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tjluke68 Posted March 28, 2006 Report Share Posted March 28, 2006 I had a cat that used to fetch pennies in his mouth and return and drop at my feet for me to throw again. Also, had another cat that would ask for milk when we would open the refrigerator. One time when the cat was younger, he made a weird meow when we pulled the milk out of the fridge - sounded something like 'reh reh.' So going forward, whenever we would open the fridge and the cat was nearby, we'd ask if he wanted 'reh reh' and he'd go nuts repeating 'reh reh' until we gave him some. I think he truly recognized the (made-up) word and realized that 'reh reh' was milk, because if I opened the fridge and asked if he wanted a beer or some orange juice or some leftovers, I would get a blank stare... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Man with the Golden Arm Posted March 28, 2006 Report Share Posted March 28, 2006 EDIT: Yowser, he just farted. Making my eyes water. oh yeah, sure he did. i blame the dog too! our's likes to dress for the howlidays. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Noj Posted March 28, 2006 Report Share Posted March 28, 2006 (edited) http://www.toontracker.com/familydog/familydog.htm I have no pets, but the dog breaking wind reminded me of this hilarious cartoon. Edited March 28, 2006 by Noj Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jazzmoose Posted March 28, 2006 Report Share Posted March 28, 2006 Hmmm. Well...all four of our cats snore. Does that count? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter Johnson Posted March 28, 2006 Report Share Posted March 28, 2006 Well, the trick my new pup just learned (thank god) was to sleep through the night. Last weekend and yesterday were Hopefully it will last! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DukeCity Posted March 28, 2006 Report Share Posted March 28, 2006 (edited) When the future Mrs. DukeCity and I moved in together last year, we combined by 14-year old cat with her two very energetic dogs (Australian Blue Heeler mix, and a Shepherd mix). Kinda rough at first, but they have acheived a detente of sorts. The dogs, having been "fixed" since puppyhood, are completely confused in the romance department. The female is the dominant dog, so is often 'on top', but niether of them understands how Tab A is supposed to fit into Slot B. As a result, they start wrestling around, and invariably end up in some kind of position that you couldn't really call a 69. It's more like a 47... or something. The cat, in her current geriatric state has become more and more high-maintenence. She has lived her entire life eating primarily dry food, but now her digestive system is pretty fragile, so she's on almost all canned food (ick). Not only that, but we have to sneak the Thyroid medication into the first morning spoonful, AND each can of food gets a couple of tablespoons of Metamucil mixed in! So, in response to the original question of this thread, the cool thing my cat does? She still poops! Edited March 28, 2006 by DukeCity Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Garrett Posted March 28, 2006 Report Share Posted March 28, 2006 We have a 190 pound Mastiff named Cookie. Don't ask me how this started, but she sleeps with us. We have a California King, so there's a fair amount of room, but fitting a dog this big and two people into a finite space can be a struggle. Manys the night I've gone witout covers when Cookie decides to reposition herself. Over the last year or so, she's also began "running" in her sleep. I kid you not, there have been a couple of times she's almost pushed me off the bed and onto the floor. And I thought we had a problem with fitting two people and a 60-pound female German Shepherd Dog into a queen-size bed. My hat is off to you. My wife likes to remind me that she'd suggested we get a king-size bed when we bought the queen, but that was several years before we got the dog. Hindsight's always 20/20. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan Gould Posted March 28, 2006 Report Share Posted March 28, 2006 Last summer we decided to give Coltrane a playmate when we adopted Gracie, a female Weimeraner. We weren't sure how well it would work out, as Coltrane is an extremely dominant alpha male, and Gracie, while female, was a nine month old rather rambunctious, more-than-willing-to-mix-it-up puppy. As it turned out, Coltrane has become just totally sweet on Gracie, and did so almost immediately upon her arrival. The best example: Gracie had an encounter with some fire ants right before we adopted her, and she developed a secondary infection that included wart like red spots on her paws. Coltrane has always tried to lick and kiss and clean up cuts that my wife or I get, and when he discovered Gracie's "boo boos" he actually would bring a toy to her, drop it by her head, and then proceed to sit by her rear paws, "fixing" her boo-boos. It was as if he was saying, "here, you play with this, I'm going to make it all better." Wish we had taken pictures at the time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Magnificent Goldberg Posted March 28, 2006 Report Share Posted March 28, 2006 At present, we don't have any pets, though one of the reasons we moved last year was to get a garden and have a dog again. We haven't got around to it yet. We used to have a cat (well two, but the thick one got run over when she was about a year old) and two dogs; a Pug and, later, a Peke. The Pug, Toby, was a total nutter. The cat, Golly, was 7 when we got him. He started out by thinking he was a cat and couldn't understand why he couldn't get up on the back of the settee as easily as she did. She tolerated him for the rest of her life - she was 18 when she died - but used to get an evil pleasure out of baiting him. She'd dart at him, then dart away and he'd give chase around the flat (apartment). She'd leap onto the hall table and, as Toby would rush around, passing benneath her, she'd lean over and bop him one; it didn't slow him down a bit. She had a number of tricks. One was knocking on the front door when she wanted to come in - lifting the letter-box flap. But when we were in bed, she'd leap onto the 1" window ledge, hanging on by her claws, and scrabble loudly with her hind legs. We used to take her on holiday to my in-laws, who lived in the country. Because we were worried about her getting lost, we put her on a lead. And she didn't mind at all! Later, she used to go on her own holidays, too. During the summer, she went to stay with the neighbours over the back fence. That was how we got friendly with them. Pugs, however, are THE dogs for funny things. Toby couldn't be punished. He enjoyed all kinds of punishment, including anything our daughter fancied doing to him (she was 7 years older than him). He used to love showing us how naughty he'd been. He'd slip into our daughter's room and find a soft toy, spend a short while chewing it lovingly, then bring it in to show us. Very apologetic when punished, then go and do it again. He used to sleep in the kitchen and there was a street light outside that room. In the late afternoon, he'd sit in the kitchen, looking at the light, and barking to make it come on. When it did, he'd go mad barking like crazy, then put himself to bed. He also loved chasing trains and, regrettably, cars. He ALWAYS had to be on a lead on the road but, down on the cricket pitch by the railway, we could let him go. And could he go when a southbound train went past! Then he'd come back saying, "sent that one off, didn't I?" The only trouble with Pugs is the folds in their face, which trap snot. Toby used to clean his face by rubbing it on our white leather suite. YUKKKKK! The Peke, Blossom, didn't do anything much, but she was nice. MG Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave James Posted March 28, 2006 Report Share Posted March 28, 2006 (edited) MG, I hear you about Pugs. At one time I had three of them, Benny, Roy and Sissy. When they'd go to bed in their chair at night and get to snoring one right after another...that was something. I miss those little guys a lot. Health problems for sure, but they are still great dogs. Up over and out. Edited March 28, 2006 by Dave James Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BERIGAN Posted March 28, 2006 Report Share Posted March 28, 2006 You will be sorry for asking! Here is a photo of "Baby" who truly lives up to his name...he also thinks he is part human.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim R Posted March 28, 2006 Report Share Posted March 28, 2006 I'm not sure if Duchess, our German Shepherd, does anything cool (her bark is very businesslike, though... haven't had any intruders in our back yard for some time ), but here's a heartwarming tale (I forget if I already posted this, so... ) About a year ago, my wife and daughter entered an old (roughly 8 years) photo of Duchess in the mail-in photo contest for this popular calendar: Some months later, during the Summer of 2005, the dog got very sick one day (we think it was leptospirosis... we do have rats, and she does kill them), and her condition deteriorated very rapidly. She had to be taken to the emergency clinic, and within a short time she was near death with an extremely high fever and failing bodily functions. That first night in the clinic, we were told that her chances were very slim. The next afternoon, the mail arrives and included in it was the aforementioned calendar, with an attached letter of congratulations. The kids were pretty excited, but the excitement was of course tempered by the situation we found ourselves in. Long story short- she pulled through, with no serious damage done! In case you happen to see the calendar, she was pictured on February 7th. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BERIGAN Posted March 29, 2006 Report Share Posted March 29, 2006 Baby is so smart....how many cats would eat styrofoam? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jazzmoose Posted March 29, 2006 Report Share Posted March 29, 2006 Well...one of ours just did, and now she's constipated... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rachel Posted March 29, 2006 Report Share Posted March 29, 2006 You will be sorry for asking! Here is a photo of "Baby" who truly lives up to his name...he also thinks he is part human.... It looks like his right paw should be holding a TV remote...(the beer is between his legs, I'm sure...) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
_forumlogo.png.a607ef20a6e0c299ab2aa6443aa1f32e.png)
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.