Pet(s): Photos & Discussion

[raven]

We've had rain or muggy, buggy weather but did get one nice afternoon at the park.

 

[Cranberry]

Crystal's breeder (you can see Crystal in the very first post of this thread!) has a litter of six adorable papillon puppies right now, and I went to visit a couple of weeks ago (when they were six weeks old) to take some photos:

I'm not sure which the breeder is keeping for show/breeding yet, or where the others are going, but I'm going back tomorrow to take some more photos now that they all have their ears up! Puppy evaluation is at eight weeks (her breeder invites several breeders over and they go over each pup for conformation and temperament), so I should soon find out where at least a few of them are going!

[Mindthinkr]

Those puppies are absolutely adorable and I love their Hello Kitty ball lol! 

[NutMeg]

@LISIN, so terribly sorry for your loss.

[ABay]

@Lisin, I'm so sorry to learn about the loss of your tripod kitty.

[bosawks]

Some dogs are stoic and dignified.

And then there's Alli.....

[MrSmith]

@Jellybeans Here's another picture, more recent. You can feel free to rummage around through my pictures. I think most are publicly accessible. I've got most of my actual posts on Facebook restricted to friends.

[AgentRXS]

Gotta love cats who are picky eaters. Tried to switch my girls food to this new grain-free product and its a no-go. Dry food hasn't been touched in two days and only one of my cats (Diamond) ate the new wet food. Ella (the extremely finicky eater) will not try the new dry or wet. I hit the right combo with Fancy Fest Gravy Lovers blend and Rachel Ray's chicken-flavored dry food. Why did I have to go and mess with perfection?

Wasted my money and I only have myself to blame LOL.

Edited July 13, 2017 by AgentRXS

[bilgistic]

3 hours ago, MrSmith said:

@Jellybeans Here's another picture, more recent. You can feel free to rummage around through my pictures. I think most are publicly accessible. I've got most of my actual posts on Facebook restricted to friends.

That dog is huge!

[Mindthinkr]

4 hours ago, MrSmith said:

@Jellybeans Here's another picture, more recent. You can feel free to rummage around through my pictures. I think most are publicly accessible. I've got most of my actual posts on Facebook restricted to friends.

Wow. Is he an Irish Wolfhound? I'm positive he weighs more than I do and I could saddle him up for a ride. Just teasing. I'd never burden a dog. 

[MrSmith]

12 minutes ago, Mindthinkr said:

Wow. Is he an Irish Wolfhound? I'm positive he weighs more than I do and I could saddle him up for a ride. Just teasing. I'd never burden a dog. 

Yes, he is an Irish Wolfhound. And, @bilgistic, he is definitely huge. He loves to lay on the couch and he takes up as much space as a person. Whenever my wife is out of town, he'll hop in bed and sleep next to me. He's about 180 pounds and stands 39 inches at the shoulder. And he is super attached to me! LOL. On weekends, I'm usually in my home office on the computer, which is about 5 feet from the bedroom. Instead of coming in there to greet me, he'll go downstairs, sit on the couch, then howl until I come downstairs to pet him. I had a week off from 29 Jun through to 5 Jul. The next day, he spent almost the entire day howling for me. My wife said he'd howl for a while, then go running upstairs to look for me, and then he'd come back downstairs, lay quietly on the couch for a bit, and then start the cycle over.

He's the smartest dog we've ever owned, too. He'll learn things doing them just one to three times (if there's food involved, it's usually once). He eats about a pound and a half of food a day. A pound of it is a frozen turkey neck every night, and he'll eat dry kibble if he gets desperate. The frozen turkey necks have kept his teeth in great shape. The vet said that if she'd had to guess his age based on his teeth, she would have thought he was two - maybe three - years old (he'll be 7 in October). And the lack of fillers (from cheap dog food) means we never have to pick up poop. Within 24 hours, it turns white; within 72 hours, it turns to dust. Flies won't even lay eggs in it; so there's no huge infestation of those from it laying around in the yard.

Edited July 13, 2017 by MrSmith

[Mindthinkr]

@MrSmith your dog weighs over twice what I do. Perhaps I should rethink the saddling subject (just joshing). A vet from my horse days had two Irish Wolfhounds. They were just so sweet but not a clinger as you describe your own big man to be. He also thought they suffered more health problems and didn't age as gracefully because of their size.  Good on you both feeding them all those turkey necks and keeping him healthy 7 years with good teeth to boot. Applause to Mrs  Smith and yourself for being such good owners. 

My kitties always try for the fresh food first and only rely on their kibble when the minion isn't opening cans and worshipping them. 

[DeLurker]

No...because if you find the brand/flavor they like and stock up when it goes on sale, that night they will never want it again.

[MrSmith]

13 hours ago, Mindthinkr said:

@MrSmith your dog weighs over twice what I do. Perhaps I should rethink the saddling subject (just joshing). A vet from my horse days had two Irish Wolfhounds. They were just so sweet but not a clinger as you describe your own big man to be. He also thought they suffered more health problems and didn't age as gracefully because of their size.  Good on you both feeding them all those turkey necks and keeping him healthy 7 years with good teeth to boot. Applause to Mrs  Smith and yourself for being such good owners. 

My kitties always try for the fresh food first and only rely on their kibble when the minion isn't opening cans and worshipping them. 

This made me laugh out loud. I think ours is a clinger only because my wife doesn't work outside the home. So, he's always got someone around and is rarely home alone. Even when he is home alone, it's never more than a couple of hours - maybe three tops. We haven't had any real health problems with him, except for yeast infections in the ears. Otherwise, he eats a grain-free diet (the dry kibble is Taste of the Wild's Wild Boar formula: https://www.tasteofthewildpetfood.com/dog-formulas/southwest-canyon-canine-formula-with-wild-boar/). He's been on some variety of Taste of the Wild since he was a baby. We found he eats (and our cats ate) less on a higher protein diet, which makes sense. Even during his early growth spurts, he didn't eat more than four pounds of food a day, and that's a time where breeders typically tell you to expect them to eat eight to 10 pounds a day.

We've got just one cat now and they get along most of the time. He doesn't like her in our bedroom and will growl until she leaves. She owns the food and water area (her dishes are under the shelf that his sit on) and when she wants some of his food, she'll just swat him in the mouth and he'll drop it. (She has her claws.) He's got a great temperament, both for kids and other animals. Our nephew has tried pulling him by the nose like he was a bull with a nose ring and all he did was let out a cry. He's been bitten in the nose once by a little dog, too, and he didn't retaliate; instead, he was still trying to make friends with the little psycho.

Thanks for plaudits. He started getting turkey necks as a treat, but we made the "mistake" of giving him one on each of two successive days. After that, he stopped eating his dry kibble like he normally did and started waiting for that turkey neck. We live about 30 minutes from a free-range, organic turkey farm and so we can buy them wholesale direct from them. The ladies that work their little store have gotten to know my wife and have learned the frequency at which we buy cases of turkey necks. So they've started proactively pulling a case aside for us every 20 to 25 days. He's been getting turkey necks for about 5 years now (I hadn't realized it had been so long!). The health benefits were unexpected and are a nice bonus. It's especially nice to not have to pick up poop or worry about swarms of flies.

We've found that feeding higher quality food means they eat less of it - and, of course, there is then less poo. In fact, when we had to switch our cats (about 7 years ago) to a grocery brand for a month due to finances, we found it wasn't the financially smart move we thought it might be. The cats (we had four at the time) actually ate three times as much food! And when it comes to cats, that means there's higher litter costs since they're excreting more of it (since cheaper brands are more fillers).

Edited July 14, 2017 by MrSmith

[JTMacc99]

12 hours ago, DeLurker said:

No...because if you find the brand/flavor they like and stock up when it goes on sale, that night they will never want it again.

Cats are good that way. My kids do the same thing with cereal. Normally I just end up eating the excess, (cereal, not cat food.)

[AgentRXS]

Quote

No...because if you find the brand/flavor they like and stock up when it goes on sale, that night they will never want it again.

Yup. I really shot myself in the foot. The girls still love their Fancy Fest but they no longer want the Rachel Ray chicken kibble they were mowing down like crazy the week before. And Ella is all over me, following me and demanding attention.......which is basically her saying "Mooooom, I'm hungry! And despite having two bowls of food placed before me, there is nothing to eat! I don't want that stuff!"  I'm clueless as to what to try next, because RR was the last resort after they stopped eating other brands. I can't afford super-high quality stuff, but I do try to feed them the grocery-store healthier cat foods. They are such food snobs.

[MrSmith]

2 minutes ago, AgentRXS said:

Yup. I really shot myself in the foot. The girls still love their Fancy Fest but they no longer want the Rachel Ray chicken kibble they were mowing down like crazy the week before. And Ella is all over me, following me and demanding attention.......which is basically her saying "Mooooom, I'm hungry! And despite having two bowls of food placed before me, there is nothing to eat! I don't want that stuff!"  I'm clueless as to what to try next, because RR was the last resort after they stopped eating other brands. I can't afford super-high quality stuff, but I do try to feed them the grocery-store healthier cat foods. They are such food snobs.

This may not be as true as you think. They'll eat less on higher quality food, and they'll poop less - and that will translate to lower costs in litter. How much is the food you're currently buying and what size container does it come in? How often do you have to buy more food?

I'd love to do the math on this for you, unless I've offended you or you're otherwise set against me doing this. I don't mind if this turns out to be an entirely intellectual exercise. I find these things intriguing. (I think it's just because I like math. LOL) The litter costs are something I won't be able to calculate, since I never measured the difference in how much we purchased when our cats were not on a super premium food versus when they were.

[ABay]

The brats had their wellness visit today and I was bemoaning the boy's refusal to touch anything, even his favorite tuna-flavored wet food, if Cosequin has so much as passed through the same room. It's painful seeing how stiffly he moves, and he couldn't even jump to the top of the bookcase the other day, but he won't let me help him. I really appreciate that this vet understands the problem with trying to treat him and doesn't pressure or try to guilt me into pointless tests.

The girl is doing well. Although right now she's hissing at shadows and the boy is staying at the back of the house.

[Bastet]

9 hours ago, MrSmith said:

We've found that feeding higher quality food means they eat less of it - and, of course, there is then less poo. In fact, when we had to switch our cats (about 7 years ago) to a grocery brand for a month due to finances, we found it wasn't the financially smart move we thought it might be. The cats (we had four at the time) actually ate three times as much food!

Yep, the protein makes them feel more full, and for a longer time, so they eat less.  Thus, the greater per-can cost may, depending on how much more it is than the current food, be offset so that the total monthly food costs aren't any more than what one is currently paying.  It's something you don't always think about in the moment you're standing there comparing costs.

[bilgistic]

2 hours ago, AgentRXS said:

Yup. I really shot myself in the foot. The girls still love their Fancy Fest but they no longer want the Rachel Ray chicken kibble they were mowing down like crazy the week before. And Ella is all over me, following me and demanding attention.......which is basically her saying "Mooooom, I'm hungry! And despite having two bowls of food placed before me, there is nothing to eat! I don't want that stuff!"  I'm clueless as to what to try next, because RR was the last resort after they stopped eating other brands. I can't afford super-high quality stuff, but I do try to feed them the grocery-store healthier cat foods. They are such food snobs.

Knock wood and please don't jinx me, universe, but I'm having luck lately with I and Love and You canned food. As some of you know, Bilgisticat has digestive diseases that make eating and digestion very problematic. I have tried just about every food on the planet.

57 minutes ago, ABay said:

The brats had their wellness visit today and I was bemoaning the boy's refusal to touch anything, even his favorite tuna-flavored wet food, if Cosequin has so much as passed through the same room. It's painful seeing how stiffly he moves, and he couldn't even jump to the top of the bookcase the other day, but he won't let me help him. I really appreciate that this vet understands the problem with trying to treat him and doesn't pressure or try to guilt me into pointless tests.

The girl is doing well. Although right now she's hissing at shadows and the boy is staying at the back of the house.

Adequan is an injectable joint health supplement you could try. Your vet will need to prescribe it.

[Bastet]

42 minutes ago, bilgistic said:

Adequan is an injectable joint health supplement you could try. Your vet will need to prescribe it.

It worked wonders on Maddie's arthritis - she was back to running and jumping like a young cat - and every owner I've ever heard talk about using it on their pet saw at least some improvement.  It's meant for dogs (there's also an equine version), but it's prescribed for off-label use in cats, too.

The problem is it's a course of two injections (the amount per injection is based on weight) per week for four weeks (some vets prescribe it differently, with ongoing maintenance doses, but the manufacturer put out a "knock that shit off" letter, saying it's designed to be given as a series of eight doses, period; they have no evidence that maintenance doses do anything extra).  It can be given via subcutaneous injection, but it's more effective via intramuscular injection.  So, @ABay, with ability to wrangle the boy cat being limited, I suspect it's really not feasible to capture and inject him eight times (you don't have to take him in for the injections, you can do them at home [a vet tech can show you IM injection options if you're not familiar - I always find the thigh easiest - and want to try that, or you can just do subQ injections], but still).

Cosequin is my back-up recommendation when a cat isn't injectable/pillable and the only option is something added to the food, so boo to him detecting its presence from 50 paces.  But, you can only do what he'll let you do.  You take such good care of him, including taking his stress level into account.

Yay for Bilgisticat eating (and, yes, I'll go knock on some wood immediately).

[AgentRXS]

Quote

How much is the food you're currently buying and what size container does it come in? How often do you have to buy more food?

The Rachel Ray stuff is like $12 bucks for a 15oz bag. It usually takes them about a week and half to 2 weeks to finish it all.  Its not grain free, but its supposedly  free of preservatives/artificial flavors. Good news is, Ella and Diamond have resumed eating it. The grain free stuff has still gone untouched and was thrown out tonight SMH.

Edited July 15, 2017 by AgentRXS

[walnutqueen]

My Babalu was relegated to a prescription diabetic diet some time ago; and I totally hit the jackpot when he actually LIKED his dry food - and has, ever since.  Miracles DO happen.  He also jumps up onto the coffee table twice a day for his insulin injections (but still fights me twice a day when I try to drop a quarter of an already teeny thyroid pill down his gullet!).

Not a morsel of edible food (including failed cat food choices) has ever gone to waste in This Old Hovel.  When the previous indoor kitties didn't love it, I just set it outside, and the semi-feral kitties, raccoons, possums or skunks would make it disappear before the light of day.  Now they just all share the cat food, and my occasional leftovers (and, of course - TREATS!).

Because, who amongst you could resist the temptation of a baby raccoon begging at the back door?  This year Mama had only one, and they've been living the good life while roly-poly baby matures enough to be introduced to the big bad world beyond my back yard.  Last night, a rather shy raccoon fed at my bowls, and I kept hearing noises after Mum & baby had toddled off.  Much to my surprise, I saw a gaggle of raccoons - at least 4 juveniles & 2 adults - scurrying off.  The generations of babes born in my yard are now bringing their babies back to feed, and I am delighted!

Oh, and following along the delightful baby raccoon story; this baby is also enamoured of my honking big windchime.  Middle of the night, "church bells" peal - guaranteed it's the baby amusing itself by reaching up for the clapper.

I have no life, but it is RICH!

[isalicat]

When we lived in the mountains we had a regular Mama raccoon who taught her yearly offspring of adorables to go in our cat door in the wee hours of the night and help themselves to the dry cat food bowl and although they were very cute I was not terribly happy as they made quite the mess with the water bowl (meant for the cats) washing their paws and stuff. Fortunately Mama could not fit through the cat door because raccoons are not a good mix with trapped cats (this was all in our laundry room which was closed off from the rest of the house and though the cats slept inside with us, sometimes the tom would want to go out at 4 AM and occasionally encounter a baby coon). None of the cats ever bothered the baby coons and by the time they were a couple of months old it was too hot for them at our elevation and they would move uphill. My gnormous tom once had a tussle with a fox (they were competing for the same delicious ground squirrels) but ignored the raccoons entirely. The only time this became a problem is when we left town for a week or so and my neighbor was coming over to feed my tom each day and when I returned he had obviously lost a lot of weight and was very unhappy - apparently the raccoon babies had been eating all his food every day with no humans around to keep them from coming in anytime they pleased.

I just saw a feature on British TV about the ever increasingly "cheeky" urban foxes there that are using cat doors to come inside people's homes and wreak havoc. We had lots of foxes in the mountains but they never showed any interest in coming inside (unlike the raccoons).

[walnutqueen]

Oh, my raccoons wreak havoc with the water bowl!  Fortunately, they also have a huuuge rain barrel and bottom of a drained swimming pool swamp to splash in.

Raccoons like to wet their paws - not to wash their food, as some may surmise, but to soften the sensitive skin on their paws, to better grasp and feel their food.

My raccoons never fight with my semi feral cats - they feed happily together (well, a few feet apart), if necessary, and otherwise just ignore each other.

[riley702]

5 hours ago, walnutqueen said:

My Babalu was relegated to a prescription diabetic diet some time ago; and I totally hit the jackpot when he actually LIKED his dry food - and has, ever since.  Miracles DO happen.  He also jumps up onto the coffee table twice a day for his insulin injections (but still fights me twice a day when I try to drop a quarter of an already teeny thyroid pill down his gullet!).

A coworker in the same situation would roll the thyroid pill in a ball of braunschweiger, and the cat would come and "remind" her every time it was due. She had another cat who also got unpilled braunschweiger, so she had to keep the two straight.

[walnutqueen]

6 minutes ago, riley702 said:

A coworker in the same situation would roll the thyroid pill in a ball of braunschweiger, and the cat would come and "remind" her every time it was due. She had another cat who also got unpilled braunschweiger, so she had to keep the two straight.

I'm the only one in my house who will bark and beg for liver sausage - cats won't touch it (more for me, Yay!).  Babalu is just smart enough not to fall for any tricks, so it's pry open the mouth, drop the pill down the throat - a few seconds is all it takes (why, Yes, I AM the Pro from Dover when it comes to medicating felines ... too many sad years of experience talking).

[CoderLady]

4 hours ago, walnutqueen said:

Oh, my raccoons wreak havoc with the water bowl!  Fortunately, they also have a huuuge rain barrel and bottom of a drained swimming pool swamp to splash in.

Raccoons like to wet their paws - not to wash their food, as some may surmise, but to soften the sensitive skin on their paws, to better grasp and feel their food.

My raccoons never fight with my semi feral cats - they feed happily together (well, a few feet apart), if necessary, and otherwise just ignore each other.

All good to know. I lived in a place where raccoons regularly patrolled at night, and had figured out the cat flap. I was terrified that they would attack my cats and I confess I wasn't very nice to them when I found them in the house. I'd block the door and chase them around until I'd literally scared the crap out of them (god, that stuff stank!) before letting them out. Sounds like all I had to do was set up separate food areas outdoors. If I ever move to a nicely semi-rural area again, I'll do that. Thanks.

[walnutqueen]

NEVER let a raccoon in the house!  Mine are generations of socialized to me only, and are content to stay by the back door or on the cat bed, watching TV  and/or me napping until they catch my attention and I feed them something.  Some Mamas don't even bother begging for food - they just  love the ambiance of peace and endless TeeVee (once the magic of the pool swamp stops mesmerizing - they often lay on the edge of the abyss for hours, just contemplating life, I assume).

Rando roving bandits may pose a bit more of a problem for you.  The few times those delinquents tried to start a fight in my back yard, I just turned the hose on them, and peace was easily restored to my Queendom.

[CoderLady]

Yeah, I hated that they were taking advantage of the cat flap. I didn't mind the idea of putting out food for them but I go apeshit when my space is invaded without my permission, whether it's by humans or beasties. Since using a flamethrower was out of the question, I'd take about 10 minutes with a Nerf gun and profanity to express my displeasure before releasing the interloper. Problem was that there were at least a dozen of them so I had to do it multiple times. I finally started blocking the flap overnight until dawn since the raccoons seemed to be more nocturnal than crepuscular like cats, which let the cats out when they actually wanted to be out. Still, it was annoying.

[walnutqueen]

@CoderLady, you are a woman after my own heart.  Critter aware, swearing AND intolerant of home invasions?!?  Ticks off all my boxes.  ;-)

Unfortunately for you, raccoons often run in gangs, or at least spread the Good Word about the latest greatest all-you-can-eat Vegas style buffet.  Hence, cat flaps will always be problematic (don't even get me started on the indoor only debate).  Many of my raccoons think they are my semi feral cats - they "perch" in the same areas, and do their damnedest to ingratiate themselves ... Some gently stroke my toes when I step outside with "treats".  Poor masked babes don't realize they're a rabies vector species and cannot be touched.  That's why I'm so happy they never fight with anyone ... and adore me from a safe perspective.  ;-)

[Maharincess]

14 hours ago, walnutqueen said:

My Babalu was relegated to a prescription diabetic diet some time ago; and I totally hit the jackpot when he actually LIKED his dry food - and has, ever since.  Miracles DO happen.  He also jumps up onto the coffee table twice a day for his insulin injections (but still fights me twice a day when I try to drop a quarter of an already teeny thyroid pill down his gullet!).

Not a morsel of edible food (including failed cat food choices) has ever gone to waste in This Old Hovel.  When the previous indoor kitties didn't love it, I just set it outside, and the semi-feral kitties, raccoons, possums or skunks would make it disappear before the light of day.  Now they just all share the cat food, and my occasional leftovers (and, of course - TREATS!).

Because, who amongst you could resist the temptation of a baby raccoon begging at the back door?  This year Mama had only one, and they've been living the good life while roly-poly baby matures enough to be introduced to the big bad world beyond my back yard.  Last night, a rather shy raccoon fed at my bowls, and I kept hearing noises after Mum & baby had toddled off.  Much to my surprise, I saw a gaggle of raccoons - at least 4 juveniles & 2 adults - scurrying off.  The generations of babes born in my yard are now bringing their babies back to feed, and I am delighted!

Oh, and following along the delightful baby raccoon story; this baby is also enamoured of my honking big windchime.  Middle of the night, "church bells" peal - guaranteed it's the baby amusing itself by reaching up for the clapper.

I have no life, but it is RICH!

At first I didnt notice your name and I thought "how dare somebody steal my WalnutQueen's kitty name!  I did the same thing when you wrote about Beanie Baby a while back. 

I have a wildlife buffet outside too. a good friend of mine owns the kettle corn company that goes to all of the local farmers markets and she always brings me a lot of fruits and vegetables for my critters.  My turkeys love me, they run away from everybody else but they follow me all over the place.  They just brought the third generation of babies to my door a couple weeks ago.  I also have my raccoons, skunks, opossums and deer. The turkeys love dry cat food, I try not to give them too much of it but they come running from nowhere when I walk out with that cat food bag. Most of them eat out of my hands, the females anyway, the males keep their distance.  I have a long strip of road that gets light at night (other than that one light, my property is so dark you literally can't see your hand in front of your face) so thats where I lay all of the food out for the night time critters. Then I go to the upstairs deck, spark up a joint and watch them all come and eat.  Its my midnight ritual.  I don't think I'd be able to sleep if I didnt take that hour ish every night. 

I totally relate to the having no actual life but the one I do have is pretty damn rich as well. 

I ended up not getting the puppy. We decided we're going to rescue again.   I've been in contact with the ladies at the rescue and they're sending me emails every time they get a new dog.  I hope it will be like it was with Kaylee and the minute I see the picture I'll know which one is the right one. My main requirements are kid, small dog and cat friendly. The grandkids come over a lot so the dog has to love kids. My Kaylee loved them so much, she would get so excited when I would tell her that "her" kids were coming to see her. 

I miss you guys! 

[walnutqueen]

Oh my goodness, @Maharincess, those turkeys sound absolutely adorable!

I'm up at all odd hours of the night, too.  It's the best time for critter watching.  ;-)

[bilgistic]

I miss my critters. My former residence, a condo I owned, backed up to the woods. There were birds, possums, raccoons and neighborhood cats that would come around. Bilgisticat DID NOT like the cats on "his" porch and would snort and paw at the door (see below; the window washer was off that day). My late kitty girl had a tuxie "boyfriend" that came around the front door and would hang out for hours. They "talked" though the door. He was super sweet and gave me loves every time I got home. I have no life either.

[DeLurker]

• So have been at my parents in florida for a bit less than a month.  I was worried that my Size L dog was going to be a problem, even though he is pretty well behaved.  Turns out he is not a problem - in fact my parents love him!  After he gave a few warning barks when Dad was attempting to do something he shouldn't (more on that when I have time), seeing how my Dad always responds to the dog and cat (his wires do't always connect so sometimes h is very in the present and others he is lost in a fog), and just generally being calm and gentle, my Mom asked me to start looking for a similar dog for them.
• Long story short, I found on in a shelter about 90 minutes away.  Spoke with the shelter and extensively with the former foster before driving out to meet her.  She was older than mine, but very gentle and timid.  A neglected backstory and left in the yard all the time (in Florida!) and some unknown history of abuse by a man, so more than skittish/less than agitated by men.  I wanted my brother (Bro 3, lives one house down from my folks) to meet her and see what he thought (as an abundance of caution since I won't be here all the time and he will).  That was on a Friday.  We were going to go on Saturday, but when I called before hand to tell them we wanted the dog (Mom said just adopt her if I was ok with her) she has already had a couple come in and leave a hold on her.
• I gave them my name and number to call in case things fell through.
• So about 10 days pass and I am still looking, but figuring I will have better luck when I get back to Texas as there are more Great Pyrenees there.  And they text to tell me the dog is back through no fault of her own.  Young couple did not realize there were weight restrictions on how large a pet you can have where they live.  Take my son and Kook out with me to meet her, because if she is too fearful of my son who is an extremely gentle person, that's an automatic no.  And if she and the Kook don't get along, that is also a pass-fail for her since Kook is in the house for several more weeks and he hasn't had a problem with other dogs (fighting) since I got him last fall.
• She passes both tests, so comes home with us that day (last friday)!!!  

She's now named Sandy and has fit in very well.  A few small hiccups, but no deal killers.  She'll go to the local vet today for a thorough checkup.  She's 5, about 65-70 lbs and probably a Great Pyr - lab mix - my best guess since she has a similar tail to a lab.  Someone appears to have trimmed her fur substantially, but I'm guessing when it grows back she will have a similar coat to Kook.

My Mom is extremely happy.  Sandy is still a bit cool with my Dad, but he goes to bed before 9 PM most nights and shortly after she goes and lies at the foot of the bed even though Mom, me, and my kids are all still up and about.

So first picture is Sandy, second Kook and third both.  They look very similar, but Kook is a bit bushier and has some tan patches on his head.  And an inch or so taller and longer.

[walnutqueen]

They are both gorgeous, @DeLurker!

[Moose135]

That's wonderful, @DeLurker!

[Bastet]

Congratulations to your parents and Sandy.  That's cute about her heading to the foot of the bed shortly after your dad gets in; given her history with men, I think the fact she's already doing that with him is a very good sign.  His kind treatment can help her heal, and she can help him be more present and engaged.

[Mindthinkr]

@DeLurker I'm very happy for you that things worked out at the rescue and Sandy got a new home with your folks. 

[DeLurker]

Thanks all!  I'm ridiculously happy the way things have worked out so far.  Hopefully the vet check will come back with no serious concerns.

I was contemplating, reluctantly, leaving the Kook with them but that would break my heart.  And given how much my family has done for me (immeasurable), I felt incredibly selfish.  Plus my Mom would never ever ask me that anyway.

So things working out feels like kismet.

[harrie]

Late to the party, but so happy for you and your parents (and Sandy too, for getting a good home), @DeLurker! 

[JTMacc99]

3 hours ago, DeLurker said:

 

So things working out feels like kismet.

Sometimes things do work out. I'm super happy for you and your family!

[theredhead77]

I'm so happy things worked out @DeLurker!

The cAT-AT decided to start chewing up his front leg. It would get better, worse, better, lather, rinse, repeat so I took him into the vet. $100 later he had his steroid shot, rabies vaccine and caught up on the rest of his shots for our upcoming move. The vet will prescribe kitty Xanax for both of them after I bring the other one in for his shots. They want me to give it to them at home first to make sure the dosage is effective. I'm not sure I how I feel about zonking them out twice.

As I was putting the cAT-AT in his box he broke out of it. I had to duct tape it to hold up. The vet gave me a donated case that they said I could keep (I'm going to return it). This is the first trip in the car where he just curled up and took a cat-nap. There was no murder cries. I wonder if he was wiped out from his visit or really hated the other box.

[riley702]

Hmm, could've hated the other box. Glad he's feeling better. Don't feel bad about drugging them twice. Much better to work out any kinks while you're not in the middle of a move.

[roamyn]

My beloved Lily passed abruptly on Saturday.

She was perfectly fine Friday, but stopping walking, eating or drinking Sat afternoon.  Turns out she was in acute liver faillure.  She had a blockage to a duct and the ammonia had been building in her system for awhile.  By Sat it was affecting her brain.

I've had to put down dogs before, but usually it's a gradual realization, aft a good life.  Lily was only 8 on Tuesday, and she was our life.  Esp since Daisy left us five years before.  (Lily's the one on the left, Daisy on the right in my icon).

 I hate my quiet house.  I hate being home.  I hate that I was already down from trying to find a job for four months w/no luck, to now being seriously depressed.

 

[Bastet]

Oh, @roamyn, I am so sorry to hear about Lily; my condolences on your loss!  I know it is a special type of difficult when you lose a pet so quickly and unexpectedly; seeming perfectly fine one day and needing to be put to sleep the next is very hard to process.  It's also extra heartbreaking when you lose one at a far younger age than is typical.  And then coming home to a pet-less house?  You are dealing with a whole lot right now on top of the crushing grief that comes with losing a pet under any circumstances, and my heart goes out to you.  That picture says it all, and I wish there was something to offer beyond my sympathy.

[theredhead77]

@roamyn I am so very sorry for your loss. :(

[walnutqueen]

@roamyn - mere words cannot express my sorrow for your terrible loss.  You are in my thoughts.

[ABay]

@roamyn, I'm so sorry. Losing them is bad enough but for it to happen so quickly and so young is layers of horribleness on top of the grief.

[CoderLady]

@roamyn, I'm so sorry for your loss and how nothing else on earth feels as impossible as grief. Please heal as well as you can.