Pipes, Pups and Pets

[mso489]

Let me see, what have I learned from my cats over the years?

1) It is not necessary to talk to be companionable.

2) It is not necessary to talk to express displeasure or delight.

3) Sometimes just sitting with creatures is the warmest companionship.

4) Total enjoyment of food offered is a great compliment

5) Allowing someone to help you can be a gift to them.

6) Trust is everything between creatures.

7) Giving your friend room and solitude when needed is good.

Hmmm. This could go on. Well, there are seven lessons from my cats and childhood dog George who deserves a chapter of his own.

 

[krizzose]

Bug (foreground) and Oona, two littermates we adopted:



And since I just met her this weekend for the first time, here is Honey Bee, my sister’s newest addition to her own menagerie:



Honey Bee is only 2, but she had been used as a breeder dog in a pretty abusive situation before ending up in a shelter. She’s a very sweet dog, but still seems a bit surprised that humans want to give her affectionate attention. That would be a sad thought except that, at least her in case, she’s going to get a lot of it from here on out.

 

[mso489]

Honey Bee will just blossom once she gets her confidence. That hurt will fade from her eyes, and she'll find her sense of fun.

 

[weezell]

This is Sweetie the Killer!

 

[Aomalley27]

Cool Egyptian tortoise.

 

[Scottishgaucho]

Cool Egyptian tortoise.

I haven't a clue to be honest so I'm really glad to know. ?
We bought him/her around 14 years ago from a shop here which weren't exactly clued up about tortoises so we thought we'd give at least one a good home. Haven't seen any for sale since so hopefully the practice is now illegal.

 

[Grangerous]

 

[macaroni]

Our Baby Girl, Minni (Gus's Sister, may He RIP) recently at our little town park.
kindly
mike

 

[sdcowboy]

I know the pics show cigars, but you get the idea.

 

[Aomalley27]

Our Baby Girl, Minni (Gus's Sister, may He RIP) recently at our little town park.
kindly
mike
View attachment 103537

I’ve primarily been an American Bulldog guy (well technically Ol Southern Whites which is what AB’s were before they got outcrossed by Johnson, Painter etc).
But got a GSD last year, and he’s AWESOME. Readily and pretty easily took to training. Took him home at 9 weeks, by week 11 he was sitting, heeling, doing his business outside, and learning new commands everyday.

He’s chased away two potential home intruders that were in my yard in the wee hours of the morning (1:30 am-ish). Is exceptionally gentle around folks I invite in, and folks we meet on the street. Is taking to schutzhound training excellently. If only he were built to take down hogs, he’d be perfect. (Reason I love AB’s is my proclivity for hunting nuisance hogs down near Hot Springs)

 

[Scottishgaucho]

 

[saltedplug]

I think I would prefer reading a book from a safe distance away from the hunt for wild hogs.

 

[Derby]

My sister and her husband are large dog people, ninety to one hundred pounds, but took on a cat that was threatened by the neighbor of a friend across town who wanted the cat put down. The friend's kids had named him Newman, I guess after the Seinfeld character. He was a medium size short hair tuxedo cat, black and white. Newman was amazing, declawed on the front, and a fierce hunter that strew his game across he front yard -- rabbits, squirrels, you name it. Their big dog Max had play dates and pet sitting buddies, but Newman would always sit up on the cabinets and supervise them. It's very strange. A lot of small dogs and cats simply don't understand their physical size and run things by force of will. My cats seem to take it literally that they are genetically 95% tiger, and shoulder me over as I stand over them like a five story building. But they are alternately companionable and affectionate. When I bark at them and cuss, they disappear for about three minutes, and then come back for a snuggle. Boy, have they got my number. Incidentally, Newman lived to a ripe old age, appeared on neighbor's Christmas cards gadding about the neighborhood, and died quietly at home after going off in cold weather the way cats do when they feel sick.

Newman sounds lik he was a great cat ?

 

[Derby]

This is Bruno. He came from the shelter with that name.

Every time I light a pipe, he comes over and has to sniff the bit. He sneezes and shakes his head horribly, then he comes back for one more sniff, repeats the sneezing and head shaking and then lays down beside me. His reaction says he hates tobacco smoke. His repeated indulgence indicates he really likes something about it. He's a good boy.
View attachment 103311

Great looking dog ?

 

[solideogloria86]

Great looking dog ?

Thank you

 

[romaso]

Bug (foreground) and Oona, two littermates we adopted:

View attachment 103401

Great idea to get two cat siblings, or a bonded pair! Then they always have a buddy.

We've got two cats who get along well, though we got them separately. We knew the second guy got along with other cats, he just wasn't sure about people (feral his first 4 months). But he became more comfortable with us after seeing that the other cat liked us. They learn from each other.

 

[romaso]

Our Baby Girl, Minni (Gus's Sister, may He RIP) recently at our little town park.
kindly
mike
View attachment 103537

Nice looking dog! I really like German Shepherds.
And it looks like that might be a Peterson.

 

[romaso]

I talked to a friend today who not infrequently reframes my thinking in such a way that cuts right through my mustard, this time about books I've lent that I'm having a hard time getting back. So I'm giving him the details and he leans across the table and says, "You never loan anything, you give it, and if you can't make the gift NSA. don't. You expect absolutely nothing in return, not even a 'thank you.'

If expectation is involved, so is resentment, and resentment is hell.

Although I don't understand this, my cat does in the way of her kind. When I feed her she swallows it whole like a bottom feeding whale, ingesting whatever without the need to swallow, and she doesn't say thank you. If I tried to separate her from her food to ask for it back, saying it was a loan not a gift, I would run into the wall of her expectation, and resentment.

This can't be otherwise for a cat. But humans have a choice to give with an open-heart and so live outside of anger and its variants. Now I don't yet have this right, but give me a minute: I just learned this morning.

If I loan you my lawn mower, I expect it back, ok?

 

[hauntedmyst]

I also used to baby sit my oldest daughters dog Lacy who is a 4 pound female Maltese. She would boss Brutus around like she was his size. She would jump and grab his lip hanging on for a few seconds and Brutus would never even growl at her. They were like David and Goliath and were so cute together.

Rigg's best friend at the dog park was a 10 pound Boston Terrier. They would run to get balls together and Rigg's always won the race and pick up the ball. The BT would grab onto his face (not the ball) and get carried back to us with his legs just swinging away where Rigg's gave us the ball. He never got mad at the BT, just carried him along.

 

[Chris81]

Lucky owner of a dog and 2 cats. All my animals come from the garbage bin (yes, there are people who throw puppies in the garbage). When I was a baby our dog saved my life in an accident. I have a great love for animals and if I had the space and time I'd have tens, maybe someday!