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I discovered what the last connection I had to my childhood was last night. That last connection was the family dog. My sister called me last night to tell me that my parents had had to put him to sleep (she also used the same call to tell me she was engaged, lol).

Shilo was the last of the pets I had grown up with to still be around. He was 11.5 years old, which is pretty good for a 140lb mutt. He'd had a long history of knee issues after blowing a ligiment when he was younger, and his legs finally gave out on him last night.

The hardest thing about this will be coming through my parents' front door next week, and not having him waddle up and try to bowl me over. He was my buddy. I'm going to miss that.

So I'm not relating this to you because I want to hear a hole bunch of sad condolences - I really don't. If you want to try to make me feel better, post something nice about your own pets and why you love them.

Sorry to hear, man. My last dog died in 2001 ("My" as in "my". Not just the family's dog), and I can't bring myself to get another. She lived a long time though (at least 15 years), so I guess that's the best I could ask for.

I found her as a stray when I was 9 years old, and named her Ellie (still not sure why). She must have been 6 months or a year old by then. She was part Spitz, mostly mutt, and probably too wimpy for her own good. She'd even let my Mom's little Shih-Tzus boss her around.

(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v231/lonestar627/Ellie.jpg)

Good way to cheer him up, talking about dead pets.  I have 2 newborn kitties, and will post pics later. 

Here's the bossy Shih-Tzus then. They're still alive.

I'm not sure what she was so scared of...

(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v231/lonestar627/luck-missy.jpg)

[edit] Heh, that's the first time that I noticed my dog was chewing on that tablecloth (or whatever it is?) in the background.

(http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y131/jwjones79/IMG_0275.jpg)
(http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y131/jwjones79/Picture002.jpg)(http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y131/jwjones79/Picture5.jpg)

I love my dog because he loves me back, unconditionally.  I don't think I can say that about any other creature on the planet.  People included.

What kind of dog is he? I had a friend with a dog like that once. He was smart as hell. Smartest dog I've ever seen actually.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/West_Highland_White_Terrier

He's pretty smart alright... although sometimes I wish they made ritalin for dogs because he's definitely got a serious case of ADD.   :-D

My sister's black lab is the smartest dog I've ever known... and in one week I'll get to see her (the dog) for the first time in 3 years.  Wohoo!!

I had a dream last night that our old cat (died at 15 yrs old, about 8 years ago) was licking creamy ice cream off my spoon. She was a great cat, and I had been eating some extremely good butter pecan (breyers).

Isn't it Dreyers?

Because one can never have enough Snow Beast:

(http://www.f13.net/staff/haemish/snowy_foodses.jpg)

(http://www.f13.net/staff/haemish/doggywoggy1.jpg)

You can get Prozac for your pet. My cat Bock went on it when the kitten Desmond reached adult size, and Bock started peeing. The last straw was when when he hit my vinyl. Try getting cat piss out of a record sleeve some time. (Fortunately he just hit some old Billy Idol or something.  :-))

God, I don't even particularly like dogs and I got all misty-eyed reading about the pooch. My cat Bock is awesome. I've talked about hime before. He's a blue Maine Coon (the rarest color). He looks a lot like this cat, but Bock's muzzle is a little shorter, so at 8 years old, he still looks like a kitten.

(http://www.fogcitycat.com/mr_blue9.jpg)

As I've mentioned before I think, I named him Bock (German for billy goat) because he rears up on his hind legs and head-butts me like a goat. It's really cute. He's done it since he was a kitten. Sometimes when he's in a really good mood, he just gives air-bock and doesn't even hit anything. Also, in the summertime he likes to lay on the banister on the front porch with his legs just dangling off the sides like a cat in some Hallmark calender or something.

Edit: omg! I found Bock's baby doppelganger on Google! This kitten looks EXACTLY like Bock when he was a baby.

(http://www.katsnstuff.com/imga0017_4.jpg)

You have my condolences.

When I was growing up my mom was so alergic to animal dander that the only pets I could keep were hamsters and guinea pigs, a snake and a rabbit that we gave the run of the back yard to.  But what I really wanted was a dog.  Fortunately, I had grandparents who lived out in rural east Texas and had an honest-to-goodness farm.  Cows, chickens, barn, tractor, the whole nine yards.  For a city kid the summer weeks that I would spend with them on their farm were like heaven.  Best part was their dog, Dingo.  3/4 aussie sheepdog and 1/4 german sheperd.  Crazy dog, so excitable, so loveable.  He would follow me everywhere, even on the monster adventure hikes I used to go on when I would range through the bottom land (all creeks and swamp) for hours and hours..  That dog had a great life on that farm and not once did he ever wear a leash.

Now with a house (sadly, no acreage) and kids of my own the topic came up a couple of years ago to get a dog.  I pointed out that what the kids really want is a puppy and who's going to care about the dog when it is full grown?  Knowing I was going to get outvoted in the end I decided to put my foot down for a big dog; no spastic lapdogs.  We got a beautiful German Sheperd who we named Buster but now mostly refer to as "Pony" because he's as big as a horse.  To my delight the kids still adore him.  I'm kinda fond of him as well.  Just wish there was more time in the day to let him off his leash and out of the yard.  A dog in flight is a thing of beauty.
 

Mind if I ask whereabouts?  My wife is from them parts.

My connection back to family and quasi-childhood (I was 14-15 when we got her) is still alive.  It's a female minature schnauzer that we got when my mom's boss decided they couldn't take care of a dog, less than a week after getting it.  It's a salt-and-pepper (nearly silver/white) runt that didn't get it's ears clipped.  Makes it look a lot less stern.  This was the first family dog I really cared about or played with. Our previous dog was a puppy we found wandering near my dad's office and it never quite dropped the street-dog mentality.

The dog being a runt is pretty neurotic.  She loves our family and really hates everyone else.  When my sister had her first child, the dog once peed on him as he was being changed on the carpet.  This is a dog that you can leave the back gate open and ishe won't run away.  She might check out what's going on in the front yard, but she simply has no reason to leave.  The dog loves my mother so much, that when my mom goes on vacation, the dog won't eat.  She'll nibble enough to stay alive, but just goes into a deep funk.

I taught the dog to shake hands and switch paws (I'll put out its left if I say "Bob Dole!"). She's a really loveable, smart creature and I'll miss it terribly when it passes on.  I don't care if I look ridiculous walking a foo-foo 12lb lap dog. She's already at the age where most purebred dogs and especially runts expire due to one thing or another.  I think she'll be the last pet my mom ever owns.

As for me, I've got 4 cats.  Each a delight and pain in their own special way.

I've wanted a Maine Coon since I was wee, though it's not likely I'll be getting one any time soon since I live in a no pet zone (and may also be allergic).  They're truly majestic beasts.  About as close as you can get to owning a lion.

With apologies to Michelle Shocked...

Their farm was about 5 miles outside of Gilmer (county seat of Upshur).

And yes, I learned to drive on those East Texas red clay backroads.   8-)

For anyone unfamiliar with this region all you really need to keep in mind is "the sticks".

No, it's definately Breyer's (http://www.breyers.com/home/home.asp)

It's also very good.

Alkiera

I am a cat person, not sure why exactly as I don't mind dogs, they just don't quite fit in my world.

I stumbled into this little ramble from Robert E. Howard on the subject of cats (http://users.rcn.com/shogan/howard/thoughts/beast.htm).

I am not sure why, but I really like his ramble.

http://www.dreyers.com/main/index.asp?b=104

How random is that?  Two ice cream companies with almost identical names...

I'll stick with Blue Bell, myself.

Ahh, that's way East Texas.  The sticks my wife hails from is Mexia (muh hay yuh), county seat of Limestone country.  If the word Mexia sounds familiar, you have probably watched a bio show on Anna Nicole Smith.

Wait - isn't that also Eddies?

The other difference between Bock and the cat in the picture is that Bock has very kinky hair on his abdomen near his hind legs and his armpits. It looks like curly lamb's wool (and accentuates his mane nicely). He has HUGE paws, like a bobcat. He really is like a miniature lion.

Thanks all, I do appreciate it. Here's a shot of my horse, err dog, I took this spring. Please ignore the lens flare :P

There's a cat on the other side of the fence. How do I know? That's the only reason he would ever stay still in a pose like that long enough fro me to take a picture.

(http://www.bunkphotos.com/files/Picture%20045b.JPG)

Unfortunately for me I've had a lot of pets and had most pass away or had them given away. I've owned about 4 dogs and now 4 cats (21 if you include all the kittens that have come and gone.) The cat I have now, Buddy, we got from one of my moms co-workers. Apparently he wasn't happy with the ladies other two new cats and kept attacking them, so she offered him to us. Here's a picture of him:

(http://www.thenix.net/Images/Picture-002.jpg)

Sadly enough the first cat I had came with 5 other kittens (he was one too) and little did we know it, but the vet missed a disease they all had and they started to get sick. Random feces and they all looked really worn and tired all the time. Then one day one of them just died. One after another they all passed away. The worst part was coming up from the basement one night and looking down at one of the kittens. I figured it had just fallen asleep on the kitchen floor, but when I went to pick it up it was stiff... and.. stuck to the floor. It turned out the vet had also forgotten to give 5 out of the 6 kittens a shot for a disease that had been going around kennels that year. I still cringe and choke up when I think about the noise that came of finally picking that kitten up. At least 1 survived and he was the greatest cat ever. Only cat I know that didn't know how to stop fast enough.

(http://myspace-298.vo.llnwd.net/00340/89/25/340865298_l.jpg)

The darker one is named Bill, with the girl being named Chloe.  They are relatively cute and beginning to wander around and stuff.

I like them.

This is Ellie. She is a Sheppard-Lab mix and is scary smart.  I rescued her from my white trash neighbor who I shared a backyard with at an apartment complex during law school.

She has had a bit of trouble adjusting to our son over the last year as he likes to pull her tail, but the one word he likes to use over and over and over again is "Dog" which he says as "Doog."  He thinks everything with four legs is a "Doog" up to and including bears and hippos.

(http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y222/Abagadro/JuliesBirthday007.jpg)

In the last two years, we've lost our dog and 2 cats to old age.

In May, we got a puppy.  Half golden retriever, half standard poodle.  She's now 9 months old, weighs about 55 lbs., and is a great dog.

(http://gouldon.com/Maybellene/DSCN3039c1.gif)

Last week, I went to get dog food at Petsmart, and brought home an 8 month old kitten who had been at the rescue place for 2 months.  She's so affectionate and sweet, and she absolutely loves not only us and our kids, but also our puppy.  They are best friends - they snuggle when they sleep, play together, and greet each other sweetly when away from each other, despite the dog being 10x the size of the cat.

It's pretty fun around here again.

You are fortunate your cat and dog get along, Xanthippe.  My dad used to tell me that when he was a kid back on the old farm place, they had a cat and dog that seemed to constantly fight...but only when humans were around.  They've come home in the car and find the cat and dog sleeping cuddled up to each other, but when the dog saw the humans around he'd immediately begin attacking the cat.  Animals, in the long run, generally conform to what we expect them to be  :-)

My kitty as a kitten-

(http://www.freeimagehosting.net/uploads/4adc2a794d.jpg) (http://www.freeimagehosting.net/)

(http://www.freeimagehosting.net/uploads/d01b5acc67.jpg) (http://www.freeimagehosting.net/)

(http://www.freeimagehosting.net/uploads/3659d78897.jpg) (http://www.freeimagehosting.net/)


And now (forgive the crappy camera phone quality)-

(http://www.freeimagehosting.net/uploads/dffcef8e16.jpg) (http://www.freeimagehosting.net/)

20+ pounds and still growing AFAIK.

STOP FEEDING HIM.

Goddamn that was one cute kitten.

Most of that is fur, although he does have a bit of a belly on him. He is just big-boned!  :-D

Not feeding him isn't an option. He just comes in the middle of the night and 'reminds' my wife and I that his bowl is empty. If you have never woken up by having a 20 pound cat jump from the floor directly onto your nuts, I can't recommend the experience.

That's about as prime an example of a Maine Coon as I've ever seen. Even the tufts on the ears and everything. SOOOOO KEWT!

Try a 50 pound dog doing the same thing because it's 4:30 in the fucking AM and she wants to go for a tinkle in the 28 degree windy weather.

It always between 3 and 5 am, isn't it? Cats I get- they are nocturnal. Dogs are diurnal, aren't they?

I think because we are mostly nocturnal folks, so is she, because she gets more revved up at night when I'm home than during the day. She's also a cold weatherbird. The minute she feels a blast of cold air on her puppy face, she's off to the races. Meanwhile, I'm shivering and trying to keep my arm from being pulled out of its socket while also trying to keep my nose from snapping off in the cold.

About 5 years ago, a couple friends of my wife were taking a walk and they heard something crying in the bushes next to the walking path. All of a sudden, a tiny dirty pile of grey fur came stumbling up to them. It was a tiny kitten, way too young to be away from its mother. They looked all around trying to see if they could find the mother but there was no other cats around. They already had a cat and dog and didn't want another pet, but they knew my just-started-dating girlfriend/future wife might want a kitten. The little guy was covered in fleas and had bad diarrhea and my wife fell in love with him immediately. After getting all the bugs, dirt, and crap off, she found this:
(http://i28.photobucket.com/albums/c217/ClydeJr/LGface.jpg)

Today, this big guy named Lucas rules the home with an iron claw:
(http://i28.photobucket.com/albums/c217/ClydeJr/Lucas_Now.jpg)

He can be real aggressive. You can be be petting him and he'll just purr and purr, then all of a sudden he tries to rip your hand off with teeth and claws.

Cute! I wonder where he came from? Glad to see he found a home to rule  :-P

Sauced's bro had a cat like that named Horn. He was purring to high heaven once and then just sunk his teeth in between my knuckles and didn't stop 'til he hit bone! And I couldn't pull away 'cuz he had his claws sunk in to grip me. THIS IS WHAT HAPPENS IF YOU USE YOUR HANDS AS TOYS WITH A KITTEN!!!

Just sayin'.

That second cat shot looks like a Glamour Shot, for Cats.


 :lol: