First off , echo the SurrenderDorothy is awesome thoughts.
Secondly, more cow consumption with the extended family, so more Hati pics, that’s just the way it goes.
Someone can rest their head on the table
Good boys get cow
The battle for master of the stick continues.
Someone is vert, very cute.
Skritches.
Well, we enrolled Kizzy in the Canine Good Citizen Certification classes offered nearby. We were told about 40% of dogs in the class passed on their first try, which was a little scary.
My gf started prep work, doing 30 minutes of training daily. Our main worry was wheelchairs; Kizzy was afraid of them and unfortunately we do not have any current friends who are disabled. As luck would have it, my gf recently ran into someone in a wheelchair at Tractor Supply (a cashier) and we introduced Kizzy to her. Kizzy now likes wheelchairs!!!
Last night was the first class. Kizzy kicked butt. She is one of seven in the class.
Kizzy at class. She was 100% alert and ready to follow commands.
Meanwhile, Stephen King’s dog, Cujo, is also in the class.
Assuming Kizzy passes CGC, we are looking into her next class. Current considerations include Treibball (a game where the dog pushes a ball) , Shaping Class (training complex behaviors a step at a time), and Intro to Agility.
Not a pet–but I’ve finally made friends with the local community cat.
He has a clipped ear, so he’s gone through a Trap-Neuter-Return program. And he generally seems to be in good health, though his eyes are a little crusty. A neighbor put out a blanket for him to hang out on.
It took a long time before I even saw him outside of rare glimpses–so really skittish at first. Eventually I could get to about 10 feet away before he would hiss.
I started bringing snacks. At first, I’d put them down at the 10 foot radius, then back off. He certainly didn’t hesitate to chow down once I was out of range. Over time, I could get a little closer, and he would get closer to me. Early on, I sometimes got a little too close and he’d do a weird squeak/hiss sound. Back off, and don’t push it.
But eventually he started coming right up to me, even bumping my hand as I put the food down. Again, starting slowly, I’d give him a gentle pet. Each day I’d pet a little longer, or in a new area. And now I’m giving him full length pets on the back and ear scritches. He seems to like that as much as the food now. And the other night he walked around a bit with his tail raised, which is usually a pretty good sign of being relaxed and comfortable.
I don’t have a name for him, but here he is:
Good job!
We have a similarly-situated cat at my workplace. There are a couple of women who take the most responsibility for looking after him, but really many of us are keeping an eye on him and would step in if necessary. He’s not super-friendly but it’s possible to touch him if he gets to know you. I hope one day someone will take him home.
Good picture!
and captures the situation/character quite well: cat looking entirely ready to run if he needs to, but considering the possibility that maybe he doesn’t need to.
Yep–I think the camera spooked him a tiny bit, since it was something new in the situation. But he didn’t run; he just did a little checkout of his surroundings. His normal location is on the edge of a big planter box, which gives him a bit of elevation, plenty of escape routes, and some hidden areas.
I think he’ll probably stay a community cat, but given that a few of us look after him and so far seems to be in good health, I think it’s an ok situation. Before I could get close enough to spot the clipped ear, I started looking into handling the TNR, but fortunately someone else had already done it.
He looks rather liike a feline neighbor/friend of mine, but “our” guy has never behaved like a feral. He’s always been super-friendly.
Maybe yours got socialized with humans as a kitten? My own Nibbler (RIP) came off the streets, but had a collar and wasn’t scared of people. She might have stayed as a friendly community cat if my grandmother hadn’t brought her inside. I’m not sure about the orange guy. Probably had some level of human contact early on, but not enough for friendliness to be the default.
I’m pretty sure my Mr. Orange has humans. He’s healthy, obviously getting enough to eat, and has a healthy coat.
That’s possible; he might have had enough contact to associate humans with food, and with probably not being about to attack him, but not enough for him to be confident of the latter. Or he might have had mixed experiences: kind people to start with, then ran into somebody, or more than one somebody, who hurt or badly frightened him.
Possibly. Our cat Dorothy found us in the parking lot of a hotel where we were attending a gaming convention; she made friends with several congoers but we were the only ones in a good position to bring her home. Judging from her age (about six months at the time), her friendly attitude, and the absence of houses in the neighborhood, we suspect that she was dumped (if so, may the dumper suffer eternal hemorrhoids that alternately itch and burn).
Pretty boy. He’s lucky to have you for a friend.
Happy National Black Dog Day!
What a cutie! I don’t know how old your pup is, but it appears he/she is getting the old dog face that I love so much.
Wait - just searched and if that is Helena, she’s now around 14. Very pretty.
:skritches: very noble & handsome black dog
Worth clicking on the pic for an enlarged version of that beautiful, handsome, thoughtful face! 
Many skritches and hugs
Deadbeat dog uses subways, buses, and ferries – and never pays the fare!
Boji, a street dog, has become a regular sight on ferries, buses and metro trains in Europe’s largest city. A devoted commuter, the dog enjoys long journeys on public transport, up to 30 kilometres (20 miles) on a regular week day.
Istanbul municipality officials who record the dog’s trips with a microchip say he drops by at least 29 metro stations a day and was even tracked at sea, taking a weekend break to the Princes’ Islands off the city’s coast.
… Erol says the dog respects public transport rules and waits for disembarking passengers before hopping on the train.
You have a lovely lady @SurrenderDorothy , old animals are wonderful.
George isn’t old. George is an adorable pain in the butt. At 6 months, he’s still a gormless kitten, but he’s also a big kitten who can get into much more trouble than many cats his age.
He doesn’t seem to have the classic boxy coon muzzle and actually looks rather delicate. If not for his size, his snowshoes, big ears and wonderful tail, I would wonder if we have a disguised Siamese. (He’s posing on a full sized bed, btw.)