Voicelessness and Emotional Survival Message Board
Voicelessness and Emotional Survival => Voicelessness and Emotional Survival Message Board => Topic started by: Hopalong on March 18, 2006, 04:09:43 PM
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Here's mine:
When I worked at home, freelancing, I used to feed the dogs every day at 4:00. But I would still come down to the kitchen periodically to get some water, tea, etc. I was determined not to feed them earlier, or they'd just bug the heck out of me every time i was in the kitchen. So I always just gave the clock a passing glance as I came through (I mean, I didn't even have to turn my head to see it, just glance with my eyes).
My dog, a big furry somethingorother, lovely thing...is smarter than I knew. One day I came down at around 3:00 pm and as I walked to the fridge she sort of hopped in front of me, sat down, looked at me REALLY encouragingly, deliberately looked up RIGHT at the clock, BACK at my face, then OVER to the food tin. Like, okay, I know you look at that thing first and then it's time to eat, don't you think? It was so quick and polite and subtle but it was truly obvious.
Maybe it's one of those you-hadda-be-theres, but it amazed me.
I love smart dog stories, anybody got some? (Having not ever met an N dog...well heck, those might be amusing too! We're entitled to some just fun stuff too, eh?)
Hops
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Ok Hoppy, I'll bite! :D
When my eldest daughter was hardly a toddler, I had a big, white german sheppard that was smarter than me!! ( :D Well....my daughter was too, but who's counting?).
One time, I was doing the dishes and my d was on the floor, playing while sitting in a gadget called a "walker" (a sort of seat with wheels, for those who may not have heard of them. The child could use their feet to push themself around the floor, or even stand up for short periods.....thus it was deemed to assist the kid to learn to walk, except that there were terrible accidents, with children rolling themselves over to and down stairways, so the things were later out-lawed).
Anyway, my d was just behind me, and this giant dog was sitting on the floor beside her and I was doing dishes and turning around, intermittently to see that all was well. And it was, it seemed. Very well!!
Because every few minutes my daughter would giggle like crazy! I kept looking to see what was so funny, but all I caught was a kid, looking like a saint, sitting in her walker, and a dog, sitting beside her, looking even more completely innocent. Neither of them could speak but their expressions both said: "We aren't doing anything wrong! What are you looking at?".
This went on and on. My child would giggling, I'd turn and look, and see no reason for it. I'd turn back, do a few more dishes, then hear another mad giggle, I'd look......nothing.
Finally, I turned back just quick enough to catch the two of them.......licking eachother .......on the tongue!!!!!
ON THE TONGUE!!!!! :shock: :shock: :shock:
And both of them seemed to know that I wouldn't like that a whole lot.......or at least, I'm sure, my look of horror.......sent a dog scurrying in one direction and my d, who couldn't stop giggling, in another.
I finally got a grip and said: "Ok you two.......no more kissing!!", and gave them both a stern look! And that was the end of that.
:D Sela :roll:
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Hoppy,
Oh my gosh, where do I start?? Having raised dogs (albeit English Setters who are not at the top of the dog food chain for smarts) for over 20 years and been a dog owner and lover for many more than that, I have plenty of stories. One that used to amaze me every time was when, many years ago, my first xh and I had moved two states away from our home state with our first two setters. The people we bought them from had become good friends and lived in our community at the end of a long gravel road. We would drive home periodically and bring the dogs with us, who were in crates in the back of the van, below window level. No matter how long we were gone and how many miles we had travelled, when we got to our friend's gravel drive, my male setter would wake up from a sound sleep, start to stomp his feet, wag his tale and essentially go nuts until we got there and let him out. He could always tell when we were on that particular road. He could also break a female in season out of her crate when he wanted to get to her, but that's another story.
Sela--dogs' mouths are much cleaner than our own (which is why beggars wounds were healed in the Bible by dogs licking them). I had to remind myself of this many times when my kids were little, or when my dogs insisted on licking me on the lips.
Thanks for the memories, Hoppy.
Brigid
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Thanks, Brigid!
Okay, here's a MOOSE one I totally afraid I've told here before (no, that was a dolphin one)... Or maybe I've told both, if so, forgive the forgetting...
TRUE story
A few years ago a young man, teenager, got lost on a hike in the Pacific Northwest, and the temps plummeted to below freezing that night, and he was wearing only a Tshirt when he wandered off. The search parties knew he never could have survived the night but hunted anyway. A helicopter crew saw him standing in a clearing the next afternoon. When they landed and talked to him, totally confused why he was alive, he told them he'd lain down exhausted and shivering the night before and had a really strange dream where he saw a bunch of moose around him and he thought maybe they had they had lain down with him becaue he started feeling warm. The foresters said no, you were hallucinating or you had some weird hypothermic reaction, moose behavior means they would never ever do anything like that with a human.
The boy took them and showed them the spot and there was a matted-down circle in the snow, and moose hair everywhere. It was true--a group of moose, likely female they think--had found him shivering and they'd circled him and lain down beside him all night, keeping him warm with their bodies. He wasn't even aware when they left, but he woke up alive.
Is that wonderful or what?
Hops
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Sela,
BLEAAAAGGGGGHHHHHHH, but funny! :P
Dog breath's another matter, and why is it they're often most enthusiastic about kissing you right after they've finished a really satisfactory ... umm... private-self-grooming session?
Blecch! And I swear she's grinning. Trots right up as though to say, aaaahhhh, that felt great so now I'll share the joy!
Bleahhh. Wait...that's a STINKY dog story, not a SMART dog story.
Oh well.
Hops
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PS--I think English setters are gorgeous and I love chihuahuas.
That's a hysterical image, of the two little guys trotting off for their treat...
:lol:
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Hi Guys I am a cat person. But my kitty goes fetch!
moonlight
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I looooooove James Herriott's books. I was SO selfishly sad when he died because I knew there'd never be another like him.
Does anyone know another humorous warm wonderful animal-story writer like him? I'd be so happy for a suggestion.
(I think Critter sounds wonderful. Lugging the bowl next door...smart guy!)
Bean, when you can...if you've got all those EXTRA stories...
(No idea why I'm HOOVERING for animal stories except for some reason they cheer me up.
Been eating junk food all day and while savoring my solitude, also mentally trying out the likelihood that I'm really going to be a lot more alone in life...)
Woof.
Hops
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:P that's a riot.
all by himself in the yard, howwwwwling...
ta!
Hops
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In all my years of having setters, I have had two that will "smile" at you when they're happy. (My ex always said I was being ridiculous to believe this--but what does he know). The male I have now is my second smiler and whenever he is particularly happy or excited about something, his lips will curl back (doesn't look the same as a snarl) and he actually looks like he's smiling. I got a big smile from him last Tuesday when I returned from being gone for a week.
My cats (I have 3) also have some amusing behaviors. My big orange tabby waits until I am on the phone (very much like a small child) and then start demanding attention. He knows that I will do whatever is necessary to be able to carry on my conversation, so will nudge me, pull on my hand, swirl his tale in my face and any other obnoxious behavior in order to have me pet him while I'm talking. Many times I have had to just leave the room or close a door to get away from him because he is relentless in his pursuit of attention (but only on his terms--not when I want to give him attention).
Brigid
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Brigid,
I knew a smiling lab once, Jenny. All labs are, but she was SO amiable that she would get her own invitation to children's birthday parties. One of the parents would drive up, bringing a special bow, and with her owner's permission, tie the bow on Jeanne. She would get very happy, hop into their car, and go off. The kids would just adore her. After the party, a parent would drop her home. The kids would have to draw straws for who she got her ride home with.
NOW we're getting into it, back on topic...you have a narcissistic cat! Aha! :P
Hops
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Hops,
I never made the connection before, but you're right--Simon is a big, old n of a cat. He has always considered himself better than the rest of the family of animals and everyone must cater to him. He can also be a bully toward my female cat when he decides that he is not in the mood for her adoring attention of him. I wish I could get her some therapy so she could understand that there are really nice, kind gentleman cats out there who would treat her the way she deserves to be treated. :wink:
Brigid
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((((Brigid)))))
that's been on my mind too, these days. I hope she will keep your wisdom in mind.
8)
Hops
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Thanks for the thought, Bean...
unfortunately, couldn't open the link.
Hops
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How about a silly cat story? :D Years ago I had this big beautiful grey cat. She was the runt of a litter, and not a very bright cat, but she was so sweet. Anyhow, we had a cat post by the window and she would climb up the cat post and lay down in the sun for her daily naps. We would be sitting there watching TV and while she was sleeping she would fall off the post! Then she'd meow, climb back up and fall asleep again! She never learned to take a nap on the thing without falling off!
We also had a cocker spaniel named Max. My husband would come home from work and relax on the couch for a while. Max would lay on the floor next to him, wait until he was asleep and start chewing on his toe! Max would leave everyone else's feet alone, he just seemed to like my husbands toes for some reason. He also liked to bark at ants! :shock:
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Hello! I've been hovering around this board for quite some time now, but I never saw the "Dog Story" thread before today. I want to share something about one of the smartest dogs I've known. About 34 years ago, my husband, four year old son, and I went to the local humane society to give a donation. We had just moved into this area, which was quite rural at the time. Well, we went to give a "donation" and came home with a scruffy looking terrier/poodle mixture of black and white mischief. Our son named her Choo-Choo. We lived on an 85 acrea farm, and son and dog would have a grand time playing outside. One day, Choo-Choo "disappeared" for about 1/2 hour....then home she came, carrying a neighbor's Corning Wear souffle bowl in her mouth. She seemed quite proud of herself. Then off she went, once again. Half an hour later, Choo-Choo appears with a partial 4 pound bag of Alpo! What a dog! And when you would scold her, she would grin (full blown grin) and wag her tail.
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Can't believe I missed this thread! Like most lifelong dog lovers, I have a bazillion stories. But I will stick to "smart"...
This is about one of my dogs (we call him the middle one now since we got a third dog....like Jan in the Brady Bunch ..."Marcia, Marcia, Marcia", he's started jumping on people for attention...and he's big!)
Anyway, he watches television. Intently. Whenever my kids bring friends over, it's the first thing they do: "watch him watch TV".
Now we are not sure if this means he is smart or just strange, but he watches intently, and will attack the TV if any animals are on the screen, cats and dogs in particular, but he also goes for apes, fish, anything. Forget watching Animal Planet network. Once I left that channel on, and the TV was covered in dog spit, but worse, another time there was a show about neglected/abused animals, and I swear he look depressed after that.
Stranger, too, is that he goes for cartoon animals as well. You know that dog "Brian" in Family Guy (what can I say, I have teenagers...). Well, he recognizes that martini drinking, upright walking and speaking 50 year old as a dog!
And he recognizes theme songs from shows that he likes and comes running if he hears them, and parks his but right in front of the tv just waiting for something he likes to happen.
The show "Trading Spaces" used to have a part where the people cleared the room, in fast motion, and that segment would always start with a piano flourish. Well this crazy dog would run, full speed from wherever he was in the house, just to attack the people moving abnormally fast on TV.
He looks like my other big dog, a Flat Coated retriever, but a bit different, and I think he has Border Collie in him. Why else would he have taught himself to fetch the mail and the paper? This guy needs a job.
Thanks for letting me share.
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These are great, guys. Nothing like some animal laughs to cheer you up! Thanks!
(I changed the title of the thread...open season on pet stories...more more more!)
love,
Hops
PS--My first husband, a huge yellow Lab, chased rocks, bricks, stones, and chunks of cement. He liked them much better than sticks. Needless to say, he had a few dental problems. He was a GOOF.
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OUCH! The cement reminded me of something. Once, while I was rock climbing in a canyon in Northern Arizona, there was a couple who brought their dog with them. We didn't know them, but the dog was chasing little rocks and bringing them back to the man who was belaying the obvious owner of the dog (his girlfriend, maybe?). I can't remember how it happened, exactly, as the belayer would have dropped her if he had done this: but someone threw a HUGE rock, thinking it would be impossible for the dog to catch, and it would then leave the people alone for a while. Well, that dog jumped up and CAUGHT the huge thing in it's mouth...or tried. You should have heard the screaming from the woman who was up the canyon wall! (her dog,we figured).
She came down immediately to aid her dog, who still seemed happy, but I can imagine, broke some teeth at least. I bet that climbing trip stopped being fun in an instant!!!
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My husband's and my first dog was a Dachshund. (We've been married 41 years, and you wouldn't believe the number of pets we've had....and still have). "Snoopy" went everywhere with us...even fishing in a rowboat. The first time he was with us, when H threw the anchor overboard, Snoopy tried to "catch" it. Unfortunately, Snoopy was tethered to the seat of the rowboat, and as he jumped over and out, he came to the end of the leash.........schreech, jerk, and down he went. He, fortunately, was a fast learner and didn't do that again!
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Oh these are fun!
Welcome, MountainSpring!
I loved your crazy cat-naps story...very funny. But I have to say imagining Max barking at ants was my fave. LOL! :lol:
Welcome Seeker!
And thanks for the introduction to smirking smart Choo-Choo! Hilarious, and what a charmer. Reminds me of the time my old lab brought home a huge roasting pan...we were out in the country so he must've walked a long way with this thing in his jaws. :lol:
Bean, that's a hoot about the doggie having an entitlement snit. Hmmmppff!
Mum, I love your TV hound, too, that's a stitch! Must be hard to see your favorite shows through the slobbered up screen! (I bet your dog would learn to read in a heartbeat. I've been seeing news clips on a new fad...teaching dogs to "read" from flashcards. They're responding to the shapes, but it's fun to watch.)
Hops
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Seeker, PS: poor Snoopy! Anchors aweigh--ooof.
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Hi Hops,
Great thread! I just love animals. We have a little maltese now. She's really sweet. When she wants to be held she will jump up a few times and if we don't pick her up she climbs up our legs. She'll bark furiously at other dogs if we are holding her, but if we put her down she's suddenly not so brave. :D
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Hopalong
You have a very nice way of making people feel welcomed. Thanks!
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Bean, the door thing got me to remember: When our older dog (flat coated retriever) was younger, and we had a female golden, older than him, he used to open the screen door for her, let her in and then come in himself. She ruled the roost, so we always imagined he was saying, "after you, madame". It was so cool. I had to put hardware cloth over the screen, though.
I figured that out after a few claw holes.
Then when our newer (tv watching) guy came along, (after our old golden died) HE learned how to open the door, but jumped up much higher, so hardware cloth had to go up 2/3 up the door. But he does not open it for our older flat coat, the original door holder. Maybe cause he's another guy, but he just opens it for himself. He has no manners.
And our (now older) flattie does not even bother opening the door anymore, although I got him on Rymadil, of late, so watch out!
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:lol:
Thanks for sharing these gems..laughing my head off picturing these food-stealing/roost ruling/door openers & co. Can't decide if it would be a good or bad thing if all these smart pets knew each other and joined forces, but they'd surely take over the world.
Another smart, stupid and silly--the humans being the silly ones--dog story:
Our dog is small, but crafty and determined, a real Houdini escape artist. He's legendary for this: everyone within two miles has seen me in all manner of PJs, day and night, trolling the neighborhood with lunch meat trying to catch him...the posse has been as big as a dozen people, ranging for miles, all of us trying to snare a 20-pound imp who laughs harder the closer we get.
Anyway, we installed an 8-foot chain link dog run out back for him. Looked escape-proof...till the day I drove home and saw him running joyful laps around our neighbor's house, driving their Rottweiller wild. Amazingly, the dog run door was still shut, everything intact. We couldn't figure out how he did it. So my H. & I put him out there again on the weekend, while we were home, to see if he'd try again. An hour later, H. yells 'You gotta' see this!' I run to the window and there's our dog, a good five feet up, scaling the chain link paw over paw, like Spiderdog. H & I are so astonished, watching, he almost makes it out before we run out & grab him.
Lesson learned, we thought. We put a roof on the dog run. Only he busts out again, this time by hanging from the top long enough to chew a dog-size hole through the wires that attached the roof. This time we really learned our lesson. And sold the dog run.
We're sure if this dog had thumbs he'd find a way to drain our bank account, steal a car, and head off into the sunset, laughing...
Thanks again for all these great stories, everyone. My stomach hurts from laughing.
:D
LoH
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Light of heart:
I'm on the floor, here! Sooo funny. How does that dog do it??
Geez, maybe you need to get that dog a job, door to door salesman or something!!!
In the old days, we had no leash laws. Of course, it was dangerous, but our childhood dog was always out about the neighborhood and he always came home. Maybe your dog is just an old fashioned kind of pup!! This was quite a long time ago, and people didn't neuter pets either so we saw lots of dogs that looked like him around the area as well!!
I am moving soon, so I have no idea how my dogs will deal with a new area!! People tell me to get an "invisible fence" but I cannot imagine my dogs getting an electical shock everytime they try to leave the property. We will put a fence up.
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Hey Mum,
what if you just thought of the invisible fence as a trail of siberian tiger pee?
Hops
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hahahahaha, I am just picturing the conversation my dogs will have: "well, wait a minute, I read that those things are extinct" "yeah, lets go google it"....."here kitty kitty kitty"
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Hi there Mum,
Thanks, I'm glad he gave you the giggles.
As to, How does that dog do it??
Best answer I can think of is that, like you and all the wonderful folks here and all the crafty pets in these stories, he pulls off amazing feats 'cause his absolute burning need to do it is bigger than whatever obstacles are in the way, including mondo fences.
:D
PS - I had the same qualms as you about Invisible Fence, Mum. My Mom's so in love with this dog/scared he'll get hit by a car one day, she tried to buy it for us as a gift. The IF guy spent 10 min. with our dog and said, 'Hate to say it, but I think this dog's will is too strong for this to work: I don't think he'd let a little jolt stop him. Sorry, m'aam, I'd have to say he's beyond fences.'
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I am just loving these.
:D :D :D :D
Hops PS--our old corgi used to herd Mom up to her bedroom every day at 3:00 for her nap...
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Well, these aren't pets....but I'm sooo happy about tomorrow.
Very near here in the mtns., well at the bottom of one in a gorgeous field, are some professional sheepdog trials. I blundered into them a couple years ago when I was driving back from visiting a friend in a little country town.
Anyway, this is not the condensed, small-scale demonstrations you ususally see at fairs or festivals...this is the whole event, over a large field. You can stand right with the trainers and just soak it in...gorgeous fall foliage, the gates set in their places over the field just below, the mountain behind...
AND THE AMAZING, BRILLIANT BORDER COLLIES. It is really entrancing to watch them work for an hour or so. It's fairly calm, the sheep don't get worked up. The dogs are like wolves, only just...brilliant. With a few whistles and calls, they're zooming a dozen sheep back and forth and up and down across the field. When they come back up the hill, the dogs are panting SO hard but they look so intensely happy. Totally focused and fulfilled. It's a joy to watch.
It's going to be sunny and 60, and I will just enjoy the heck out of it. I'm taking a friend from church (interesting retired journalist...I swear he's looked at me with interest, but cripes, he's 82! :) A nice pal though...we're in some activities together.
WOOF!
Anybody's pooch or kitty been up to anything ridiculous lately? I hope so!
Hops
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I needed these!!! I've been having a good laugh and trying to choose which funny dog story to relate to y'all as I have quite a few in my memory banks!
One dog that I encountered was a Golden Retriever that lived at the Catholic Deaf Center. He got his name from the place...."CD". One evening, after I had finished teaching Sign Language, I was in the kitchen with a group of kids who lived there and "CD" came into the kitchen, sat down and started begging for a treat. As I watched, each child signed "Speak" to CD. The dog silently moved his mouth as if he was barking and got his treat! He repeated this to each child in turn and I was having a hard time trying not to crack up laughing!! It was so FUNNY watching this dog con these kids out of treats!!!!! Then it was my turn. CD sat in front of me and I silently signed "Speak". Dutifully, he moved his mouth, silently, as if he was barking. I then voiced and signed "Faker!" and CD started dancing, wagging his tail and wiggling like he was laughing!!!!! I couldn't help laughing hard at that and then he finally started barking while dancing! Smart dog!!!
Bones
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What an AMAZING story, Bones! That's incredible...
a dog so clever he "gets' that speech in that environment is silent.
I love it!
What dazzled me today was how amazingly this 1-year-old little collie moved 10 sheep around...and she came right up to me after, flopped at my feet...and it struck how incredibly deeply she was panting--that "whole ribcage heaving all the way in and out" kind of panting. And she looked so HAPPY. I think part of the appeal is how totally completely fulfilled these dogs are by what they do.
Inspiring to be around. Talk about being in the present! Whee.
(Came home and apologized to my old pooch about boring her to death most of her life. Dogs really do need jobs to do.)
Hops
PS--Just re-read this post from LoH and realized, I bet this could apply to each one of us too:
he pulls off amazing feats 'cause his absolute burning need to do it is bigger than whatever obstacles are in the way
YAY, PETS!
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What an AMAZING story, Bones! That's incredible...
a dog so clever he "gets' that speech in that environment is silent.
I love it!
What dazzled me today was how amazingly this 1-year-old little collie moved 10 sheep around...and she came right up to me after, flopped at my feet...and it struck how incredibly deeply she was panting--that "whole ribcage heaving all the way in and out" kind of panting. And she looked so HAPPY. I think part of the appeal is how totally completely fulfilled these dogs are by what they do.
Inspiring to be around. Talk about being in the present! Whee.
(Came home and apologized to my old pooch about boring her to death most of her life. Dogs really do need jobs to do.)
Hops
PS--Just re-read this post from LoH and realized, I bet this could apply to each one of us too:
he pulls off amazing feats 'cause his absolute burning need to do it is bigger than whatever obstacles are in the way
YAY, PETS!
To me, there is no such thing as a "dumb" animal. They are CLEVER!
Bones
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I thought I would add another funny dog story.
Years ago, I had a dog named Nicky, who was part German Shepherd and part Blue Tick. When I first brought him home, I had rescued him from being thrown out onto the highway by his former owners, who didn't want him anymore. At first, my Nmother raised cain about my bringing him home while at the same time she also stated that she would never be cruel to an animal. I had put Nicky in the basement while I discussed his issues with my Nmother.
During our conversation, we were standing in my Nmother's bedroom door with my back to the living room. As we argued, my Nmother suddenly stopped talking and got real wide-eyed. I asked: "What?" and she silently pointed behind me. I turned around and watched Nicky silently TIPTOEING his way around the living room so that his toe nails wouldn't click on the hardwood floor!!!! Somehow, he had gotten out of his collar and TIPTOED up the basement steps and was silently checking out the house! When he realized he had been spotted, he got this real sheepish look on his face and Nmom started laughing! I couldn't keep a straight face either.
When I took him back downstairs, Nmom commented that this was the FIRST time she had ever seen a dog TIPTOE! He stayed and became Nmom's protector even though she was phobic about dogs. I have a few more funny stories about him that I will post later.
Remembering that scene still makes me laugh!
Bones
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I just love it when they show such intelligence...great story, Bones!
Like the silent-speaking--tiptoeing is such a subtle, subtle thing to get the hang of...
Dang, I've gotta watch The World's Greatest Movie again...(Babe).
Anybody else got a pet story?
(Pant, pant...)
Hops
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Nope, the world's greatest movie is Chicken Run. ;-)
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I just love it when they show such intelligence...great story, Bones!
Like the silent-speaking--tiptoeing is such a subtle, subtle thing to get the hang of...
Dang, I've gotta watch The World's Greatest Movie again...(Babe).
Anybody else got a pet story?
(Pant, pant...)
Hops
Thanks, Hops!
Another funny pet story about Nicky. He was paper-trained while being in the basement when Nmom and I were at work. When we got home, and after I had changed out of my work clothes, I went downstairs to take care of him and clean up after him. I found his mess neatly wrapped in newspaper bundles ready to be picked up. I though Nmom had done this. Nmom saw this and she commented that she thought I had done it. Neither one of us had wrapped up his mess and we couldn't figure out how it happened. A few days later, on a Saturday, Nmom was in the basement doing some chores when she noticed Nicky taking care of business on the newspaper. To her amazement, she watched as he used his paws and his mouth to tear the newspaper then used his front paws to wrap up his mess into the neat package that we had discovered earlier!! I still could not figure out who taught him to do that!
Bones
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An additional funny dog story. (There's more involving Nicky!)
As Nicky continued to live with my Nmom, we soon discovered that he was also a practical joker!
Whenever I took him outside and chained him to the tree, we would often roughhouse for fun for a while. However, with Nmom, he sensed her apprehension and was always gentle with her. She often commented that he was the "perfect gentleman" in spite of the fact that she was phobic about dogs.
One day, she took him outside and chained him to the tree as usual, came back inside to get his water dish and his food bowl. Unbeknowst to her, he had flattened himself against the side of the house. As she leaned out of the basement door to set down his food dish and waterbowl, he leaned over and planted a nice, big, wet one on her cheek!! S-L-U-R-P!!!!!! She screeched!!!! She described to me afterwards that when she landed back on her feet from jumping out of her skin, Nicky was wiggling, wagging his tail, his eyes were dancing and he was making a noise in his throat that sounded exactly like he was chuckling!!! It was as if he was telling her...."GOTCHA!"
Bones
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I can believe that one, Bones! :lol:
Miss Dinobreath, here, is extremely happy that Mom's morning companion has arrived downstairs, because this sainted lady talks to her as though she is Dinobreath's long-lost grandma. I swear, she's a walking dogbiscuit.
Hops
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Dogs are so funny as well as smart!!!
Another incident that surprised all of us occurred when a neighbor was visiting our house. Nicky was in the basement because that was the biggest space in the house. While me and Nmom was talking with the visiting neighbor, Nicky started whimpering louder and louder to get my attention. The whimpering was almost like singing up and down the scales. I finally called out to him: "Nicky, are you lonely?" and the vocalization that he gave sounded just like he answered: "I'm lonely!" The neighbor's eyes bugged out of her head and she asked, "Did I hear what I thought I heard?!?!?" I repeated the question to Nicky: "Are you lonely?" and he repeated the vocalization: "I'm lonely!" At that point, I went downstairs and gave him a LOT of LOVE!!!!
Bones
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Aa-WOOOOO!
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Nicky also figured out where Nmom kept her candy. Nmom's favorite was York's Peppermint Patties and, it turned out, that was Nicky's favorite too! When Nmom got a piece of candy, she turned around and there was Nicky sitting and politely begging! I happened to be there, watching all of this. She unwrapped the peppermint pattie and set it down in front of him because she was still afraid to touch him. Somehow, he was able to break the piece precisely in half, took one of the halves and broke that exactly in half! He then began to eat each quarter piece in a precise order! Nmom stood there and watched him in amazement. He was so methodical!!!!
Bones
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oooh, be careful. The theobromine in chocolate is toxic to dogs - and cats - and it's one of the main sources of pet poisonings, after houseplants - do be careful - sorry to be a wet blanket here but just in case someone thinks it'd be sweet to feed chocolates to their pooch - be careful - be careful.
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oooh, be careful. The theobromine in chocolate is toxic to dogs - and cats - and it's one of the main sources of pet poisonings, after houseplants - do be careful - sorry to be a wet blanket here but just in case someone thinks it'd be sweet to feed chocolates to their pooch - be careful - be careful.
Thanks, Stormy.
This experience took place back during the 1970's before we knew that any amount of chocolate could be a problem with pets. Nmom was VERY sparing when it came to giving treats to anyone else. She learned very quickly that if she didn't want to look at those BIG brown eyes begging, don't go to the candy cupboard frequently. Nicky might have helped her cut down on her own candy intake! Fun way to diet! :)
Bones
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Are there more smart/stupid/silly pet stories?
I'd like to hear more!
Bones
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If not, I can add one or two more funny dog stories.
Bones
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How many here have pets who like to play practical jokes?
I can remember another time when Nicky played a practical joke on a total stranger!
Bones
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I guess I must be the last one here.
Bones
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Does anybody know how to imbed an image in our replies? We've got the little picture icon that says "insert image" but I can't figure out how that works.
thanks, (and there's a pic attached...tells a great pet story) :shock:
Hops
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My very intelligent, huge dog (who is no longer alive - miss him dearly) watched us deboning the turkey and separating the meat left over from Thanksgiving in 2003. He kept watching us "feed" the trash compactor the bones and other inedibles. Then he look back at us, then back to the trash compactor. Suddenly he moved and planted his bottom right in front of the trash compactor and then opened his mouth.
My h and I roared with laughter seeing our new trash compactor. :lol:
I laugh every time I look at a trash can and think of that funny day.
Too bad the dog was on a special diet and couldn't have any turkey. :(
The type of breed is super intelligent and can apply training to real life situations.
One day our Little Guy, as we used to call our nearly 200 lb dog, decided to go outside on a 'walk-about.' He did this regularly by opening the front door with his nose. Well this time he let the cat out with him.
A little later I found the door open and the cat missing. There was my LIttle Guy out on the deck sunning himself and catching the cool breeze. But no cat in sight. She is strictly an indoor kitty. I got the dog back in the house and started looking outside for the cat. I started calling because she usually comes running to her name. She didn't come.
I went back inside to get some kitty treats. As I started to go outside to retrieve my cat, my Little Guy stormed through the door. Normally he wouldn't do this. Then he started an exaggerated stance - walk and stop and stare to the right; walk and stop and stare to the left. He stick his neck out really far exaggerating the look for the cat.
It was almost comical until I realized he was applying his training. Actually in this case he was applying a game we played indoors to the outdoors and a real life situation. The game indoors was called 'find it' where I hid treats while the Little Guy waited in either a sit-stay or down-stay position. Now he was 'finding the cat' instead of the treats. That is when I went into action. I started commanding the Little Guy to 'find the kitty.'
Off the Little Guy went to show me he knew exactly where the kitty was. When he 'found' her he bowed down and stared under our motorhome. I laughed because I knew he had already known where she was. That's why he could rest assured on the deck.
I praised and treated my wonderful and intelligent dog. Then took him indoors and went to get the cat.
And from that one incident I learned that this breed needs more input and training and games than I had given my Little Guy. So the next puppy will go to specialized classes that fit his personality and drive.
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Another funny pet story about Nicky. He was paper-trained while being in the basement when Nmom and I were at work. When we got home, and after I had changed out of my work clothes, I went downstairs to take care of him and clean up after him. I found his mess neatly wrapped in newspaper bundles ready to be picked up. I though Nmom had done this. Nmom saw this and she commented that she thought I had done it. Neither one of us had wrapped up his mess and we couldn't figure out how it happened. A few days later, on a Saturday, Nmom was in the basement doing some chores when she noticed Nicky taking care of business on the newspaper. To her amazement, she watched as he used his paws and his mouth to tear the newspaper then used his front paws to wrap up his mess into the neat package that we had discovered earlier!! I still could not figure out who taught him to do that!
Bones
Hi Bones,
Our big 200 lb Little Guy would do this too. Even in the SUV if he had an accident do to medication he would neatly fold it up in a towel or blanket.
He was a breeze to house train. Not one single accident because I always 'knew' he had to go.
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Another funny pet story about Nicky. He was paper-trained while being in the basement when Nmom and I were at work. When we got home, and after I had changed out of my work clothes, I went downstairs to take care of him and clean up after him. I found his mess neatly wrapped in newspaper bundles ready to be picked up. I though Nmom had done this. Nmom saw this and she commented that she thought I had done it. Neither one of us had wrapped up his mess and we couldn't figure out how it happened. A few days later, on a Saturday, Nmom was in the basement doing some chores when she noticed Nicky taking care of business on the newspaper. To her amazement, she watched as he used his paws and his mouth to tear the newspaper then used his front paws to wrap up his mess into the neat package that we had discovered earlier!! I still could not figure out who taught him to do that!
Bones
Hi Bones,
Our big 200 lb Little Guy would do this too. Even in the SUV if he had an accident do to medication he would neatly fold it up in a towel or blanket.
He was a breeze to house train. Not one single accident because I always 'knew' he had to go.
Your dog and mine were both AMAZING!!!!! The trick Little Guy played, pretending to be the trash can, is hysterically FUNNY!
Bones
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I believe this falls under the Stupid category:
We have five cats and one of them is big, fat, gray Dusty. He's about five or six years old. Not a kitten anymore by any stretch. Every so often he'll be lying across the back of the couch, letting his tail flop around. Suddenly, out of the corner of his eye, he will catch sight of a long, gray, furry thing taunting him! He will bat at it and try to catch it. It will stay just behind him, very hard to catch, but he is determined. He may even fall off the couch trying to catch it. Sometimes he does grab it and bite it! Ow, something just bit his tail! So, then he gets very, very mad and tries even harder to catch the long, gray, furry thing which somehow seems to have caused something to bite him on the tail. Eventually he will be spitting and snarling and nearly beside himself going after his own tail, biting his own tail, and punishing his own tail for causing him to bite it. Methinks he's just a little bit crazy.
He hasn't done it yet this year, so maybe he finally figured it out.
Pennyplant
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Back in 1995, I and my three kitties came back to the States from Europe... soon afterwards, one of the three, my first red tabby girl, became gravely ill.
Long story short, she was hospitalized for two months, and I visited her daily and helped with her feedings, and in mid October I brought her home [where she lived very happily for another five years].
In December she developed kitty bronchitis. It was relatively mild, but it needed treatment, especially because it was affecting her appetite and a lack of appetite was what had started the whole awful mess several months earlier.
So I was giving her antibiotics, and an antihistamine to stimulate her appetite, and a vitamin formula. The antibiotic was an awful fruit flavored pediatric formula, and the antihistamine was a pill, and the vitamin was a gooey paste I had to smear on the side of her mouth. Cats hate tutti frutti... almost as much as pills and gooey pastes. And we had to go through this ritual three times a day.
Christmas Day arrived. She'd been quite good, all things considered, but by Christmas she had simply had enough. She saw me getting the torture implements out, and disappeared.
After a ten minute search, I noticed a third pillow in my bed, turned back the comforter, and there she was. Grabbed her, took her into the kitchen, and administered the tutti frutti. Put her down to get the antihistamine, and she disappeared.
After a five minute search, I noticed that third pillow was there again. Turned back the comforter... nope, she was under the top blanket? Nope, she was under the second blanket? Nope, she was under the comforter, and the top blanket, and the second blanket, and the sheet. Grabbed her, took her into the kitchen, and administered the antihistamine. Set her down to get the vitamin goo, and she disappeared.
After a thirty second search, I noticed that third pillow was there again. Turned back the comforter... nope. The first blanket... nope. The second blanket... nope. The sheet... ... ... nope? Nope? NOPE? Where on earth was the cat?
And then I saw the little red tail.... hanging out of the pillowcase.
She had crawled INTO THE PILLOWCASE ON TOP OF THE PILLOW.
I laughed so hard I cried, and I picked her up and hugged her half to death, and I took her back into the kitchen, and after I administered the vitamin goo I wiped her mouth with a wet paper towel, and administered an entire jar of ham baby food, one fingerfull at a time, to much loud purring, and then I put her right back under the comforter and lay down next to her on top of the bed and laughed and laughed and laughed... and thanked God that she was still alive, and had such a sense of humor, and had not as much as bared a single tooth or claw on that day or any other day when she was being tended to.
If I live another fifty years, I will never get a better or more meaningful Christmas present.
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Awww......
My little kitty Visa (named after my credit card, which was following me everywhere), used to approach an immaculately made bed that had a heavy chenille spread and jump under the spread and advance to the middle in such a way that she created not one wrinkle. Always amazed me.
I'd sneak up and gently press down on her with my two hands, and it'd be so funny to hear her muffled peep of protest. It really looked so funny, that centered lump-from-outer-space.
She was adorable.
Hops
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And then I saw the little red tail.... hanging out of the pillowcase.
This is the cutest story, I can just picture this creative little kitty hiding herself so well on the bed. She must have really trusted you if she put up with all that medicine without clawing or biting.
Pennyplant
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I guess everybody can see the moose-kitty pic,
but I have no idea how I did it! :)
Hops
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Henry's costume:
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OMG, Beth, thank you! I love Henry!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
(And do you remember the steps you took to embed the photo?)
Does anybody mind when people post photos? We haven't done much of that....
love and a big slurp to Howlin' Henry....watta punkin...
Hops
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Go below the message when you are ready to post and it says "Additional Options." Click on that and then you can browse and choose a photo.
My Henry's a character for sure!!!!
Love, Beth
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This could also come under silly cat story.
When I was visiting with my cousin-in-law several years ago, she had a very long-haired Persian cat. During the course of my visit, my cousin-in-law had to use the rest room and the cat went into the bathroom with her. Suddenly I heard a LOUD explosion of laughter come from behind the closed door! Turned out that as my cousin-in-law was taking care of business, the Persian cat perched itself on the edge of the bathtub. My cousin and his wife always kept about an inch of water in the tub to discourage the cats from doing whatever there. As my cousin-in-law watched, the cat dozed off to sleep and, in S-L-O-W motion, slid into the tub!!! When the cat hit the water, it had the most STARTLED look on its face and couldn't scramble out of the tub fast enough!!! Seeing all that long Persian hair dripping wet made it all the funnier!!!!!
Bones
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And then I saw the little red tail.... hanging out of the pillowcase.
This is the cutest story, I can just picture this creative little kitty hiding herself so well on the bed. She must have really trusted you if she put up with all that medicine without clawing or biting.
Pennyplant
What I loved most about the whole episode is that she knew perfectly well that I'd find her again - she wasn't really trying to hide effectively, she was trying to register a protest at still having to take all this stuff - and she did it with humor and with gentleness. She was one in a million, this little red girl, and I was so very lucky to have her in my life.
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And then I saw the little red tail.... hanging out of the pillowcase.
This is the cutest story, I can just picture this creative little kitty hiding herself so well on the bed. She must have really trusted you if she put up with all that medicine without clawing or biting.
Pennyplant
What I loved most about the whole episode is that she knew perfectly well that I'd find her again - she wasn't really trying to hide effectively, she was trying to register a protest at still having to take all this stuff - and she did it with humor and with gentleness. She was one in a million, this little red girl, and I was so very lucky to have her in my life.
She is ADORABLE!!!! And some people dare to say that "animals are dumb"? No way!!!!
Bones
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How many here have pets who like to play practical jokes?
I can remember another time when Nicky played a practical joke on a total stranger!
Bones
One day, I was taking Nicky for a walk along a row of shops. I stopped to look at some stuff in a store window, near a bus stop. Suddenly, I heard a SHRIEK!!! I turned around and there was a lady, at the bus stop, staring at Nicky with her mouth open!! Nicky was placidly sitting there with a "Who, me?" innocent expression on his face! (This was during the 1970's where there were mini-skirts still being worn.) Turns out, Nicky had snuck up behind her and "goosed" her with his cold nose!!!!!!!
Bones
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Yes, my cats have always been 'chop-busters'. Mostly, it's 'can I get into the closet without Mommy seeing me?' And it's clearly a joke with them, because it's only focused on the closets, and as soon as I dig them out from behind the shoes, back in they go again the moment they get past my guard.
Nobody ever makes any attempt to get out the front door. But the closets.... mein Gott in Himmel!
Edit in: thanks, Bones. Just read your post. She was adorable, for sure. Vets loved her because she was so trusting and cooperative with them. When she was terminally ill, and I was nursing her, I remembered a line from a Ray Bradbury short story...
'I have grown; I have changed; but she is still young, she is still small, and I will love her forever - oh God, I will love her forever."
I have a silly sweet red girl with no tail, now, just a tailbud [Japanese Bobtail rescue kitty] and I love her just as much, she and my new tortie fill my heart and make it smile, but I'll never forget my Christmas Fink. Or my sweet Sophie girl.
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Yes, my cats have always been 'chop-busters'. Mostly, it's 'can I get into the closet without Mommy seeing me?' And it's clearly a joke with them, because it's only focused on the closets, and as soon as I dig them out from behind the shoes, back in they go again the moment they get past my guard.
Nobody ever makes any attempt to get out the front door. But the closets.... mein Gott in Himmel!
Edit in: thanks, Bones. Just read your post. She was adorable, for sure. Vets loved her because she was so trusting and cooperative with them. When she was terminally ill, and I was nursing her, I remembered a line from a Ray Bradbury short story...
'I have grown; I have changed; but she is still young, she is still small, and I will love her forever - oh God, I will love her forever."
I have a silly sweet red girl with no tail, now, just a tailbud [Japanese Bobtail rescue kitty] and I love her just as much, she and my new tortie fill my heart and make it smile, but I'll never forget my Christmas Fink. Or my sweet Sophie girl.
I know what you mean!!! They may be covered in fur but they are still babies!!!!
Bones
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My fuzzy valentine,
Sweet comic valentine,
You make me smile with my heart;
You are so laughable,
So photographable,
A little furry work of art!
So you have no pedigree.
That's as trivial as can be.
When you're looking up at me,
With that smile...
Don't change a hair for me,
Not if you care for me.
Stay, fuzzy valentine, stay...
Each day is Valentine's Day.
edit in: giving credit where credit is due:
Writer(s): rodgers/hart
My funny valentine,
Sweet comic valentine,
You make me smile with my heart --
Your looks are laughable,
Unphotographable,
Yet you're my favourite work of art
Is your figure less than Greek?
Is your mouth a little weak?
When you open it to speak
Do you smile?
Don't change a hair for me.
Not if you care for me --
Stay, little valentine, stay --
Each day is Valentine's Day.
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My fuzzy valentine,
Sweet comic valentine,
You make me smile with my heart;
You are so laughable,
So photographable,
A little furry work of art!
So you have no pedigree.
That's as trivial as can be.
When you're looking up at me,
With that smile...
Don't change a hair for me,
Not if you care for me.
Stay, fuzzy valentine, stay...
Each day is Valentine's Day.
That's NEAT!!! :D
Makes me think of the CUTEST kitty I had ever met! She LOVED to suck on my thumb as she went to sleep, purring!!!
Bones
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To continue the thread of practical jokes and pets...at one time I used to wear a wig that had highlights streaked through it. (I wasn't allowed to color my hair back then.) Nicky was out in the yard, stretching his legs, and he came up on the front porch. I was standing inside the screen door, talking to him while Nmom was watching. At one point, I decided to take off the wig and fluff out my own hair. When I did that, Nicky did the BIGGEST double-take at me and his facial expression said: "Huh?!?!? What the?!?!?!?!?" He looked so CUTE and FUNNY when he reacted to my practical joke!
Bones
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Bones, that is hysterical!
Speaking of cute and funny... I missed Henry on the previous page, it takes a while for the image to come up on my computer... oh what a cutie pie! What a big old bulldarling pooch!
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Hey All,
I finally have another Iris the fetch kitty story but this time it's not about bring tossed straws back to me. 8)
Moonlet (my D) dressed up as a cute little bunny and Moonlet's friend dressed up as a kitty for Halloween. :D
Moonlet's friend has silky black hair and her costume cat ears looked so real with fake furry ears.
When our Iris kitty came into the room where the girls were our Iris kitty arched her back and kept looking at Moonlet's girlfriend's
fake cat ears and kept arching her back until Moonlet's friend took off the fake cat ears.We all started to laugh. :lol:
Then Iris scampered away to her favorite pillow spot to curl up.
I am sure Iris kitty was glad when Mr moon took Moonlet's friend home.
Our poor sweet little Iris kitty got tricked on Halloween :shock:
MoonLight
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(http://)
Happy Halloween to Moon and the Moonlets and little Iris kitty and here's one for Brigid and Her Man.
:D
Hops
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Bones, that is hysterical!
Speaking of cute and funny... I missed Henry on the previous page, it takes a while for the image to come up on my computer... oh what a cutie pie! What a big old bulldarling pooch!
Thanks, Stormy!
For some reason, I couldn't access the image of Henry.
Bones
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Hey All,
I finally have another Iris the fetch kitty story but this time it's not about bring tossed straws back to me. 8)
Moonlet (my D) dressed up as a cute little bunny and Moonlet's friend dressed up as a kitty for Halloween. :D
Moonlet's friend has silky black hair and her costume cat ears looked so real with fake furry ears.
When our Iris kitty came into the room where the girls were our Iris kitty arched her back and kept looking at Moonlet's girlfriend's
fake cat ears and kept arching her back until Moonlet's friend took off the fake cat ears.We all started to laugh. :lol:
Then Iris scampered away to her favorite pillow spot to curl up.
I am sure Iris kitty was glad when Mr moon took Moonlet's friend home.
Our poor sweet little Iris kitty got tricked on Halloween :shock:
MoonLight
Hee-hee!!! Now THAT'S what I call Trick or Treat!!!! :lol:
Bones
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Sorry about the pic being so enormous...I haven't learned how to size things.
If you even can reduce the size of pics you didn't take yourself?
I'm a Luddite.
Hops
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Here's motorcat, a former celebrity in the DC metro area.
http://www.nationalgeographic.org/ngkids/9607/cat.html
[Bones: try leaving the page open for awhile. I found that Henry showed up after about three minutes.]
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Here's motorcat, a former celebrity in the DC metro area.
http://www.nationalgeographic.org/ngkids/9607/cat.html
[Bones: try leaving the page open for awhile. I found that Henry showed up after about three minutes.]
Thanks, Stormy!
Looks like Motor Cat can differentiate between the colors of Red and Green!
I'll try to access Henry's picture again and see if it opens or if I get the "unable to access" computer message again. I don't know if there is a difference between posting the picture in the body of the message and subscript or what the "glitch" might be.
Bones
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This silly dog incident happened a few months ago! It still cracks me up thinking about it! :lol:
My next door neighbor has a dog of indeterminant breed. My neighbor asked to see me to discuss some concerns regarding our housing development. While we were talking, "Cleo" kept bouncing around and acting REALLY G-O-O-F-Y!!! I mean, W-A-A-A-Y GOOFIER than usual!!! :shock: She would deliberately run, head first, into the furniture, look to see if we were watching, then do it again!!! (It appeared as if she was feeling NO pain!) She also had this silly grin on her face while she was doing this!!! Finally, I noticed that she had something in her mouth while she was acting goofy. My neighbor managed to get it away from her so we could look at it. Turns out, this silly dog had gotten a hold of the cat's CATNIP TOY and had chewed it to smithereens!!!! That goofy dog was HIGH ON CATNIP!!!! :lol: :lol: :lol: I could NOT stop laughing!!!!
Bones
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OH Bones
"The goofy dog was high on Catnip" I love love love it that is so funny......... :lol: :lol: :lol:
My Iris kitty is right here next to me curled up in a box that is just a little too small for her but she likes it that way.
And the other day we got a ups box delivered and it is long not very high and my sweettie Iris kitty crawled in there
and curled up in the end of the box like it was a hide out.
My little fuzzy kat is adorable.
So much love to you Bones :D
moon
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OH Bones
"The goofy dog was high on Catnip" I love love love it that is so funny......... :lol: :lol: :lol:
My Iris kitty is right here next to me curled up in a box that is just a little too small for her but she likes it that way.
And the other day we got a ups box delivered and it is long not very high and my sweettie Iris kitty crawled in there
and curled up in the end of the box like it was a hide out.
My little fuzzy kat is adorable.
So much love to you Bones :D
moon
Thanks, Moon!
Dogs and cats are so CUTE and FUNNY! I love animals!!! One cat I knew from several years ago would always make a particular sound as soon as she saw me. She never made that sound with anyone else. It was as if she was saying: "Hi, Bones!" I miss her!
Bones
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Hello Bones ,
I had a cat we got when my 28 year old d was 5 years old and she lived for 22 years .This was our Katie Kat.Oh I miss her so much...
When we first got her well when she was a year old she ran out into the street and a car hit her.
Her pelvis was hurt and her leg was broken in three spots AND I took her to the doctor right away .
My oldest d was in the car holding her.We got her to the vet and the doctor saved her and every day my h and d and I would go see
her and soon we took her home and she recovered completely and lived so long .
I miss her really bad and have lots of photo's of her.
She seemed to know our moods and was so smart and loving. :D
MOONLIGHT
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hey Bones,
You are a doggone :P good participant on the Animal Stories thread (yeah...I'm gonna rename it, so it's not limited to animals one "owns"--or who own one...)
Do you have a pet of your own?
If not, is there one you can get to know, or borrow?
Once when I lived in a tiny house on the Eastern Shore I used to go have "dates" with Riley, a Chesapeake Bay retriever. I'd spend the night at my artist friend's tenant house on a huge plantation, near which lived another artist, owner of Riley (hey, I liked my friend but I was IN LOVE WITH Riley). Very early in the a.m. I'd take my coffee out on the porch and watch the mist over the field and all the amazing waterfowl (things like great blue herons, cranes, egrets) appear...and within a few minutes I'd hear the other artist's screen door bang and out would come Riley, heading straight for me. He's come to take me for a walk. Friendliest dog I almost ever knew... Those were great walks.
A while later I dumped him and got my own amazing pound-rescue pooch, Big, a yellow Lab. Riley had an amazing capacity to find substitutes...didn't mind a bit. :)
Hops
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Hello Bones ,
I had a cat we got when my 28 year old d was 5 years old and she lived for 22 years .This was our Katie Kat.Oh I miss her so much...
When we first got her well when she was a year old she ran out into the street and a car hit her.
Her pelvis was hurt and her leg was broken in three spots AND I took her to the doctor right away .
My oldest d was in the car holding her.We got her to the vet and the doctor saved her and every day my h and d and I would go see
her and soon we took her home and she recovered completely and lived so long .
I miss her really bad and have lots of photo's of her.
She seemed to know our moods and was so smart and loving. :D
MOONLIGHT
To me, there is no such thing as a dumb animal. They are unconditional love!
Bones
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hey Bones,
You are a doggone :P good participant on the Animal Stories thread (yeah...I'm gonna rename it, so it's not limited to animals one "owns"--or who own one...)
Do you have a pet of your own?
If not, is there one you can get to know, or borrow?
Once when I lived in a tiny house on the Eastern Shore I used to go have "dates" with Riley, a Chesapeake Bay retriever. I'd spend the night at my artist friend's tenant house on a huge plantation, near which lived another artist, owner of Riley (hey, I liked my friend but I was IN LOVE WITH Riley). Very early in the a.m. I'd take my coffee out on the porch and watch the mist over the field and all the amazing waterfowl (things like great blue herons, cranes, egrets) appear...and within a few minutes I'd hear the other artist's screen door bang and out would come Riley, heading straight for me. He's come to take me for a walk. Friendliest dog I almost ever knew... Those were great walks.
A while later I dumped him and got my own amazing pound-rescue pooch, Big, a yellow Lab. Riley had an amazing capacity to find substitutes...didn't mind a bit. :)
Hops
That sounds like the Eastern Shore of Maryland, which is a BEAUTIFUL area!
Riley reminds me of the pets that used to live next door to me when I was a kid. The next door neighbors first had a dog named "Snowflake". Everytime my Dad went to sit on our front porch, Snowflake would make a beeline for him, sit with him, and my Dad would feed him watermelon. The dog's owner didn't like the idea that HIS dog liked to be with my Dad more than be at home with him! Years later, the same neighbor got a Siamese cat named Sam. Guess what? Everytime I sat on our front porch, Sam would make a beeline for me and sit with me for hours!! The neighbor could not figure out why both his dog and his cat preferred my Dad and me to him! The only reason my Dad and I didn't have pets was because Nmom refused to allow it. (Ironic that during the 70's, Nicky adopted her after I brought him home!)
Now I have my boyfriend's birds here. At one time, we had several more pets, including hamsters, gerbils and a rabbit, which got to be TOO MUCH!!! I've managed to convince him to whittle the number down to three. Once these birds reach the end of their lifespans, then we can talk about getting another hamster...especially the long-haired Teddy Bear hamster!!! I babied the last Teddy Bear hamster we had and he lived to the ripe old age of nearly 4 years. (The normal lifespan of a hamster averages two years.) Since I live in a relatively small space, I think hamsters would be the most logical pets to have...especially if they are tame enough to be petted and pampered.
Bones
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I recently made a new doggie friend recently! I was studying at a classmate's house and her Basset Hound kept begging for a cuddle, so I obliged. Now she has a friend for life!!! When it was time for me to go home, she had the saddest, most woe-begone expression on her face!!! I thought she was going to cry!
Bones
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I LOVE Bassett Hounds!!!!! The are so sweet and adorable.
Here's my pet story... Henry (my bulldog) has been really bad lately... trying to one-up me by sitting on the furniture and going to the bathroom in the house (trust me he KNOWS BETTER). He is extrememly smart.
So, on the advice of various dog trainers, and the dog whisperer, I decided it was time to go back to "caging" him at night. I put his bed in our small downstairs bathroom and put him in and close the door and turn off the light and he sleeps there. It has made a huge change in his attitude and he is behaving so much better. He does whine for about 15 minutes before he settles in.
So alst night I put him in the bathroom (a struggle) and he didn't even howl. I heard a bit of scuffling around and that was it and I figured he had happily resigned to his new bedroom. So this morning I go downstairs and he is sleeping IN THE KITCHEN. How did he open the door???? We will see what happens tonight. I should have bought the goldfish that I was supposed to get when I came upon him...
Love, Beth
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Awww....I love Henry.
Maybe he's a little lonesome, wants a goldfish?
More important...did he flush?
:lol:
Hops
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I LOVE Bassett Hounds!!!!! The are so sweet and adorable.
Here's my pet story... Henry (my bulldog) has been really bad lately... trying to one-up me by sitting on the furniture and going to the bathroom in the house (trust me he KNOWS BETTER). He is extrememly smart.
So, on the advice of various dog trainers, and the dog whisperer, I decided it was time to go back to "caging" him at night. I put his bed in our small downstairs bathroom and put him in and close the door and turn off the light and he sleeps there. It has made a huge change in his attitude and he is behaving so much better. He does whine for about 15 minutes before he settles in.
So alst night I put him in the bathroom (a struggle) and he didn't even howl. I heard a bit of scuffling around and that was it and I figured he had happily resigned to his new bedroom. So this morning I go downstairs and he is sleeping IN THE KITCHEN. How did he open the door???? We will see what happens tonight. I should have bought the goldfish that I was supposed to get when I came upon him...
Love, Beth
Dogs are SMART!!!! What endeared me to "Lulu" was during my study time with my classmate. "Lulu" kept trying to snuggle her head under my arm while I was discussing the school project. When I didn't respond right away, she got behind my chair and "goosed" me with her cold nose!!!!! :lol: When I turned around to look at her, she gave me a cuddle and a puppy kiss! I had to laugh at that!!! :lol:
Bones
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LuLu is the name of my favorite little dog in the neighborhood... a French Bulldog. She is so sweet and funny and pig headed :)
Yes, my girlfriend's dog, Odie, will push his nose under my arm if I stop petting him. He is a cuddle bunny!!!
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LuLu is the name of my favorite little dog in the neighborhood... a French Bulldog. She is so sweet and funny and pig headed :)
Yes, my girlfriend's dog, Odie, will push his nose under my arm if I stop petting him. He is a cuddle bunny!!!
:D :D "Lulu", the Bassett Hound, is most definitely a LOVE-BUG and "CUDDLE-BUG"! If she had the chance, she would have climbed into my lap even though she a bit big to be a lap-dog! :D You Lulu and Odie sound like a LOT of FUN too!!!! It's hard to stay sad when one looks into their CUTE faces and see those gorgeous eyes staring back at you with a goofy grin on their faces!!!
Bones
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I'm hoping to read more funny pet stories. More? Please?
Thanks!
Bones
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This is one about Bagel, current pooch.
I think I told it here last year but for you I'll repeat!
She is made a lot like a husky, but bigger in the chest. She has the double-coat.
Anyway, she hates to swim. Once at the edge of a calm city lake her footing slipped and she had to swim a stroke or two. Never again. She just would wade up to her chest and stand there, biting the water! That was funny to watch.
Anyway, she'd never seen the ocean. One time I took her with us. My D was already out beyond the surf, swimming and laughing with her friends. I brought Bagel from the house and we walked toward the sea. Happy dog, no idea what was over those sand mountains.
When we came across the boardwalk over the dunes she saw the ocean for the first time (ROUGH surf that day), and D out in it! Well that dog who hated to swim blasted her way through her first ever waves, getting good and smashed by hem and kept on fighting through the surf until she reached my D and tried to herd her back to the beach. Damned if she wasn't trying to "save" her.
Hero doggie! :lol:
Hops
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This is one about Bagel, current pooch.
I think I told it here last year but for you I'll repeat!
She is made a lot like a husky, but bigger in the chest. She has the double-coat.
Anyway, she hates to swim. Once at the edge of a calm city lake her footing slipped and she had to swim a stroke or two. Never again. She just would wade up to her chest and stand there, biting the water! That was funny to watch.
Anyway, she'd never seen the ocean. One time I took her with us. My D was already out beyond the surf, swimming and laughing with her friends. I brought Bagel from the house and we walked toward the sea. Happy dog, no idea what was over those sand mountains.
When we came across the boardwalk over the dunes she saw the ocean for the first time (ROUGH surf that day), and D out in it! Well that dog who hated to swim blasted her way through her first ever waves, getting good and smashed by hem and kept on fighting through the surf until she reached my D and tried to herd her back to the beach. Damned if she wasn't trying to "save" her.
Hero doggie! :lol:
Hops
:lol: :lol: Awwwwwww!!!!!! (((((((Bagel!)))))))))) Cute doggie!!!!!!
Bones
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Last night we rented a movie called "The march of the Penguins" it is such a good movie .
Our littlest daughter loves it so we keep renting it .And littlest daughter watches the mom and dad penguins and when they touch there beaks she says awwwwwwwwwwwwww
Little daughter loves the Penguin movie. Well our Iris kitty kat was curled up near littlest daughter.Iris kitty woke up jumped over in front of the T.V. she could not keep her eyes off the t.v.
Iris kitty also watches animal planet.
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Amazingly beautiful movie.
I felt so awful when one of the eggs rolled off and froze...
Those brave dads. The gay ones too.
I kept thinking how incredibly cold the cinematographer must be!
:) Hops
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Hey Guys
Our Iris Kitty Kat also for no reason that I can detect will just jump up and run around the house like her tails on fire .
It's unbelievable she just races around.
And then stops looks at you like "aren't you going to exercise"and then curls up in a corner.
my sweet little moonlet is home from school sore throat she's sleeping now.
moonlight
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I think Iris sounds awesome! I love Krazy Kats.
Today Ma got several floral deliveries...Bagel wouldn't calm down until I took a big mixed bouquet off the table and held it down for her so she could smell each one.
:lol:
(Remind me to send my dog flowers sometime....)
Hops
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I think Iris sounds awesome! I love Krazy Kats.
Today Ma got several floral deliveries...Bagel wouldn't calm down until I took a big mixed bouquet off the table and held it down for her so she could smell each one.
:lol:
(Remind me to send my dog flowers sometime....)
Hops
Bagel is so CUTE and FUNNY....checking out all the flowers!!!! :lol: I can just visualize her doing that!!!
Bones
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Just thought of another memory that was triggered by a television commercial.
Nicky was also a LOVE-BUG with me....dancing around and giving me puppy kisses at every opportunity every time I came home! One day, I had to replace my old car. When I parked the new car at the house, Nicky started barking the "intruder bark" and baring his teeth! As soon as he realized it was me getting out of the car, he got the most sheepish, embarrassed look on his face!!!! :lol: He looked to cute and funny!!!
Bones
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Boy, Bones, you and I need help on this thread, don't we?
Well, it's just an oddity. But in consideration of Thanksgiving I'll offer a story my mother used to tell:
Her uncle owned a huge turkey farm. She'd never been there and what she remembers most, 80 years later, was when she went to visit them, and in their old jalopy they slowly drove into the center of acres of turkeys. The huge mass of them began to gobble in unison, and as they did, their wattles turned from pale to deep scarlet, so it was huge wave of color in a band that appeared all at once. It must've been a striking sight.
I am thinking I will turn down the turkey at the church potluck this year.
Hops
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Boy, Bones, you and I need help on this thread, don't we?
Well, it's just an oddity. But in consideration of Thanksgiving I'll offer a story my mother used to tell:
Her uncle owned a huge turkey farm. She'd never been there and what she remembers most, 80 years later, was when she went to visit them, and in their old jalopy they slowly drove into the center of acres of turkeys. The huge mass of them began to gobble in unison, and as they did, their wattles turned from pale to deep scarlet, so it was huge wave of color in a band that appeared all at once. It must've been a striking sight.
I am thinking I will turn down the turkey at the church potluck this year.
Hops
Yeah! It looks like we are the main people here.
I didn't know turkeys are capable of doing that! I can only visualize what that might have looked like!
Bones
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I would help the thread along, but my animals who do funny things are of the small human type and I don't think that counts under this heading :)
I can say that Henry likes to steal just one shoe from any guest who comes into the house and put it in his bed. Not sure what it means... maybe that he noticed someone was visiting?
Love, Beth
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Most of my animal stories are of the "you had to be there" variety. My mother has had cats that do spectacular stunts, but, who knows, maybe she exaggerates!
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I remember learning something about cats that struck me as terribly funny:
When they bring a dead mouse or vole or whatever and dump it at the threshold, they are not trying to feed the family. They are trying, with great patience, to teach their humans to hunt.
(How frustrating for them! :lol:)
Hops
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Iris really loves t.v. last night she watched the Disney movie "Cars" with us she really watches amazing .I thought she just liked animals but she watches other stuff too.
But what she likes the best is birds she does get soooooooooooooooo excited about birdies
And finds the highest spot she can when watching the tube.......
moonlight
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Ooo, please rent The Parrots of Telegraph Hill for Iris!
(Maybe she'll let you watch it with her. Or maybe you've seen it already.)
I think you, Mr. Moon and both moonlets would love it.
hugs,
Hops
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Hi ya Hops OK
We will rent it this weekend
I am sure Iris will just love it with your recommendation and PP
I am sure moon family will love it :D :D :D
m
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I vaguely remember hearing somewhere about a dog that loves to watch TV so much that he licks the screen when his favorite character comes on! I wish I can remember where I saw that.
Bones
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I've just come home from visiting with friends who happen to have a four-legged clown for a cat! :lol: While the group of us were chattng, "Cozmo" was playing with his toy which was a ball encased in a track about 18 inches in diameter. After smacking the ball around faster and faster, he then stuck his forelegs into both sides of the track, scooted it across the floor, then somehow managed to get it on his head and started scooting it around that way!! He was cracking us all up with his antics! :lol:
Bones
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BTW, watching Cozmo's antics last night reminded me of another crazy cat I encountered during my childhood. I was visiting with some neighbors on a summer day and was sitting in one of those summer loungers with the webbing/weave. Because it was summer, I was wearing shorts. While I was chatting with my neighbor, I suddenly felt a strange sensation on my rear end which kept repeating itself at regular intervals! :shock: When I finally figured out the timing of these strange sensations on my seat, I quickly jumped up and twirled to see this Siamese cat's paw poking through the webbing and waving widly!!! :shock: :shock: It was as if the cat was saying: "Where did she go?!?!? Where did she go?!?!?! My target's gone!!!!!!" Turned out the cat had been sneaking underneath my seat, would whack me on my bum, run around the house, sneak back under my seat and repeat the performance!!! :shock: :lol: :shock: :lol: Crazy Cat!!!!!!
Bones
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:lol: That's a riot.
A Buttock-Attack Cat! Very special breed...
I remember once being out on the terrace on a chaise, reading, and a bird flew and perched on my head. It was a long minute before it startled and I remember laughing because I was thinking it was thinking, wait! This hairy fencepost just wiggled!
Hops
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:lol: That's a riot.
A Buttock-Attack Cat! Very special breed...
I remember once being out on the terrace on a chaise, reading, and a bird flew and perched on my head. It was a long minute before it startled and I remember laughing because I was thinking it was thinking, wait! This hairy fencepost just wiggled!
Hops
That's funny!! :lol:
That reminds me of a wild bunny that I encountered one night. As I was getting off duty, I saw two bunnies play-chasing each other in the parking lot then run behind the facility. Just as I turned around to open my car door, one of the bunnies came running pell-mell around the car and stopped short from crashing into me! The look on its face was priceless the second it saw me!! :shock: I just waved at it and said "Hi, Sweetie-Baby!" It turned and R-A-N!!!!!!!
Bones
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hahaha! Bones!!
That reminds me of one time....my big scary dog (who doesn't like gun shots and fire crackers).....was outside, up at our cabin, when someone was hunting. Bang! And my dog took off like a bat outta H E double hockey sticks!!
Ran like the wind.....down through the ravine......up the other side and across one neighbour's property.....and as she came to the next neighbour's place, I guess they had a visitor who was just about to leave and he had opened the door of his pick up truck, ready to step in......
......when out of no where......like a big hairy flash......flew my dog......straight by his legs, whizzed by the steering wheel......right into the passenger seat of his truck (and he says she looked at him with a look that said something like: "I have no idea who you are or where you're going but pullllllllleeeeze get me outta here!").
:D Sela
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hahaha! Bones!!
That reminds me of one time....my big scary dog (who doesn't like gun shots and fire crackers).....was outside, up at our cabin, when someone was hunting. Bang! And my dog took off like a bat outta H E double hockey sticks!!
Ran like the wind.....down through the ravine......up the other side and across one neighbour's property.....and as she came to the next neighbour's place, I guess they had a visitor who was just about to leave and he had opened the door of his pick up truck, ready to step in......
......when out of no where......like a big hairy flash......flew my dog......straight by his legs, whizzed by the steering wheel......right into the passenger seat of his truck (and he says she looked at him with a look that said something like: "I have no idea who you are or where you're going but pullllllllleeeeze get me outta here!").
:D Sela
:lol: :lol: That FUNNY!!!! :lol: :lol:
When I was camping with friends at a cabin in West Virginia, we had an ADORABLE puppy with us. Needless to say, we BABIED him! One day we were sitting outside the cabin on foldng chairs. The puppy was on a leash that was tied to the leg of the chair his owner was sitting in. As we chatted, he was curled up, asleep, under the chair. At one point, the puppy's owner had to go inside the cabin to use the restroom so she quietly got up, so that the "baby" wouldn't wake up and walked up onto the cabin's porch. Before she could reach the door, the puppy woke up and R-A-N as fast as his little legs could take him after his "Mommy", totally forgetting that his leash was tied to the folding chair!!! Because the chair was made of light-weight aluminum, it clattered behind him and scared him so bad that he left a trail of "pee" in his wake!!! The rest of us were trying to catch up with the "baby" so we can get control over the chair. Both the puppy's owner and myself hugged the "baby" while he shook and cried. We made sure he got a LOT of extra love that day!!!
Bones
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I love that one, Sela! You reminded me of Herriott (I've started watching the PBS show, but nothing beat his books.)
(Poor little pups, Bones. He'd be irratonally terrified of chairs, hope he got therapy.)
Hops
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I would help the thread along, but my animals who do funny things are of the small human type and I don't think that counts under this heading :)
I can say that Henry likes to steal just one shoe from any guest who comes into the house and put it in his bed. Not sure what it means... maybe that he noticed someone was visiting?
Love, Beth
Oh, one of my dear departed cats had a shoe fetish... I hadn't thought about Michael and shoes for a while. Thanks for reminding me, it was so funny and sweet.
This silly old sweet guy was just NUTS about my shoes, especially the leather low-heeled pumps I wore to work [still do]. Pretty much all my working life, the first thing I do when I get home is change out of my shoes and work togs, and have a quick foot soak - about five minutes, just a little hot water in the tub. Nearly every day, I'd pop out of the bathroom in my slippers, and Michael would be in the bedroom, with his face mooshed up into the toe of one of my shoes and holding the other one in his front paws like a cuddly toy. Purring so hard you could SEE his sides moving.
My ex used to refer to him as Michael, the Feline Purrvurrt...
It was nice to be loved, but a little strange to be loved for my stinky shoes!!!!!
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How funny! :lol:
Hops
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Awwww Bones, :(. Poor wee lad eh? Scared his little self. :shock: I bet it was a funny scene at the time and I'm glad ya'll gave him lot's of extra attention after that one. Poor little guy.
Hey Beth:
I would help the thread along, but my animals who do funny things are of the small human type and I don't think that counts under this heading.
I'd love to hear your funny stories! Hope you'll tell us sometime! :D
Oh Hops I love James Harriott's books! Truly a joy to read him!
Speaking of shoes.........my H can't keep a pair of slippers on the floor. If he goes out, and forgets to put them up high some place, when he gets back, our TasmanianTillymonster has ingested them!! For some reason she adores his stink. She also steals face cloths out of the laundry basket and chews them to bits too, if the opportunity presents itself.
What is it about dogs and stink? I guess maybe it's got something to do with their evolution from the bear? (I read that both dogs and cats came from the same animal, that later became the bear......don't know the name of it .. :?). Nothing loves stink like a bear, so they say!! I suppose cats have the same inherited ......fetish.
:D Sela
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I love that one, Sela! You reminded me of Herriott (I've started watching the PBS show, but nothing beat his books.)
(Poor little pups, Bones. He'd be irratonally terrified of chairs, hope he got therapy.)
Hops
I don't know about the therapy. I gave him a LOT of cuddles and kisses to try to help him feel better.
Bones
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I would help the thread along, but my animals who do funny things are of the small human type and I don't think that counts under this heading :)
I can say that Henry likes to steal just one shoe from any guest who comes into the house and put it in his bed. Not sure what it means... maybe that he noticed someone was visiting?
Love, Beth
Oh, one of my dear departed cats had a shoe fetish... I hadn't thought about Michael and shoes for a while. Thanks for reminding me, it was so funny and sweet.
This silly old sweet guy was just NUTS about my shoes, especially the leather low-heeled pumps I wore to work [still do]. Pretty much all my working life, the first thing I do when I get home is change out of my shoes and work togs, and have a quick foot soak - about five minutes, just a little hot water in the tub. Nearly every day, I'd pop out of the bathroom in my slippers, and Michael would be in the bedroom, with his face mooshed up into the toe of one of my shoes and holding the other one in his front paws like a cuddly toy. Purring so hard you could SEE his sides moving.
My ex used to refer to him as Michael, the Feline Purrvurrt...
It was nice to be loved, but a little strange to be loved for my stinky shoes!!!!!
That's CUTE!!!!! I think I've seen some photos on the Internet of a cat that does something similar.
Bones
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Awwww Bones, :(. Poor wee lad eh? Scared his little self. :shock: I bet it was a funny scene at the time and I'm glad ya'll gave him lot's of extra attention after that one. Poor little guy.
Hey Beth:
I would help the thread along, but my animals who do funny things are of the small human type and I don't think that counts under this heading.
I'd love to hear your funny stories! Hope you'll tell us sometime! :D
Oh Hops I love James Harriott's books! Truly a joy to read him!
Speaking of shoes.........my H can't keep a pair of slippers on the floor. If he goes out, and forgets to put them up high some place, when he gets back, our TasmanianTillymonster has ingested them!! For some reason she adores his stink. She also steals face cloths out of the laundry basket and chews them to bits too, if the opportunity presents itself.
What is it about dogs and stink? I guess maybe it's got something to do with their evolution from the bear? (I read that both dogs and cats came from the same animal, that later became the bear......don't know the name of it .. :?). Nothing loves stink like a bear, so they say!! I suppose cats have the same inherited ......fetish.
:D Sela
Thanks, Sela!
We all tried out best to comfort the little "baby" with a LOT of extra TLC!
Bones
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edit
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I sure enjoyed this thread this morning! I read through all the stories and just laughed. Some of my favorite memories involve our animals--the best thing about moving to the farm has been the opportunity to have LOTS!
When we first moved here, we were the greenest of greenhorns and the slickest of city slickers. Every time I went to the feed store, I came home with a new baby animal, or two, or three. One time I came home with 4 little yellow fuzzy ducks that I decided I would keep in a cardboard box in the pantry until the chicken yard was built. They had a big box and a warming light and I fed them and kept their "house" very clean. The work that entailed meant that we got the chicken yard finished in record time!
I came down one night in the middle of the night to some terrible sqwacking! When I looked in the box, three of the ducks were huddled in terror in one corner of the box, and the fourth had somehow loosened the heavy packing tape on the edge of the box and had gotten it stuck to the top of his head! He was bouncing around on the end of the tape and yelling like crazy! I extricated him and he ran back to the other babies where they all talked excitedly to one another. From then on, even after he graduated to lake living, we called him "Tape Head".
Later we raised Muscovies--they technically arent ducks, but they look like them. Big difference is--they cant quack. They are silent except for a breathy noise that comes out when they make quacking motions. A lot of times, we would look out in the yard and they would be standing in a circle, "talking" to each other with very exagerrated neck motions. They looked very animated and agitated--the conversation usually ended with one walking away while the rest continued to "talk" behind her back!
CouldBe
Hi CouldBe!
Tapehead sounds CUTE!
I'm not much of a farm person myself as I was raised in the D.C. suburbs. One night, I was visiting the Old Maryland Farm with some friends of mine. One of the farm animals there was a half-grown calf that had just recently been separated from its mother. While we were taking care of our errands there, the calf kept making crying noises. I walked over to it and started petting and talking to it. Went I went to stroke its nose, it took my fingers into its mouth and started sucking! :shock: It seemed to calm down while it sucked on my fingers! That's the first time I've ever become a "human pacifier" for a four-legged "baby"!
Bones
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Bones, I have been a human "pacifier"! I've had kittens that would nuzzle around on my shoulder and in my hair until they found an earlobe and started sucking on that! They didn't seem to mind that it had "gone dry" either, just kept on going as long as I would let them. I had forgotten that until just now. Silly kitties!
Pennyplant
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Bones, I have been a human "pacifier"! I've had kittens that would nuzzle around on my shoulder and in my hair until they found an earlobe and started sucking on that! They didn't seem to mind that it had "gone dry" either, just kept on going as long as I would let them. I had forgotten that until just now. Silly kitties!
Pennyplant
Awwwwwwww!!!!! I bet they were purring too while they were cuddling on your ear!!!! :D Kitty-kitty!!!!!
Bones
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They would purr and then start to drift off to sleep!
PP
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They would purr and then start to drift off to sleep!
PP
I LOVE it when kitties do that!!!! Especially when they are cuddling with us at the same time!!!!!!! :D
Bones
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Any more stories??????
Bones
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Bones,
Have you read the books by James Herriott? All Creatures Great and Small?
If not I can't imagine anyone who'd enjoy them more than you.
Hops
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Bones,
Have you read the books by James Herriott? All Creatures Great and Small?
If not I can't imagine anyone who'd enjoy them more than you.
Hops
Oh yes!!! I've read Herriott's books and also enjoyed the PBS series based on them.
Bones
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In your honor, Bones. :) I love these animal stories on Slate.com. I like the writer a lot, especially his Orson stories. Hope you'll check him out at www.slate.com, just search Jon Katz and all his stories come up. Here's a sample one:
The Story of Winston, the Rooster Who Wouldn't Die
The thermometer on the side of the barn read 4 degrees when I came in at 6 a.m. to feed the barn cat and scatter some grain for the chickens. Winston, my speckled rooster, was lying on the cement floor, motionless. I'd never touched Winston, nor would he have allowed me to, but I moved closer. He didn't stir. I prodded him gently with the tip of my boot and there was a slight response.
I was certain he was nearly dead, and felt surprisingly sad. Winston looked bewildered and seemed humiliated. He had come to me almost two years before, from another farm, and he had a history. A hawk had entered the chickens' coop and gone after his hens. The other rooster, his brother, ran for his life, but Winston stood the predator down for a few precious minutes until the farmer got there with his shotgun. The hawk fled.
Winston's honor and flock were intact but his left leg was mangled. From that point on, he limped like the war hero he was, adding to the gravitas he already seemed to bring to his life and work.
I bonded with Winston, in part, because I, too, had a gimpy leg. And he inspired me with his refusal to surrender his dignity or abandon his duties.
He crowed faithfully at 4 a.m., and then hourly, more or less, throughout the day. He followed his three hens all over the farm and the pasture, hobbling over quickly if they squawked or wandered too far or if a stray dog appeared to menace them.
He befriended Orson, my troubled, territorial border collie. I often would look out the farmhouse window and see, to my wonder, the two of them sitting side by side in the sunshine, gazing out at the valley below.
At dusk, Winston gathered the hens and escorted them into the barn, where they would hop up onto their roosts to sleep while he kept an eye out for foxes, weasels, coyotes, and, of course, hawks.
I'd named him in honor of the other Winston, for his stature and leadership and similar eloquence: His crowing could be heard far away. I worried that he was disturbing my neighbors, but they assured me they were happy to hear farm noises. His salutes seemed to bring back lost memories and mark their day in a comfortable way.
I would be sorry to lose him. But local farmers all agree: You don't call the vet for a chicken. I didn't have an ax, the surest way to kill a rooster swiftly, so I went back to the house for my .22. I wanted to make sure he didn't suffer.
Confirmation came from my farmer friend Pete, who's had chickens all his life. He happened to come by, and he walked into the barn to look at the rooster. "This guy is gone," he said. Fond as I was of the rooster, it seemed his time had come.
But as I was returning to the barn with my gun, my friend and farm manager Annie DiLeo (she calls herself the Bedlam Farm Goddess) pulled up in her pickup truck. Annie is another refugee from the city, a flatlander from suburban New York City who'd suffered a tragedy and left that world behind. She had a gift with animals.
Almost every farmer knows someone like her. Animals trust and love her, and she seems to understand what is happening with them. Nothing they do or need is frightening or repellent to her. She loves them all more or less equally, except for goats, her personal favorites. She has nine.
I'd christened her the Goat Lady of Cossayuna, because when my goats' horns became infected, she nursed them back to health. It was remarkable: When I tried to give them antibiotic shots, they ran. If I tried to put medicine on their wounds, they butted. Then Annie would arrive, offering cookies, calling their names, hugging and kissing them, and they'd wag their tails and run around in circles with joy. Then they would sit patiently while she cleaned their wounds, applied disinfectant, and checked their stools. Before long, they were waiting at the barnyard gate half the day for her truck. They bonded so completely that when they were well, I sent them home to live with her and her other goats; it seemed selfish to keep them apart.
Somehow, Annie communicates with animals in ways that people like me don't understand or, frankly, quite believe in. I'm always shocked at how sheep and donkeys, even my shy border collie Rose, take to her and welcome her presence. Perhaps not surprisingly, she is now a shaman-in-training, studying with an animal soul-retriever in Vermont.
So, I quickly put the gun back when I saw Annie's truck. Annie would not like to see me shoot anything and would tell me so. "Winston is dying," I said, and she rushed into the barn, found him, and scooped up the limp rooster into her arms.
His eyes opened and he stirred, almost as if he were turning himself over to her. He actually rested his head on her shoulder as she talked to him and stroked him. I saw Winston come to life right in front of me.
Annie put together a straw nest and laid him in it and then, without saying a word to me, drove home and returned with crushed oyster shells, homegrown grain, and feed laced with antibiotic powder. She hauled out one of my heat lamps, left from last winter's lambing, and set it in a corner. She built a low-lying perch "so he can get off the ground and still keep an eye on his hens." And he accepted her touching, force-feeding, and warming him.
Over the next few days, the deep winter came, and the night temperatures dropped into the minus 20s. Annie came over each morning and evening to give Winston his special diet, make sure he was warm, and place him on his perch so he could do his job. He still looked weak and sluggish, not moving more than a few feet all day, and he remained uncharacteristically silent. Between Annie's visits, I brought him greens, apple slices, and some of my wife's chili.
My farmer friends made fun of Annie, and of me for having her around. "You're giving medicine to a chicken?" one guy asked. "How 'bout satin sheets and a pillow?" He offered to bring his ax over and "fix him right up." Another volunteered to do the job with a rifle. "That's dinner you're keeping warm." Eager not to appear foolish, I shook my head, too. "Can you believe all of that trouble for a rooster?"
But Pete, a perceptive and honest man, the kind who doesn't need to ridicule, took me aside. "I saw that rooster the other day," he said. "He was dead. I was going to offer to snap his neck. I don't know what she's doing, but she does have a gift," he said. "He's a different animal. I know what I saw, and I never saw it before."
A couple of days ago, Winston crowed at 5 a.m. It wasn't the most forceful wake-up call, nowhere near what he could muster in his salad days, but it was a welcome sound. When I went into the barn, he was walking around imperiously, pecking at the apple core I had left him.
The first day temperatures rose above freezing, I saw him march the hens over to the bird feeder, where he and the girls like to peck at the seed the blue jays scatter on the ground.
He is better, though not quite himself. Today he led the hens up to the pole barn, then back. He has a hearty appetite, a softer but persistent crow. He can't hop up on the high roost with the hens anymore, but he likes to sit on the perch Annie built for him. Perhaps he will make it through one more spring.
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Thanks, Hops! I had started to respond to your posting a week ago when the server suddenly crashed. :( I really enjoyed the rooster story! :D
Bones
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I finished my painting of Henry! I hated it in class last night, but now I realize it is nice... He just came out looking more brindle than he is. My teacher wants me to put it in a show we are having later this month! I told him no, but now that I see it is OK, I will tell him I have changed my mind (the poor man must think I am insane when it comes to these dumb paintings). I get upset if the picture doesn't match some idea in my mind. The funny thing is, a lot of the ones I get upset wiht are actually decent. My Henry looks furry and full of sweet rolls in the picture...
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I finished my painting of Henry! I hated it in class last night, but now I realize it is nice... He just came out looking more brindle than he is. My teacher wants me to put it in a show we are having later this month! I told him no, but now that I see it is OK, I will tell him I have changed my mind (the poor man must think I am insane when it comes to these dumb paintings). I get upset if the picture doesn't match some idea in my mind. The funny thing is, a lot of the ones I get upset wiht are actually decent. My Henry looks furry and full of sweet rolls in the picture...
Sounds CUTE!!!! :D
Bones
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Thanks bones...
I had this crazy daydream last week that I could quit my job and paint people's pets for a living and for fulfillment.I enjoyed painting Henry so much that I thought it would be joyful to have other people bring me their favorite pet photos and have them made into watercolors :)
Goofy... just a daydream :)
Love, Beth
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NOT SO GOOFY......................................
woof!
(that was Henry, agreeing)
Hops
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Thanks bones...
I had this crazy daydream last week that I could quit my job and paint people's pets for a living and for fulfillment.I enjoyed painting Henry so much that I thought it would be joyful to have other people bring me their favorite pet photos and have them made into watercolors :)
Goofy... just a daydream :)
Love, Beth
Joseph Campbell once said to "follow your bliss". You could probably do it part-time to get started and once you start earning enough to comfortably live on without the other job, then you can start painting full time, follow your bliss, and be able to quit the job you don't like.
Bones
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Hi Bones
Hold on to your seat this is really silly ......
Our family went out of state for turkey day with family in the country .
My daughter's boyfriend came...... well my sister in law has a big big sweet golden mutt named Hunter such a big sweet dog
Well my d's bf tells my sis "I am half dawg and Hunter is my brother". :lol:
And my d and her bf would just howl to Hunter and Hunter howled back
the big joke is if new sweet bf and my d get together and marry and make me a grandma
will my future grand kids be howling at the moon and be part dawg
He fits right in goofy just like the rest of us...... :lol:
Moonlight
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edit
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The wonderful woman who is my mother's companion for a few hours every weekday morning has ramped up the dog-talk competition. (I come in a hopeless second.)
Bagel lurks near the front door until nine, then She arrives.
I hear them in the kitchen. She talks to Bagel in a voice that could make waffles. It's babydogtalk...but with no sarcasm whatsoever. No self-consciousness. She just has a goofy silly affectionate tone that sounds as though she's saying: I'm a puppy too and we puppies know exactly what to talk to each other about...
Bagel gets a look on her face just like the look certain middle-aged women wear at Tom Jones concerts, and they've brought extra brand-new bloomers in a package of six.
I love it. :lol:
Hops
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CUTE and FUNNY!!!!! To me, all pets are "babies". One day I was visiting a friend who had a border collie. I was sitting on the floor with that big four-legged baby sprawled on his back in my lap while I cradled him in my arms as if he were an infant! I was talking "baby talk" to him and then asking him "Are you a baby? Are you a puppy baby?" Without warning, this silly dog suddenly leaned up and licked me RIGHT ON THE MOUTH!!!! :shock: I'm spluttering and going "YUCK!" and the dog has this silly, laughing grin on his face!!! I commented to him, "You got me GOOD!" and he was wagging his tail like he was going to wag it off!!!! Silly mutt!!! :D
Bones
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Any more animal stories?????? Please??????
Bones
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Hi Bones,
Sorry, I'm fresh out.
Want to check out Jon Katz stories on Slate.com? Maybe you could post your favorite to share.
Hops
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O.K. I was also hoping that other members of the Board had pet stories to share.
If I can share one about a parakeet, which was my grandmother's, I can do that now.
Back when I was a kid, my grandmother had a parakeet named "Petey". He turned out to be smarter than my grandmother anticipated! Oftentimes, whenever my grandmother becamed annoyed about something, she would exclaim: "SHOOT!" Can you guess what that parakeet translated that into?!?!?!? A four-letter word!!!! What made it even more hysterically FUNNY was that the ONLY time this silly bird would start exclaiming that four-letter word was when the Methodist minister visited my grandmother!!!!!! She would turn all shades of red while the minister cracked up laughing!!!!!
Bones
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Oooo that bad budgie!
That's very funny, Bones.
I think birds are brilliant.
(BTW, have you seen the movie The Wild Parrots of Telegraph Hill? I think you'd really love it.)
Hops
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I always feel like I am boring people with my Henry stories... but you asked bones :)
Well, Friday night, I went downstairs as Henry had barked, which meant he needed to go out. There was a weird light on in the kitchen. Apparently we had not shut the fridge tightly and Heny opened it... nothing must have been of great interest to him as there was nothing dragged out, but there was a bit of slobber on the foremost items (gross). He also spent all day with us at a hockey tournament on Sat. He got soooooooo much love and showed off his trick of rolling over, which is hilarious. It always takes him a bit to right his portly body!!!
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:lol: :P :P
I would never get tired of Henry stories, ever! Post a thousand!
One of my favorite phots ever was in TIME a few years ago.
It was a kitchen with the fridge door ajar.
The man who lived there was bent over looking at what was on offer.
His enormous massive full-sized pet pig was standing beside him, same positiion.
Both of them had the same stance, that hmmm, what could I have for a snack, look.
It was beyond charming.
Hops
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That sounds too sweet!!! Ha ha. Hope there wasn't bacon in the fridge... sorry... that was terrible...
Speaking of parakeets... my son came in the other day and told me there was the most beautiful bird perched on our neighbor's car. So I went out and it was a gorgeous green parakeet. It must have escaped. He kept flying back to our cars all day, but we never could catch him. I hope he is OK.
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Oooo that bad budgie!
That's very funny, Bones.
I think birds are brilliant.
(BTW, have you seen the movie The Wild Parrots of Telegraph Hill? I think you'd really love it.)
Hops
Oh yes!!! My boyfriend and I both went to see it as he is also very much into birds!
Bones
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I always feel like I am boring people with my Henry stories... but you asked bones :)
Well, Friday night, I went downstairs as Henry had barked, which meant he needed to go out. There was a weird light on in the kitchen. Apparently we had not shut the fridge tightly and Heny opened it... nothing must have been of great interest to him as there was nothing dragged out, but there was a bit of slobber on the foremost items (gross). He also spent all day with us at a hockey tournament on Sat. He got soooooooo much love and showed off his trick of rolling over, which is hilarious. It always takes him a bit to right his portly body!!!
You'd be surprised at what they can get into whenever we are not looking!!!! Just like little kids!!! :D
Bones
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That sounds too sweet!!! Ha ha. Hope there wasn't bacon in the fridge... sorry... that was terrible...
Speaking of parakeets... my son came in the other day and told me there was the most beautiful bird perched on our neighbor's car. So I went out and it was a gorgeous green parakeet. It must have escaped. He kept flying back to our cars all day, but we never could catch him. I hope he is OK.
I hope he'll be o.k. too, with the winter months being here.
Bones
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Well, our winter is still in the low 70s (60s at night). But we have hawks and all kinds of critters around. Actually, my backyard is amazing. One day I was sitting in front of the glass door knitting and a poor bird slammed right into the window and broke its neck. Well, the next thing I knew, a hawk was standing there looking in at me. Beautiful yellow eyes... a small hawk. My husband went out and moved the bird into the lawn while we figured out what to do with it. The hawk came back and took it... he had chased it on purpose. Its parent was out there... teaching it to hunt.
We also see mongooses about every day. And the huge fruit bats roost in the trees. Sometimes I can see them right above my head. At night they fly with their 4 to 6 foot wingspans open and they chatter in the trees. We also get the enormous spiders year round and giant praying mantis. The only animal I am very UNfond of are the shrews... They are all around the house and screech at us and ruin all the plants. My house is also populated with geckos... including, right now, tiny babies. Thay are adorable.
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WOW, Beth.
I am soooooooooooooooooooooo grateful for that unexpected glimpse of the exotic landscape you're familiar with!
Really, that was thrilling.
I absolutely love reading people's descriptions of where they sit, what they look at, etc.
Thank you!
(Digression from pets, but what fascinating creatures you see. I bet the foliage is amazing too.)
:)
Hops
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Well, our winter is still in the low 70s (60s at night). But we have hawks and all kinds of critters around. Actually, my backyard is amazing. One day I was sitting in front of the glass door knitting and a poor bird slammed right into the window and broke its neck. Well, the next thing I knew, a hawk was standing there looking in at me. Beautiful yellow eyes... a small hawk. My husband went out and moved the bird into the lawn while we figured out what to do with it. The hawk came back and took it... he had chased it on purpose. Its parent was out there... teaching it to hunt.
We also see mongooses about every day. And the huge fruit bats roost in the trees. Sometimes I can see them right above my head. At night they fly with their 4 to 6 foot wingspans open and they chatter in the trees. We also get the enormous spiders year round and giant praying mantis. The only animal I am very UNfond of are the shrews... They are all around the house and screech at us and ruin all the plants. My house is also populated with geckos... including, right now, tiny babies. Thay are adorable.
Sounds like you live in the tropics! We don't have any of that where I live!
Bones
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Ok, stupid dog story:
our "middle dog", who is a little wacked to begin with, sees particularly well, and at long distances. So in our new home, he has discovered squirrels. They are much more brazen than the lizards he was used to, and just park themselves in front of the large picture window while he goes crazy...and I mean crazy. I can hear the squirrel talk around the neighborhood:
"hey, Joe, did you check out the new idiot next door. Watch this." Then they proceed to take a coffee break in front of the window.
Other dogs will have the same effect, but they usually keep on going by, on leashes. There doesn't seem to be too many cats about, but there is an occassional one from time to time.
So one day, crazy boy is barking furiously at what appears to be a cat across the street, just sitting in the neighbors driveway. This goes on for an extended amount of time, and I can't believe how still that cat has been for sooo long.
So I went out the front door to get a closer look, and it's not a cat, but a fallen oak branch with leaves set just so, that looks exactly like a sitting cat at a distance!
A few minutes later, my husband says: "hey do you see that cat over there? It's driving him nuts!"
As if that weren't enough, when I took all three dogs for a walk later, the middle one practically drags the rest of us across the street to GET THAT CAT, of course. When he gets close enough, and figures out it's only leaves on a branch....he instantly starts a frantic search for THAT CAT! I swear if he had been off leash, he would have tried to get into the neighbor's house to find THAT CAT (that never existed!!!)
Dogs are weird and mine are weirder. Their first encounter with deer in the neighborhood still has them scratching thier heads (no it's not fleas)..."so, hey, have you figured out what those big quiet things with the ears were?" "They didn't smell like dogs, but who knows....this whole place is crazy"
And it snowed last week. THAT was NUTS!!! (and I felt about 5 again!!!)
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Hopalong, I just read some of the past pages on this thread and I must say, I just love reading your writing. When do I get to read your book? Darn, now I can't get back to that page to quote you, but "a voice that could make waffles", I think it was?
MAN, I love your way with words!!!
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Mum... Very cute story!!!!!
I was positive that a stick in my backyard was a snake one evening and stared at it so long that it appeared to move...
Ha ha
Your ding-dong dogs sound too cute!!!!!
Love, Beth
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Ok, stupid dog story:
our "middle dog", who is a little wacked to begin with, sees particularly well, and at long distances. So in our new home, he has discovered squirrels. They are much more brazen than the lizards he was used to, and just park themselves in front of the large picture window while he goes crazy...and I mean crazy. I can hear the squirrel talk around the neighborhood:
"hey, Joe, did you check out the new idiot next door. Watch this." Then they proceed to take a coffee break in front of the window.
Other dogs will have the same effect, but they usually keep on going by, on leashes. There doesn't seem to be too many cats about, but there is an occassional one from time to time.
So one day, crazy boy is barking furiously at what appears to be a cat across the street, just sitting in the neighbors driveway. This goes on for an extended amount of time, and I can't believe how still that cat has been for sooo long.
So I went out the front door to get a closer look, and it's not a cat, but a fallen oak branch with leaves set just so, that looks exactly like a sitting cat at a distance!
A few minutes later, my husband says: "hey do you see that cat over there? It's driving him nuts!"
As if that weren't enough, when I took all three dogs for a walk later, the middle one practically drags the rest of us across the street to GET THAT CAT, of course. When he gets close enough, and figures out it's only leaves on a branch....he instantly starts a frantic search for THAT CAT! I swear if he had been off leash, he would have tried to get into the neighbor's house to find THAT CAT (that never existed!!!)
Dogs are weird and mine are weirder. Their first encounter with deer in the neighborhood still has them scratching thier heads (no it's not fleas)..."so, hey, have you figured out what those big quiet things with the ears were?" "They didn't smell like dogs, but who knows....this whole place is crazy"
And it snowed last week. THAT was NUTS!!! (and I felt about 5 again!!!)
:lol: :lol: FUNNY!!! :lol: :lol: I can imagine how he'll react the first time he sees an oppossum!!! I have a story about that!
Bones
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This ain't humorous but now and then I google doggies, daydreaming...
one I've always liked the look and temperament of is the sheba inu,
and turns out they're known as "primitive dogs" (along with dingoes)
because they've not been bred to change much or stay "puppylike" throughout adulthood
but retain a lot of natural wildness and reserve, etc.
Though they're very friendly and loyal and good pets they have that self-confident
wildness still...(more like an independence of mind than lack of trainability)
Hmm...
:)
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Wildlife can be funny too!!!!
One day, Nicky was barking like mad and when I went to check, I discovered an opposum lounging on top of the fence directly above Nicky!! The crazier Nicky barked, the more the opposum yawned and acted bored!!!! It was funny to watch!!!! :lol:
Bones
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A few years ago, I was visiting a wildlife center that also had a squirrel-proof birdfeeder on its deck. It was the type that when the squirrel stepped on the perch, it closed down. This persistant squirrel kept trying to get into it while standing on the perch. At one point, it started hanging off of its roof while the perch stayed stuck in the "down" position. Suddenly, the perch popped up, smacking the squirrel square in the butt and sent it flying over the feeder's roof!!! :shock: :lol: That squirrel had such a shocked and surprised look on its face wondering what in the heck happened!!!! I couldn't stop laughing!!!!!
Bones
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Bones.... that is toooo funny!!! I hope the little guy wasn't hurt. I have a little tiny toy maltese. She stays in the kitchen with me when I am cooking. She's the funniest little thing to watch, whenever the meat comes out of the oven, she will follow me around the kitchen, hopping on her hind legs until I give her some. She stays in an upright position until I give in and give her some meat!!
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Bones.... that is toooo funny!!! I hope the little guy wasn't hurt. I have a little tiny toy maltese. She stays in the kitchen with me when I am cooking. She's the funniest little thing to watch, whenever the meat comes out of the oven, she will follow me around the kitchen, hopping on her hind legs until I give her some. She stays in an upright position until I give in and give her some meat!!
Fortunately, the little guy was not physically hurt. However, his dignity took a hit! :lol: The expression on his little face was TOO CUTE!!!
I can visualize your dog dancing for her supper!!!! ADORABLE!!!!! :D
Bones
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I'll also keep an eye out for any more funny animal antics. Even though I don't get cable TV, I understand there is a funny program on Animal Planet that shows animals doing the FUNNIEST things...similar to America's Funniest Home Videos.
Bones
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Just thought of another cute squirrel story. I was walking to my car in the parking lot when I noticed the fattest squirrel I had ever seen! He was just roly-poly CUTE!!!! Since I have a tendency to talk to animals, I greeted him with: "Well, hello, Porky!" He looked up as if responding to his name and came RUNNING to my car and climbed up on the hood, begging for a treat!!!! I happened to have some peanuts in the car and had fun hand-feeding him!!!! He stayed on the hood of my car, keeping me company while I talked to him and fed him.
Bones
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Had dinner at a friend's last night...she's gotten an amazing pet.
He's the smallest kind of parrot...a parrotelle or something.
Extraordinary color, blues and soft fuschia and green, cobalt blue wings.
Anyway, he's very little, no bigger than most wrens. And he spends the whole evening in her hair. You can't even see him! He walks up her front, heads for the warmest part of her neck under her long hair and just snoozes away. Every now and then you hear a little remark. She says he talks a good deal but I haven't heard anything coherent yet.
The funny thing is something I've never seen a bird do. He sits in her palm and let her stroke his head and back and cranes his head back and forth to encourage her to reach different spots just like a dog does when you're rubbing its ears. Mr. Peeps gradually gets so relaxed he stretches full out on his back like a hound dawg. His eyes practically roll...you can actually see an expression of pure bliss.
He was neat to be around. I don't think I'd be up for taking on another 20-year animal commitment though. But she's besotted with him.
Hops
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Had dinner at a friend's last night...she's gotten an amazing pet.
He's the smallest kind of parrot...a parrotelle or something.
Extraordinary color, blues and soft fuschia and green, cobalt blue wings.
Anyway, he's very little, no bigger than most wrens. And he spends the whole evening in her hair. You can't even see him! He walks up her front, heads for the warmest part of her neck under her long hair and just snoozes away. Every now and then you hear a little remark. She says he talks a good deal but I haven't heard anything coherent yet.
The funny thing is something I've never seen a bird do. He sits in her palm and let her stroke his head and back and cranes his head back and forth to encourage her to reach different spots just like a dog does when you're rubbing its ears. Mr. Peeps gradually gets so relaxed he stretches full out on his back like a hound dawg. His eyes practically roll...you can actually see an expression of pure bliss.
He was neat to be around. I don't think I'd be up for taking on another 20-year animal commitment though. But she's besotted with him.
Hops
Ohhhhhhhh......he sounds absolutely ADORABLE!!!!!!! :D I gotta look up this breed of bird and tell my boyfriend!!!!! I'm sure he would LOVE to hear about this tiny bird!!!!
Bones
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Just remembered another experience I had with an animal....a pony.
I was visiting a friend in California and had the opportunity to exercise a neighbor's pony. The family really didn't have enough time to give her the exercise she needed. Being born and bred in the city, I didn't have the opportunity to deal with horses and ponies very much so I was very naive about a lot of things regarding equines. As I was riding her around the area, which was filled with all kinds of wildlife, I soon realized that this pony was one cantankerous little cuss!!! She was determined she was going to go over to the neighboring ranch and visit with a stud over there, which I vetoed. At one point, I dismounted and started leading her back to where we needed to be when she suddenly bit me in the behind!!!!
Without thinking, I smacked her nose and told her that biting was not acceptable! She flattened her ears and I told her to put her ears back up! She stuck one ear up! I told her...other ear now! Then she brought her other ear up. She appeared to behave for awhile until I re-mounted her and started riding down the trail again. Then she tried to bite my boot! However, because I had been walking on a dusty trail, my boot was COATED with dirt so she got a nice mouthful!!!! :lol: The expression on her face was priceless as she spit dirt!!! I've never seen a pony spit like that before!!!! :lol: The way she was sticking her tongue out was as if she was saying: "YUCK!"
Bones
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Had dinner at a friend's last night...she's gotten an amazing pet.
He's the smallest kind of parrot...a parrotelle or something.
Extraordinary color, blues and soft fuschia and green, cobalt blue wings.
Anyway, he's very little, no bigger than most wrens. And he spends the whole evening in her hair. You can't even see him! He walks up her front, heads for the warmest part of her neck under her long hair and just snoozes away. Every now and then you hear a little remark. She says he talks a good deal but I haven't heard anything coherent yet.
The funny thing is something I've never seen a bird do. He sits in her palm and let her stroke his head and back and cranes his head back and forth to encourage her to reach different spots just like a dog does when you're rubbing its ears. Mr. Peeps gradually gets so relaxed he stretches full out on his back like a hound dawg. His eyes practically roll...you can actually see an expression of pure bliss.
He was neat to be around. I don't think I'd be up for taking on another 20-year animal commitment though. But she's besotted with him.
Hops
BTW, I Googled about this type of bird and found information on Parrotlets along with a lot of CUTE pictures!!!! They are so ADORABLE!!! Here's the website that I found:
http://www.parrotletranch.com/pictures/cutepictures.html
Bones
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Had dinner at a friend's last night...she's gotten an amazing pet.
He's the smallest kind of parrot...a parrotelle or something.
Extraordinary color, blues and soft fuschia and green, cobalt blue wings.
Anyway, he's very little, no bigger than most wrens. And he spends the whole evening in her hair. You can't even see him! He walks up her front, heads for the warmest part of her neck under her long hair and just snoozes away. Every now and then you hear a little remark. She says he talks a good deal but I haven't heard anything coherent yet.
The funny thing is something I've never seen a bird do. He sits in her palm and let her stroke his head and back and cranes his head back and forth to encourage her to reach different spots just like a dog does when you're rubbing its ears. Mr. Peeps gradually gets so relaxed he stretches full out on his back like a hound dawg. His eyes practically roll...you can actually see an expression of pure bliss.
He was neat to be around. I don't think I'd be up for taking on another 20-year animal commitment though. But she's besotted with him.
Hops
I had friends who raised cockatoos... they were beautiful... but, um, not in the least housebroken... I was a nervous wreck whenever I visited, because of all the little 'surprises'... please tell me he's housebroken, because I know what happened to me whenever one of the cockatoos wanted to sit on my shoulder or in my hair... ai yi yi!!!!!
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I had a canary named Festus who sang like Jenny Lind.
He got out of the cage and I told my parents to just leave the cage door open in my room with the room door shut while I went out. He'd go back in.
My poor OCDish Dad couldn't stand the idea that he might poo on the carpet, so he chased him around until he caught him in the curtains. When I got home, Festus was dead.
(I have recovered but it was sad. And the rigidity of my Dad's response...he was devastated that he'd harmed Festus, btw...tells me something about how intense that trait was in him...helps me understand some of my phobic stuff.) Long detour from a silly animal story!
:(
Hops
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Oh, it wasn't just the carpet. They had about six adults, and a variable number of young ones at any time. It was the carpet, the sofa, the chairs, the dining room table, my coffee cup once, my dinner another time, visitors' hair, visitors' clothes, and so on and so on. I finally decided that it wasn't worth risking psittacosis
http://www.ccohs.ca/oshanswers/diseases/psittacosis.html
to visit them in their natural habitat. I get pooped on enough, figuratively, as it is; I don't need to volunteer for it literally as well.
Sorry your pop was so unaware how delicate birds are. Sorry you couldn't trust your parents to respect your wishes, and also sorry that you had to be somewhere else at the worst possible time, so that you couldn't stay around long enough to see him safely back into his cage.
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Thanks, Storm.
Festus was later succeeded by another canary who made enough guano to inspire new forms of architecture. I bequeathed him to a pubisher I once worked for, and last time I heard him, he was singing his head off in their offices and people were smiling.
Hops
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(((((((((((((((((((((((((Hops)))))))))))))))))))))))))))))
Bones
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For those who like horses......
I had the opportunity to volunteer at the Park Police stables, helping to feed and groom the horses in the morning. I soon discovered that each horse had its own CUTE personality. One like to clown, another liked to flirt, and still another liked to play practical jokes!!!!! :D At one point, when I was "off duty", I was visiting the stables and one of the horses was banging in his stall and making a HUGE racket!!!! I walked over to his stall door and asked him, "What's the matter, baby? Are you hungry?" He immediately stopped banging and started nodding his head emphatically as if he was saying "YES!" I asked the police officer if I could give him his feed to calm him down and she showed me where it was. That horse was very happy!!! :D
Bones
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I loooooooooove horses.
Don't ride any more. Just love being around them.
Whinny.
Hops
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I loooooooooove horses.
Don't ride any more. Just love being around them.
Whinny.
Hops
The police horses may be HUGE and yet they are BEAUTIFUL, CUTE and SMART!!!! :D
Bones
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I stood next to a Percheron (bigger than a Clydesdale!) once and he practically smelled my cheek off. His single nostril was the size of a dinner plate. Huuuge, sweet, friendly thing.
Great memory. Must have been wonderful touching those beautiful police horses, Bones!
Hops
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I stood next to a Percheron (bigger than a Clydesdale!) once and he practically smelled my cheek off. His single nostril was the size of a dinner plate. Huuuge, sweet, friendly thing.
Great memory. Must have been wonderful touching those beautiful police horses, Bones!
Hops
Oh yes! It was GREAT!!! :D
One year, I went to the Renaissance Festival that is held every year near Crownsville, Maryland. Normally, they hold a jousting exhibition but this particular day, the grounds were too muddy to take the risk. Instead, the knight was sitting on his steed by the fence answering questions. The horse started shoving at people and the knight yelled at the horse to stop shoving. I reached up and started scratching the horse between his ears and spoke soothingly to him about his need for attention. I could see him visibly relax, close his eyes and lean into my hand. I then started to gently massage his face as well and he seemed to LOVE that!!!! After that, he was very calm.
Bones
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I'm still scouting for more funny animal stories.
One of the things I would like to find again is the video advertising the "Yankee Flipper". This is a squirrel-proof birdfeeder that is hysterical to watch in action!!!! It gives the squirrel a wild ride!!
Bones
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edit
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CB,
It must be overwhelming but it IS happy news. I am so glad you found a buyer for the farm.
I feel more hesitant about a trailer/mobile home. They just depreciate, and if your finances are precarious and things are not resolved legally with your soon 2bXNh...I dunno.
I can share my criteria: when I moved to a new area I asked everyone I met where the BEST public high schools were, and that helped me choose a neighborhood. I did buy a house, a much smaller one, but it was clean, in good shape. When I sold a few years later, even though I hadn't taken spectacular care of it, I made a nice profit.
When you buy a house it's noone's business how many cats you have. I think? And owning the land you live on has a lot to say for it.
I don't know your area, but some townhouse communities are very nice. I am drawn to some of the older ones, based on where they are. I lived in one once that was close to a spectacular public park, so I didn't go through "land withdrawal" half as badly as I expected to.
Likewise, some older houses in city neighborhoods have wonderful yards. Mature trees, etc. I was amazed to find out even where I am now, in an old suburb, that it's not against city ordinances to have a small flock of chickens!
I think focusing on schools first, location location location...would be wise. As to the trailer idea, if you were able to buy the parcel of land it sat on, and the trend for that area is up...that might be right.
Tough decisions. I would talk to the most sympathetic realtor you know or find out about. Get a lot of reality checks.
Are the kids ready to double up in bedrooms? If half of them will be moving on for school in a year or two, they can endure a little house if they must. But for you, the land needs to be right, right?
There's also no reason not to consider RENTING a townhouse, if you don't want to be chained down now.
Just some thoughts...everyone's situation is unique.
I do know you'll make happiness wherever you are.
Hops
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I just came home from my part-time, temporary job and had to share this wonderful experience!!!
This weekend I had to drive quite a ways to where I had to work and I wasn't thrilled about the length of the drive. Tonight, as I was preparing for the start of my shift, I heard one of the church volunteers exclaim: "Look at that!" I looked out the glass doors to the parking lot and there were 8 does grazing at the edge of the parking lot!!!! :o :shock: :o There were several cars pulling into the parking lot and NONE of the deer bolted!!!! Occasionally, they would look up from grazing and watch me watching them as I stared with my mouth gaping open and I was pressed up against the glass door. It was so AWESOME to see!!!! One of the church volunteers told me that when she was working in the church office one day, she looked up to see one of the does watching her through the church window!!!!!! COOL!!!!!
Bones
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This is a deer story I didn't get to see as I was still in bed when it happened. My husband was up before school with one of our sons and they happened to look out the picture window. There were several deer in our yard. Our cats were mingling with the deer and both sets of animals were aware of each other and checking each other out but no one was being aggressive. And one of the deer was standing on it's hind feet in order to reach some lower willow tree branches to nibble on. It was very beautiful for J and A to watch the animals "communing" and enjoying the shelter of the willow tree together. I've always been sorry I missed that sight, and it has not been repeated since then--well, at least as far as any of us humans is aware!
Pennyplant
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This is a deer story I didn't get to see as I was still in bed when it happened. My husband was up before school with one of our sons and they happened to look out the picture window. There were several deer in our yard. Our cats were mingling with the deer and both sets of animals were aware of each other and checking each other out but no one was being aggressive. And one of the deer was standing on it's hind feet in order to reach some lower willow tree branches to nibble on. It was very beautiful for J and A to watch the animals "communing" and enjoying the shelter of the willow tree together. I've always been sorry I missed that sight, and it has not been repeated since then--well, at least as far as any of us humans is aware!
Pennyplant
WOW, Pennyplant!! I can visualize what that must have looked like!! One of my cousins found some pictures on the Internet of a doe and a bunny hanging out together, even snuggling together to take a nap! CUTE!!!
Bones
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Enjoy!
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/12/21/AR2006122101366.html?nav=hcmodule (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/12/21/AR2006122101366.html?nav=hcmodule)
Hops
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Enjoy!
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/12/21/AR2006122101366.html?nav=hcmodule (http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/12/21/AR2006122101366.html?nav=hcmodule)
Hops
Oh Boy!
Bones
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u6x5wqx-zq4cav5-tw6qc8d5-2 <a href="http://www.ultimatetopsites.com/general/tramd1/#2">tramadol</a>
http://www.ultimatetopsites.com/coolsites/caris0p/#1
Tramadol (http://mimundo.americaonline.com.ar/tramd10/index.html#3)
http://hometown.aol.com/phenmedrx/index.html#4 (http://hometown.aol.com/phenmedrx/index.html#4)
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u6x5wqx-zq4cav5-tw6qc8d5-2 <a href="http://www.ultimatetopsites.com/general/tramd1/#2">tramadol</a>
http://www.ultimatetopsites.com/coolsites/caris0p/#1
Tramadol (http://mimundo.americaonline.com.ar/tramd10/index.html#3)
http://hometown.aol.com/phenmedrx/index.html#4 (http://hometown.aol.com/phenmedrx/index.html#4)
This requires further explanation before I will go to this website.
Bones
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Don't bother, Bones.
Any time you see junk like that it's spam, and it's likely being generated by a computer, not an individual. No point in trying to communicate because there's only a batch of code there, I think...
Hops
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edit
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Don't bother, Bones.
Any time you see junk like that it's spam, and it's likely being generated by a computer, not an individual. No point in trying to communicate because there's only a batch of code there, I think...
Hops
I wonder if there is some way to block that kind of spam from this site.
Bones
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In the meantime, I'll keep scouting for more animal stories. I could use the distraction.
Bones
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edit
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Bones,
I feel like doing penance for talking about mobile homes on the animal thread :(. My only defense is that it made sense to my pea-brain at the time.
Here's my peace offering:
When we first moved to the farm, we had this ridiculous idea that we were going to raise goats. We started off with 4 Nubians (2 pregnant does and two wethers) and we ended up with 19. Well, that's a different story.
The people who were helping us get started with the goats were purists. It seems that there is some horrible "goat disease" that is spread from the mama to the babies through the milk. So, although they were sticklers for giving the babies their mamas milk, they did it by MILKING THE MAMA, pasteurizing it, and then feeding it back to the babies. We, wanting to do everything the RIGHT WAY, followed their lead.
Well, that's the background. What that meant was that the babies were hand raised by us. They were very tame and followed us everywhere. But when we werent with them, we kept them in a moveable pen so they could graze a new area every day.
One day, we had moved the pen down into some very lush grass by the lake. We looked out the window and there was a mama deer that had walked up to the baby goats in the pen. She was clearly worried about them and stood staring into the pen for a long time. She even left, walked a few feet away, and came back. They were very interested in her too!
We were simply enchanted with the picture! It isnt very often that the deer will come very close to the house (we have dogs), so it was a real treat.
CB
WOW!!!!! I can visualize how cute that must have looked!!!!!
Bones
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I was going through my "mental files" and recalled two funny experiences that are related to the local zoo here. One of the experiences was related by my late adopted sister when she and her children visited the zoo several years ago, before the zoo installed plexiglass barriers.
I can remember visiting the zoo, as a child, and remember that there used to be metal bars separating the animals from the zoo visitors. This day that my adopted sister and her children were visiting the Primate House, a zoo worker was using a garden hose to clean an area. The garden hose had one of those devices that remind me of a gun's trigger. This zoo worker decided to act stupid and was teasing the chimpanzee by squirting it. The idiot compounded his mistake by laying the hose down near the cage bars, assuming that the animal couldn't do anything. The next thing everyone visiting the Primate House knew, the chimp had a hold of the garden hose and was squirting everyone within range!!!!!! (Talk about a faster learner!!! :shock:) It took a while before the zoo personnel was able to get that hose away from the chimp.
The other zoo experience was connected to a psychology course I was taking. My class went on a field trip to the zoo where we were given the assignment to either observe the animals or observe the visitors. I chose to observe the primates in the Primate House. By this time, the cage bars had been replaced by plexiglass barriers. As I was observing the gorillas, I couldn't help but notice a drunk stumbling into the Primate House and started imitating the Silverback Gorilla...standing as close to the plexiglass as possible. I was shaking my head and observing the gorilla really GLARING at this drunk. (My instructor advised not to anthropomorphize the animals and yet I didn't know how else to describe what I was seeing.) Slowly, the gorilla turned his back on the drunk and ambled over to the water fountain. I thought the gorilla was thirsty and was getting a drink of water. Then the gorilla ambled back to where the drunk was standing and deliberately looked the drunk in the eye and SPEWED WATER AIMED AT THE DRUNK'S FACE!!!! :shock: :shock: It was so methodical and deliberate!!!!! The drunk was startled and left as quickly as possible. I laughed so hard that my ribs hurt!! :lol: My instructor heard me laughing and came to investigate what had just occurred. I asked him how he would describe what had occurred without anthropomorphizing and my instructor was simply stumped!!!!
Bones
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I'm still keeping a look out for funny animal stories.
Bones
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I learned about this bird while receiving my e-mail news. There is a short video of "AJ" in action and it is too CUTE for words!
http://www.myfriendaj.com/#
Enjoy!
Bones
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I mentioned this briefly in another post, but my silly Henry thinks he has a Magic Food Bowl now. We are following Cesar Mialn's advice, so he doesn't eat until he has walked with one of us. When he is out on the walk, I began filling his bowl so that when he got back he would have food. So now he runs to the magic bowl and if it is not yet full, he is very puzzled. Also, if he gets hungry, he will ask to go out and then come dashing inside to see if the magic bowl is full. He looks down into it with such wonder, full or empty, it just makes me laugh. Sometimes, if it is the kibble he doesn't like, he will walk away and then run back to see if it has changed into something he likes better.
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I mentioned this briefly in another post, but my silly Henry thinks he has a Magic Food Bowl now. We are following Cesar Mialn's advice, so he doesn't eat until he has walked with one of us. When he is out on the walk, I began filling his bowl so that when he got back he would have food. So now he runs to the magic bowl and if it is not yet full, he is very puzzled. Also, if he gets hungry, he will ask to go out and then come dashing inside to see if the magic bowl is full. He looks down into it with such wonder, full or empty, it just makes me laugh. Sometimes, if it is the kibble he doesn't like, he will walk away and then run back to see if it has changed into something he likes better.
FUNNY!!!!!! :lol:
Bones
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they are so smart....
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When I brought my shepard/collie home from the pound, he had to be house trained.
Being in the wheelchair, I would, every hour, scoop him up by the belly, put him on my lap and take him outside to the grass and wait. When all was okay I scooped him up to my lap and we rolled back inside. This was a 'structured' event and my first.
One day down the line as he kept growing, I was totally startled when he came flying off the floor, onto my lap. You guessed it. Going pee pee/poo poo meant a comfy ride outside on my lap,no walking needed.
I had to re-train him to go to the door.
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Speaking of animal stories.
I had a Springer Spaniel named biscuit. Oh I loved him so much. He was the best well behaved dog I have ever had (so I thought) :twisted: Unlike my 3 cats who were some real fur brats that would get into anything they could. I loved them to death but they were as bad and got into as much trouble as Huey, Dewy and Louie. I had brought a crumb cake and put in the kitchen cabinet to keep out of the way of the cats. Yes they loved crumb cake. I went out and when I returned I found my crumb cake on the floor. Biscuit met me at the door as if to say look at what those crazy cats did. They ate your cake and now they are going to be in trouuuuble. . If he could laugh I think he would of.
The next time I had a crumb cake I again put it in the kitchen cabinet and left the house. Outside my door I also have a side window that I can see into my kitchen. I made the footsteps like I was going down the stairs but never left the top. I stood away from the front of the window so I could see in but they couldn't see me. I thought it was a little strange that my dog came and glanced out the window but who knows maybe he always did this. I gave it a minute and opened the door. In that minute I saw biscuit get on the couch, hop onto the counter, open the cabinet and knock the cake on the floor which then he got down the same way he got up and began to chow down on my cake. When I stepped into the kitchen he greeted me as always very happily to tell me look what your cats have done again. Only this time his face was covered in powered sugar.
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When I brought my shepard/collie home from the pound, he had to be house trained.
Being in the wheelchair, I would, every hour, scoop him up by the belly, put him on my lap and take him outside to the grass and wait. When all was okay I scooped him up to my lap and we rolled back inside. This was a 'structured' event and my first.
One day down the line as he kept growing, I was totally startled when he came flying off the floor, onto my lap. You guessed it. Going pee pee/poo poo meant a comfy ride outside on my lap,no walking needed.
I had to re-train him to go to the door.
:lol: Now that's a CUTE, SMART 4-legged baby! :lol:
Bones
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Speaking of animal stories.
I had a Springer Spaniel named biscuit. Oh I loved him so much. He was the best well behaved dog I have ever had (so I thought) :twisted: Unlike my 3 cats who were some real fur brats that would get into anything they could. I loved them to death but they were as bad and got into as much trouble as Huey, Dewy and Louie. I had brought a crumb cake and put in the kitchen cabinet to keep out of the way of the cats. Yes they loved crumb cake. I went out and when I returned I found my crumb cake on the floor. Biscuit met me at the door as if to say look at what those crazy cats did. They ate your cake and now they are going to be in trouuuuble. . If he could laugh I think he would of.
The next time I had a crumb cake I again put it in the kitchen cabinet and left the house. Outside my door I also have a side window that I can see into my kitchen. I made the footsteps like I was going down the stairs but never left the top. I stood away from the front of the window so I could see in but they couldn't see me. I thought it was a little strange that my dog came and glanced out the window but who knows maybe he always did this. I gave it a minute and opened the door. In that minute I saw biscuit get on the couch, hop onto the counter, open the cabinet and knock the cake on the floor which then he got down the same way he got up and began to chow down on my cake. When I stepped into the kitchen he greeted me as always very happily to tell me look what your cats have done again. Only this time his face was covered in powered sugar.
:lol: ROTFLMAO! :lol: I can just visualize that CUTE pooch face, covered in powdered sugar, giving you that Oh-So-INNOCENT doggie grin!!!!
Bones
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Hey Bones,
Iris the wonder Kat now does her own rave reviews of the latest films and of course her fav TV show is still animal planet.
Latest movie review all paws up for a film called "DUMA".
Iris is spending so much time reviewing films she no longer has the interest she once had in doing her go fetch the straw game. :lol:
Thats OK she does not seem to miss it as much as Mr moon. :D
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Hey Bones,
Iris the wonder Kat now does her own rave reviews of the latest films and of course her fav TV show is still animal planet.
Latest movie review all paws up for a film called "DUMA".
Iris is spending so much time reviewing films she no longer has the interest she once had in doing her go fetch the straw game. :lol:
Thats OK she does not seem to miss it as much as Mr moon. :D
What does Iris the Wonder Kat do to demonstrate her reviews of the latest films and TV shows?
Bones
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Hi Bones ,
Well this is a little known fact only seen by moon family .
Iris the wonder Kat claps her paws and then really speaks .....
yes you heard it here first a talking kitty Kat .......then for an encore
Iris the wonder Kitty does back flips...tee hee
Really Bones Iris our darling kitty does watch T.V. but as for talking she does meow in fluent FRENCH......... :lol:
LOVE AND HUGS TO YOU
moon
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Hi Bones ,
Well this is a little known fact only seen by moon family .
Iris the wonder Kat claps her paws and then really speaks .....
yes you heard it here first a talking kitty Kat .......then for an encore
Iris the wonder Kitty does back flips...tee hee
Really Bones Iris our darling kitty does watch T.V. but as for talking she does meow in fluent FRENCH......... :lol:
LOVE AND HUGS TO YOU
moon
Thanks, Moon!
I can visualize Iris standing on her hind legs and applauding!!! :lol:
Bones
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Deb,
Your story reminds me of Henry when I caught him sleeping on the couch. He has never been allowed on the furniture (he can be very dominant, and with dogs who are, they recommend not allowing them in people places). Well, I came around the corner, and Henry was sleeping nicely on the couch, as comfy as could be. I just folded my arms and stood there until he felt my presence (a few minutes... yeah, he's a GREAT watchdog). When he saw me standing there, I thought he was going to have a heart attack. He did a double take, and jumped off the couch like he was on fire. It was soooooo funny.
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Deb,
Your story reminds me of Henry when I caught him sleeping on the couch. He has never been allowed on the furniture (he can be very dominant, and with dogs who are, they recommend not allowing them in people places). Well, I came around the corner, and Henry was sleeping nicely on the couch, as comfy as could be. I just folded my arms and stood there until he felt my presence (a few minutes... yeah, he's a GREAT watchdog). When he saw me standing there, I thought he was going to have a heart attack. He did a double take, and jumped off the couch like he was on fire. It was soooooo funny.
:lol: :lol:
Bones
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Beth,
I have a cat that does that double take that Henry does. He was the most recent baby (another stray destined for a not so good end). He was very aggressive toward the other cats, so he was told he cannot come to the second floor, so they had somewhere to hide.
Ever so often we'll see him walking around up there very self-confidently. When he sees one of us, he freezes and then turns and runs down the steps a top speed. Then, pretends he was downstairs all along.
He also has a habit of wallking past another abuse-victim cat baby and slaps her as he walks by. Sometimes, he'll look around first to see if we are watching, and if we are, runs the other direction without slapping her. You can see his thought process.
His name is Oscar. Some days, that's short for Oscar the Grouch, others he is Oscar WILDe. But his original name is Oscar Meyer the Weiner. I think all cats are narcissists and he is the poster child for narcissist cats.
CB
Oscar Meyer the Weiner???? Now that's cute!!!!
Bones
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What a brat Oscar is!!!!! Amazing. I can just see it!!!
Henry used to stand up and watch the hamster in the cage... he couldn't help himself... he was fascinated. No matter what I said, he wanted to see him. Well, I think he got too close and got a nip on the nose one day. That wisened him up a bit.
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I have been spending time Googling dogs.
Am I NUTS? :shock:
I know I want a few dog-free years when this dear one goes to the doghouse in the sky.
But I have this fascination for shiba inus. Thought I might rescue one someday.
(Shhh. Don't tell Her.)
She had an Official Grooming today and is looking gorgeous and smelling wayyyyyyy better. Her coat is really amazing in winter, must be the chow in her.
Hops
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I have been spending time Googling dogs.
Am I NUTS? :shock:
I know I want a few dog-free years when this dear one goes to the doghouse in the sky.
But I have this fascination for shiba inus. Thought I might rescue one someday.
(Shhh. Don't tell Her.)
She had an Official Grooming today and is looking gorgeous and smelling wayyyyyyy better. Her coat is really amazing in winter, must be the chow in her.
Hops
What are shiba inus? That's the first time I've heard of that breed.
Bones
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They're a "primitive dog" like a dingo.
All that means is very ancient, so the characteristics are more wild.
Not to say they're not good pets, they have lovely temperaments, but they have a natural reserve and are very powerfully loyal. They are the national dog of Japan, in the same line as the Akita, just a lot smaller.
They don't bark, they scream.
Sounds ghastly but they're wonderful. They are so intelligent looking.
They're confident without swagger.
(Maybe I actually want to BE a shiba inu. That's probably it!)
Hops
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They're a "primitive dog" like a dingo.
All that means is very ancient, so the characteristics are more wild.
Not to say they're not good pets, they have lovely temperaments, but they have a natural reserve and are very powerfully loyal. They are the national dog of Japan, in the same line as the Akita, just a lot smaller.
They don't bark, they scream.
Sounds ghastly but they're wonderful. They are so intelligent looking.
They're confident without swagger.
(Maybe I actually want to BE a shiba inu. That's probably it!)
Hops
:D
Bones
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Hmmmmm a dog that screams instead of barking. Only a very gentle soul could love a dog that does that.
My story is about TOTO the kitty. Totto belonged to very nice people who had two dogs as well. Then they got three more cats. Toto lived in the lap of luxury in a big mansion and there was lots of room for all these critters. However, the stress of additional cats was too much and Toto developed urinary problems. He had the smallest penis the vet had ever seen. The nice parents of Toto spent thousands of dollars on him. After the last surgery costing 1500 dollars Toto started to visit my friend who had just moved into the neighbourhood. They really liked him and fed him and cuddled him. Gradually he was spending more time with them.
The man of the house likes to eat fried food so he would take bicarbonate of soda in a very tall glass ( Like a big MacDonalds cup). Toto started to really get into this and after awhile he would only drink if the glass was full, had icecubes and bicarbonate of soda.
The neighbours, the original owners of Toto finally gave up and came to the door and said that my friend could have TOTO if they promised to look after all his health problems. ..... So a year passed and no urinary tract problems.
At a party my friend mentioned to an elderly vet that Toto was her darling and how he liked water with icecubes and bicarbonate of soday. The vet was very interested and said that in the old days before there were so many drugs around that Bicarbonalte of soda was a cure for urinary tract problems in cats.
Sort of a miracle that the kitty found the right person to give him the remedy he needed.
Sea storm
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Awwwwwwwwww!!!!!!!!!!! :-) :-) :-)
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Actually, Shiba Inus are a Japanese dog and big around here (inu means puppy/dog in Japanese).
I google dogs too. I used to go to the pet med site and look at the pictures from the people who enter the contests.
How interesting about the urinary tract infection and lucky kitty!!!!
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Hey Beth,
Maybe you could stick a sleeping Shiba Inu puppy in Henry's crate for me!
:)
Hops
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What if we ended up with Shiba Bullies???? Now what would THAT look like??
Got babies on the brain cause I think I am going to have baby piggies soon!!!!!
Love, Beth
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Oscar's a stitch!
:lol:
I think some cats were corrugated cardboard barons in their previous lives.
Hops
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:lol: :lol:
It seems they are drawn to cardboard boxes or paper bags! It's so cute and funny to watch!
Bones
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Henry LOVES to eat cardboard boxes. Sometimes I will give them to him because he enjoys it so much. He also loves grocer day. He grabs the empty paper bags and tosses them and chases them and eats them. Weirdo.
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I love these stories. The warm my heart. I just thought of one.
I know a dog name Oskar. He is some kind of cocker spaniel. He is beloved by a newly married couple who treat him like their baby.
Anyway Oscar was signed up to become a hospice dog. If he graduated he would be brought into a hospital to be with sick people etc. He is a friendly nice doggie.
The training is quite gruelling. Doggie training gruelling you may say. Yes, it was.
On the night he was to be tested both of the loving newly marrieds were sick with bad coughs and runnie noses. Nevertheless, Oskar went for his test. One of the parts of the test involved several people with noise makers trying to upset Oskar and keep him from being "present" for the sick person. He passed with flying colours. He was given the highest award and became a certified hospice dog. His owners were beaming with pride. They phoned all their closest relatives and emailed their friends, such was their pleasure in their doggie.
The next morning the young wife awoke to the sound of Osckar throwing up.
She ran downstairs and found guilty doggie. He had eaten 12 packages of cough candies paper and all. There were bits of tinfoil papar throughout the house.
He was ok but the luster was off his brilliant performance as a certified hospice dog.
Sea storm
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Silly pup!
Bones
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Today the Moon family went to an animal retreat .It was so beautiful Mr moon and moonlet and my sweet mother in law loved it.
(she got around on an electric cart)
The whole place is accessible for wheelchairs etc.
Well we went into the hummingbird exhibit and our 2 photographers Mr moon and teen moon had a great time
because the hummers came so close and I was sitting on a bench with my mil and a hummer with a blue crown landed on my head :lol:
and yes Mr moon got a photo tee hee and of course we all laughed and tiny teen moonlet laughed the most .
Later teen moon got a great photo of a red cardinal she just loves everything her dad does and they are good buddies. :D
grandma was zooming around in the cart so fast we could not keep up with her!!!!!!!!!!!!!
It was the best day we have had in a long while
maybe the hummingbird thought my hair was a nest. :shock:
we saw otters and big horned sheep and the ocelots soooooooooooooooooo beautiful and peaceful...... 8)
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Oh Moon,
Thank you for sharing your lovely family day out with us.
What a picture of a real peaceful happy family enjoying the beauty of creation
Sounds and feels like bliss
Bless you
Leah
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Moon hon,
Why am I NOT surprised that hummingbirds are attracted to you???
Thanks much for that joyous story.
I think one reason you've found so much happiness in your life is that you have such a deep capacity to appreciate simple joys. And your family is so clearly secure in your love.
Just goes to show that children/survivors of Ns can grow up (at any age!) to create happiness in their lives.
Thank you for showing and sharing that.
hugs,
Hops
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Today the Moon family went to an animal retreat .It was so beautiful Mr moon and moonlet and my sweet mother in law loved it.
(she got around on an electric cart)
The whole place is accessible for wheelchairs etc.
Weill we went into the hummingbird exhibit and our 2 photographers Mr moon and teen moon had a great time
because the hummers came so close and I was sitting on a bench with my mil and a hummer with a blue crown landed on my head :lol:
and yes Mr moon got a photo ha ha ha and of course we all laughed and tiny teen moonlet laughed the most .
Later teen moon got a great photo of a red cardinal she just loves everything her dad does and they are good buddies. :D
grandma was zooming around in the cart so fast we could not keep up with her!!!!!!!!!!!!!
It was the best day we have had in a long while
maybe the hummingbird thought my hair was a nest. :shock:
we saw otters and big horned sheep and the ocelots soooooooooooooooooo beautiful and peaceful...... 8)
Awwwwwwwwww!!!!!!!
Bones
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Hey Bones ,
This is kind animal thoughts :D
Our animal companions offer unconditional love..to us...and to one another".
"They are wonderful examples of loving kindness". 8)
"They teach us many things ,including patience,generosity,respect and impermanence,but what do we really give them in return"? :shock:
"Every animal precious"?
Love and hugs to yuu Bones
moonlight
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awwwwh (((Moon)))
So very true
I just love my two kitties
They each have their own little way of showering me with their love and affection
Whenever I am feeling unwell or a little sad, they know and they snuggle up to me.
(((Leah)))
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I watched a show on giant crocs last night and the fellow had hand-raised one (his name was Jaws). While a keeper kept feeding him hunks of chicken, the man was able to handle him, touch him, and measure him.
He was a pretty fat croc.
I actually felt affection, even though I used to feel a little shiver about such predators. Turn away from the tube when they were attacking an animal on the riverbank. Last night I thought that these animals die fairly quickly, really, so it may not be such a bad end.
Anyway, I wanted to pat Jaws.
Hops
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Hops ,
Croc's need a different kind of care yes indeedy.....
love and light,
moonlight
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Hey Bones ,
This is kind animal thoughts :D
Our animal companions offer unconditional love..to us...and to one another".
"They are wonderful examples of loving kindness". 8)
"They teach us many things ,including patience,generosity,respect and impermanence,but what do we really give them in return"? :shock:
"Every animal precious"?
Love and hugs to yuu Bones
moonlight
Thanks, Moon!
Bones
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Dogs get the last laugh too!
I have two doxies. One bites people and the other bites other dogs. When people come I have to put my doxie Jay in his cage. The other day my daughter came home with her boyfriend and his beagle. So Jay (the human biter) got to stay out and Fritz (the dog biter) got to go in the cage.
Jay just loved my daughters boyfriends dog, they ran, they played, they wagged tails. Then they disappeared. Jay took his new friend into my room where my other doxie was caged and just sat with his new found friend looking in at poor Fitz. I swear he was smiling.
Pay back.
Love Deb
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:lol:
Hee!
Doxies are very very cute, imo.
Are they normally mellow?
They're mutant :o hounds, not terriers, right?
They're JUST the size I'd like, and short-haired to boot.
But I need the world's MELLOWEST small dog.
A rescue will be just the thing and I hope I wait a long while.
Last thing I need, but I do think about it a lot. (Don't tell Bagel.)
Hops
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Hops,
OMG, I love my doxies.
I adopted both. One the breeder gave to me and the other was my sisters mother in law's who eventually had to go to a nursing home.
Jay is a wire hair
Fritz is just your regular everyday hot dog.
Fritz is real mellow except when he wants to play. He plays hide and seek. We have to hide and he has to find us. He loves balls and stuffed animals that make noises.
You cannot bring a toy into this house if it sings anything or he will scream for hours till you give it to him.
He does not chew it (OK so sometimes he take out an eye or something but he just redesigns it for his own taste) but never destroys it.
His paws look like mini hands. It's weird
He even has expressions. His little eyes crinkle when I make him mad. I get puppy eyes, sick eyes and hungry eyes.
I even know when he's up to no good cause I get the devil in him eyes.
He loves to snuggle.
He climbed on the couch with me to snuggle loves a blanket over him and always like to be touching my skin.
He does tend to hog the couch though.
One time he was climbing up with me and though he was crawling under the blankets with me and crawled up my pj pants leg. It was so funny.
Yes he is loads of fun. Not much care with exception of hugs, kisses and snuggles.
You ever see that commercial with the Doxie that goes to Pet Plus to get a new toy?
That is exactly how mine is.
OK so admit it. I take him with me in my car,I dress him up, I sing to him. I just love him to death.
I love Jay too but he is more a couch potato and likes it just like that no more no less.
Not as much fun except when he is making from of the other doxie. Then he is hilarious.
Love Deb
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Wow.
Weinerdog's on my list!
Maybe I wanta weinerdog crossed with a shiba enu.
Yeh, that's the ticket! :D
(But I would want want that doesn't bite anything breathing.)
Hops
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CB,
I have cats too. My kids have dragged everything home. I love animals so I'm soft. Though I wasn't crazy about my sons pet slug when he was three that lived in a jewelry box and carried everywhere. He fell asleep with Philber's (slugs name) box open one night and haven't seen Philber since then. *looks around, shivers*
I had a cat that my kids had named fluffy. Use to drive me crazy when he would get on my counters. I would say get down. He never listend so I kept saying all day long, get down, get down. He never got the hint.
I use to get mad when I called Flufffffy. He would ignore me, fluffy had a bad attitude problem.
One day my son was climbing and I said GET DOWN and my cat came. Hehe I use to say to him get down so much he thought it was his name.
Love Deb
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CB,
I have cats too. My kids have dragged everything home. I love animals so I'm soft. Though I wasn't crazy about my sons pet slug when he was three that lived in a jewelry box and carried everywhere. He fell asleep with Philber's (slugs name) box open one night and haven't seen Philber since then. *looks around, shivers*
I had a cat that my kids had named fluffy. Use to drive me crazy when he would get on my counters. I would say get down. He never listend so I kept saying all day long, get down, get down. He never got the hint.
I use to get mad when I called Flufffffy. He would ignore me, fluffy had a bad attitude problem.
One day my son was climbing and I said GET DOWN and my cat came. Hehe I use to say to him get down so much he thought it was his name.
Love Deb
:lol: Fluffy sounds like a real character! :lol:
Bones
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Henrietta, Chicken of Mystery
My hen is aggressive, audacious, curious, sociable, and baffling.
By Jon Katz
Posted Monday, Feb. 26, 2007, at 1:31 PM ET
I've had a small crew of chickens for a few years now. My wife says they're the only truly useful creatures on the farm. They're industrious, pecking all day at grubs and bugs, purposefully marching around the pasture. Aside from water and a handful of feed and corn each morning, they require little from me. At dusk, they hop up onto their roosts in the barn. In return, they supply all the eggs we need.
But Henrietta is different. Henrietta's father is my speckled rooster Winston, a dignified, conscientious, even heroic creature whose leg got mangled when he staved off a hawk attack on his hens. Her mother is one of my tawny, unnamed Buff Orphingtons. Henrietta arrived unexpectedly last fall. The mother hen had disappeared, which sometimes means bad news. But my helper Annie soon spotted her in the garden, sheltered by a bunch of tall zinnias and warming half a dozen eggs. I tried to move the mom someplace more secure, but when she nearly pecked off my right hand, I decided to let her be.
We left her there for weeks, bringing feed and water as close as she would let us come. Only one egg hatched: Henrietta. The first chicken born on Bedlam Farm, she was gray and speckled, like her dad. She and her mother spent a few weeks in a snug little milk house, abandoned for decades and slightly decrepit, but perfect for a nursery. Annie and I visited daily, bringing water and assorted goodies—corn, birdseed, Cheerios.
Annie wanted to keep mom and chick in the milk house for a few months. She worried particularly about Mother the barn cat, who was hovering around the milk house with chilling enthusiasm. But I, playing the father who wants his offspring out in the world, freed Henrietta after six weeks. "She seems quite able to take care of herself," I said.
Henrietta is the most recent subject of the unofficial study I've been conducting to see if how we treat farm animals can affect their personalities. Animals of the same species can behave very differently, yet there's little research that explains why. Genetics is a factor, so are health and environment. And I'm coming to believe that humans can also shape the natures of domesticated animals, even creatures that seem to lack individuality.
My animals have space to roam and graze, shelter from the weather, first aid, and veterinary care when they need it. They have plentiful food and water and strong fences that keep them in and nasty critters out. Unlike many farm animals, they've also been continuously, even relentlessly socialized by humans. My farm is a highly unmechanized operation: People give the animals their food, bring extra treats, touch them, and talk to them, treat them gently. My cows, donkeys, and sheep meet visitors of all sorts, who invariably arrive with carrots and apples and want to scratch ears and pat backs.
Maybe that's why some of these animals behave contrary to expectations. Elvis, my enormous Brown Swiss steer, is trainable, affectionate, and intelligent. To my surprise, and contrary to certain bovine stereotypes, he doesn't simply eat, eliminate, and sleep. He has what I would call a life. He has relationships, pleasures, attachments.
So does my feisty little hen.
From the start, Henrietta was unusual, a hen of entitlement. None of the larger animals intimidated her one whit. She seemed to have some of her dad's better traits: She looked people right in the eye, reacted to them, seemed curious and adventurous. She wandered off from the other chickens from time to time, and occasionally stopped by to visit me.
Our perceptions of animal personalities are shaped by our own cultural conceptions, too. We like animals that are "cute" or good-looking and that respond to us. I admired this assertive chicken, so I talked to her and tossed her more grain. But that doesn't fully explain why, on a warm fall day when I was brushing hay and flecks of manure from the donkeys' fuzzy coats, Henrietta hopped right up on Jeannette's back and began pecking. Jeannette, my senior donkey, can be territorial and argumentative, but she seemed not to notice or care as Henrietta tidied up her back a bit, then settled down in that comfy spot for an hour or so, riding along when Jeannette ambled over to the feeder.
None of the farmers hereabouts, wise to the ways of poultry, had seen anything like it. One neighbor came by, watched, spat on the ground and said, "You've got yourself an interesting chicken there."
The barnyard residents seem quite unruffled by Henrietta, though. She bounds onto the donkeys' and sheep's backs, pecks a bit at their coats and fleece, then rides along imperturbably. Except for the humans, everyone seems quite blasé about it.
Most striking is the … let's call it a relationship that's developed between Henrietta and the barn cat. Every evening, I bring out a can of cat food, and Mother appears mysteriously, from somewhere in the upper reaches of my vast dairy barn, for her supper. But one recent night, Henrietta came zooming over from the chicken roost, chased Mother from her bowl, and then, flapping her wings and squawking, drove her right out of the barn.
I was astonished when Henrietta proceeded to eat all of Mother's Fancy Feast, while the cat returned to complain loudly from a rafter. Given Mother's kill count of rodents and birds, I was astonished that Henrietta was alive at all. Now this pair interacts all the time. Mother hides in the barn, then pops down to startle Henrietta, who gives chase. Henrietta sometimes stages ambushes from atop a donkey, waiting for Mother to pass by in pursuit of some hapless mole, then swooping down.
It looks like they're playing hide-and-seek or tag. My neighbors had never seen a cat run from a chicken; now they have. On the other hand, some nights Mother sleeps right next to Henrietta on a shelf in the barn. Though it appears they're having fun, I know better than to anthropomorphize. They could well be at war. I'm not always sure there's a difference, or that I'd recognize it if there is.
Nor can I really say what gives Henrietta such sass. Partly breeding, I think—her father's Churchillian courage getting passed along. Partly, Annie's tender care early on. If you give animals little reason to fight, compete, or cower, I've found, they often don't.
But who really knows? Some things simply can't be accounted for by human perception. Often, the best part of living on a farm is the mystery.
Jon Katz is the author of A Good Dog: The Story of Orson, Who Changed My Life
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I know in my psychology classes, we are advised not to anthropomorphize animals. At the same time, how else can we describe the behaviors we observe that don't fit the "animal norm" like the gorilla I watched at the National Zoo? My psychology professor was stumped with that one!
Bones
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I hope this link works. This is Einstien, the bird that was on Pet Star. She's very smart!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BSckclRKirM&mode=related&search= (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BSckclRKirM&mode=related&search=)
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Mountainspring,
I watched Einstein after your post yesterday. What a riot! I also loved Tic the hamster.
Thanks for sharing.
CB
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I love Jon Katz's writing about farm animals.
I am so grateful for his willingness to anthropomorphize and his respect for their emotional lives.
Hops
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One of the cutest animal stories I encountered was reported on the TV news and there is a video on YouTube....the two otters holding paws in the Vancouver zoo. Those two otters are the cutest!
Bones
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Bones,
The otter story was darling. They looked like little people. I liked when they lost hold of each other and then reached for each other again.
Hops, Jon Katz is one of my favorites. I got all his books last summer and read them, one after another. We had farm collies which were supposed to be an improvement on border collies (they aren't) and I like reading about working collies. His stories about their temperament sure rang true.
CB
I LOVED it when the otters reached out to each other again!!
Bones
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Hi Bones.... really sweet little otters. Did you see the one with the baby duck feeding the carp?
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Where can I find the video of the duck feeding the carp? I don't think I've seen that one yet.
Bones
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Hi Bones.... here's the link. If it doesn't work, go to www.youtube.com and in the search box put baby duck feeding carp.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HDJT3jA_PBw
and here's another really neat one too. It's Shamu and his trainer doing a show at Sea World.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9VsSiB2ZqhY
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Thanks, Mountain Spring!
Bones
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HI MountainSpring and Bones,
Thats the sweetest video of the ducky feeding the carp and of Shamu.....
Thank you :D
So sweet
moon
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Hi, Moon!
Bones
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Hi Bones! Hi Moon! Hi CB! You tube can be so much fun!
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Check these out (more baby otters):
http://youtube.com/watch?v=Ho1Laprg4z0&mode=related&search=
http://youtube.com/watch?v=Z3rj9LbCOaM
http://youtube.com/watch?v=2bnnKKltKLQ
Hi Mountainspring! I love youtube animals!
CB
Thanks!
Bones
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Bones and CB.... You're not going to believe these. Talking cats... I swear... One says Mama!! Is this real?????
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iV6DQuEh4UQ&mode=related&search=
and this dog says I love you on Montel!!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FrmxZpZWd6k&NR=1
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Mountainspring,
I saw these cats on TV. I like the one who says "Oh, Johnson".
I'm pretty sure they're real. I can watch those videos over and over and laugh every single time.
CB
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More talking dogs :)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZCYaw5tGYAs&NR=1
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A few months back my mom went to visit my brother. The dynamic of the house shifted a little. My precious little Yorkie was missing her and apparently went to her room and went to sleep. It was after dark and I'd had the back door open to let in fresh air. About a half hour passed before I missed him. I had been by the door all the time it was open and hadn't seen him go out, so I was sure he was in the house. So I looked in all the places he would normally lie down, and called his name quietly. No response. I went from room to room calling his name quietly. No response. I made the rounds several times and began to get panicked. Finally in total panic, I yelled out his name. This time he heard me and came from (I think) her room all rumpled and sleepy eyed, saying, Whut mom? Whut? That was the first I realized his hearing was impaired. ((((((((((((((((((((He's my best buddy.))))))))))))))))))))))
tt
PS I now incorporate sign language to help him know what is being said. I love him. I love him!
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Hi TT...... I got a little puppy yorkie in February for my youngest daughters birthday. She was the cutest sweetest little thing, and she would lay right beside us, so still. She turned out to have some major medical issues and we couldn't keep her but not too long afterwards I got my daughter a real sweet toy maltese. Don't you just love little puppies!
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Hi MS,
So sorry for those medical problems your little Yorkie has.
Yes, I do love them. I REALLY love my little buddy even though he has alligator breath.
A word of caution, get your Maltese used to having her teeth brushed and her paws massaged so that you can cut her nails as she grows up. I didn't do that. I now regret it. Puuuuieeee!
So good to see your spirits up and read your posts.
tt
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Me too. She would circle and circle then fall. The vet said she had brain damage and said the kindest thing to do was to put her down.
My older maltese won't let us touch her paws but we the younger one does. I brush them both at night when I'm watching TV. As long as I just barely move the brush across them, they'll sit there all content. It takes forever that way but gets the job done. I also found that after bathing them if I will put conditioner on them they are much easier to brush. My little pom won't let me brush him at all, and I rarely find a knot in his fur. I guess it's because it's straight.
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tt
PS I now incorporate sign language to help him know what is being said. I love him. I love him!
Lest I gave the impression that I have developed some unique "doggy sign language", let me clarify. He has cataracts tool So to help on both fronts, I found that hand and arm waving helps him understand what I'm saying. :)
tt
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The locamotion with Knut.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hP1vJs7Wv8k&mode=related&search=
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Here's another cute Knut:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bFR0xA60GGI&mode=related&search=
Mountainspring, thanks for your Youtube recommendations! I really enjoy them.
CB
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CB that was so cute. He's such a sweet little bear.
I found another one... but it's not animals... (off topic alert, forgive me! :D) but it's a recording made in Ireland of the song You Raise Me Up. Really beautiful song.
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it's a recording made in Ireland of the song You Raise Me Up. Really beautiful song.
MS,
Can you share the site?
CB
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I thought I did!!! I remember bringing up the link and copying it... It was 2 in the morning... scatterbrained me!!!! Here it is:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=70IHIrvAO_w&NR=1
And here's a funny one..... Watch Judge Milian deal with an N!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jm8kJtAqft0
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Just wanted to share something here.
Yesterday, I was participating in a yard sale with a group of others. The person hosting the yard sale has an African Gray parrot and an Amazon Green parrot along with two cockatiels. When my boyfriend, who also happens to like birds, came to pick me up, we introduced him to the birds owned by the hostess. We were commenting on the fact that the African Gray's cage was the only one that was locked with a padlock. The hostess asked us to watch as she removed the padlock. "Buttercup" watched the padlock being removed and within a blink of an eye, she manipulated the latch on the cage door, grabbed the door with both feet and swung it open while dangling like a monkey!!!! WHEEE!!!! :shock:
I was surprised!!!
Bones
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That is one smart bird!!!
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That is one smart bird!!!
I think African Grays are one of the smartest birds around!
Bones
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Wow. I wasn't familiar with Celtic Woman. Thank you!
(Izz, any idea why my computer always stops videos and starts them again, stop, start, etc...makes it frustrating to watch anything.)
Sorry for the digression.
Animals...Bagel loooooooooooved being out on the historic plaza last night, among the cafe tables. Several people stopped to pat her. She just has The Look. (I'm pattable!) It's neat because when she wants to, Menace 'R Her.
I was thinking about the poor Yorkie, MS, so many of these "teacup" dogs are overbred and terribly prone to illness. I wish they'd stop breeding them, let everyone keep rescuing pooches. I'm still haunted by a little dog I passed over once at the SPCA...I didn't get any dog that year, but I am haunted by him. I know he wound up being gassed, and we'd had a connection. I still apologize to him, by name (I named him Batty, since he looked like a bat).
I think the only way I'll fix that karma is when the time comes, go to the pound and pick out an ugly little pooch that I think nobody else will choose.
Hops
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CB….. you had to put up with that?? I bet the day the psych doc kicked him out was a good one for you. I’m sorry it didn’t help you in the long run. :(
Bones…. Did the bird you saw look like the talking one from pet star? I bet he was an African grey too.
Hops… perhaps they are overbred. I get the small ones because they are so portable. The ones we have aren’t considered teacup, they are toys. We can take them anywhere. In the winter we tuck them under our coats and in the spring we put them in our purses. All except Sam… he’s a mean little thing to anyone outside the family. Bagel sounds so sweet sitting there waiting for her pats.
I found a couple interesting articles. Here’s one about the recently named tiniest dog in the world
http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/local/lake/orl-littledog2707apr27,0,5493752.story?coll=orl-home-promo
and here’s one about the ugliest dog in the world. The animal shelter said he was unadoptable. He was rescued and much loved by his owner Susie. He died this past November.
http://youtube.com/watch?v=VbhPUVRQykc
And here’s a upbeat dance link I found. It’s a group of guys dancing on a treadmill. Very creative.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pv5zWaTEVkI
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CB….. you had to put up with that?? I bet the day the psych doc kicked him out was a good one for you. I’m sorry it didn’t help you in the long run. :(
Bones…. Did the bird you saw look like the talking one from pet star? I bet he was an African grey too.
Hops… perhaps they are overbred. I get the small ones because they are so portable. The ones we have aren’t considered teacup, they are toys. We can take them anywhere. In the winter we tuck them under our coats and in the spring we put them in our purses. All except Sam… he’s a mean little thing to anyone outside the family. Bagel sounds so sweet sitting there waiting for her pats.
I found a couple interesting articles. Here’s one about the recently named tiniest dog in the world
http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/local/lake/orl-littledog2707apr27,0,5493752.story?coll=orl-home-promo
and here’s one about the ugliest dog in the world. The animal shelter said he was unadoptable. He was rescued and much loved by his owner Susie. He died this past November.
http://youtube.com/watch?v=VbhPUVRQykc
And here’s a upbeat dance link I found. It’s a group of guys dancing on a treadmill. Very creative.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pv5zWaTEVkI
Thanks, MountainSpring.
"Buttercup" looks similar to the African Gray on Pet Star. She has a few pink feathers among her other gray feathers.
Bones
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Thanks, Ami.
I think one of the reasons we can let our guard down with our pets is because they show us such unconditional love all the time. They don't play mind games with hidden, manipulative, narcississtic agendas.
Bones
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Smart, smart smart, smart Orcas. I love Orcas. This one shows them teaching their young how to hunt a seal... and when the lesson is over they put the seal unharmed back on the iceberg.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rBF9cDBUakA&mode=related&search=
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http://youtube.com/watch?v=4YTqbZdWutg
You all have GOT to see Tillman the skateboarding dog! Check out how he picks up the board and repositions it.
CB
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CB - I love Tillman!! Did you see he has his own web page? Tillman is the third skateboarding dog they've trained.
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Ode to my cat.
Kitty Kitty I love you.
When you sit in the same spot for hours on end.
How can you do it?
Its like your zen.
Kitty kitty I love you.
When you run like an antelope thorough the apartment,
from end to end.
You flip off the couch like an acrobat
in a gym.
Kitty kitty I love you.
When your best friend died, your eyes got sad.
I cried and you cried. You didn't lick your fur for a year.
Its been four years now, you look much better with shiny eyes and fur.
Kitty kitty I love you.
You curl up next to my head at night, and
paw my face to tell me something.
Your love bites are so cute that I have to admit, they don't hurt at all not
even a bit.
I love you kitty.
Thank you for being my friend.
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Hi All.... this is a cute one.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EHf5lWcC1O0&mode=related&search=
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Hi Everyone….
I’ve just gotten home after taking my daughter and our 2 Maltese’s to the drive thru at Wendy’s and then to the car wash. My little dogs get so happy when we go to the drive thru, I got a kids meal for her and one for them. Well on the way back as we’re going through the car wash and the water starts hitting the car, Gracie, the oldest maltese starts barking at the water and scratching at the window, at the same time, little Daisy runs to my lap and hides her face. I found a little more burger to calm her, but it was so funny watching the opposite reactions of 2 dogs that look very much the same.
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For all-a y'all dog nuts--
Everybody run, do not walk, to the movies and see
YEAR OF THE DOG.
I loved it so much! :D :D :D
You will TOO. I'll bet my best socks.
Hops
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Mountainspring,
Thought you would love these. I have never seen a turtle act like these. this one is of a turtle chasing and biting a cat:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ul0gfCyeiyM
And this one!
http://youtube.com/watch?v=fJr2evLANsE
CB
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Snake vs. Rabbit (the Rabbit beats the snot out of him!)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Ez5QPW-ku4&mode=related&search=
CB
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Just got a lovely lovely book called
The Dogs Who Found Me...
about a man who rescues--and loves and appreciates the true temperament of--pit bulls.
It is lovely,moving and wonderfully written. Read it in one sitting.
Pure therapy. I think I might start collecting this kind of dog story book...
wanted to recommend it.
For me animal stories are so often so healing to read, soak in.
(I think many animals would save humanity from our own stupidity, if they could.)
xo,
Hops
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This pet thing keeps coming to the top so I might as well have my story.
A new pup, needed house breaking. Daughter at school, me in wheelchair.
Every hour on the hour I picked him up by his belly, put him on my lap and wheeled him to the door and outside. I sat and gavve him time (and peeked too) and when he was finished, I picked him up by the belly, put him on my lap and wheeled him back inside.
He loved me. Whenever I was out of my chair, he jumped in.
Well one day I was sitting and this growing pup made a leap and landed on my lap--I was suddenly dumbfounded, then suddenly aware.
He had to pee and it began by being on my lap for a ride outside.
(It was only 3 days to teach him otherwise!!)
Funny?
I think so!!
Izzy
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Nice being a puppy toilet, huh Iz! :lol:
Thanks CB...I have a Katz book on the way too, my first. I've been enjoying his articles on Slate.com for a long while.
I'm just going to the dogs.
That movie is woooooonderful
love
Hops
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Nop Hops
He didn't pee on me
I was his ride outside to pee. His chauffeuressse!
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CB.... Thanks for those!!! With enough turtles and rabbits like that, guard dogs would be out of business!!! Loved the rabbit. The silly thing treed the snake!!
I found a couple... but there not animals :( But technically humans are animals so maybe they qualify for the thread. The first one is a really neat dominoe/pool table trick. It involves 4 pool tables.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6hOWryNAENk&NR=1
And this one is called the Evolution of Dance. It takes dance from the 50's to the present. It's pretty funny!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dMH0bHeiRNg
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Speaking of dancing, MS--have you ever seen Matt Harding dancing all around the world?
He is traveling on his own throughout the world and having someone videotape him dancing in front of famous tourist attractions, or in odd places (rain forest, coral reef, etc). Along the way, he has picked up notoriety (and sponsors). I dont know what is so funny to me about this but he cracks me up. Be sure to check out the outtakes on this page:
http://www.wherethehellismatt.com/videos.shtml
I suspect we have similar weird sense of humor, but I dont mean to be addressing these just to MS.
CB
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Hey CB,
I meant to tell you I did order a Jon Katz book about his border collie...I keep checking the mailbox!
Anybody got any animal anecdotes?
Beth, I've written to Henry but haven't heard... :)
Hops
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I suspect we have similar weird sense of humor
CB.... I suspect you are correct!! Did you notice Matt's favorite shirts are black and white. He wears them all over the world!! And what language was that song in????
Hops...
I don't have any funny animal stories, but here's an amazon parrot singing Yankee Doodle Dandy
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=50z_L07YnHQ&mode=related&search=
And here's a dog who really loves his bone but can't decide whether to chew on it or his hind leg!!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hlY9lemk3y8
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Oh ((((((((((((((CB)))))))))))))
I tell you, Katz' writing has nothing on yours!
I love the Jack story ... dogpaddling in the deep end, ha ha...would've loved to see your son surprise him with the SEAL routine!
Don't know why I'm so preoccupied with animals lately.
I can't say it enough for animal nuts---please do make notes about Year of the Dog...it'll soon be out for rental!
I love Nubian goats. I used to milk one when I was living in the mountains and his owner went away. I was so inept. Finally it took about 4 of my hippie pals to help me get it into the milking stanchion. It was a riot. The little ones were so funny...I always thought it was so delightful when they'd jump in my lap..imagine, having a HOOVED creature standing on you!
Another favorite animal memory was a close encounter with a Percheron behind the barn at a state fair...he must've liked my perfume because he kept running his silky nostril (the size of a roasting pan...this thing was the tallest horse I'd ever seen, bigger than a Cllydesdale) over and over my face and shoulders. I was in LUV.
At the moment Bagel is snoozing away on the floor by my bed and there's a cool gentle rain ... I love summer rain. I saw two woodpeckers this morning do the oddest thing. Pileated, I think. Anyone, one tugged something from the bark and hopped sideways on the tree and handed the tidbit to the other. I'd never seen that before.
happy sighs,
Hops
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cb 123
I really love your stories CB. I hope you save them or publish them. They are wonderful.
Sea storm
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I would imagine the "friend looking on" might have influenced the heroics, eh?
Blech. If I were the animal I woulda chosen choking.
(Sorry CB...I don't like him either!)
xo
Hops
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Hi guys... I've never been a jellyfish fan but I came across this the other day and thought it was really neat. Not that I'd want to swim with them or anything :shock: but watching the clip was interesting.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GTXinF8ZVCo&NR=1
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Found a good one today--
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WofFb_eOxxA&mode=related&search=
Cats are too smart!
CB
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CB that was soooo cute! A cat flushing a toilet, over and over, I wonder how often he does that and how much thier water bill is???? :D
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This one's a crack up. I've watched it over and over:
http://youtube.com/watch?v=ZcUHbvfS5zA
CB
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That was one BRAVE monkey!! Check this one out. It's a series of several animal clips, but in one of them a monkey grabs and dog's tail and runs...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gw0FU733zzg
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Funny Cute Kitties -- a girl's best friend! so sweet :)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kkT7A3jegBc (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kkT7A3jegBc)
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Today my husband was standing in the back of my house by a field with the weed whacker out comes my black cat (sneaks out with the kid) running like the wind.. earlier I called my son on his cell..sometimes good for kids to have them.. he was in the field.. he's not allowed.. so I screamed for him to get out... back to the cat... my H looked and after the cat was a coyote in pursuit ran right across my H's feet...then took off into the field.. Cat alright lesson learned...son better never go there again.........
Then about 20 mins later I heard shots.. don't know what happened... hope it got away but never comes back.. there are alot of small children who play and they say that anything eye level can look like prey... Scary....
Love
Deb
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Oh, Deb... that gave me shivers! I like to hear the coyotes howl (they sure like the full moon!), but they can be a menace, too. Between the fox and coyote, we used to lose chickens regularly. Now we just have ducks and a couple hens... and the ducks are better guardians than my big dog (and noisier too :D)
Speaking of which, it's hilarious to watch those ducks in the rain! They all line up, facing the raindrops.... and the boys, especially, puff out their chests and extend their long necks upward, and just soak it up. They look like a line of gurus, all absorbed in deep meditation... LOL
Great idea for your son to carry a cell when he's out exploring. A cell and a couple of rocks in his pocket, for snakes... that's what we tell ours.
Tell that boy to stay safe and keep his eyes peeled!
Love,
Carolyn
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It's been a while since I've seen this thread. I'll have to check which stories I've posted so I don't repeat myself.
Bones
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Amazing ... clever bird :)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OPz2MYp67ic (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OPz2MYp67ic)
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Are you guys familiar with this site? (For cat lovers only.)
http://www.lolcats.com/
some of the videos are really funny.