Pet(s): Photos & Discussion

[theredhead77]

35 minutes ago, Annber03 said:

Our first cat, when my mom and sister went to see her, the poor thing was left alone in the apartment with nothing but a fan and her bowls of food and water.

That sounds a lot like the story I learned about the Cat-Cat. He had hoomans who abandoned him and his sibling in their apartment. I don't know if the story is true or not but I heard they were eating the walls. The landlord let them outside to fend for themselves. A neighbor took them to the shelter. The sibling was adopted, the cat-cat got a URI and wasn't getting any interest. Supposedly he was high on the euthanasia list because of the URI (they only do one round of treatment). Thankfully he now has a hooman who will never ever leave him.

There is a special place in hell for people who abandon their animals. In empty apartments, dumping them outside or driving them out to the woods and leaving them there. Doesn't matter. I know shouldn't but I also judge people who leave their animals when a hurricane is coming. Hell, I judge the shit out of a friend who booted her previously indoor cats outdoors because her boyfriend is allergic. It's all so cruel.

[Annber03]

39 minutes ago, theredhead77 said:

That sounds a lot like the story I learned about the Cat-Cat. He had hoomans who abandoned him and his sibling in their apartment. I don't know if the story is true or not but I heard they were eating the walls. The landlord let them outside to fend for themselves. A neighbor took them to the shelter. The sibling was adopted, the cat-cat got a URI and wasn't getting any interest. Supposedly he was high on the euthanasia list because of the URI (they only do one round of treatment). Thankfully he now has a hooman who will never ever leave him.

Oh, poor babies :(. I'm so glad they were able to find happy homes in the end and are with you and others who'll take care of them. 

Quote

There is a special place in hell for people who abandon their animals. In empty apartments, dumping them outside or driving them out to the woods and leaving them there. Doesn't matter. I know shouldn't but I also judge people who leave their animals when a hurricane is coming. Hell, I judge the shit out of a friend who booted her previously indoor cats outdoors because her boyfriend is allergic. It's all so cruel.

Agreed. I don't understand how people can do that.

And god, yeah, I could never imagine leaving pets behind during a storm. When my family's had to take shelter during tornado warnings, we bring our pets with us. There was one day we had a warning, and we went to my sister's place for shelter ('cause we don't have a basement here and we're on the top floor in an apartment), and we brought our cats with us. They didn't seem all that fazed by the storms, though-Lily just kept making these annoyed little meows the whole way there (and when we returned home after the all clear). I think she hated the car ride more than anything else :p. 

(I also remember, when I was a kid, there was one time we had a tornado warning and my family lived in a trailer, so we left there and headed to the trailer park's clubhouse, which was right behind our place. My mom carried our dog (she was a small one) and tried to shelter her with her coat as we ran through the rain to get there, and even with my mom's attempts at sheltering her, our dog was still soaked to the bone when we got there, 'cause it'd been raining so hard. Poor thing's eyes were all bugged out and she was shaking, like, "Uh, what the heck just happened?")

49 minutes ago, Bastet said:

Riley is scared of the fly swatter.  And I don't mean if I whack a fly with it while she's nearby, I mean if I pass through the room with it in my hand or if she hears me use it in another room.  I have no idea what trauma she experienced/saw involving a fly swatter somewhere in the six years before I adopted her, but it's a very specific reaction she does not have to anything else.

Lily doesn't like them, either. She doesn't hide under the bed, but she does back up when she sees one. She also runs away when we open up garbage bags to put into our garbage bin. 

[Gramto6]

My late sweet Boo was dumped at the head of our road. My neighbor had 7 cats already. He turned up under her porch and she took him in, I told her I was ready to take in a kitty. This poor cat has been through something terrible. I was the only person he was comfortable  with, he hid under a chair at the sound of a vehicle or another person. He feared the swish of arms moving in a ski/winter jacket. He lived with me 12.5 years and as much as I loved him, his fears never left. My heart still breaks my heart that someone can be that cruel to animal.

[ginger90]

A former boss of mine used to bring her dog to work on occasion. The poor dog would go nuts if someone got the broom out to use it. Poor pupper. 😞

[MargeGunderson]

@Gramto6, your story reminds me that my late great Kitty Gunderson the Elder was scared of one of my winter coats. It was a long black parka that I joked was my Darth Vader coat. As soon as I put it on she would run out of the room. I had other coats that made the swishing sound you mentioned but she had no reaction to those. It was just this one coat for some reason. She was a wonderful cat, funny quirks and all.

[JTMacc99]

15 hours ago, GHScorpiosRule said:

She was testing me yesterday.

She was PLAYING me today! When she needs to go outside to do her business, she'll cry and lift her paw against me leg. She did that...FIVE TIMES today. Three of those times, all she wanted was to go outside and play.

Dogs are gonna dog. 

15 hours ago, GHScorpiosRule said:

Yeah, I'm a sucker.

Don't be.

It's really, really, important to establish yourself as the alpha. The pack leader. That article has a bunch of good ideas, but isn't necessarily the only way to go about it. Generally speaking, dogs want us to be the leader, and if we don't act like one, they'll do it themselves. 

[bosawks]

Incoming!!!!!

[tinkerbell]

My son and his girlfriend found this little boy in a dumpster in a walgreens parking lot. The vet said hes about 2 months old. He is hiding under their bed. 

Edited September 20, 2020 by tinkerbell

[Gramto6]

What a cutie pie! I'll never understand how people can dump animals like that. My late Baby Boo was dumped at the head of our dirt road. He lived with me for 12.5 years cowering in fear if he heard anyone else come to the house. He was fine when it was just us but even a delivery truck sent him under the chair in the living room. I loved him dearly but hated with the fire of 10,000 suns the people that did that to him.

Edited September 20, 2020 by Gramto6

[tinkerbell]

Over the summer we decided to get a puppy from a shelter.  A few shelters promised to get back to us, never did. Then we saw a photo of a 6 month old mixed breed/border collie. We met her, were warned by the foster family to not pet her, just keep dropping treats.  Her history - she had been neglected, or lost, came to the shelter through Chicago animal control.  She had been in a foster home, and three different trial adoptions fell through because she bites.  She had bitten 3 people, breaking the skin and drawing blood each time.  The second foster home was doing better with her, but she didn't do well with their dogs or cat, so they needed to find a home where she would be the only pet. She was underweight, and very protective of food.

For some reason, she charmed us, and We agreed to do a trial overnight. The first few hours were tough, she was  aggressive,  but out of fear.  She warmed up to us, and we've had her 2 months now. She is very energetic,  gets carried away when playing,  and is still learning not to bite. She is still fearful of anything new, barks at strangers, growls at other dogs. (Perfect social distancing dog)

She is crazy, affectionate and smart. I've already taught her sit, shake hands, lie down, leave it, roll over, stay, come. She has stopped eating her food in one gulp, now slows down. We are spoiling her with toys and treats.

 

Edited September 20, 2020 by tinkerbell

[Mindthinkr]

My heart hurts reading all these stories about animals being abused. Add me to the list of people who cannot stand anyone for hurting or abandoning an animal. I’m so happy to read that many of you have given these wonderful pets a kind and loving home. Bless you. 

[bosawks]

Alli used to have issues when I’d walk out with a broom or mop and drying her off from the head first was a no go.

Now she walks into the towel after being out and the rain and every once in a while when I walk out of the utility room with the mop she’ll just slowly stroll out of the room like she has somewhere better to be......

[MargeGunderson]

@tinkerbell, what a cutie! It’s sounds like she’s come a long way with your love and patience.

[SVNBob]

13 hours ago, icemiser69 said:

The world is really full of assholes.  Anyone who harms a helpless animal is really a pathetic human being and belongs in prison.

Why a dumpster?  Only a horrible piece of garbage does that to an animal.  Take any unwanted pet to a no kill shelter where they can have a chance to find a loving home.  

The only reason someone would dump an animal in a dumpster is because that person doesn't care about animals or living creatures in general.

While I agree with the overall sentiments, that kitty may not have been abandoned there by a human.  It's just as likely that it was born to a feral or semi-feral mother, and was simply in the dumpster looking for food.

In either case, it's still good on @tinkerbell's son and his gf for taking in the kitty.

[bosawks]

It was someone’s first hike today!

And it was someone’s more than first hike today.....

[KnoxForPres]

On 9/16/2020 at 7:00 PM, GHScorpiosRule said:

Oh yeah. I was tempted to reveal the shelter's name here, but I don't know if that's allowed?

She was testing me yesterday.

She was PLAYING me today! When she needs to go outside to do her business, she'll cry and lift her paw against me leg. She did that...FIVE TIMES today. Three of those times, all she wanted was to go outside and play. Yeah, I'm a sucker. And I just don't want any accidents! She's completely housebroken and knows to do her business outside!😂

You’re speaking my language!  Knox was so easy to housetrain but when she paws I interpret like a human like “I really gotta go”.  More often it’s wonderful weather and she wants to sniff and explore.  I took this dog on a great day hike today in case that reads she’s not out. 
 

I often wonder if we lived in San Diego if we It would be 12 months of “I really gotta to” haha- too hot, too cold, too wet=no dice. Sunny and 72 is game on. 
 

Sending Piper the best pup love ever!  Thank you for saving P!

[JTMacc99]

My neighbor's six month old Akita puppy has developed a taste for freedom (and figured out how to escape his backyard.)  This is him locked up in my backyard until I could bring him home yesterday. And today going back to work, I saw him walking down the street. Turned around and loaded him into my backseat to return him.  Heh. They're going to keep him in the house until they can figure out how he's getting out.

 

[Katy M]

10 minutes ago, JTMacc99 said:

My neighbor's six month old Akita puppy has developed a taste for freedom (and figured out how to escape his backyard.)  This is him locked up in my backyard until I could bring him home yesterday. And today going back to work, I saw him walking down the street. Turned around and loaded him into my backseat to return him.  Heh. They're going to keep him in the house until they can figure out how he's getting out.

 

He's very pretty. He's probably just trying to get to the big city to see if he can make it as a model.

[Browncoat]

He's gorgeous.  I had a Houdini-dog like that once.  She'd go on walkabout while I was at work, and I'd find her on the front porch (only the backyard was fenced) when I got home.  I continually patched holes in and under the fence, and had to be careful if there was a deep snow -- she figured out how to walk on top of the snow, and she'd go over the fence.  I also ended up having to keep the doors locked at all times if I wanted her to stay inside the house.  

[Suzn]

What a beauty he is!  I've had escape artists who could squeeze through impossibly small openings and it had to hurt, but they would suffer for their art.

[JTMacc99]

Sunbeam!!

 

[bilgistic]

My boyfriend is on vacation this week with college friends at a cabin in the Pennsylvania wilderness. That's a whole other story that belongs in the COVID thread (I'm not happy about the [annual] trip during a pandemic), but within two days of his departure, my girls got back onto *my* schedule now that "Fun Dad" isn't here.

He usually gets up for work at 4:30, so he feeds them then instead of making them wait until I get up three-ish hours later. He also rewards their bad behavior (when they wake us up at night) with food so they keep acting bad. I might jinx it, but the girls and I have slept quite peacefully since Tuesday...all night long.

I think we now know who the real source of the bad behavior is.

They saved me from a "palmetto bug" sometime last night, as I discovered the body on its back in the bedroom doorway, with two legs nearby. Good girls!!

[bosawks]

A full night of playing with other dogs has led to a Sunday morning of this.....

Edited October 4, 2020 by bosawks

[theredhead77]

PUPPY BELLEH!

[GHScorpiosRule]

I am DEVASTATED.

I thought Piper would be mine forever.

But because she wasn't acclimating fast enough to her new home and an apartment setting, there were complaints, and I was forced to give her up.

Sure, the sound of doors slamming, and kids running and screeching down the hall would cause her to bark, but she would stop once I calmed her down, which was within a minute.

I took obedience training to work on her habit of jumping on new people she'd meet (I would keep her from actually jumping on them, so it looked she was a horse who was rearing on its hind legs), but she didn't mean any harm; nor did she bite or growl at anyone.

The only good part of this is (if you can call it good) is that I found a sanctuary/rescue locally. A non-profit organization that rehomes or adopts the animals out, but does NOT Euthanize them. 

It broke my heart to take her there. She knew something was happening and I felt like the WORST abuser ever.

But the sanctuary sent me pictures of her to show that she's settled in nicely and has made some new mates. I still cried. I still feel this great big HOLE inside of me. I keep "seeing" her and hearing her.

It's going to be a while before I'll be able to look for another to adopt. I'm thinking the next time I do, maybe I should move to rent a house or something so this doesn't happen again. 

I'm just working and working and doing anything and everything to keep my mind occupied. I thought unloading here might help.

I've wanted a fur baby of my own for SO LONG, and when I thought I could finally get one, this happens.

I hate people.

[MargeGunderson]

Oh, @GHScorpiosRule, I am so sorry. It’s sounds like you were doing everything you could for her, and that you found a good place to take her. I hope you can be kind to yourself; this was not your fault.

[Annber03]

Oh, gosh, I'm so sorry. I'm glad you were able to take her to people who'll take care of her and that they kept you updated on how she's doing.

But yeah. That's rough. I wish things had worked out better. 

[AgentRXS]

I'm so sorry @GHScorpiosRule! Would a kitty interest you (when you are ready, of course)? It might be easier to have a cat in an apartment setting.

[GHScorpiosRule]

3 minutes ago, AgentRXS said:

I'm so sorry @GHScorpiosRule! Would a kitty interest you (when you are ready, of course)? It might be easier to have a cat in an apartment setting.

I wish I could. But they only changed their policy with respect to dogs. If kitties were allowed, I'd pile up on allergy meds to combat my kitty allergies. I only sneeze if I rub noses with them.

[Gramto6]

@GHScorpiosRule I am so sorry.  You did what you could to try to train her, but you did get her to a safe place where she may find a new home.

[KnoxForPres]

@GHScorpiosRule that is heartbreaking  I am so sorry.  

[bosawks]

Do you ever feel like you’re being watched......

[theredhead77]

11 minutes ago, bosawks said:

Do you ever feel like you’re being watched......

 

 

[WhereThereIsLife]

Alli and Harper: Hey, Bosawks, why you just chillin’?  Get up and entertain us!

[ginger90]

Elsie:

[KnoxForPres]

Is anyone here a horse person?  While I don’t live in the country there is pasture area behind the house and a horse is there (appeared?  I guess horse owners know these things). 
 

He/she is wonderful and grazes nearly all day. It does have a barn if it needs shelter. Do horses get lonely?  I talk to it everyday and it’s like it listens and likes it.  I am actually somewhat scared of horses and their size but it’s such a gentle giant. Knox even likes it. Beautiful and brown. 

[Mindthinkr]

I am a horse person. Yes, they can get lonely. They are herd animals. However, they also do do well with other kinds of animals. I’ve seen them be friends with dogs, goats, a turkey (that was a funny coupling), alpacas and pigs. You could try and find the owner and see if it is ok for you to give it a carrot or apple daily. Then you could be it’s friend. 

Edited October 19, 2020 by Mindthinkr
Grammar

[bosawks]

A day’s hike in three snapshots....

[Moose135]

Jake is ready for Halloween...

 

[Suzn]

Jake is very handsome.

This is my blue merle girl, Sushka.

Edited October 19, 2020 by Suzn

[Mindthinkr]

Mom got this portrait of me (Squeaky) from a friend. Mom wants to know why I couldn’t be bothered to smile for the camera. 

[MargeGunderson]

Jake and Sushka are both beautiful! Squeaky is also gorgeous, but slightly disapproving in that picture.

[Suzn]

8 minutes ago, MargeGunderson said:

Jake and Sushka are both beautiful! Squeaky is also gorgeous, but slightly disapproving in that picture.

As only a cat can be!

Sushka thanks you!

[ginger90]

Some may remember Reba in the first picture.

Reba today, in the second picture:

 

[MargeGunderson]

Aw,  she still has an adorable kitten face! She looks like a cuddler, is she?

Edited October 19, 2020 by MargeGunderson

[ginger90]

3 minutes ago, MargeGunderson said:

As, she still has an adorable kitten face! She looks like a cuddler, is she?

Yes she is! 😁 Even with dogs! This isn’t the best example I have, but you get the idea.

[Moose135]

Sushka is a sweetheart, @Suzn!

[Annber03]

40 minutes ago, ginger90 said:

Yes she is! 😁 Even with dogs! This isn’t the best example I have, but you get the idea.

Well, that's just precious <,3 :). 

[Suzn]

5 hours ago, Moose135 said:

Sushka is a sweetheart, @Suzn!

Thanks!  She's every bit as sweet as she looks.

[Suzn]

5 hours ago, ginger90 said:

Some may remember Reba in the first picture.

Reba today, in the second picture:

 

I love that face!