Thank you for your reply.
I live in México. We have different laws here.
I live on the 3rd floor of my apartment building with a south facing deck. I leave the sliding glass door open about 12-18" every day with the screen closed; when weather allows. There’s a big cat tree just inside it.
When I get home, my ritual is: Dump everything work related, feed cats, open screen door so they can enjoy the deck.
On the deck, the plants are arranged with 4-6" between pots and about 6" between them and the deck rails. So that the cats can move freely through them and use them for ‘cover’ in watching the rest of the world. I have chicken wire across the railing so the cats will not fall off.
I have a pappasan chair. It is pretty much just a big cat bed for my Theodore.
When my old computer chair broke (hydraulics on bottom), I moved it aside as I was assembling the new one. Maggie claimed it instantly, so it is sitting in a good place for her. She’s slowly ripping the crap out of it, but a> it’s hers, and b> then she doesn’t rip on the new one.
Oh, this reminds me of what we did when our male greyhound (the one who stands on my hair) suffered from a burst bladder hours after having spinal surgery (one of those “shit happens in surgery” things).
We brought him home after he woke up from the bladder repair because he was restless and the vets were too busy to deal with him. They didn’t tell us this, but I just put myself in his paws and figured that if my bladder was freshly sutured I would NOT want it stretching out from being full. So my husband and I took turns taking him out into the yard to pee every 30 minutes for the first 30 or so hours. The interval gradually expanded until by the end of the week he could hold it for about 4 hours. But the first two days, yes, we took turns “sleeping” on the couch and waking up every 30 minutes to take him out. We never complained or resented it for a minute. It wasn’t his time to die, so we did what we needed to do to see to his needs.
Sort of a “he’s not heavy, he’s my brother” situation.
I covered half of my bed each night with puppy pads for my aging incontinent best friend. She wouldn’t use the steps or ramp I bought for her so I picked her up on and off the bed multiple times every night. I also washed sheets just about every day when the puppy pads weren’t enough. I miss her dreadfully.
Cooper is somewhat noncommittal about tennis balls normally, he does like playing with them, but won’t actively seek them out…
…unless they’ve been run over by the lawnmower, then he adores them!
So the first thing I have to do after buying him a new tennis ball is fire up our Kubota 5200 garden tractor, lower the mower deck and fire it up, then run over the brand new tennis ball…
Then he’ll enthusiastically play with it
And no, cutting it up with a knife won’t work, it’s gotta be the lawnmower or nothing
Natural born riders!
My damn dogs somehow got it in their heads that they belong in any car that comes in the yard. When the UPS guy stops and is ready to leave, we have to inventory the beasts to make sure they ain’t goin’ for a ride with Brown!
Some Say that Cooper loves car rides more than a certain well known “tame racing driver”, and that he is trying to figure out how to adapt car controls for canine use (the manual transmission is giving him a bit of difficulty)
All i know is, i also call him The Stig
(Tonight alone he’s asked for three rides, our normal around the block ride, another ride out in the hay fields to the pond so we can go fish, and he’s asking for the third one now… The little freeloader doesn’t even offer to pay for gas…
These are all so sweet. All of you.
I’m away on business, and my wife is a family reunion. Our dogs get to stay at a wonderful ‘kennel’. The Doggie Dude Ranch and O’Cat corral. Watkins Colorado.
Can’t say enough good things about the kennel. They put in a shallow in-ground pool for those that like water. Indoor play area for inclement weather. I get to pick up my dogs tomorrow, and get home.
Here we go - http://www.dogcatranch.com/
I fix my lunch to take to work. Sub bun, sliced meat, cheese, tomato. I started giving our chihuahua a few pieces of ham in the morning, and now it’s a routine. But it has to be shaved Black Forest ham even though I used to get salami, or turkey, or some other variety. But Harry has to have his goddamn Black Forest ham, so…
Do you run over about ten of them in the fall so you have enough for winter?
One of the chihuahuas loved a set of soft dolls that were Happy Meal toys in about 2000. So every summer I get on eBay to find a set and buy it so that he has them under the tree at Christmas. It’s getting harder, but I keep finding them! Guess it’s time to start looking.
We spend a lot of time boating with our dogs. Our newest dog simply will not pee on the aft swim platform* where we prefer, having convinced himself it is off limits. My wife is picking up a small potted plant today, hoping that placing it on the platform will give the illusion of “outside” along with a vertical landmark for him to target.
She has named the plant “Petrie”. (Get it?) She has also informed me that once we’re anchored tomorrow and Petrie is positioned, my job is to drink a few beers then go back on the platform and “prime” things (if you get my drift).
*it is a low platform near the water, perfect for doggie relief.
I have given an enema to a foal, and douched a dog.
Simultaneously?
ETA: also, do you recall what music was playing?
My sweet dog Buddy has gotten on in years and has been having bladder control issues, mostly while sleeping. The vet says there’s not much that we can do without spending money I don’t have, so I started putting a diaper on him. Real baby diapers, fashioned as a cummerbund. The cheap ones are fine, but I spend a couple dollars more on the better brand cuz they make him smell so sweet. Plus I think they’re a little softer. Because they’re not made for dogs I have to put a strip of tape across his back. I could go for the plain tape but I think he likes the neon cheetah print more. And that’s my silly thing. I spend time thinking about which tape Buddy would like the most.