Pet(s): Photos & Discussion

[theredhead77]

I love Denali!

Good news on the kitten-cat front. The vet was super responsive over the weekend via email and I brought him in today to take a look at the area where he took the stitch out. She said it's healing just fine and she doesn't see a need to make it worse just to staple it. And they didn't even charge me!

[Bastet]

For those who like pictures of animals snuggling with each other as much as I do, presenting my niece and nephews: in the middle is Shermie (Sherman), and the black bookends are Scully on the left and Spooky on the right.  (The three S names were unintentional; Spooky and Scully obviously - to X-Files fans, anyway - go together, but the symmetry with Shermie went unnoticed for a few days.)  Shermie is about 15 and the other two are closing in on a year old (they're litter mates).  The kittens are obsessed with Shermie and have been since pretty much the day they came home from the shelter this summer.  When they're all awake, he tolerates them with mild expressions of annoyance, so when it's nap time, they take advantage of their chance to snuggle up to their big brother.

 

Edited December 11, 2017 by Bastet

[bilgistic]

I love them!

[Moose135]

Denali is an Australian Shepherd.  She's 9 years old, both her parents are working herding dogs on a ranch in New Mexico.  I'm actually a "step-dad", she is my girlfriend's dog, but I seem to be her best buddy these days.

[Bastet]

On 12/11/2017 at 3:54 PM, bilgistic said:

I love them!

The bookends are reminiscent of your "wait, which one are you?" black kitties.  Initially, my friend put different collars on each - Scully is green, Spooky is blue -  but Spooky removed his on a daily basis.  So, it morphed instead to Scully has the collar.  Spooky is a little larger, and has a tiny little collection of white fur on his chest that barely qualifies as a patch, but depending on how they're sitting they can still look identical if not for Scully's collar.  Even with the collar, I still sometimes say, "Hi, Spooky.  Oh, wait, you're Scully" at a distance.

Since I'm the cat-sitter when my friend and her fiancé (with whom she and the kitties live) are gone together, I made sure to come over weekly for a while after their adoption to get them used to me (Shermie already adores me <g>).  Good thing - they run away from everyone else and hide until they're gone, and don't even like the fiancé, but love their Auntie Bastet. 

Shermie sometimes watches football (something Auntie Bastet taught him <g>) near the fiancé, but otherwise he's not really down with him, either.  I'd normally think this is a sure sign my friend should run like the wind, but I've known him as long as she has, and it really seems to just be a situation where he, never having had pets, is totally out of his element, the cats know it, and their hesitation makes him even more awkward, and they pick up on it, perpetuating the cycle; they're not truly fearful of him, they just don't want to hang out with him.  This results in me being asked to go check on the cats (when the house is otherwise empty) every time my friend is gone for more than a couple of days, just to make sure they're really okay since all he can confirm to her is they're alive.  (And I'm "on call" when she's gone, promising to actually unearth and carry with me my cell phone when I leave the house, in case he runs into a concern.) 

I know how good it feels to get a proper kitty report when you're gone (my parents always cat-sit, and during the one time a year we're all gone at the same time [Thanksgiving], my friend - the owner of these three S kitties - fills in, taking care of my cat(s) and my parents' cats, so I always get a detailed report from someone who knows cats in general, and ours specifically), so within reason I am happy to do it.  I do hope, for everyone's sake, they'll get used to him some day, though. 

Edited December 14, 2017 by Bastet

[theredhead77]

The kitten-cat managed to rub out all his stitches by rolling around on the carpet so he's now the proud owner of staples, a hot pink bandage and a make-shift wrap that he's already crawled out of. He is acting all put-out with his new outfit and slept under the covers, curled up right next to me all night. Poor baby.
 

I leave for my trip tomorrow morning and have a pet sitter scheduled to come in. Normally I leave them for 2 days but it's been super cold and I want them to check and make sure he's still wearing his wrap. Not that they'll be able to put it back on him since he hides.

[DeLurker]

53 minutes ago, theredhead77 said:

acting all put-out with his new outfit and slept under the covers, curled up right next to me all night.

If he snuggled with you all night, he's not that upset with you.

[bilgistic]

10 hours ago, Bastet said:

The bookends are reminiscent of your "wait, which one are you?" black kitties.

I remember when I met the girls; I thought I'd never be able to tell them apart!

It took me awhile, but I can now usually tell them apart from across the room without my glasses. Little Girl is slender and long with a long tail. Her face is pointed and narrow, and her ears are toward the top of her head. She has a white patch on her chest that the vet calls a "locket", but I think it makes her look like she's wearing a priest's collar. One of her names is "The Reverend Ms. Little Girl".

Little Mama is squatty and solidly thick (my sister says she has her "mom bod") with a shorter tail. Her head and face are rounded like a Burmese, and her ears are more toward the sides of her head.

Once they are in a pile together, though, it's just a sea of black fur.

This is blurry, but here's a recent pic.

3 hours ago, theredhead77 said:

The kitten-cat managed to rub out all his stitches by rolling around on the carpet so he's now the proud owner of staples, a hot pink bandage and a make-shift wrap that he's already crawled out of. He is acting all put-out with his new outfit and slept under the covers, curled up right next to me all night. Poor baby.

I leave for my trip tomorrow morning and have a pet sitter scheduled to come in. Normally I leave them for 2 days but it's been super cold and I want them to check and make sure he's still wearing his wrap. Not that they'll be able to put it back on him since he hides.

Points for determination, at least! I guess he's not in any pain since he's being so aggressive with his wound. Maybe it's very itchy? Sending catnip-scented chin scritches!

[JTMacc99]

I didn't even get to finish unpacking this gift basket before I got a cat in it. Cats love gift baskets.

[DeLurker]

Are you giving or getting the gift basket?

[JTMacc99]

Heh. I'm a getter, not a giver in this case. Full story in Chit Chat.

[walnutqueen]

1 hour ago, DeLurker said:

Are you giving or getting the gift basket?

Both.

1 hour ago, JTMacc99 said:

Heh. I'm a getter, not a giver in this case. Full story in Chit Chat.

So you'd like us to believe.  Not buying it for an instant.  All things belong to the kitties, if they deem it so.  Always and forever.

[JTMacc99]

7 minutes ago, walnutqueen said:

So you'd like us to believe.  Not buying it for an instant.  All things belong to the kitties, if they deem it so.  Always and forever.

Luna did take an interest in the soppressata when she first started inspecting the basket, so I put that in the refrigerator before it got any teeth marks on it. That's not for cats. That's for me and the boy to share. Speaking of my children and other lives in my house staking claim to items in that basket, my daughter started claiming the bread sticks, the panatone, the candies when I pointed out that we're going to share stuff. She said, "It's not YOUR basket." Heh. She's got a bit of cat in her.

Edited December 14, 2017 by JTMacc99

[walnutqueen]

2 minutes ago, JTMacc99 said:

Speaking of my children and other lives in my house staking claim to items in that basket, my daughter started claiming the bread sticks, the panatone, the candies when I pointed out that we're going to share stuff. She said, "It's not YOUR basket." Heh. She's got a bit of cat in her.

"CLAIMED!".

[DeLurker]

3 minutes ago, JTMacc99 said:

my daughter started claiming the bread sticks, the panatone, the candies when I pointed out that we're going to share stuff. She said, "It's not YOUR basket." Heh. She's got a bit of cat in her.

She's only thinking of your healthy...

 

1 minute ago, walnutqueen said:

"CLAIMED!"

Our family recognizes the sacred bonding power of "Dibs". 

[JTMacc99]

7 minutes ago, DeLurker said:

Our family recognizes the sacred bonding power of "Dibs". 

My daughter goes with "MINE" and starts way, way too many sentences with "I want". 

It's her equivalent of one of the dogs charging in and grabbing a chip or something when it falls on the floor or a cat just sitting in the warm spot on the couch when you get up for five seconds. 

[walnutqueen]

31 minutes ago, DeLurker said:

Our family recognizes the sacred bonding power of "Dibs". 

Sorry, my dysfunctional family never got that far.  I was referencing The Walking Dead (yet another one of my pretend TeeVee "families").   '-)

[JTMacc99]

So... Neo the Italian Greyhound bit my son yesterday, broke the skin right on his nose. 

This is not the first time Neo has bitten someone for no reason other than the person got to close to his space, but it is the first time that it required a trip to urgent care to glue the wound closed. He's been officially reported to the board of health. Two more incidents and they just come and get him.

Yesterday the dog was on the couch, probably sleeping or at least resting. My son went over to the area and bent down to unplug his phone charger and Neo lunged at him and got him right on the nose. I saw the dog do something similar when my son sat down on the couch a few weeks ago and he bit him on the shoulder. Over the last year or so, this type of thing has happened a few times not just with children but with adults as well. 

His history is as follows: For the first nine years of his life, he was the property of a man in his eighties. When that man died, he lived for the next year with his son, who was in his early sixties. There was a fire in that guy's apartment complex two years ago, and he had to relocate. He put out the word that he was looking for somebody to hold on to Neo while he was displaced, and that guy pretty much wiped his hands clean of the dog and that was that. Neo was and still is food aggressive with Danny, but not the humans. He also displayed a lot of dominant behavior with the other dog. He was poorly house trained, but we haven't had many instances of him peeing in the house the last year or so. We got him fixed, which calmed down the dominance and probably helped with the house training.

He's a funny dog, likes to be petted, and is an expert at getting in your face to demand attention. He doesn't bite when playing. He is definitely not good with other dogs, so when he goes to the vet, he needs to be kept close. 

I'm not exactly sure what to do about this right now. I have no idea why he lashes out at people who are just in his proximity when he's relaxing, but it is completely unacceptable behavior. It's not easy seeing your child with a couple holes in his nose because a shitty little dog didn't accept that he was close to him.

Edited December 15, 2017 by JTMacc99

[Mindthinkr]

@JTMacc99 I think that you indeed have a problem/conundrum. I'm not much of a dog person so I don't have any suggestions that might help. Neo's a bit older so things may not change. I am sorry that he nipped at your son's face  (very scary) and is worrying you about future bites. I can only extend my best wishes on figuring this out and a speedy recovery to your son. I hope it doesn't scar his nose. Good luck. 

[JTMacc99]

45 minutes ago, Mindthinkr said:

I can only extend my best wishes on figuring this out and a speedy recovery to your son. I hope it doesn't scar his nose. Good luck. 

Thank you.

He got a whole bunch of instructions about keeping it from scarring. Lots of stuff about keeping the sun off of it for like a year. So he was getting up to speed on zinc yesterday. 

45 minutes ago, Mindthinkr said:

I think that you indeed have a problem/conundrum.

I tried to trade him for a rambunctious 11 month old yellow lab with a friend at work who got an ultimatum from her husband that something needs to be done about her dog. Sadly, the fact that he bites people makes him not particularly easy to re-home.

Edited December 15, 2017 by JTMacc99

[DeLurker]

Jeez...sorry to hear about the incident between Neo and your son.  I hope it didn't rattle your son too badly.

I don't know anything about Italian Greyhounds, but are they on the high strong side as a breed?  Or is this just the result of how Neo came wired?

How long have you had Neo?  Since he sounds like at least 10, maybe some of his senses are fading and is getting more easily startled and reacts defensively to what is really a non-threat?

[JTMacc99]

1 minute ago, DeLurker said:

How long have you had Neo? 

A couple years, so he's like 13. 

Italian greyhounds are actually a pretty good breed, very friendly little dogs. Here is a good write up of them. See my comments about Neo in bold:

Quote

 

The Italian Greyhound is sweet-natured and gentle, yet also exceptionally playful and athletic.

This warmth-seeking, comfort-loving dog can usually be found basking in sunspots or snuggled into soft furniture, often hidden under a blanket, pillow, or towel. When you own an Italian Greyhound, you need to watch where you sit! Totally true.

But if this breed sounds like the perfect couch potato . . . he isn't! In between his placid snuggles, Italian Greyhounds will suddenly explode into a burst of vigorous running and leaping, tearing pell-mell around the house or yard, darting and zigzagging at breakneck speeds and literally bouncing off the walls, fence, sofa, or beds. A little bit in the fenced in yard, but not a lot.

Perching themselves up high on the back of your sofa to better see out the window, young Italian Greyhounds are notorious for breaking their long fragile legs as they launch themselves fearlessly into space and crash to the floor. Their spurts of reckless abandon can be nerve-wracking to live with!

The same is true outdoors. A yard that hopes to contain an Italian Greyhound should have a high (at least six-foot fence), because this racy, agile breed is a fantastic jumper. Off-leash walks would be foolish for a similar reason: he can be out of sight in seconds. Neo has shown no interest in running out of the yard. He just wants to run back to the couch.

Polite (often a bit aloof) with strangers, there is potential for timidity, so he should be socialized early and thoroughly. From what I said about the first 10 years of his life, it seems like he wasn't perfectly socialized. He doesn't bite strangers, but he does bark his fool head off when somebody different comes into the house.

The Italian Greyhound is amiable with other dogs and cats, but some have a high prey drive and will run squeaky creatures into the ground. He's not great with other dogs. Tries to play with the cat. Couldn't care less about the guinea pigs in the same room as him.

IGs (pronounced eye-jees) or Iggies are mildly stubborn and very sensitive. They respond favorably only to gentle, upbeat training methods that emphasize cheerful praise and food rewards. Physical corrections upset them because they can be "touch-sensitive", startling when touched unexpectedly or grabbed suddenly (one reason I don't recommend these dogs for young children). He cringes when you reach down over his head. It feels like he was hit or grabbed a lot previously. We got him trained using treats. He responds VERY well to treats.

Italian Greyhounds have marvelously quirky, inquisitive, demanding personalities that are unique from other breeds. Totally true. I would miss this about him. With all of their special needs, they are not good choices for inexperienced dog owners. 

Housebreaking is especially difficult, as Italian Greyhounds often refuse to go outside in the cold or rain. Ha! Yep. Danny just walks out regardless of weather. Neo sprints out the door, and the second a rain drop hits him he turns around and looks at the door, like "nope". Some owners build special (large) litterboxes for their Italian Greyhound, or teach him to use a doggy door that leads out to a COVERED and PROTECTED potty yard.

 

So there you go. They typically live 12-15 years, so he's an old dog. It's possible that the sum of his life experiences and his age are contributing to the biting people just because they got too close to him. 

To be fair, one of the people he bit was my future ex-wife's future ex-boyfriend. That was acceptable. Even treat worthy. But bloodying my son is not. I mean, he bit his face. He could have got him in the eye.

[AgentRXS]

@JTMacc99 I would contact the Italian Greyhound rescues in your area, if there are any.  Talking to them may help you decide how you want to proceed on this issue.

[JTMacc99]

1 hour ago, AgentRXS said:

@JTMacc99 I would contact the Italian Greyhound rescues in your area, if there are any.  Talking to them may help you decide how you want to proceed on this issue.

I fired off an e-mail detailing the entire situation to see what kind of advice they can give me. 

There is only one adoptable dog on the upstate New York and the New Jersey rescue site. Another senior dog who was the property of an elderly person who died. This dog is partially blind, and seems like a sweet little guy. He'd actually probably do really well in my house had Neo not gone rogue on me.

[raven]

12 hours ago, JTMacc99 said:

I'm not exactly sure what to do about this right now. I have no idea why he lashes out at people who are just in his proximity when he's relaxing, but it is completely unacceptable behavior.

Could be dominance, could be fear.  As an older dog he may be having sight issues and lashes out when startled.   From what you've described, he is used to the couch but it's probably not the place he should be resting, since you've described two situations where he was on the couch and bit.  He seems to consider it his place.   I know this just happened but if you are considering keeping him than he should not be allowed on the couch any longer.  He'll need an out of the way place (bed or crate) where there's less of a chance of a disturbance.  Most dogs need a calm, quiet place to call their own where they feel safe but the couch won't work for this purpose.

10 hours ago, JTMacc99 said:

To be fair, one of the people he bit was my future ex-wife's future ex-boyfriend. That was acceptable. Even treat worthy. But bloodying my son is not. I mean, he bit his face. He could have got him in the eye.

Heh.  Too bad Neo couldn't tell the difference!  Very scary and I'm glad for you and your son that the bite wasn't worse (bad enough as it is).  I hope your son is OK, both physically and emotionally as he heals.

I hope the rescue can help you.  Not to be overly negative but obviously it is difficult to re-home a dog with a bite history.  If you want to make it work with Neo, please check on trainers qualified to deal with aggression. 

As a dog lover it breaks my hear to say it but sometimes the kindest thing you can do is euthanize your dog.  Of course you don't want him to physically harm anyone but also, for the dog, to be on guard and aggressive is taxing and unhealthy,  

You can also speak to your vet about possible medications as well.  Good luck.

[AgentRXS]

10 hours ago, JTMacc99 said:

I fired off an e-mail detailing the entire situation to see what kind of advice they can give me. 

Don't get disheartened if you don't get a quick response. This time of year is the busiest time for shelters/rescues---I would follow up with a phone call or (if they have a brick-and-mortar facility) even a in-person visit with the rescue. I would suggest following @raven's excellent advice in the meantime.

Edited December 16, 2017 by AgentRXS

[JTMacc99]

5 hours ago, AgentRXS said:

Don't get disheartened if you don't get a quick response. This time of year is the busiest time for shelters/rescues---I would follow up with a phone call or (if they have a brick-and-mortar facility) even a in-person visit with the rescue. I would suggest following @raven's excellent advice in the meantime.

They actually said that line about it taking a couple days and this busy time of year on the website. I’m not sure that this IG rescue is all that busy. They have only one dog currently looking to be adopted. Regardless, I’m in no big hurry that I have to figure something out immediately. 

Thank you @raven! He also snapped one time when someone got close to him on his dog bed. 

As mentioned in the breed description, they are like cats when it comes to being on furniture. He has been a furniture sitting dog his whole life. I can’t imagine what it would take to retrain him to only sleep on the dog beds or his crate, but it’s worth a shot. 

It does seem like making sure he is sleeping in a place where it’s unlikely anyone would disturb him is a good solution. 

[Jaded]

Seems like Captain needs to head to the vet. He's started to lick his lips pretty frequently.

[walnutqueen]

31 minutes ago, Jaded said:

Seems like Captain needs to head to the vet. He's started to lick his lips pretty frequently.

I hope it's nothing serious, @Jaded.

[Jaded]

2 minutes ago, walnutqueen said:

I hope it's nothing serious, @Jaded.

Me too. I'm scared. Trying not to think the worst though.

[walnutqueen]

1 minute ago, Jaded said:

Me too. I'm scared. Trying not to think the worst though.

It will be a long night of worry for you, I'm sure. I'm here for you, and will be sending good thoughts for Captain out into the Universe.

[Bastet]

2 hours ago, Jaded said:

Seems like Captain needs to head to the vet. He's started to lick his lips pretty frequently.

That's a classic indication of nausea, so if that's what is going on, hopefully it's a minor and easily-treatable cause (and you can help him via anti-nausea meds in the interim).  You've sure been through a lot with him, and I will be keeping my fingers crossed this is just a tiny hurdle.

[Mindthinkr]

@Jaded Oh dear, I hope that it's nothing serious with the Captain. Please purr to him to feel better from his friends in the Thinkr house.  

[JTMacc99]

So, the course of action in the Macc home with Neo is to make sure he's awake and aware of you before getting close to him from now on. I'm hoping that everybody, especially the children, are able to remember and follow this rule. 

I'm also going to get an extra pet bed (as if the floor isn't already covered in dog beds) to give him extra places to go as opposed to the couches. 

He did poop in the house yesterday, but then again, so did Danny. I'm guessing this is because I left the house at 8:00 AM and didn't return to the house until 7:00 PM, and that at some point the three humans I left in charge never opened the back door to let them go run around the yard a couple times during the day. Oh well. I didn't have to deal with it, and nothing go ruined. 

[DeLurker]

42 minutes ago, JTMacc99 said:

I'm guessing this is because I left the house at 8:00 AM and didn't return to the house until 7:00 PM, and that at some point the three humans I left in charge never opened the back door to let them go run around the yard a couple times during the day.

Everyone know that Luna is in charge silly human.

 

@Jaded - hope Captain is ok. 

[Moose135]

Happy Holidays from Denali!

[walnutqueen]

1 hour ago, Moose135 said:

Happy Holidays from Denali!

Mr. Ms. Denali, you're trying to seduce me.  Aren't you?

Edited December 18, 2017 by walnutqueen
I stand corrected, and proper titles are important.

[Moose135]

47 minutes ago, walnutqueen said:

Mr. Denali, you're trying to seduce me.  Aren't you?

It's Ms Denali, and yes she is - watch yourself, she already stole my heart!

[walnutqueen]

Just now, Moose135 said:

It's Ms Denali, and yes she is - watch yourself, she already stole my heart!

Whoops!  Sorry 'bout that.  When it comes to critters, I have no gender (or species) preferences.   Your girl is a beauty, though, if I may be so bold as to say.  ;-)

[Moose135]

She's my girlfriend's dog, but she has adopted me as one of her humans as well.

[walnutqueen]

2 minutes ago, Moose135 said:

She's my girlfriend's dog, but she has adopted me as one of her humans as well.

Then, she's a keeper.  (You can guess which "she" I mean, but I suspect that they come as a package deal).  ;-)

[Mindthinkr]

@Moose135 I'm happy for you for both of the new girls in your life. 

[bilgistic]

The girls got their Christmas presents early--super-strong catnip toys from the same shop that makes the PVC pipe cat hammock I have.

[walnutqueen]

2 hours ago, bilgistic said:

The girls got their Christmas presents early--super-strong catnip toys from the same shop that makes the PVC pipe cat hammock I have.

White carpet - black cats.  I don't know how you do it.  ;-)

[bilgistic]

It's that substandard builders' light tan carpet that every apartment complex uses. I have to turn on all the lights when I take a picture because the girls are so velvety dark. It makes the carpet looks better in pictures than it is. It's absolutely terrible.

Thankfully, though, the girls don't shed that much. But, then, it is winter.

[DeLurker]

I went to Petco yesterday to get a new cat harness for Sir Robin.  My other one disappeared the minute we got home from our Florida trip at the end of summer and has not reappeared.  I suspect now I bought a new one and taken the tags off, it'll show up.

So Catty Face is in the harness to get used to it when traveling - he's pretty cool with it.  Kook goes to the groomers for a bath today.  I normally do it myself, but I am just not up to the amount of time and effort it takes to do a good job this week.  My body molecules are stress molecules right now. 

We'll head to Florida to spend the break with my Mom and family there on Thursday morning.  I need to wash the dog a day or two before hand because that always means he'll be having puffs of fur randomly dropping for a few days.

[JTMacc99]

22 hours ago, bilgistic said:

The girls got their Christmas presents early--super-strong catnip toys from the same shop that makes the PVC pipe cat hammock I have.

I put in my order for a pair of catnip toys yesterday. I just saw your girls enjoying themselves and it was pretty easy to picture Luna doing the same thing.

[DeLurker]

I'm normally opposed to dressing up my pets for fun - I do realize some cats and dogs need to be wearing sweaters and such when it is cold - but I barely could stop myself from buying this for the cat when I was at Petco.  I figured it would amuse the hell out of me, but probably not him at all.  It even had holes for the ears.

[JTMacc99]

My cat unplugged my freezer in the basement. 

I opened it up yesterday evening and it was dark, and stinky. I thought maybe it died. I followed the cord back to the outlet and found that it was hanging out of the outlet. Best guess is that she launched herself through that area at some point and landed on the cord, yanking it out. 

Sigh.

[DeLurker]

1 hour ago, JTMacc99 said:

My cat unplugged my freezer in the basement. 

I opened it up yesterday evening and it was dark, and stinky. I thought maybe it died. I followed the cord back to the outlet and found that it was hanging out of the outlet. Best guess is that she launched herself through that area at some point and landed on the cord, yanking it out. 

Sigh.

Shortly after I first moved into this house , I thought my second fridge in the garage died too.  Quite bummed about it and it really wasn't that old.

Later I went up to my bedroom / bath and found the outlets not working there.  I started randomly pushing the GFCI on the outlets and finally found the one that set things back in working order.  When I went out to the garage to finish cleaning the fridge, it was working again.  Why the garage and upstairs master bath are on the same circuit is a mystery.