Pets

[Netpackrat]

I've seen animals mentioned in several threads lately, and I was just wondering how many WT members consider our critters to be part of living "the good life?" Not the animals you keep around strictly for guard duty, rodent control, or other utilitarian purposes. They may do those things for you, but I mean the ones that you keep around primarily for companionship; the ones that you let into your house.

For most of us that means dogs and cats, but there are plenty of other types of pets that people keep, and I'm curious to hear about those, too. I've known people who kept things like ferrets and even skunks, and while they weren't really my thing (I could say the same thing about dogs for that matter), they seemed to get a lot of joy out of them.

Personally, my family has always had one or more cats around, except for a few years when my mom was sick, and when we lived in a rented house for a while. I admire the independence and spirit of the cat, and like sharing my home with an animal that retains a hunter's instinct. When we lived in a place where it was relatively safe to let them outside, it was neat how they would occasionally present us with trophies, although not so cool when my gray fluff ball would like to play catch and release inside the house. We had to institute a mouth check policy at the door after that. And all the other funny things that they do. We even had one that would fetch (but only rubber o-rings) for a while.

And no matter what kind of critter lives with you, I think one of the better things in life is when they curl up next to or on top of you and fall asleep (or turn on the purr, if a cat).

[CaptBeach]

I've owned Rotts, Labs, Pits, Goldens, and an Irish over the years...great dogs..but now 3 Dachshunds...best dogs I've ever owned...almost the loudest too...LOL...

[bae]

I usually have several hound dogs, and some sort of "regular" non-hound dog.

I'm currently down to one Basset Hound, and a Portuguese Water Dog. Looking at their ages, I'll probably begin looking for another hound or two shortly. Unlike an intelligent hound owner, I do allow the hounds to live in the house. My grandfather, who raised them for over half a century, thought I was daft to do so. I hope never to be without a hound.

We also seem to have a cat in the house. I hate cats. This cat hates everyone in the house, except for me, apparently it has singled me out to be its best friend. Stupid cats.

I have a guinea pig sitting in my office. My daughter usually has some small rodents as 4H projects, and my office is the only room in the house the cat isn't allowed in, so the rodents tend to hang out with me. For a few years recently she had a nice colony of rats, which were very interesting. I was dubious at first, but the rats turned out to be highly intelligent and interactive. Even the guinea pig doesn't bother me too much, I remembered them from my boyhood as being basically furry rocks, but if they are with you all the time, they develop a personality and behaviours - this one greets me as I come and go, comments on my musical selections in the office, and has vocalizations indicating which sort of food he's out of, or if he wants water.

https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-EDnWTxCoR8E/TAfrTmhYQmI/AAAAAAAAA1Q/Y89jlke6fIA/s640/img_0109.jpg

[TNVolunteer]

I definitely think having critters is part of living the good life. That's not say I have a menagerie, but if the wife was left to her own devices we certainly would. Right now just a basset hound and a cat. Both are fairly useless from a utility standpoint ... they don't do too much. The cat isn't much of a mouser but she is hell on roaches. The dog, well she's too slow to catch much but she tries. Did tree a racoon the other day.

When those two pass on there will be more in the future.

[Grey Man]

I love my puppy, she definitely knows how to live the good life and she loves my 6 month old son. I'll post a pic later. I do consider her an "extra" she costs $ to feed and is certainly time intensive (exercise, training, just playing with to wear out) etc. But I know in the future she will be a valuable member of the family.

Also bought the wife a canary, he pretty much sings and flitters around and makes cool noises. Is not cool with being handled. I look at him kinda like plants and my wife's piano - she likes living things and music, it does cost extra, but thats what moneys for.

I may not drive a camaro - yet. But I like to think that for being 22 I have some pretty nice things.

[tedbo]

When I can get around to posting pics I have some great ones of my barn cat.
I have pics of him under my truck and it looks like he is my mechanic!
I have horses and my favorite is my Palomino who is about 11yrs old. I honestly believe she found me instead of me finding her. Every feeding or just when I am in the barn she will greet me with her knickering and we share breath.
If horses aren't allowed in Heaven I ain't goin' !!!
Seriously, she makes the work in keeping a farm worth it all.
I lost the best dog I ever had last year. I miss him real bad. The dog I have now is a real treat,but doesn't come close to ole' Digit........
My pets are my kids as I have no human kids. These kids mind better anyway. And Lord help you if you mistreat one of mine.

[Heywood]

I breed bullmastiffs and created my own line from old stock still being used in some diamond mines for protection as well as top American and English conformation lines. I train them for protection and very selectively place them. I am working on bringing back the real protector of the past. I used to work with German shepherds, Rottweilers and Belgian Malinois but wanted to turn from a guard breed to a protection breed. It is very time consuming and expensive, but very rewarding.

[tedbo]

If you want love in your life......get a good dog. If you want to pay for it as well.......a great horse:wink:

How many people have a picture of their horse in their wallet?:yup:

[Steve Paulson]

There is no animal in the world that will love you quite as much as a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel. Ours has a few health issues tho...next time we'll go for a Cockalier (Cav-Cocker mix) and hope to skip some of the genetic baggage. Love my Brittany, but he's 8 and still hyper. :woot:

[The Bad Guy]

I love dogs....

[LtDan541]

Two cats and a fish tank. The tank is work but provides tranquility. Like a small ecosystem created by me. Really nice to pop a cold one in front of.

Josh

[230therapy]

My dog is part of the good life. My dogs also get jobs, which is important for them. My current dog is a beagle that hunts rabbits.

[red-it]

Two Irish Terriers
Perimeter alarms with cold noses. 35 pound perpetual motion machines.
Katie is my "old soul" with the heart of a lion.
Clancy, like every other irishman never backs down.
Both like their Bushmills and a good lamb stew.

[Netpackrat]

We also seem to have a cat in the house. I hate cats. This cat hates everyone in the house, except for me, apparently it has singled me out to be its best friend. Stupid cats.

Smart little bastards, aren't they? Sounds like your cat recognized a kindred spirit when it met one. Either that, or it knows you hate cats, and it's being nice to you because it is amused by your reaction.

[Jack Rumbaugh]

Have had cats early in life and I like them well enough. I love dogs, especially Australian Shepherds. I love my Aussies and will own one until the day I die.

[LtDan541]

This was the same way I though of 'Seg' in the Special Offender Unit........we weren't allowed to have cold ones inside the walls however:biglaugh:

UUH yeah I remember how the guys in solitary would react to just the sound of the door...my tank has all peaceful fish....

[redheadedtxn]

Pix in wallets?
I do. Pictures of my horse and mule and doberman and my 2 parrots. All my furkids.

[fldback]

This was the same way I though of 'Seg' in the Special Offender Unit........we weren't allowed to have cold ones inside the walls however:biglaugh:

Now THAT is funny!

Probably because I know just what you mean.

[Destro]

Tank is my chihuahua, he thinks I'm DaDa. He love the occasional PB milkshake(he takes a trip on the brain freeze).

[Taterdigger]

I have a Beagle and two cats 1 I resuced from the prison I worked at and one that just showed up on our porch one night and never left. we named him George after George Lopez because his heads to big for his body. We wrestled with names for the inside cat and finally decided on TIC (The Inside Cat). All three cost money to feed and have no real value except Geroge since he lives outside and keeps everything out of the yard from feral cats to racoons.

[fldback]

I have a Beagle and two cats 1 I resuced from the prison I worked at and one that just showed up on our porch one night and never left. we named him George after George Lopez because his heads to big for his body. We wrestled with names for the inside cat and finally decided on TIC (The Inside Cat). All three cost money to feed and have no real value except Geroge since he lives outside and keeps everything out of the yard from feral cats to racoons.

It's amazing how many cats seem to just turn up at a prison, isn't it?

Glad to see one of them found a good home.

[aaront001]

I have 2 labs. Will always have dogs.

Want proof they are mans best friend? Lock your dog and wife/girlfriend in the trunk of a car for an hour, and see which one is happy to see you when you let them out :biglaugh:

[Doug Little]

Can't imagine life without my dogs. I am a big fan of Siberian Huskies...I have two of them, plus a Malamute. We are down from having had 6 at one point...we lost a couple of them to old age in the past two years and it was like losing my best friends in the world. My dogs definitely live better than a lot of people...if I believed in reincarnation, I would want to come back as one of my dogs. Good food, lots of love and lots of playtime.

+1 on Eric's comment about horses. We have four of those. Two that get ridden, one that is a full time 'mommy' and a yearling filly that is 'in training'. With hay prices having more than doubled in the past two years, they are even more expensive now. Figure about $100 per horse per month for food, shoes, vaccinations, dental exams and miscellaneous stuff that you have to have when you own horses. If I had to do the horse thing over again, I might not. Did I mention that horses can live for 25 years??? Talk about a long term commitment to your animals...

All that said, they are a lot of fun to take out for a ride in the desert.

[David Ledbetter]

I will own a chocolate lab as long as I live! Best dogs I have ever owned!

[Jay Richardson]

I think that dogs are the epitome of unconditional love. My dog has accepted me as the alpha male of the pack and she is always waiting for me when I come in. No matter what, her body language always says "I'm glad to see you". She is a Curbstone Setter, a mix between a blue heeler, border collie and Australian shepherd, with an AD/HD psycho personality. Not the brightest, but loyal to the end. If you've ever seen the move Up, she acts just like the dogs from that movie that are always reacting to "Squirrel!" A buddy told me once that the best therapy in the world is to spend five minutes petting your dog at the end of every day. It does have a great calming effect, as long as there aren't any squirrels around.

[greylady]

I am slave to three parrots, 2 african greys and a double yellowheaded amazon. Life expectancy can be upwards of 75, and these guys are 16-17. One of the greys was a rescue and I made a commitment to his previous owner that I would care for him for life; this guy has a lot of problems and my best friend doesn't understand why I won't leave this bird at night (he came with severe food and separation anxiety, I cured the food anxiety but the separation anxiety is here to stay). I made a commitment, I gave my word and have to honor that, regardless of the sacrifices we have to make. I haven't had a vacation in 13 years. Worth it? Yes, absolutely.

[Coach]

A life without a Rottweiler in the house is not worth living.

[DMag427]

Will never be without GERMAN Shepherds. Bear and Sasha are our 9-year old companions and are protection trained for xo, babysitter for grandkids and loving companions for all of our pack! Wish I knew how to post some of the bazillion pics I carry on my Android...

[barnetmill]

A good dog should be a servant that costs you mainly his food and vet care. The dog should not need a fence to keep it in and should guard your children, women folk, guard your property, never snap at a child, not demand that you pet it, and know who belongs to your house hold and who does not. It should be willing to fight to death to defend what belongs to his master, protect all other animals on the residence, and never challenge any human member of the household. Possession of such a dog is priceless.

Very Old folk Song; there should be no copy write on this: http://www.musiclegacy.com/Pages/oldblue.htm
I had a dog and his name was Blue
And I bet ya 10 dollars he's a good one too!
Here....Blue! You good dog you.

I shouldered my axe and I tooted my horn
……
Gonna catch me a possum in the new groun' corn
Here.... Blue! You good dog you.

We chased that possum up a 'simmon tree
.......
Chased that possum up a 'simmon tree
Blue looked at the possum, possum hissed at me!
Hey... Blue! Go get 'em you.

Baked that possum good 'n brown
…..
An' laid sweet p'taters all around.
Here... Blue! You can have some too.

Old Blue what makes your eyes so red?
……
"I chased that possum 'till I'm almost dead!"
Come on... Blue! You're a good'n you.

Old Blue died and he died so hard
,,,,,
He shook the ground in my back yard!
Go on... Blue! You poor dog you.
……
When I get to heaven first thing I'll do
I'll blow my horn and call for Blue,
Hey... Blue! I finally got here too!
……
Blue, Blue. You good dog you!


Additional words:We dug his grave with a silver spade...
And let him down with a silver chain

[Grey Man]

Here are some pics of why I consider having a dog a necessity for a young child.

17091

17092

17096


Kid is 6 months dog is 4 months. . . .

[fldback]

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
That is so like a Springer!

[Hooz]

We're into animals. A lot.

In the 18 years my wife and I have been together, we've owned 2 cats, 8 dogs, a rabbit, 3 lizards, both salt and freshwater aquariums and a koi pond. Since my wife is a dog trainer by trade, we've had a bunch of other dogs in our house for various periods of time while being rescued/rehabilitated/rehomed in addition to "our dogs".

Currently we're sitting at 2 Boxers, a JRT, a rabbit and a large pond with 13 koi in it.

[zesr88]

My 2 hounds are my babies. I seriously would probably kill a man over my dogs. Sampson is my youngest hes a year old Plott hound (50lbs). The best damn alarm system money can buy, if youve never heard a bound bey inside a house...you have no clue how loud it is. Hes super smart and twice as stubborn. Delilah is my old girl shes 5, the absolute best dog i have ever had the pleasure to be around. Quiet obedient and ruthlessly vicious if you are not in the "alpha approved" category. Along with the wife we form a nice little pack.

[Coolhand77]

My dog is part of the good life. My dogs also get jobs, which is important for them. My current dog is a beagle that hunts rabbits.
My Daschund decided we weren't feeding his fat ass enough...couldn't figure out why he stayed fat, despite us cutting back his food.

Hes been hunting, catching and eating cotton tails...shakes head...damn badger dogs, gotta love'em

[barnetmill]

My Daschund decided we weren't feeding his fat ass enough...couldn't figure out why he stayed fat, despite us cutting back his food.

Hes been hunting, catching and eating cotton tails...shakes head...damn badger dogs, gotta love'em If he can run fast enough to catch rabbits he must not be too fat. As an aside check out the rabbits and make sure that they do not have tularemia and they are getting caught due to illness and not the dogs speed.