Pet(s): Photos & Discussion

[DeLurker]

I recently got some new neighbors on the block.  They walk their 9 year old black lab at least once a day.  Since the lab met me a few weeks ago, her ritual is when she passes my yard, she rolls in the grass, lays on her back and wiggles back and forth until her owner tells her it is time to go.

 

The owners report she does not do this anywhere else but in my yard - not even at home.

 

She looks quite blissful when she does it.

[harrie]

Do you enjoy having a lab by proxy?  Sounds like she is paying you a large compliment!

[DeLurker]

Maggie the lab is most welcome to enjoy the yard.  She normally walks and behaves with a bit of dignity and always on alert for her owners, so seeing her indulge is a big crack up for her owner and it just makes me happy to see.  The lab I used to have, while a beautiful and a wonderful dog, was low on the dignity scale.  She never grew out of puppy brain and enthusiastically, sometimes clumsily, embraced the world.  She was well behaved, but only to please me and it went against her natural instincts.  She wouldn't jump up on people to greet them, but she would wag her backside with so much force it was dangerous if she bumped you and would keep picking up her front paws in anticipation.  She totally wanted to leap up and give you a proper greeting so badly she could barely contain herself.

Edited June 26, 2015 by DeLurker

[harrie]

Aww, I love the body wag (and puppy brain)!   My sister has a lab mix and she talks about the dog's age in lab years -- like 7 human years would equal 49 dog years and 1 lab year.

[bubbls]

It's a bit off-topic, but was too good not to share. Run! It's a fire-breathing... Dachshund?

 

 

 

I'm laughing so hard I've got tears running down my cheeks! I have a dachshund (named....wait for it....Sausage) and I can see him doing something like this.

[Maharincess]

That made me cringe. He could have been really hurt.

[DeLurker]

I was concerned about the dog too, but no one in the video seems to be nor calling out for him to drop it so I assume this had played out before and they knew he would be ok.

[bubbls]

I too was concerned. Every one starts giggling as soon as the rocket thing starts spitting fire so I assume that's when the dog heads in and they know what's going to happen. Actually his having done it before doesn't mean he or anyone else, human or dog, won't eventually get hurt. But he sure was enjoying it!! Love me some sausages.

[bubbls]

 

The rescue said that she had been looked at many times and adopted once but brought back because she snapped at somebody. She didn't bite, she just snapped.

 

 

Well, I'm happy you got her. Our dog growing up was a snapper. He was part some breed that was known to be snappy (we adopted him). We, as children/kids/teens, learned there were certain things we couldn't do with Toby otherwise he'd snap at you. I appreciate that my mom taught us that lesson, to respect others' (human and animal) boundaries. And when I was a teen my mom appreciated the fact that all the boys were scared to death of our dog, lol.

 

Anyway, my elderly border collie died a couple of years ago (we found her on the side of the road as a puppy with a spinal deformity). My goodness, she was human level smart. If she'd had the physical ability she'd have talked!

Edited June 27, 2015 by bubbls

[harrie]

 

Anyway, my elderly border collie died a couple of years ago (we found her on the side of the road as a puppy with a spinal deformity). My goodness, she was human level smart. If she'd had the physical ability she'd have talked!

 

Bubbls, I'm sorry you lost your border collie but very, very glad you took her in and loved her. 

[bubbls]

Bubbls, I'm sorry you lost your border collie but very, very glad you took her in and loved her. 

Thank you. She had a wonderful long life with us and her companion dogs that she got to boss around and herd. She got around very well in spite of her spine.

[33kaitykaity]

Remove the cat before flight

 

Heellppp!!!  What a smart kitteh.  

[JTMacc99]

I recently got some new neighbors on the block.  They walk their 9 year old black lab at least once a day.  Since the lab met me a few weeks ago, her ritual is when she passes my yard, she rolls in the grass, lays on her back and wiggles back and forth until her owner tells her it is time to go.

 

The owners report she does not do this anywhere else but in my yard - not even at home.

 

She looks quite blissful when she does it.

Our 9 year old yellow lab does that at the foot of the couch when the children come down in the morning.  They call it the squirmy-wormy.  He does it in the back yard sometimes as well. I usually assume it is because he found something smelly to roll around in, but sometimes it just looks like fun.

[stillshimpy]

Heellppp!!!  What a smart kitteh.

 

And what calm people. I would be freaking.the.fuck.out if I looked up and there was a cat stuffed in the ....whatever that is....high above the ground, poised for plummeting.  I loved that the pilot seemed to have a very similar reaction to me.  "Ha! Yeah, good view.  Nice and clear, look to the east and you can see.....AND WE'RE LANDING NOW. STAY KITTY.   Landinglandlinglandinglanding *glances up to make sure there are no cats dropping from their personal sky* landinglandinglanding."  

 

The passenger is all "Ha! Look at that....but the pilot seems to understand "That's not good.  Also?  CLAWS ARE NOT GOOD THINGS TO HAVE THERE.  Fuckity duckity doo."   

[Maharincess]

Our 9 year old yellow lab does that at the foot of the couch when the children come down in the morning. They call it the squirmy-wormy. He does it in the back yard sometimes as well. I usually assume it is because he found something smelly to roll around in, but sometimes it just looks like fun.

My Border Collie does it on the carpet every time I finish vacuuming it.

[riley702]

Remove the cat before flight

 

Heellppp!!!  What a smart kitteh.  

 

 

And what calm people. I would be freaking.the.fuck.out if I looked up and there was a cat stuffed in the ....whatever that is....high above the ground, poised for plummeting.  I loved that the pilot seemed to have a very similar reaction to me.  "Ha! Yeah, good view.  Nice and clear, look to the east and you can see.....AND WE'RE LANDING NOW. STAY KITTY.   Landinglandlinglandinglanding *glances up to make sure there are no cats dropping from their personal sky* landinglandinglanding."  

 

The passenger is all "Ha! Look at that....but the pilot seems to understand "That's not good.  Also?  CLAWS ARE NOT GOOD THINGS TO HAVE THERE.  Fuckity duckity doo."   

I'm dying here, laughing. I was going to point out how bug-eyed the pilot got when he saw the cat, but you described it much better than I could have done.

[Maharincess]

I'm so glad they didn't try to grab the cat. The pilot was so calm and did everything right, just like it's something he does every day.

[stillshimpy]

Thanks, Riley.  Although I think they're speaking French, so it was probably more like "mon Dieu! Un chat volant! Merde!! atterrissageatterrissageatterrissage!" 

 

But he really did keep his stuff impressively together.  Note that he's taking off his harness before they've even come to a rest, because he clearly has the thought the passenger (who I suspect might have been enjoying a fine vintage something or other prior to her flight) didn't, "What is going to happen to that woman's lap when the cat jumps down?!?"  

 

It clearly doesn't occur to her that she's about a foot away from a potentially lap shredding experience.  She's "Oh look, a cat!  A cat!"  all point giggling while the pilot is more of the "Let's save this poor woman's bits and parts and then get me a drink...and the cat a litterbox.  Not necessarily in that order."   The best part is when you can clearly see the cat contemplating, "Should I jump down on the human?  Doesn't look any more stable than here.  There goes that plan.  This ssssuuuuuuccccckkkkkkks!" 

 

For everyone involved in rescue groups:  Heaven help us all, it's puppy and kitty season.  We need all the laughs we can get.  

[bosawks]

Hallelujah, the Cone of Shame is coming off tonight along with the stitches.  The final tally of what hasn't survived:  Alli's reproductive system, 10% of my glassware and

 

my sanity........

[Maharincess]

I'm happy it's coming off! I bet all of you are too. I love Cone of Shame pictures.

My late Border Collie's cone looked just like that one with all the duct tape. He kept running into stuff and ripping it. The only difference is that my son wrote "Go Raiders" on Harley's cone the last time the Raiders were in the Super Bowl. (Which tells you it was long, long ago).

[riley702]

Reminds me of this vid: Neutered Kitty KILLS the cone of shame!

 

[DeLurker]

SNIFF

 

Made tacos for dinner last night.  That always makes me think of my last dog, a lab named Buttercup.  I never gave her table scraps, but her favorite meal was tacos.  Because they always fall apart and my kids were small...spills!  Doggy heaven! 

 

Well, my son did give her the leftover milk from his cereal each morning.

[harrie]

Our dog previous to Handsome would not wear a cone.  Within 5 seconds she figured out how to bow her head, put her feet on the sides of the cone, and pull her head up and out.  She would not be cone-tained, one might say -- way too smart for her own good. 

[MargeGunderson]

I once had to put a cone on one of my cats. It was funny & pitiful at the same time. The funniest was when she tried to go through a doorway. If the cone came into the slightest contact with the frame, kitty would just sit down and wait for someone to pick her up and put her on the other side of the door. Without peripheral vision she didn't know she just had to move a inch in one direction and she'd be fine.

[Mick Lady]

Just found this thread (I hang at Supernatural mostly), but thought you guys might like this. I'm a HUGH dog lover! A friend e-mailed me this recently...

 

A man and his dog were walking along a road. The man was enjoying the
scenery, when it suddenly occurred to him that he was dead. He
remembered dying, and that the dog walking beside him had been dead
for years. He wondered where the road was leading them.

After a while, they came to a high, white stone wall along one side
of the road. It looked like fine marble. At the top of a long hill, it
was broken by a tall arch that glowed in the sunlight. When he was
standing before it he saw a magnificent gate in the arch that looked
like Mother of Pearl, and the street that led to the gate looked like
pure gold.

He and the dog walked toward the gate, and as he got closer, he saw a
man at a desk to one side. When he was close enough, he called out,
"Excuse me, where are we?"
"This is Heaven, sir," the man answered.
"Wow! Would you happen to have some water?" the man asked.
"Of course, sir. Come right in, and I'll have some ice water brought
right up." The man gestured, and the gate began to open.
"Can my friend," gesturing toward his dog, "come in, too?" the
traveler asked.
"I'm sorry, sir, but we don't accept pets."
The man thought a moment and then turned back toward the road and
continued the way he had been going with his dog.

After another long walk, and at the top of another long hill, he came
to a dirt road which led through a farm gate that looked as if it had
never been closed. There was no fence. As he approached the gate, he
saw a man inside, leaning against a tree and reading a book.
"Excuse me!" he called to the reader. "Do you have any water?"
"Yeah, sure, there's a pump over there, come on in."
"How about my friend here?" the traveler gestured to the dog.
"There should be a bowl by the pump." They went through the gate, and
sure enough, there was an old fashioned hand pump with a bowl beside it.
The traveler filled the bowl and took a long drink himself, then he
gave some to the dog.

When they were full, he and the dog walked back
toward the man who was standing by the tree. "What do you call this
place?" the traveler asked.
"This is Heaven," he answered.
"Well, that's confusing," the traveler said. "The man down the road said
that was Heaven, too."
"Oh, you mean the place with the gold street and pearly gates? Nope.
That's Hell."

"Doesn't it make you mad for them to use your name like that?"
"No, we're just happy that they screen out the folks who would leave
their best friends behind." 
 

[riley702]

Oh, I like it, I like it!

[harrie]

I love it, too.   Rod Serling did a Twilight Zone episode that was a lot like that story, and needless to say, I cry every time.  

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qFVhbhk7t6E

Edited July 12, 2015 by harrie

[MargeGunderson]

I need some advice. One of my cats is peeing outside the box. Right outside the box, like right in front of it. Not all of the time, but pretty much once a day. We clean the box multiple times a day, and wash it once a week. We just bought a new litter box but that hasn't helped. Our temporary solution is to put a pee pee pad in front of the box to make the cleanup easier.

I don't think it's a medical problem but she's going to the vet to be sure. Any ideas?

[harrie]

When my cats have done that, it has always meant the beginning of a UTI/potential blockage, so in my opinion, for what that's worth, the vet visit is a great idea -- the sooner the better.   (I may be overly alarmist, but many years ago, we lost the most wonderful, excellent boy cat to a urinary tract blockage that we caught too late, so getting to the vet can't happen quickly enough, IMO.) 

 

Also  -- is the litter box in too public a place? Has she used it before and just recently changed her behavior?  Do you notice any discoloration in the pee that could be blood?  If so, get to the vet.

Edited July 15, 2015 by harrie

[MargeGunderson]

Thanks, Harrie! The UTI was my first thought too, but she doesn't have any of the usual symptoms (going frequently, straining, blood, etc.) Still, better safe than sorry, so off to the vet for her. The box is in its usual out of the way place, with the same litter and no other changes (other than my obsessing litter box scooping). Since it's in my office, and I work from home some days, I do get to observe her using it. If I'm in the office she uses it correctly. If no one's around to notice, that's when she puddles on the floor.

I kind of think she's just being weird about the litter box, as she is about so many things. She'll get some weird quirk and do it for months, then suddenly stop, so it's not unheard of behavior from her. Perhaps this is just a variation on the 2009-2010 "I must sit on the edge of the tub while you take a shower, then get into the tub when you're done" habit. That went on for almost 2 years then she just stopped and hasn't done it again.

Edited July 15, 2015 by MargeGunderson

[stillshimpy]

We always had two litterboxes side-by-side for our cat.  I know this sounds insane, but he preferred one for each function.  So it's possible that she's either got a UTI going, or kidney function, but it may just be that she's a little older and has to go more frequently...and doesn't like to get in there with undried clumps.  Fastidious cats can be like that.   

 

I hope she's okay! 

 

Thanks for the fun letter, Mick Lady.  

[Mick Lady]

I love it, too.   Rod Serling did a Twilight Zone episode that was a lot like that story, and needless to say, I cry every time.  

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qFVhbhk7t6E

 

Had to check in and tell you, I've never seen his one before! Now, I'm a dog nut. Completely insane when it comes to my dogs. They're my family and there's nothing I wouldn't do for them. But my husband Mick? He makes me look like I slaughter dogs just for the thrill of it.

 

So I'm watching this video, sobbing like crazy, and Mick comes in and asks what the hell is going on. I just started the video again and let him see for himself. At the end, he was completely devastated! He loved and hated it at the same time. Mick said it was like "Where the Red Fern Grows", something he's happy he had knew about, but would never want to see again. He actually threw out our copy of this book!

 

But he wanted me to thank you (and I do too). It's good to know we're not alone in our love for our dogs!

Edited July 16, 2015 by Mick Lady

[DeLurker]

I need some advice. One of my cats is peeing outside the box. Right outside the box, like right in front of it. Not all of the time, but pretty much once a day. We clean the box multiple times a day, and wash it once a week. We just bought a new litter box but that hasn't helped. Our temporary solution is to put a pee pee pad in front of the box to make the cleanup easier.

I don't think it's a medical problem but she's going to the vet to be sure. Any ideas?

I saw something like this on My Cat from Hell.  They recommended adding more litter boxes and cleaning more frequently.  In one case, it turned out to be the kind of litter that was a problem for the cat so they ended up trying a bunch of different ones until they found one that the cat was okay with.  I seem to recall the litter that was a problem was one they had been using for a while and it was fine up until it wasn't because ... cat being cat.

[harrie]

So I'm watching this video, sobbing like crazy, and Mick comes in and asks what the hell is going on. I just started the video again and let him see for himself. At the end, he was completely devastated! He loved and hated it at the same time. Mick said it was like "Where the Red Fern Grows", something he's happy he had knew about, but would never want to see again. He actually threw out our copy of this book!

 

But he wanted me to thank you (and I do too). It's good to know we're not alone in our love for our dogs!

 

So glad you enjoyed (?) it!  I know what you (and Mick) mean -- I watched Old Yeller once, loved it, and will never watch or read it again.  Just too hard to take.  

[EyewatchTV211]

Loving all of the pictures! What cuties.

 

This is Lilly (I apologize for so many pictures - couldn't help myself). I adopted her May 4, 2012. She's 4-ish now. Lilly was apparently "running-at-large" and ended up at a shelter in South Carolina until they brought her up to Virginia. When I first got her, she was terrified of any sudden noises near her, even ones that weren't loud. This includes the squeak toys (which is almost all). She's better about it now - she'll jump out of her skin initially and then go back to investigate the toy. Lilly still has a terrified reaction to my keychain/keys, which makes me wonder a bit. If they make a lot of noise while I move them to get to my apt key, she cowers. I've accidentally dropped them a few times and she jumps back and cowers a lot, too. She has had some separation anxiety, but that has improved a lot. I've almost always taken her with me when I have gone anywhere - usually to visit my parents. But she could sense that I was leaving when she saw me packing bags or carrying bags out of the apt. As soon as I got out the door, I could hear her letting out the saddest, loudest yelps and pawing at the door. I've tried sneaking things out or putting them outside the door when she seems to not be around, but that didn't work. Now I mostly try to carry things down while also taking her with me. I think she's more okay, even if I take things out ahead of time. It is amazing what dogs can figure out!

 

Anyway, I really got lucky with her overall. She has been my first dog as an adult and she's amazing. She was house trained when I got her, which is nice. And she loves people, is good and gentle with kids, and either loves other dogs or is just indifferent. Lilly rarely barks (only at certain toys that seem to be alive, at her reflection in the past, or at large objects that seem like they should be moving and aren't), she communicates by whining. She's just an overall sweetie pie and too smart for her own good. She has torn apart most of her toys, but at least I know she has loved them. She makes me laugh often, even when she makes me  sad (such as when I try to play with her and she only plays along for a few tries before running under the bed with the toy). Under the bed is her lair where all of the toys go to disappear and avoid the clutches of evil me. Sometimes she's a cuddler and sometimes she isn't. She uses her paws like hands a lot, holding her toys or bones between them while chewing, even when on her back. If only she would sleep in a bit more, although she is doing better with that. We go through phases where she would wake me in the middle of the night regularly to go out, and she'd usually have to go a #2. I tried many things, but it was unavoidable and I had to take her. After working with my vet and trying numerous things, I'm hoping we have worked it out. 

 

Because of her, I now volunteer with a rescue as well. I mostly do the phone interviews and have gone to some events to help spread the word and handle the dogs. It looks like I'll soon be helping sift through the applications as well. A lot of your stories have really touched me. It's definitely nice to hear the good stories about good people instead of all of the negative stories that get so much attention.

 

 

After rolling around, she got a bit static-y (staticky?).

When I was trying to make the bed

In the middle of rolling around with her toy

[raven]

 

I love it, too.   Rod Serling did a Twilight Zone episode that was a lot like that story, and needless to say, I cry every time.

I love this episode and try to catch it every marathon.

 

VMepicgrl, your Lilly is adorable.  That face!! I could not say no to that face :)

 

Love the "making the bed" picture (well, all your pics), they are so helpful aren't they??

 

I've had my girl Tai (a rescue) for a few years now and she doesn't like keys either, or thunder, or fireworks, or getting ice out of the freezer, or when I'm washing pans.  She's much better, but you just don't know what they went through before you sometimes.

 

Have you tried putting her in a crate at night? The correct sized crate (big enough for her to stand up and turn around in) could help with the late night potty breaks; you said Lilly likes her safe place under the bed (Tai does too); most dogs need a den or cave area.  So putting her in a crate, a safe place she can call her own, should be comforting for her and her natural instinct is not to mess in it, it will help teach her to hold it through the night, unless the crate is too big.  Truthfully, I never used a crate though I know many dog owners who do and swear by them.  I've always just managed, and since I figured I can hold it through the night so could my dog.  I also volunteer with a rescue and all of our foster homes use them.  It may help with separation anxiety if you put her in before you're going out, unless you're going to be gone for a significant amount of time.  Ask your vet or at the rescue you volunteer with (and kudos to you, look out, once you're in it's impossible to get out).

 

You might also want to look into obedience training with positive reinforcement.  It will help to instill good habits and provide Lilly with self confidence. 

 

Congrats to you and to Lilly for having found you!  She is so ridiculously cute :)

Edited July 16, 2015 by raven

[EyewatchTV211]

Hi Raven. Thanks for your response. Yes, it's pretty impossible to deny her anything. She definitely has the puppy-dog eyes, too. 

 

Interestingly, she seems okay with fireworks and thunder. It's the closer sounds that scare her. 

 

I've talked to a couple of the vets, and neither of them have really recommended crating her at this point. Our fosters use crates with dogs as well, I think, except of course those who have had bad experiences. She's never been a huge fan of the crate with me, although she seemed to tolerate it the few times I use to put her in if maintenance was coming. I've stopped even doing that because she is so good and stays out of their way. She hated the crate when I tried when I first got her, but I've since decided that it was my fault and I started with one a little too small. Everyone does say that she should be able to hold it, and she probably could if I had discovered a successful way to ignore her. But she's found ways around it so I cannot ignore her. Initially, my old vet recommended changing foods to something easily digestible. That helped a little, but not completely. My newer vet had me try a few things that help with anxiety, thinking maybe she wakes during the night due to anxiety and then decides she wants to go out. We're still not sure if that is a component. The newer thing we are trying is a chewable treat that helps with joints. She has the usual little dog problem of luxating patellas. While they aren't to the extent of hurting her at this point (she jumps on my bed and on and off other high places easily), the vet thought maybe she had some discomfort during the night, maybe when trying to shift positions or something. And even if it's not that, the treats will help her long term. Since combining that with an anxiety diffuser thing, she's been waiting until around 6 AM to wake me pretty consistently. So it is definitely an improvement, even if I normally get up a little bit later. If we can keep it this way, I will take it. This is one of those situations where I wish dogs could talk.

 

With the separation anxiety, she's fine with me going to work and anywhere else short term. It's mostly when she can tell I'm packing for something bigger that she gets nervous, but she seems to manage that okay now. 

 

We went through the different levels of Petsmart's positive reinforcement obedience training. She's pretty good with all of those skills as well, though she's become a stinker lately and seems to be back to wanting treats to do them at times. Then she suddenly remembers what to do right away, lol. She still doesn't listen as well outside - too many distractions. I probably could have been more consistent with her and worked with her more continuously on everything, but she really is a good girl 90% of the time (maybe even 95%).

Edited July 16, 2015 by VMepicgrl

[JTMacc99]

I need some advice. One of my cats is peeing outside the box. Right outside the box, like right in front of it. Not all of the time, but pretty much once a day. We clean the box multiple times a day, and wash it once a week. We just bought a new litter box but that hasn't helped. Our temporary solution is to put a pee pee pad in front of the box to make the cleanup easier.

I don't think it's a medical problem but she's going to the vet to be sure. Any ideas?

It could be a medical problem.

 

It could also be a problem with the litter, despite the fact it is the same litter as it has always been. It could be that the litter is bothering her feet for example.  As was suggested above, try another box and use different litter. There are pelleted litters made from newspaper that are softer than typical clay litter, which you can try. (Most cats don't like it, but if your cat doesn't like the regular stuff anymore, it's worth a shot.)

[harrie]

VMepicgirl, Lilly is very cute -- what a face!  So glad the two of you found each other. 

[MargeGunderson]

Thanks for all of the advice! Lily has a clean bill of health. She has a new litter box and a different litter, so we'll see how it goes.

[harrie]

Thanks for all of the advice! Lily has a clean bill of health. She has a new litter box and a different litter, so we'll see how it goes.

 

Yay! I hope that does the trick.  Cats are so funny, yet so delicate in some ways.

[stillshimpy]

I'm so glad Cat Lily is healthy.  Hopefully having an extra litterbox will help.  Allegedly you're supposed to have  1 1/2 litterboxes per cat.  Advice for multiple cat families, I guess, but having more than one always suited are dearly departed villain.  

 

Oh my goodness! Dog Lilly is adorable.  Such a good face and I'm sure she has you wrapped around her paw. Although they are lifesavers for many, and entirely positive things for others, crates just aren't appropriate for all dogs.  Some dogs just can't safely be crated.  Pud (the dog in my avatar) is like that, whereas her big brother-dog (another rescue) loves his and will willingly go into it during the day, just to chill.  Just saying, I'm with you. I have one dog a crate is appropriate for and another where it will never be appropriate.  It is often a good answer, but it isn't for all dogs. 

 

The funny one is that some dogs will just so entirely recover from whatever trauma they have had, you'd never know it had happened.  Oscar was dumped on a highway and was terrified of cars when we first got him.  To this moment he does not like trucks (who can blame him, loud and smelly) ...but when we first got him all ninety pounds of him had to be lifted into a car.  He drool out of fear and stare at the ceiling miserably.  

 

Six months later and we can't even walk past the back of our either of our SUVS without Oscar sitting down and waiting to be let in.  He LOVES car rides.  His favorite thing in the entire world is when Rob takes him for a ride, to a part, to get his walk in and then he gets to ride back home with his head sticking out the window.  

 

You would never, ever know that something traumatic had happened to him.   Whereas Puddles has lived with us for more than five years, the vast majority of her life, and she still hides behind our knees when she meets someone new and is almost impossible to pet unless you're a family member.   Dogs are a lot like people in that respect.  They have very distinct personalities.  

[EyewatchTV211]

Thanks, stillshimpy. She is too darn cute for her own good, lol. I'm always telling her - "You're lucky you're so cute!" And she can tell when other people find her cute and plays that up to get attention. 

 

It's funny, both Lilly and my dog growing up always want(ed) to go in the car, but weren't particularly happy once in the car. And my dog growing up was from a breeder before anyone in my family knew a whole lot about rescues and issues with breeders, etc. Though we did end up with a pretty rare breed that I've never seen on a rescue site (welsh terrier). I used to have Lilly sit in one of those cute booster seats in the car, figuring she would like to look out the window. She hated it! She would cry almost the entire car ride. I thought she just was a dog who felt carsick or whatever. Or maybe she attributed that to being crated on the long drive from SC to Florida when she was taken out of the shelter and brought to the rescue group. I ended up trying just a harness in the car and she is so much better! She may whine a little, but she usually settles down and will even fall asleep. On a long car ride, I tend to put one of her beds down in that area so she can just lay down on top. Animals truly are interesting creatures!

 

I'm also glad cat Lily is okay, medically! Hopefully the new litter box stuff helps. I'm not really a cat person, so I would have no advice for that stuff. I guess it's good I didn't end up getting a cat when I was first considering a pet. I live on my own and am relatively young (maybe not anymore, lol) and everyone was warning me a dog would be too much responsibility. I considered a cat instead, but when I visited adoption events, the people would tell me all these things to consider that I just did not know about. Including what some on the thread have said - to get 2 cats. It was just overwhelming. At least I knew what was necessary with a dog, for the most part. Then I got lucky and had a conversation with a Petsmart worker who suggested that there are lower maintenance dogs and higher maintenance cats and you could go either way. After that, and my usual "aww"ing over some pups in the store, I had changed my mind. And it's worked out great, even my mother will admit. 

 

We need some more new pictures. It was fun discovering all the pets at once while I read the thread, but now that I'm at the end it's hard to wait for new posts. :-)

[bosawks]

We need some more new pictures. It was fun discovering all the pets at once while I read the thread, but now that I'm at the end it's hard to wait for new posts. :-)

 

Don't tempt me or I'll post my upteenth pic of  Alli..........

[smrou]

We need some more new pictures. It was fun discovering all the pets at once while I read the thread, but now that I'm at the end it's hard to wait for new posts. :-)

Hey, if you're putting out the call for new pictures I am more than happy to oblige. I have a lot of pictures of my cat.

 

This is Smudge when she was still a little kitten:

 

Sleeping next to me:

 

Wondering why I'm paying attention to the computer instead of her: 

Edited July 22, 2015 by smrou

[harrie]

smrou, Smudge is so cute - and thanks for new pictures!  I love her little semi-soul patch.  Is that the smudge for which she is named?

[smrou]

It's the little white patch next to her nose that got her the name Smudge.

[harrie]

Well, a smudge by any other name, er location, is still as sweet.  She's a darling!

[DeLurker]

VMepicgrl - Lilly is adorable.  What kind(s) of dog is she?  I've always liked bigger dogs - mutts and retriever type dogs, but have started to getthe appeal of some of the little balls of cute!

 

Smudge is such a cutie - I'd have a million pictures of her if she were mine! I love the little smear of black above her lip offset by the little smear of black below her lip and on the opposite side.

[Demented Daisy]

 

Wondering why I'm paying attention to the computer instead of her: 

 

And my Loki doing the same thing: