Pet(s): Photos & Discussion

[riley702]

Oh, she's adorable! How old is she?

[harrie]

wlk68, she's such a beauty.  Just lovely.

[wlk68]

Oh, she's adorable! How old is she?

Despite the fact that she behaves like a kitten most of the time, she'll be nine in May. 

wlk68, she's such a beauty.  Just lovely.

Thank you! :)

[DeLurker]

Pet related, but not a photo...

 

 

 

http://www.dogington...ous-pomeranian/

 

Hee hee heeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!

[ErinW]

We recently got family photos taken and took one of the dog on her own. She's got kind of a serious profile, and that, combined with the professional backdrop, tickled us enormously. We've been entertaining ourselves by memeing it on a Tumblr blog.

 

Skylar. Shiba Inu-German Shepherd mix, age 8.

 

[harrie]

She's beautiful.  And you're right, it looks like she's sitting for a school photo.

[riley702]

I like it! I would never be able to get my cats to sit for a photo...

[ErinW]

I was standing behind the photographer with a treat in my hand--that's what she's looking at.

[DeLurker]

Skylar's photo reminded me of a friend from high school.  His Mom has set up an appointment at the local studio for him to get an updated portrait done.  On the day of the appointment, he really did not want to go because he felt he was looking bad (he was extremely self conscious about his looks).  His Mom couldn't convince him, got mad, grabbed the cat and took the cat in for the appointment.  When it came back, she replaced his older portraint that was prominently displayed on the living room wall down and replaced it with the cat's portrait.

[riley702]

That's fabulous! I don't even know that lady and I like her.

[stillshimpy]

All hail, my fellow dog owners, I have a question and I look to you wise souls for an answer (hehe, you can tell it's GoT season again, because my posting style sounds like I am bit player in an underfunded Shakespeare in the Park festival).  

 

So enough of that:  Here's the gig:  My newer rescue dog, Oscar, is a big guy.  Bigger than I am used to and I would like to know:  How in the world do I keep him from creating a veritable lake of water around his water bowl every time he drinks?  Bigger bowl?  Elevated bowl?  Get used to the lake and stock fish?  

 

I already tried a mat underneath it but the slobber range exceeded its boundaries.   I'm used to my relatively dainty dog, who never spills a drop , so it's mostly been amusing.   Do I just fill up a kiddie pool for him and embrace mopping duties, or what?  

 

Any and all suggestions welcome and I thank you in advance.  

Edited April 27, 2015 by stillshimpy

[DeLurker]

Is it that he sloshes water out of the bowl while drinking or that he gets it all over his face and it drips from there?

 

For the first problem, I used to place the water dish in a shallow baking dish to catch what was sloshed over and out.  I had to use a heavier water dish to keep it from sliding around.  The baking dish had to be placed on a towel or matt to keep the whole thing from sliding about.

 

For the second problem, I never found a solution that worked consistently.  My s-i-l was able to train a couple of her labs to wipe their nuzzle on a specific towel she had fixed near the water bowl, but it took a LOT of training and she's pretty advanced when it comes to dog training (she's trained pups for canine companions, dogs for therapy certification and search & rescue basics).  And she wasn't able to teach all the dogs - just the ones that had a higher motivation to please and smarter than average.

 

Alternatively, find a spot where you can lay out the bowls on a larger throw rug or one of the water hog type mats.  They have them in larger sizes under door mats if the pet sized ones are not sufficiently sized for your needs.

[stillshimpy]

Thank you, DeLurker, it's the first , not the second.  

 

 I've already tried the rimmed mat and I don't think I could find anything with a big enough radius to control the over-splash.  I gave up on the mat and just dry the floor multiple times a day, because water then go UNDER the mat and that was really gross.  If the answer is "Learn to embrace mopping and drying" , it's cool.  I was just checking to see if there was a trick I just didn't know about.  

 

I really appreciate the help, thank you. 

[bosawks]

My dog is a moose and I put his dish in an extra large cookie sheet.

[harrie]

Personally, I like the kiddie pool stocked with fish idea.   My dog is large-ish -- 60 pounds -- but he's a very neat drinker, to the point I'm always afraid he's not drinking enough, so I am of no help here.   It's nice to hear an Oscar update, though!  Other than his drinking issue, is he fitting in well? 

Edited April 28, 2015 by harrie

[stillshimpy]

He is such a wonderful dog, harrie.  He fits in perfectly and he's just a delight.   The other day we were having an inspection conducted on our home and Oscar went to spend the afternoon at a friend's, while Pud went to work with my husband.  She's small enough and sedate enough that Pud just follows him wherever he goes.  

 

Oscar had a nice time visiting my friend and her lab and when he got home he sort of lay quietly on a pillow.  I thought he was tired until my husband got home.  Oscar sprang to life and went rushing over -- as he does everyday -- but instead of playing with my husband, he was SO excited to see Puddles.  It was really incredibly cute.  He missed his sister dog :-)  

 

He really just couldn't be a better dog, or a better addition to the family.  He's even learning to stay down when meeting people.  He's long since stopped jumping up, but it's still hard for him to not do it at all, so he'd rear back and wave a paw around.  Slowly but surely he's learning not to do that. 

 

We just love him to death. 

 

Also thank you bosawks,  I'll try that! 

Edited April 30, 2015 by stillshimpy

[MargeGunderson]

My cats tip their water bowl over so they can drink off the floor. I bought an inexpensive serving tray from IKEA and put their bowls on it. No more puddles on the floor or under the plastic placemats we had been using.

[JTMacc99]

We have an occasional visitor (Ruffles, the black lab) who likes to dig in the water bowl. She's the half sister of Danny (he's pictured a couple times), so they have a grand time running around the back yard, chasing balls and playing.  We put out the water bowl for them after all that play. Danny drinks reasonably neatly, although it doesn't take much for him to lift his head up while he's drinking and a for big splash of water/drool to go flying across the floor. 

 

Ruffles, on the other hand, drinks like a blender without the top on.  And when she's done drinking, she will sometimes put both paws in the bowl and start drinking.  I have no idea why. It's best to keep her on the porch for a while after they play.

[Betweenyouandme]

I have a question about my cat. He's 15 and has always slept in my bed. We are very close.

For the past few months even if I put him in bed, he leaves and goes to sleep on the couch. Every night he at some point comes back. He's always in bed with me when I wake up.

I think his health is fine. He eats okay and I bring him to the vet on schedule. During the day, he never goes off on his own

Perhaps this is a question without an answer since I can't ask him. Just thought I'd give it a shot.

He doesn't seem sick or angry. There are no other animals here. I am pregnant.

Oh, and I now normally wake up to a toy he has brought me during the night, too.

Edited May 11, 2015 by Betweenyouandme

[DeLurker]

Maybe you are a little more restless when you sleep?

 

That toy business is cute.

 

When we moved to Texas it was very sudden and through a period of a lot of chaos.  We moved in with my brother and his family, plus their ancient cranky cat.  Immediately, Pumpkin took a shine to my son and slept with him every night on an air mattress which surprised everyone because Pumpkin never slept or cuddled with anyone. 

 

Pumpkin took a lot longer to warm up to me and my daughter, but every time my daughter cried, Pumpkin would come over and start gently bumping his face up against hers to get her to stop.  He'd leave immediately after she stopped.

 

But I think the cat sensed things about the kids and reacted to them.  Your guy is probably doing the same in his own way.

[harrie]

I agree with DeLurker - you might be sleeping less soundly, and moving may be your cat's solution.  Our cat sleeps with us, but if the room and/or we are too warm, he'll take breaks and sleep under the bed, sometimes downstairs, etc. at some point during the night.  The toy bringing is super-cute -- but an offering is also probably the biggest compliment he can give you.  He's sharing/offering his "catch."  Lucky you, it's not a dead mouse!

[33kaitykaity]

Now that most of my shows have ended, I've been having the best time watching some kittens grow up on a kitteh-cam.  They're adorable.  

 

http://livestream.com/tinykittens/eve

Edited May 12, 2015 by 33kaitykaity

[JTMacc99]

I have a question about my cat. He's 15 and has always slept in my bed. We are very close.

For the past few months even if I put him in bed, he leaves and goes to sleep on the couch. Every night he at some point comes back. He's always in bed with me when I wake up.

I think his health is fine. He eats okay and I bring him to the vet on schedule. During the day, he never goes off on his own

Perhaps this is a question without an answer since I can't ask him. Just thought I'd give it a shot.

He doesn't seem sick or angry. There are no other animals here. I am pregnant.

Oh, and I now normally wake up to a toy he has brought me during the night, too.

It's because you are pregnant. Cats know. Each cat has his or her own way of behaving differently, but it is pretty normal for a cat to do something a little different. That's cute that he brings something to you.

Edited May 12, 2015 by JTMacc99

[harrie]

Now that most of my shows have ended, I've been having the best time watching some kittens grow up on a kitteh-cam.  They're adorable.  

 

http://livestream.com/tinykittens/eve

 

Oh, they're so cute!  I can watch this stuff for hours (my boss will be so pleased).  

 

I also watch kittens at explore.org.    The Great Dane puppies are a hoot to watch, too.  And the bears when they're in season. And... well, I spend a lot of time there.

[bosawks]

I have a new rescue!  Please say "Hi" to Allie she just turned three and while she's really skittish she is settling in better than I could have hoped.

 

Edited May 12, 2015 by bosawks

[riley702]

Thanks, kaity and harrie! I've only been watching the kitties here:

 

http://www.apl.tv/kittens.htm

[harrie]

Bosawks, she's beautiful!  Lab or lab mix?  

Thanks, kaity and harrie! I've only been watching the kitties here:

 

http://www.apl.tv/kittens.htm

 

Thanks to you, riley702 -- more kittens (and puppies and even a tarantula) are always good.

Edited May 12, 2015 by harrie

[DeLurker]

bosawks - She's so cute.  I love her rather ladylike step through the flowers!

 

And her little bandana picks up the purpleish hue in the flowers very nicely!

[bosawks]

Thanks DeLurker she has quite the little prance going on.

harrie she's actually a light deadgrass chessie.

[harrie]

Thanks DeLurker she has quite the little prance going on.

harrie she's actually a light deadgrass chessie.

 

Neat -- I've only seen them in dark brown, did not know they came in other colors.  She's really so sweet-looking.

[stillshimpy]

bosawks, she's gorgeous!  What's her story, do you know?  

[Demented Daisy]

That guy under my name is Loki.  The pic was taken a couple of days after we got him, but he's 5 and a half now.  :-)  Some of my favorite pictures over the years:

 

 

 

 

His yawn always makes me laugh.  (I cropped my daughter out of this one, which is why it looks a little off.)

 

[DeLurker]

Is Loki a Bernese Mountain Dog?  Because he looks a lot like one and has the right coloring. 

 

In any case, he is adorable!

 

ETA:  Naming a dog Loki is asking for trouble!

Edited May 15, 2015 by DeLurker

[Demented Daisy]

Sorry, forgot to mention.  He's a Bernese/Border collie mix.  He's about 100 pounds, so he's kind of small.  His father, a purebred Bernese, was a 160 pound monster!  ;-)  It's hard to tell in the pictures, but he has a full white ring of fur around his neck that he got from his mom.  He also has a massively fluffy tail that he also got from his mom.  I'm biased, but the pictures don't do him justice.  He literally (and I mean literally) stops traffic.

 

We named him after the Norse god, not the Marvel character, but, yeah, he's lived up to his namesake.

[harrie]

Demented Daisy, your Loki is one handsome boy. I especially like his stately, sitting in the grass, surveying his domain picture. 

[DeLurker]

 

He's a Bernese/Border collie mix.  He's about 100 pounds, so he's kind of small.  His father, a purebred Bernese, was a 160 pound monster!  ;-)  It's hard to tell in the pictures, but he has a full white ring of fur around his neck that he got from his mom.  He also has a massively fluffy tail that he also got from his mom.  I'm biased, but the pictures don't do him justice.  He literally (and I mean literally) stops traffic.

Naming a Border Collie mix Loki is definetely asking for trouble!

 

And I would literally stop for Loki - he's gorgeous!

[bosawks]

bosawks, she's gorgeous!  What's her story, do you know?

She is way too high strung to show and already had a litter of pup. I think the breeder was trying to do right by her and find someone who would take her hiking and swimming and the park since she decided not to show her or breed her anymore.

That's where I came in......

[harrie]

She is way too high strung to show and already had a litter of pup. I think the breeder was trying to do right by her and find someone who would take her hiking and swimming and the park since she decided not to show her or breed her anymore.

That's where I came in......

 

What a lucky girl!  I hope you have lots of fun together. 

[bmasters9]

Posted under the My Cat From Hell forum, but I'm putting it here too in the pet pictures thread: my cats Beast and Georgia.

 

[DeLurker]

They're such cuties!

 

While getting some daimontaceous earth powder today in hopes of heading off the milliped invasion of my house (see Pet Peeves), the woman helping me said she used it as flea & tick treatment on her dog.  She said she puts some in an old sock and gentle whops it against the dog.  She thought it worked pretty well and always did it before they took the dog out in areas where ticks were a concern.  Since it is naturally occurring  and non-toxic she said it was pet safe,  The stuff I bought said it was "food grade" even though it is a bug treatment, safe for children and pets or for use indoor/outdoor.

 

I had never heard of such a thing - anyone familiar with using the product in this manner?

[harrie]

bmasters9, love your cats! They look so low-key, I hope they're not really from Hell. (I mean, I know it's a show, and I hope you all were just showing off cats, etc.)

 

DeLurker, I use d.e. in gardening, and am careful to keep it out of my eyes and to not breathe it in. It's essentially the broken up skeletons of little organisms, and the (teeny tiny) sharp edges could irritate eyes, and mucous tissues. Nothing life-threatening (I think), but can be annoying and/or uncomfortable.  So if you use it on a companion animal, I'd just recommend being careful around his/her face.  

 

I've not used d.e.; we use one of the commercial flea/tick control products our vet carries, and it works, so we stick with it. Please report back on your diatomaceous earth experience, if you don't mind -- I'd be very interested to see how it does.   

Edited May 19, 2015 by harrie

[stillshimpy]

Oh Loki is just gorgeous! So are Beast and Georgia :-)  How goes it with Allie, bosawks?  

 

I've yet to try the new drinking bowl approach, because we're currently in a corporate apartment as we wait to take possession of our new house and our dogs are boarded at the same training facility that first worked with Oscar. 

 

It is downright weird to not have the dogs around while at "home".   

[DeLurker]

DeLurker, I use d.e. in gardening, and am careful to keep it out of my eyes and to not breathe it in. It's essentially the broken up skeletons of little organisms, and the (teeny tiny) sharp edges could irritate eyes, and mucous tissues. Nothing life-threatening (I think), but can be annoying and/or uncomfortable.  So if you use it on a companion animal, I'd just recommend being careful around his/her face.  

 

I've not used d.e.; we use one of the commercial flea/tick control products our vet carries, and it works, so we stick with it. Please report back on your diatomaceous earth experience, if you don't mind -- I'd be very interested to see how it does.   

I'm currently pet free (not by choice, just dealing with various uncertainties that make making a commitment and the attachment I would get an unwise choice).

 

I just saw this article that is way cool.

[Betweenyouandme]

Aww. I love seeing the world of cats or dogs.

[harrie]

I'm currently pet free (not by choice, just dealing with various uncertainties that make making a commitment and the attachment I would get an unwise choice).

 

I just saw this article that is way cool.

 

Sorry about that - I read way too much into your comment!  Bottom line, don't take a big whiff of the stuff.  

 

I know what you mean by the commitment process; we have been talking about getting a second cat before our current one is too old to want to play for about a year, and things keep coming up in life that make us postpone yet again. We should just get off the pot, but keeping asking ourselves "What if..."   A couple of animals have found us in the past, so I'm kind of hoping someone shows up at the front door one day.  That would make our decision much easier. 

[bmasters9]

bmasters9, love your cats! They look so low-key, I hope they're not really from Hell. (I mean, I know it's a show, and I hope you all were just showing off cats, etc.)

They are not from hell, most assuredly; when I said I posted them in the My Cat From Hell forum, I meant that I posted them under the "Who's a Pretty Kitty?" thread within that forum. 

[riley702]

Oh Loki is just gorgeous! So are Beast and Georgia :-)  How goes it with Allie, bosawks?  

 

I've yet to try the new drinking bowl approach, because we're currently in a corporate apartment as we wait to take possession of our new house and our dogs are boarded at the same training facility that first worked with Oscar. 

 

It is downright weird to not have the dogs around while at "home".   

:( How long do you have to be critter-less? I wouldn't be able to stand that.

 

Sorry about that - I read way too much into your comment!  Bottom line, don't take a big whiff of the stuff.  

 

I know what you mean by the commitment process; we have been talking about getting a second cat before our current one is too old to want to play for about a year, and things keep coming up in life that make us postpone yet again. We should just get off the pot, but keeping asking ourselves "What if..."   A couple of animals have found us in the past, so I'm kind of hoping someone shows up at the front door one day.  That would make our decision much easier. 

My brother lives in a rural area and he has several cats that were "gifts of the cornfield" across from their house. Very well-behaved and ecstatic to be inside, even.

[stillshimpy]

:( How long do you have to be critter-less? I wouldn't be able to stand that.

 

It will be a full month :-(  We are able to go and visit them, but honestly, I think it just makes it more difficult for them and for us.  

 

I do know the people who are boarding them and they've stayed there before when we've been on vacation. 

 

I'm glad they aren't here with me though, this corporate apartment is nice enough, but at least once a week the guy downstairs screams and yells at his wife/girlfriend/significant other.  I sit around wondering if I should call the police, but it's just loud as opposed to violent. It's fun, in that completely not-fun way.   That guy needs anger management classes, like, yesterday.  

 

Anyway, we get them back next week and it won't be a moment too soon, but I'm just as glad not to have them exposed to Ser Screamy Pants.  

[harrie]

They are not from hell, most assuredly; when I said I posted them in the My Cat From Hell forum, I meant that I posted them under the "Who's a Pretty Kitty?" thread within that forum. 

 

I did not know there was such a thread.  I must check it out.  Thanks!

[harrie]

It will be a full month :-(  We are able to go and visit them, but honestly, I think it just makes it more difficult for them and for us.  

 

I do know the people who are boarding them and they've stayed there before when we've been on vacation. 

 

I'm glad they aren't here with me though, this corporate apartment is nice enough, but at least once a week the guy downstairs screams and yells at his wife/girlfriend/significant other.  I sit around wondering if I should call the police, but it's just loud as opposed to violent. It's fun, in that completely not-fun way.   That guy needs anger management classes, like, yesterday.  

 

Anyway, we get them back next week and it won't be a moment too soon, but I'm just as glad not to have them exposed to Ser Screamy Pants.  

 

Oh, I'm sorry, stillshimpy.  Sometimes when we have to travel, we put the boys in their kennel - a really nice place staffed by kind, fun, lovely people - a day early in order to get an early start/flight/whatever.  We start out like "Whoo, the kids aren't here, don't need to walk the dog," etc. -- but within an hour or two, the house seems way too quiet, and well, we miss them, even knowing they're in good hands with people they like.  I hope the week passes quickly -- both for the dogs factor and for Sir S. Pants factor..

Edited May 20, 2015 by harrie