The Best Things About The Animals In Our Lives

[pressmom]

So this thread is for pets, animals from work or volunteering, and anything else! I guess this is sort of similar to the avatars thread, but it opens the door to other animals.

I have two boys at home. Both 10 lb dogs. I love watching them wrestle and "talk" to each other. It's virtually impossible for my dachshund to play bow, but he tries really hard. Also, I love that one of my dogs sleeps in my lap every night. It's so weird when he's not here, I can hardly sleep!

When I volunteered at the SPCA before I moved, there was this dog we found that we were sure was a short-haired chiuaua. I didn't know it at the time, but she was adopted by one of my upstairs neighbors. I saw her several times as she was treated for skin issues. Over the months she became this beautiful pomeranian! It was amazing to see an animal I had seen at her worse recover so wonderfully!

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[AuburnPreVet]

<--- 2 fantastic Chihuahuas (one is a "foster").

 

[4theanimals]

Certainly I have my own loves at home, but I have worked with some great animals at the shelter. At the shelter we have a tendency to nickname animals according to some personality quirk or story. "Bowler" was one of these dogs. He would pick up his stainless steel bowl and bring it to you at the gate every time. BUT in between he would slide it using feet/mouth whatever up and down the length of his run - back and forth, back and forth. Unfortunately, he was "evidence" in a court case so he was in the shelter for quite awhile and that was his entertainment. But he just seemed to get such joy out of it and that joy rubbed off on you.

Bullet Head was another. As his name would suggest, yes, he took a bullet to the head. He was a big old pit bull...and a huge goofball. Unfortunately, the police officer who came across him assumed he was aggressive and shot him. But there was not a mean/aggressive bone in that dogs body. You would look him in the eye and just know he was a dork! Despite being shot he kept that attitude and loved people. He too had to hang around as evidence but eventually was able to be put up for adoption.

I could go on forever but I will add one cat and then stop. "Bobble Head" was this long haired orange tabby we had come in. We didn't know his full story but he had definite neurological issues. Best guess was some sort of birth defect or perhaps an old injury. His head just sort of swiveled in all directions randomly. The rest of his muscle control wasn't much better. But he could have cared less! If you could manage to get a toy in front of him long enough to see it, he would take off stumbling after it. And he did his absolute best to head butt everyone in contact range - although many times he missed. But he purred up a storm and loved his life. He got around just fin you just couldn't let him get on counters, etc. because of potential missteps. He ended up getting adopted by a woman who would be home with him all day to entertain him.

 

[ratbandit]

Akita - one of my faves at the shelter, he would get so annoyed by the other animals barking that he would shove his head in the corner trying to close his ears
Hefty - we found a little girl crying in the cat room as her mom was up front adopting a kitten. We asked her why and she said she was sad because she wanted the old black one! So we let her name him - Hefy like a big black trash bag (we had to put him to sleep 2 weeks later and I was SO upset).
Momma Dog - found her in a ditch close to starvation licking her dead puppies. She was on the euthanasia list 3 times but everytime we got her off, she got a good home but was at the shelter for over a year!
Skunker - Best guinea pig ever! He slept on the lap of the front desk person for hours!

these are just a few that I can think of

 

[TheDuck]

I have an old gal at home. She's still spunky when she feels like playing. We wrestle, etc. She gets a little lost when I let her outside though.

My sister has two yellow labs (brother-sister) that I adore. They wrestle around with each other, which cracks me up because they're both so huge. I took care of the boy after he had some major surgery, and his IV got infected; I'm sure he is appreciative of it because everytime I come over, he goes nuts with the kisses and won't leave me alone--he even follows me into the bathroom and stays with me until I'm done, which my sister says he doesn't do with anyone.

My dad has an Akita, but they live in FL, so I hardly ever get to see them. He remembers me, I think, because he's always happy to see me when I go down there. He's a happy pooch in general though, so who knows.

 

[Mylez]

My cat, Johnny D., is probably one of my most favorite pets. Now a two year old flame point, he answers the door, greets people, and is trained to a clicker to do tricks for treats (jump from chair to chair, come, up on his back haunches...)

I really didn't want to get a pet in undergrad. beyond my two little monster sugar gliders. But my roommate worked for the animal shelter and so we often had groups of mother cats and kittens living at our place for some period of time. Some would come along and I'd get attached, but not like with Johnny!

We named all of the kittens after superstars, and the mother was Cindy Crawford (Hence, Johnny D, ie Depp.) It just stuck. The mother got sick and we lost quite a few kittens, but his litter stayed strong. However we had to bottle feed them regularly right through finals. When you came into the room it was a mass of kittenhood climbing up your pants to be the first to be fed!

The time came for them to leave and I convinced myself I didn't need him and that with his pretty colors he'd be adopted right away. Later that afternoon I talked my roommate into letting me adopt him but when I called he had already been adopted. Devastation!

The day after that his adopter returned him because they weren't ready for a cat. I tried to convince myself of the same thing for two WEEKS while he sat at the shelter and watched his littermates get adopted. After seeing him there still, I buckled down and was at the shelter the MINUTE they opened to take my screaming kitten home. It's been love ever since.

 

[botch]

I could go on forever but I will add one cat and then stop. "Bobble Head" was this long haired orange tabby we had come in. We didn't know his full story but he had definite neurological issues. Best guess was some sort of birth defect or perhaps an old injury. His head just sort of swiveled in all directions randomly. The rest of his muscle control wasn't much better. But he could have cared less! If you could manage to get a toy in front of him long enough to see it, he would take off stumbling after it. And he did his absolute best to head butt everyone in contact range - although many times he missed. But he purred up a storm and loved his life. He got around just fin you just couldn't let him get on counters, etc. because of potential missteps. He ended up getting adopted by a woman who would be home with him all day to entertain him.

We have had a few kittens come through that presented strikingly similar to this. The condition that was cerebellar hypoplasia, and is a consequence of the cats mother having panleuk while the cat was in utero. The cats are 'normal' other than an inability for fine motor control.

 

[CookieBear]

We have had a few kittens come through that presented strikingly similar to this. The condition that was cerebellar hypoplasia, and is a consequence of the cats mother having panleuk while the cat was in utero. The cats are 'normal' other than an inability for fine motor control.

I think I've seen this too in a kitten or two we've had.

- - - -

Our resident hospital cat was rescued in a supermarket parking lot one rainy day by a doctor who worked for us. The kitten was already almost 6 months old, but we figured she'd be easy to adopt out. That'd didn't work though. She had an obvious problem with biting - low tolerance for handling - and she clearly favored men over women.

I think she's one of these 'hypersensitive' cats that can only handle two or three pets, and then she's had enough.

She loves dogs and hates other cats 99% of the time. We are always on alert for children and parents and clients who refuse to believe it when they're told "She's nippy! She'll bite you!" -- which is when she's ushered back to the laundry room to her cat bed.

It's been about 12 years now, and although she's a spoiled little witch, I love her anyway.

 

[4theanimals]

We have had a few kittens come through that presented strikingly similar to this. The condition that was cerebellar hypoplasia, and is a consequence of the cats mother having panleuk while the cat was in utero. The cats are 'normal' other than an inability for fine motor control.

This was one of the possible diagnosis. This guy was about 3 or 4 years old with very little history. He was brought in as a stray and was in the medical center at first because it was a feared HBC or some such. But it was ultimately determined he was in perfect health other than that little quirk. That was part of what made him so special - he had somehow survived as a stray - for how long who knows. But what a fighter!

 

[medtechv79]

my cat makes me happy....greets me at the door when I come home...after a stressful day....really cheers me up! =)

 

[Capella]

My sheep mow my lawn for me. Saves money!

 

[thomphea]

We had a pitty mix come in from animal control. A man shot the dog in the face twice....and the dog lived. The owner apparently shot him because he didn't want to pay for an infection on the leg. Anyhow...."tommy" was the sweetest!! sweetest boy! Even after jaw reconstruction and vaccum bandages, you name it....he was the sweetest dog!

 

[pressmom]

So many turtles on my vacation. I was outside of my grandmother's building and a red-eared slider decided to try to cross the busy parking lot. So I stopped my car so it could cross. Well s/he decided to sit in the middle of the road. So I gently picked him/er up and moved him/er back to the pond (because on the other side where it was crossing to was a REALLY busy street.) The hotel I'm staying at has 8 sliders on premises, which are treated very well. Large area in which to swim, large area in which to sunbathe, away from the kiddies... good stuff.

Also, back home, there is this goose that hangs out in the back of the dept store where I work near the docks. I think s/he lost its mate. Always hanging out alone...looking for company. It's kind of sad.

 

[ckitten]

back rubs from my kitty massage therapist of course!

there's a huge german shepherd boarding at my clinic right now who is so fun to walk, i love watching him. He is so massive but gentle and loves petting.

 

[chris03333]

We have had a few kittens come through that presented strikingly similar to this. The condition that was cerebellar hypoplasia, and is a consequence of the cats mother having panleuk while the cat was in utero. The cats are 'normal' other than an inability for fine motor control.

Wow you must teach me you diagnostic skills Four years of vet school and there is no way I could make a concrete diagnosis on a description and not have ever seen the pet. Yes this is one possibility, but the are SEVERAL others

 

[botch]

Wow you must teach me you diagnostic skills Four years of vet school and there is no way I could make a concrete diagnosis on a description and not have ever seen the pet. Yes this is one possibility, but the are SEVERAL others

key word: similar

 

[Slothbear]

I adopted a stray in March, who, I noticed in April, happens to be preggers. I know it's bad to bring more kitties into the world, but I rationalized that preventative spaying is different from spaying an already pregnant cat, as far as the moral imperative not to populate the world with cats goes. Plus if her kittens are anything like she is, they'll be awesome -- she's chill and playful at the same time, very curious, quirky and loving.

Azrael has not yet popped, but she's huge and I'm guessing she just hit week 9. So any day now!

Also, my deceased horse Jack was awesome -- he was an ex-racehorse but a total mellow goofball. If I left the door to the tack room open when the horses were turned out, he would climb the steps and come inside. Also, I used to take a blanket out in the pasture and read in the sun, and Jack would come over and hang out..

Yay pets!

 

[winkle1983]

I worked on a rescue farm in college that took in horses, donkey, pigs...you name it. A few of their "permanent residents" had free run of the farm, yard, heck even the front door to the house some days. Anyways, the owners had their church group out for a picnic and old "McFlurry" (a 30 year old appy) was roaming around greeting everyone as usual. They were all sitting at a picnic table eating hamburgers when one older lady turned to speak to someone on her left...turned back around to take a bite of her hamburger, and there was old MacFlurry sucking it right down off of her plate. It scared the crap outta her and she did not come back...lol He was a very cool horse...but a few bad habits

 

[Angie09]

My shepherd mix, Casey, lived at a shelter for 2 years before I met him, after being confiscated by the police from an abusive owner. I lived in an apt that didn't allow animals when I met him, so I would drive out to the shelter every other morning before work and visit him, and feed him tiny little meatballs and teach him words. By the time I convinced my landlord to let me adopt him, we were totally bonded -- he follows me all around the house like a little duckling, even into the bathroom, and if my boyfriend tries to take him for a walk when I'm home he digs all his feet in and refuses to go, even though he loves walks. I sometimes think that I will probably never in my life meet a person who loves me as much as this dog does. I can't go to sleep at night when he's not there.

My other dog, an adorable little beagle mix named Sallie, likes to sleep curled up on my pillow around my head, or on the back of the couch draped over my shoulder. It looks like she's whispering in my ear. She goes on these wild tears sometimes, dashing up and down the stairs and chasing her tail in circles, bucking like a horse. She'll grab a toy and try to get one of the other dogs to play with her, tossing it into the air and pouncing on it, but if Casey comes up to her she flings herself on her back on the ground, shrieking. She's the funniest thing ever -- she makes me laugh every single day . And I think my boyfriend is going to keep her when I start vet school.