I am a little less tolerant of the puppy phase. I took care of a Rottie pup several months ago before I could get her to a Rottie Rescue group. Oh she was cute and I was even tempted to keep her but I really can’t deal with a dog that would eventually be at least 80 to 90 pounds. But the kicker is that it was like having a 2 year old child in the house, “Don’t eat that!”, “Stop that!”, “No!”, “Get out of there!”. Kittens can be a handful, too, but at least they don’t weigh 30-40 pounds (or more) so dragging them out of stuff they shouldn’t be in isn’t as much work.
By the way, I have had many kittens that would sit/sleep in my lap. Usually when they were all tuckered out and full of gas. Yup, they look cute but kittens have a lot of flatulence.
Dogs
Mike - German Shepherd, 95 lbs, at least 13 years old (adopted from the pound as an adult)
Simon - Dobe mix, about 110 lbs, over 12 years old (adopted from the pound as an adult)
Ruffian (Called Ruffi) - Female Airedale, about 65 lbs, 2 1/2 years old (rescued as a pup)
Maggie - Standard poodle, about 40lbs, about 8 months old (adopted after a cow-orker had her for 1 day)
Cats
Papillon (called Papi) - Siamese, 3 years old
Nick - B&W domestic shorthair adopted two weeks ago, about 3 months old. He’s supposed to be a barn cat, but I’m afraid if I let him outside the coyotes will get him.
Horse
Irish - 16.2 hh bay thoroughbred. 6 years old. Bought as a yearling after my mare died in foal.
PercyPercy - Irish wolfhounds are one of the breds I’d most like to own, but I’m afraid their shorter lifespan would break my heart. How do you handle that? Do you raise them? Are they as wonderful a breed as they appear?
My dad would LOVE to raise wolfhounds. The rest of us are not so eager so right now we just have the two. We had one wolfhound before this, another girl. They truly are great dogs. You gotta watch what you leave on the counter. Nora, God love her, will vacuum the counter if there’s anything the least bit edible up there. They don’t bark nearly as much as the terriers do, but if Nora is the least bit concerned about your safety, she’ll circle around you.
-Lil
I love this thread- it’s nice to hear of so many of you with well-loved pets.
I feel I need to tell you more about mine:
Haplo- little furry peekapoo rescued from the Huimane Society. Hap, Hapster Haploo. He is 11 years old, and still acts like a puppy. The smartest dog EVER. Named Haplo because his hair is white turning to black on the ends. ( an obscure literary reference)
Willy- full name Willy Wonka cause he a chocolate Lab. Gets called every variation of Willy imaginable; William, Wills, Willard, Wilson. Got him from my bro when he moved to Oregon. Wills has a little arthritis and he didn’t want to take him to the cold weather, and away from the beach. Sweetest, gentlest, most well-behaved pooch ever. Can catch a ball like a pro and loves to swim. Cheerfully puts up with Haplo asserting his alpha dog status.
Mices- Minnie, Mickey, Katie, Peanut, and Timmy. I dropped Timmy on his head when he when a week old and I was afraid I damaged him, so I named him after the South Park character. He is ok tho. They are so sweet, very tame, clean, and fun to play with. Willy is fascinated by them. Hap ignores them.
There are four animals at the house - three of which came with my wife when we got married and one which I can claim partial responsibility for.
Dogs:
Brodie - A border collie/springer spanial mix, butterscotch and white in color. Camille - Brodie’s sister, black and white in color.
They were raised indoors and have never been treated like dogs. They don’t play ball, they don’t chase squirrels, they jump out of the back of my pickup truck. I tolerate them well enough, but they can’t come in the house.
Cats:
Bungee - My wife’s extremely neurotic tortoiseshell. Hates, hates, hates to be held and doesn’t meow -she squeeks. Also an indoor cat that has now been banished to the wilds. She’s taken to it like a fish to water - she’s a first rate hunter.
Jack - The only pet I will lay claim to (I agreed to my step-daughter getting him). He’s a neutered male tabby who weighs in at about 20 pounds and he’s as solid as a rock. He’s also very affectionate and we get along pretty well. He’s also an outside animal.
No dog will ever, ever, ever be as good as dog as my springer spaniel, Clyde. He was PERFECT.
I have six cats. Well, really I have five cats and a “temporary” cat. Okay, the temporary has been with me for more than 2 years. But it makes me feel less crazy to call her temporary.
P.S. I am not one of those nutty people you read about in the paper who think they are caring for the 50 cats in their house but in reality the poor things are neglected. It took me 9 years to acquire six cats. They are all spayed or neutered, have regular vet care, are regularly cleaned and cleaned-up-after, and have a very large (5-bedroom, 3-story) house to spread out in. Nobody is crammed together or wallowing in their own filth. They are happy, healthy, and beautiful.
I feel the need to explain because “six cats” makes a lot of people take two steps backwards!
I have a dog, Murfie (we found him in Murfreesboro).
And Murfie has a cat, Billy Bob. I feed the cat, and clean out the litterbox, but he’s Murfie’s kitty. As far as the cat is concerned, there are no humans in the house, just him and his sweet precious puppy.
