Pet(s): Photos & Discussion

[harrie]

Knox, that sounds like a great costume.  Kudos on your originality; perhaps necessity was the (queen) mother of invention?

 

scarletregina, I find myself hypnotized by Buttons' eyes.  He's a beauty.

 

And, I signed too.  If this is the case I've read about semi-recently, a lot of the evidence against the dog is not too concrete.  I hope this can get worked out so Beau can go home.  Or even to another home if it's absolutely necessary. 

[EllieH]

Buttons is adorable, scarletregina! I was dying of silent laughter when I saw that Halloween costume picture at work.

[stillshimpy]

Happy Halloween everybody! I had a nice treat today and I figured this was the place to share the story.  

 

One of the things that I do is sponsor the adoption fees for rescue groups to get animals out of shelters.  There was Aussie mix in a shelter here in Wentzville and I was putting up his adoption fee to  an Aussie Rescue to pick him up later. 

 

It's a low-kill facility there, but it is still still a kill-shelter and this guy's time was almost up.  One of the people on Facebook posted about him and I offered the adoption fee and driving down there to take care of that this morning.  When I got there, there was a young couple who had just seen him and were "deciding" ...she was clearly head-over-heels in love with Jinx and husband was trying to hedge his bets -- could they have him for a three day trial?  Could they take him out with them for an hour or two, just to hang out with him outside of the shelter.  They should go home and think about it for the weekend, says he just as one of the other front desk workers asked if they could help me. 

 

Now this dude had married UP in terms of cuteness.  They were both tall, but she was gorgeous.  Seriously modeling pretty and when the clerk asked if she could help me, I said I was there to pay Jinx's adoption fee, so a rescue could pick him up later and the look on that blonde woman's face....she looked crestfallen and near tears...and you could see it dawning on Hubby that this was the situation he was going to be hearing about for the rest of their married life if he didn't act right then.  

 

"We'll take him."  and they started filling out the application and scrambling around to get wallets and id from the car and...

 

Jinx ended up with his forever home instead of being fostered to a rescue simply because of walking in at the right moment.  I will take that as my Halloween treat :-)  

Edited October 31, 2014 by stillshimpy

[RescueMom]

Aw, what a great day for Jinx!!

[harrie]

That is just awesome!  So good for Jinx and so good for you, too, stillshimpy.  If you hadn't been there to put the burr under Mr. Model's saddle.....  Funny how things work sometimes, isn't it?

[stillshimpy]

Funny how things work sometimes, isn't it?

 

It really is! Anyway the day ended up shaking out, Jinx was getting out of the shelter, but that couple had no way of knowing he'd be picked up later that afternoon if they didn't take him then.  And I'm sure my husband would assure Mr. Model that I flat-out excel at burr-under-saddling :-D

 

I'm super happy for them.  I should just start rotating through the local shelters, hanging out in the background, playing with my phone, helping to up the spousal pressure.   But then animal control would likely pick me up too :-) 

Edited November 1, 2014 by stillshimpy

[KnoxForPres]

What a great story! Gosh, nothing makes me happier than hearing things like that. Thank you so much for sharing.

[SunshineOnMe]

Perfect timing for Jinx! What a sweet story. Editing this because I just realized you were putting up the adoption fee yourself. Wow, that's incredibly generous and sweet of you, Stillshimpy.  Glad you're in this world!

Edited November 4, 2014 by SunshineOnMe

[stillshimpy]

Aw thanks, that's kind of you to say.  My husband teases me about it a lot, but he's awfully nice about the sentences that start with "So, I was on Petfinder today..."  Luckily I have no shoe or shopping predilections so I'm sure it could be worse...which is what I always tell him whenever I start that sentence :-D 

[elizacat]

My 2 beasts Harry and Eliza
Harry's a long haired chocolate tabby Oriental and Eliza is a Havana Oriental (I think in the US they are just called Chocolate orientals)

[/url]">http://http://imgur.com/RKVAMbW'>

Edited November 11, 2014 by elizacat

[harrie]

Very pretty, elizacat!  I have not heard of chocolate cats before, but the description certainly fits. 

[elizacat]

Very pretty, elizacat!  I have not heard of chocolate cats before, but the description certainly fits. 

Yeah their colour is lovely and although I call them beasts they are adorable and very smoochy little things.

[stillshimpy]

They are both gorgeous and they look huge!  Very impressive and big-cat-like (as in Lynx, etc. )  

 

Those are some serious ears, too :-)  

[elizacat]

They are both gorgeous and they look huge!  Very impressive and big-cat-like (as in Lynx, etc. )  

 

Those are some serious ears, too :-)  

Ha ha Harry is very big but Eliza is quite little about half his size - she's tall but very petite. Not sure if you know about Orientals but they are basically just coloured Siamese, often one of the parents will be Siamese and one oriental so you get both Siamese and Orientals in the litter.

Oh yeah I love their massive ears! I will see if I can post another photo later so you can see their size difference.

Edited November 13, 2014 by elizacat

[Disraeli Ears]

Squeeeee! I just found this thread! I love looking at and sharing pictures of critters!

Here are my two pups.

Ummm....can't get the pictures in here! Can't get them on imgur right now and can't seem to link from Dropbox so I will have to try later!

Edited December 1, 2014 by Disraeli Ears

[ZaldamoWilder]

Hi everybody, this thread is killing me.  My puppy yearn has gotten way worse over the last few pages.   I'm not sure if it's appropriate to post a question in here but I need some honest advice.

 

What do you all do, I mean how do you manage having furbabies if you have to spend a lot of time away from them at work?  How do they manage?

 

I'm asking because I've wanted to add another member to the family for years now.  But I live alone - well, with my daughter but she's away at school 9 months of the year - so basically alone and I'm gone for 10 hours a day.  We've got a fenced in back yard, no dogs on either side of us - I should say I live in an attached townhouse.   Anyway, I just wanted to find out what you guys do if you're in a similar situation.  Do you have or hire somebody to walk and play with them during the day?    Thanks in advance.

[bosawks]

I live alone and I crated for a bit but got away from it.  When he was younger I found that what worked was getting up at very early before work and exercising the heck out him and doing the same as soon as I got home, as he got older walking before and after work was sufficient.  Swimming worked wonders!  Having a support to let him out on the days that I was working late was a lifesaver.  I've had him for 14 years and wouldn't trade a minute, even the ones where I wanted to kill him!

 

A cat would probably be more practical for me but I doubt one would enjoy the hiking and kayaking...........

[riley702]

Yeah, I work 12 hour shifts, but I have 2 cats and lots of toys, along with window seats and a cat tree. I don't think I'd ever have a single pet again. You need two so they don't get as lonesome.

[ZaldamoWilder]

Oh man.  Yeah two isn't doable for me, it's a chow I'm thinking of and they get to be a pretty good size.  Dang, I was trying to find a way around how selfish it was gonna be to the doggie, not looking good.   Appreciate the advice so far though.

[stillshimpy]

Okay, someone has to say this, so I will go ahead and be the person to broach it:  ZaldamoWilder, a Chow is not one of the better ideas for a pet that will spend time alone everyday.  Chows need socialization like....whoa...or they can develop behavioral issues that run towards aggression and the eating of couches.   Now, clearly there's always some wiggle room -- you could have dog-walking service during the week if that's financially feasible, to make sure plenty of exercise happens, but just the fact that you are thinking Chow points to needing to do a lot of research.  

 

But the truth of the matter is dogs are social creatures.  Better two shit-tzus than one Chow.  Better two cats than one Chow.  Better two ferrets than one Chow in  a household with one person.   Those are all generalizations and with enough knowledge and effort you can make almost anything work, but it works best for everyone if you acquire the knowledge first.  

 

If you want a solitary dog, okay and many animals with really good homes have pet-parents that work, but if you're going to go breed specific, please look into a breed that is not known to have behavioral issues.  Chows have a not great reputation in some circles because they are time intensive -- that coat requires work -- and they can develop destructive behaviors if they don't have their exercise and socialization needs met.  

 

Lots and lots of people who work have very happy animals, but you do need to do some research on what the dog needs as your first step. 

 

Now all month long I have been in the process of adopting my second dog: Oscar.  He's a big fellow, likely has Great Dane in him.  He landed in animal control facility over an hour away from me, after apparently being dumped on a highway.  He's around two.  No one trained to do anything (that's why it is taking me a month to integrate the dog into my household) , not stay down (and he's taller than me on his back legs) , or sit, or anything.  So I booked a trainer and he's living with her for two weeks to learn the basics, coming home for a week to check what else he needs to learn and going back for a week.  

 

This dog is SUCH a project and he is 72 pounds of underweight need.  He tries to get in your lap for the entire time you're anywhere near him.  He's had terrifying experiences and he's traumatized.  He was in an AC facility for three weeks and that place scared the crap out of me for the hour I was in it, I can't imagine three weeks there.  He was scheduled for Euthanasia and a pet adoption center 25 miles from that AC facility agreed to pull him for me after I met him, to get him neutered and chipped while I figured out how the heck we were going to do this.  Basically, this dog was a dead dog walking unless someone who was prepared for "He's going to be a neurotic freak for a good year" adopted him.  

 

But he's gentle, he loves people, he loves children, he loves cats and he loves other dogs.  Plus I've taken introducing him to Pud very slowly so that we don't have an issues with that.  

 

So I really support wanting to have a pet, and please understand I am not trying to dissuade you from that.  Just please do research first, because someone had Oscar (who had no name when I met him) because he is socialized fully to people and it couldn't be clearer that they had no idea what to do with the poor dog.  He's a wreck (I'll post a picture here in a moment), he's a very sweet, loving wreck.   He's what happens when a big dog meets an unprepared situation though. 

 

Please,try to get a pet the right kind of pet for your life and that's for your benefit too, because you won't enjoy the wrong kind of pet.  

 

So I apologize for being Nellie Negative on this, but first off, think something other than Chow, would be my advice.  

Edited December 19, 2014 by stillshimpy

[stillshimpy]

Here's Oscar:  

 

 

At his trainer's house but I'm off to see him later today, with my dog in tow.   

 

By the way, here's how he got his name:  When a friend of mine in a rescue group sent me his picture he was billed as an Aussie-Mix and there was a picture of him.  The AC officer's notes (who really tried so hard for this dog) said he was the sweetest, gentlest dog in the world and that he kenneled him with smaller dogs of both genders  -- which should have tipped me off to his size, because there was no mention of "larger" -- and that he was "awesome" and just "bundled them up like a guardian or brother" .  

 

When I got there --.to animal hell, by the way, in a downpour where I was driving, my husband in the passenger seat, the facility was over an hour away and at one point we drove past an accident where a car had been ripped in two on the highway and was pointing towards us (we must have just missed the sound of it) so it wasn't like Hell was a fresh concept to either of us -- I was expecting a forty or forty-five pound dog.  It had never occurred to me that AC officer was just a giant man and therefore when he took a picture from eye level, the dog looked smaller from that height.  

 

So here's this poor huge dog, who is a goner and is shaking so much he could barely walk out of the kennel.  

 

I looked at my husband and said, "That's not an Aussie....Aussie....Aussie.  Oi Oi Oi."  

 

Aussie sounds a little bit like Oscar.  So he became "Oscar...Oscar...Oscar.  Oy. Oy. Oy."  

Edited December 19, 2014 by stillshimpy

[ZaldamoWilder]

Oscar's story breaks my heart.  I don't know what AC stands for but it sounds simply terrifying.  He's adorable.

 

Thanks for that shimpy, I appreciate it.    I hope you didn't hesitate to write that because it wasn't dissuasive or negative sounding at all to me.  Yeah, I might've mentioned it in my previous posts, I've been doing the research for years, specifically about chows, believe it or not, because of their disposition.   A couple of friends of mine had chows growing up and when I asked what their parents did to socialize, they responded with: socialize?  what do you mean?  So yeah, that behavioral aggressive thing about their personalities is well earned and I would go so far as to say it's the common denominator for any chow parent who thought that socialization and training wasn't necessary.  From what I understand, it really is not optional with this breed.  The upside is that when you put the work in upfront, you've just forged a relationship with one of the sweetest, bestest, most fiercely loyal friends you'll ever have.  My attraction to chows is about their even keeled (I'm trying not use the word aloof ;)) demeanor once properly socialized.  Your post supports everything I've read with regard to that too.  It's not the commitment to socializing, training or the biweekly combouts that made/makes me hesitate more than how you guys' pets, specifically dogs, do with long stretches and absences everyday.   I don't have to tell this crowd that it's not like a trial kind of thing, you're literally bringing home a baby, there aren't any givebacks.  I was looking more for real world experience from dog parents about how all of you, furbabies primarily, fare while you're away.   

 

I did speak with a neighbor 2 doors down from me who said he'd come walk her while I was at work, so that helps.  But your advice did too.  Thanks ;)

[stillshimpy]

Animal Control :-) 

 

I tend to end up with animals that have abandonment issues, Zaldamo. Sometimes from being left alone or mistreated.  That's Puddles story.  We got her when she was nine months old.  The people who had her were locking her in a crate for 12 hours a day.  They'd never walked her (they had housebroken her) and she'd skinned parts of her fur off her face trying to get out of it, so she took a while to get this cute.  

 

To this day she can't be crated, but she's shut in a large bedroom, with a window when we go out.  Oscar is being crate-trained.  

 

You know, there are plenty of dogs who do well with long stretches by themselves, I'm just not the person to answer those questions, because I'm at home and the dogs that I've had throughout the years have all been rescues, except for our first dog.  All have had behavioral issues that specifically needed someone who was home a lot.  

 

For the first six months I had Pud, I literally never even got to go pee by myself, she was that grafted to me.  She'd be pressed up against the shower door while I was showering.  Now she runs joyfully to "put yourself away" when we go out.   

 

So you can absolutely work with a dog enough to get them over and through almost anything. Having someone who is willing to check in on your dog during the day to walk, or just give them a potty break, makes a lot of difference for dogs.  

Edited December 19, 2014 by stillshimpy

[scarletregina]

 

What do you all do, I mean how do you manage having furbabies if you have to spend a lot of time away from them at work?  How do they manage?

 

I'm asking because I've wanted to add another member to the family for years now.  But I live alone - well, with my daughter but she's away at school 9 months of the year - so basically alone and I'm gone for 10 hours a day.  We've got a fenced in back yard, no dogs on either side of us - I should say I live in an attached townhouse.   Anyway, I just wanted to find out what you guys do if you're in a similar situation.  Do you have or hire somebody to walk and play with them during the day?    Thanks in advance.

 

Shibas are relatively solitary dogs. I work from home, so mine is rarely alone, but the majority of other shiba owners that I know all work. Shibas are almost always introverts, so they don't mind being alone. They are aloof, but also loving and loyal. 

 

The only issue with shibas is that they are a bit of a special breed. Their DNA is the closest to wolves, that doesn't mean that they are feral or anything, just that they don't respond well to the traditional dominance training that most of us are taught to use with dogs. They are more interested in doing their own thing and they know that they are smarter than you are.

 

If you do consider a shiba, I'd recommend doing lots of research and fostering first - actually, I'd recommend that with any dog.

Edited December 19, 2014 by scarletregina

[stillshimpy]

Shiba Inus are really cool dogs too!  

 

Here is Pud with Oscar today at the trainer's :-)  

 

 

Her fur is actually wet because she either found poo or something dead (or something that defecated as its last living act)  to roll in, necessitating an emergency bath.  

Edited December 19, 2014 by stillshimpy

[harrie]

Congratulations, stillshimpy, on your new/pending addition.  Oscar looks so sweet - he just has that "love me?" look on his face. 

 

My dog prior to Handsome was a Dobie/Shepherd mix who someone hadn't trained at all; and at six months or so, they realized they had a semi-monster on their hands and dumped her (on a residential street, not a highway, thank whomever).  Our first battle with her was over who has the right to sit on the couch any time, and who needed permission to do so.  We took her through obedience school three times until the training finally stuck, but she was well worth the effort.  Lucky for us, she loved her crate, which helped a lot during the first year.

 

A friend of mine is a big fan of Shibas - she has adopted a couple from either rescues or the pounds (she has connections, and even participated in the raid of the place that housed my dog for a year straight in a crate, it turns out) and just loves them. She's also very experienced with dogs.  

 

Not to echo the Nellie Negative thing, but the Humane Society does weekly spots featuring adoptable critters on our local news shows  - and lots of times they'll say that a dog is great for a first-time dog owner or that s/he needs a person/family with beagle, large dog, etc. experience.  I think it's helpful information to offer, and may make for fewer returns of animals. What I'm trying to say is that you should go in with your eyes open - which it sounds like you are trying to do, ZaldamoWilder.

[KnoxForPres]

My dog Knox goes to daycare most weeks 5 times, if it's raining I take her to my parents. Can drop off at 7 and pick up at 730 if needed. Look, it ain't cheap, but it's a place where they put her in big open spaces and she gets to romp and play all day. They have "quiet time" from 1 to 3. That means they bring them in and feed them and give them a room. It's where I board her when out of town. If financially feasible, unless I just got lucky, I can't recommend it enough. And oh how her butt shakes and tail wags when we arrive every morning. She LOVES it.

See the story above, I drop some cash, but it's worth it for me and a tad selfish. I have a dog (mutt-definite pit bull there, not sure but true Heinz 57) that if I crated her it would be, in my opinion, cruel. She craves and needs to exert energy daily. Plus I would have hell to pay.

I would personally go to a shelter and check out a dog older than 2 who seems very mellow and chill if I were you. That type dog would be like "hell yes" I just get to kick it all day. But if a Chow is a must, that is the only dog that ever started a real fight with my sweet, departed dog Scout. Scout was a lover, not a fighter so just want to echo that breed craves and wants obedience. Good luck!

[riley702]

To this day she can't be crated...

And even pets with no abuse or trauma can have emotional baggage. My youngest kitty, Swiffer, was born in a no-kill shelter and has a serious hate-on for hard-sided crates/carriers. Which I found out the hard way when I tried to put her in a hard-sided carrier. She went from zero to 100 in about a millisecond - she was across the room and I had blood dripping from my hand before I even realized what was happening. We've come to a compromise - I now have only soft-sided carriers. She's never going to be happy about carriers, but she doesn't draw blood anymore. And she still has the odd freak-out if she feels trapped or hemmed in. She loves being under the covers with me, but has to have one edge up and open so she knows she has a way out. She's an oddly fragile little bossy pants, but she's totally worth it.

Edited December 20, 2014 by riley702

[stillshimpy]

Doggie daycare is a great option if you have a good one available to you.  In Colorado we had a fantastic one, but unfortunately I never found a good one here.  The reason I was using one was to try and get Puddles socialized.  Her first people hadn't leash trained her, or actually gotten her used to being in cars (and oh joy, we had an almost three hour ride with her down a mountain on the first day we met her....hence forth to be known as the Day of Many Fluids and Even More Stench as that poor dog was car sick on every known level).  

 

So that's actually another good use for Doggie daycare.  

 

I'm echoing the suggestion to please check out a rescue or a shelter dog.  There are also breed specific rescue groups so that doesn't mean a Chow would be off the table if you went with a Rescue.  

Edited December 20, 2014 by stillshimpy

[KnoxForPres]

Doggie daycare is a great option if you have a good one available to you. In Colorado we had a fantastic one, but unfortunately I never found a good one here. The reason I was using one was to try and get Puddles socialized. Her first people hadn't leash trained her, or actually gotten her used to being in cars (and oh joy, we had an almost three hour ride with her down a mountain on the first day we met her....hence forth to be known as the Day of Many Fluids and Even More Stench as that poor dog was car sick on every known level).

So that's actually another good use for Doggie daycare.

I'm echoing the suggestion to please check out a rescue or a shelter dog. There are also breed specific rescue groups so that doesn't mean a Chow would be off the table if you went with a Rescue.

Stillshimpy. I think you need to open a dog daycare in your town. Man, I would really shell out the bucks if I knew my pup was in your care. Consider it!

Edited for double post. My phone is more high maintenance than my dog lately!

Edited December 20, 2014 by KnoxForPres

[Lizzing]

Here are my guys..the shih tzu, the mixed breed, and the two kits.  They all get along and are as snuggly as they are crazy.

 

[scarletregina]

A friend of mine is a big fan of Shibas - she has adopted a couple from either rescues or the pounds (she has connections, and even participated in the raid of the place that housed my dog for a year straight in a crate, it turns out) and just loves them. She's also very experienced with dogs.  

 

ohhh! I wonder if I know her! A lot of us shiba owners know each other thanks to groups on Facebook. Buttons is from the NYC Shiba Rescue. He's from a hoarding situation. He & those rescued with him are known as the NJ-22. 27 shibas in one house. Unfortunately, not all of the shibas were rescued, as the owners were allowed to keep some of them.

 

Buttons was a lot of work for the first year. He was very afraid of people and sounds. He had never been around people except for the couple who owned him. He went from a very sheltered environment to noisy Brooklyn. It was quite a shock. 

 

He's very mellow and chill. However, I've heard that there were a few dogs from his home that were terrors, but I think these were older pups that had been in that situation so long they couldn't adjust. Buttons was only 11 months when I got him. 

 

I too recommend rescue, but I would say to foster first, like I mentioned earlier. Most places have a foster to adopt program, which means that you get first dibs on adopting the dog you foster. It's what I did with Buttons.

[harrie]

Lizzing, I love how everyone is so melded together you have to really look to see who's who. They all look so comfy and warm.  Great picture!  

 

scarletregina, my friend is around New Haven, CT - I don't know how much she gets around the Tri-State area, but she might do stuff in NJ. (Or on Facebook, as you point out - I never seem to remember that option.)  Thank you for taking the time and effort with Buttons - a lot of people don't realize how much damage has to be undone sometimes, and just don't follow through on it with their dogs.   

[scarletregina]

Merry Christmas!

 

[stillshimpy]

What a great picture! Merry Christmas to you too, scarletregina and a joyful season to everyone :-)  

 

My new big dog comes home tomorrow morning!  

 

Knox, you are such a kind person.  Thank you so much for saying that, it made my day.  

[harrie]

Merry Christmas, scarletregina!  Too, too cute.  As it happens, Yahoo! ran this piece on what it's like to live with a Shiba Inu.

 

Congratulations, stillshimpy - what a great present for you and Puddles.

[scarletregina]

Merry Christmas, scarletregina!  Too, too cute.  As it happens, Yahoo! ran this piece on what it's like to live with a Shiba Inu.

 

I saw that! It's one of the better articles I've read on shibas. It mostly describes Buttons except that he's not territorial, but I think that just depends on the particular dog you end up with. 

[stillshimpy]

Lizzing, I love your great big pile o' fur and snuggliness picture :-)  

 

Oscar is home and thus far all is well.  Thank goodness,  things went so wrong with that poor temporary foster we had, we took every step humanly possible to try and introduce our new dog (including skipping the foster aspect, it was clear Puddles was not going to just roll with temp dogs and our only hope was a sibling dog).  

 

Here he is, home for the holidays and beyond.  Oscar report, over and out for now!  The glowing eyes of "I'm a terrible photographer" notwithstanding:

 

 

[harrie]

stillshimpy, they look so sweet - and I don't know whether Puddles is saying she approves of Oscar, or is declaring that she has defeated him (since he's lying down and she's sitting).  I love Oscar's white socks, and hope he and Pud and you and your family all live happily ever after -- or at least for a good, long time. 

 

We're taking a little getaway for New Year's, and are thinking of adding a cat to our mix once we get back.  Clyde Cat can get on the dog's nerves, so we're hoping we can find a compatible friend to divert his attention. Clyde's super easy, he likes everyone - maybe too much - but we want to make sure this works.  Which of course is a recipe for disaster.  It's much easier when someone just shows up on the doorstep.

 

stillshimpy, I also love your chair/rug combo.  So cool!  Our sense of style is mostly a combo of Goodwill and early frat house. 

Edited December 27, 2014 by harrie

[stillshimpy]

Thank you very much, harrie, I  call that look "One was on clearance and the other so inexpensive it's okay if terrible things befall it"  ...which essentially describes my Aesthetic  Early, Middle and Future Clearance :-D  

 

 

 

Clyde's super easy, he likes everyone - maybe too much - but we want to make sure this works.  Which of course is a recipe for disaster.  It's much easier when someone just shows up on the doorstep.

 

Oh exactly, when you put a lot of thought and effort into "I don't want to upset our particular apple cart" it's so much more difficult to decide than when you're in that "Oh man, fate rang the doorbell and left us a basket of starving need with a sinus infection to boot.  You're home!"  

 

 

 

and I don't know whether Puddles is saying she approves of Oscar, or is declaring that she has defeated him (since he's lying down and she's sitting)

 

It is the latter :-)  Earlier today when Oscar was going to reach me before Puddles did, she jumped up and put her paws around his neck to propel herself closer to me, more quickly.   She's not allowed to jump on us, so I'm assuming she had figured out a workaround that involved using him as her personal trampoline.  

 

I hope you find the perfect fur friend for Clyde and for purposes of House harrie unity and serentiy.  

Edited December 27, 2014 by stillshimpy

[callie lee 29]

My Carly. She's a rescue greyhound from the Jacksonville track. SHe has four kitty sisters and many foster siblings!

[stillshimpy]

Is she a Whippet or a Greyhound?  Or is my sense of scale off on this one?  

 

I like her snazzy scarf :-)  

[harrie]

Carly is a pretty girl - and how nice she gets along with cats. I've heard that greyhounds don't always do well with smaller animals because of the prey factor.  callie lee 29, do you know if it depends on the dog, or is that just a big old myth?   

Edited January 5, 2015 by harrie

[callie lee 29]

Carly is fine with them. And the few greyhounds I've seen at the Humane Society where I volunteer seem to have been fine (only limited contact with them though). Carly is actually probably more nervous around them the tinier they get (I use to foster bottle-feed kittens, Tiny!). The only time she has been "aggressive" towards them (or anything) is when she's in a dead sleep and they startle her awake. But even then it's more from a shock point of view.

 

From those I've talked to about greyhounds (other owners mainly) is that they are so well trained when they are on the track that they know when to chase and when not to. But I would definitely get the read of the dog first. 

 

Stillshimpy she's a greyhound, she's just little! My friend did that one christmas she was watching her. Took one of my scarf's and put it on her. You should see her in her little yellow raincoat with the hood up!!

[harrie]

The only time she has been "aggressive" towards them (or anything) is when she's in a dead sleep and they startle her awake. But even then it's more from a shock point of view.  

 

I get the same situation. Our dog is the sweetest of the sweet, but every once in a while when he's out like a light, the cat moseys over to sniff his nose.  If we catch on, the hub or I will say "Clyde, NO" -- but that wakes up the dog anyway.  Other times, when we haven't caught Clyde in the act, we've had to scrape the dog off the ceiling; and the dog knows what happened and is not at all happy about it.  Handsome Dog is so non-confrontational, he usually just retires to the kitchen when he's had enough.  

[stillshimpy]

Hey there, I got Oscar's DNA test results back :-)  

 

No one won the pool, because no one guessed ANY of these:  

 

Great Pyrenees,Plott Hound,Pyrenean Shepherd,Mix

 

All of them make sense though.  He tries to herd people, can track deer, can obviously see people very far away.   The wonders of science.  

[harrie]

That is so cool!   I guess Oscar got the Plott Hound coat - what a great mix of breeds (I love herding dogs).  

[riley702]

That's pretty wild! I had to google the Plott Hound and Pyrenean Shepherd, because I'd only heard of the Great Pyrenees. Despite the similarity of the names, a GP and a PS are wildly different sizes! And Oscar kinda lucked out with a much more manageable Plott-like coat. He's cute.

[KnoxForPres]

So I absolutely love Clyde as a name. Like I may use that one day. My sister and family just rescued the darn cutest pup you've ever seen. He's estimated to be around six years old. The place where they got him give them names (that's where I got Knox-she was Oregano!). So to cut to the chase this dog is named Merlin. Doesn't get much better, right? Nope, sis and bro in law let the nieces name him and Merlin is.....Pickles.

But that's not why I'm writing. Clyde just got me going, haha. My parents got me a wooden sign for Christmas that has a quote I wanted to share:

Saving one dog will not change the world. But surely for that one dog, the world will change forever.

[callie lee 29]

These are my Carly's kitty sisters... Sabrina, Nova, Milky and Juanita