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26 Sep 08 - 01:33 PM (#2450994) Subject: BS: Unfaithful Pets From: SINSULL Hope Kendall doesn't read this: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/26860866/ Seamus is very partial to a soft couch and good champagne. |
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26 Sep 08 - 02:05 PM (#2451027) Subject: RE: BS: Unfaithful Pets From: gnu Me too. |
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26 Sep 08 - 03:20 PM (#2451085) Subject: RE: BS: Unfaithful Pets From: Stilly River Sage Three of my four arrived under their own steam and chose to stay. Mutual adoption. They wanted to stay and we invited them in. The pit bull was in the worst shape, having been hit by a car then chased off by various neighbors. After a pat on the head, she crossed the driveway and curled up in a corner and slept all day. I checked on her, gave her a pan of water, and by that evening she decided "this is the place." I was planting flowers when she ambled over, nudged my shoulder and wagged "what are you doing?" That was it--she was in. Animals may not have a way to keep score, and who knows how they keep track of such things, but when you suddenly make their life easier, remove the rough edges, offer food and attention, they are grateful. I see it in this dog every time she heads into her hay-filled dog house in the garage when there's a thunderstorm. Every time another meal is offered with a pat of affection. Our fourth one was adopted from the Humane Society, and as much as she likes the other animals, she'd be happiest if they all went away and she could just bask in my shadow 24-7. SRS |
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26 Sep 08 - 03:31 PM (#2451090) Subject: RE: BS: Unfaithful Pets From: Stilly River Sage I just opened my email and found this from a friend who doesn't usually forward this stuff. "But since you have dogs," he said, he thought I'd send it:
I examined Belker and found he was dying of cancer. I told the family we couldn't do anything for Belker, and offered to perform the euthanasia procedure for the old dog in their home. As we made arrangements, Ron and Lisa told me they thought it would be good for six-year-old Shane to observe the procedure. They felt as though Shane might learn something from the experience. The next day, I felt the familiar catch in my throat as Belker's family surrounded him. Shane seemed so calm, petting the old dog for the last time, that I wondered if he understood what was going on. Within a few minutes, Belker slipped peacefully away. The little boy seemed to accept Belker's transition without any difficulty or confusion. We sat together for a while after Belker's Death, wondering aloud about the sad fact that animal lives are shorter than human lives. Shane, who had been listening quietly, piped up, 'I know why.' Startled, we all turned to him. What came out of his mouth next stunned me. I'd never heard a more comforting explanation. He said, 'People are born so that they can learn how to live a good Life -- like loving everybody all the time and being nice, right?' The Six-year-old continued, 'Well, dogs already know how to do that, so they don't have to stay as long.' Live simply. Love generously. Care deeply. Speak kindly. Remember, if a dog was the teacher you would learn things like: When loved ones come home, always run to greet them. Never pass up the opportunity to go for a joyride. Allow the experience of fresh air and the wind in your face to be pure Ecstasy. Take naps. Stretch before rising. Run, romp, and play daily. Thrive on attention and let people touch you. Avoid biting when a simple growl will do. On warm days, stop to lie on your back on the grass. On hot days, drink lots of water and lie under a shady tree. When you're happy, dance around and wag your entire body. Delight in the simple joy of a long walk. Be loyal. Never pretend to be something you're not. If what you want lies buried, dig until you find it. When someone is having a bad day, be silent, sit close by, and nuzzle them gently. ENJOY EVERY MOMENT OF EVERY DAY! |
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26 Sep 08 - 04:31 PM (#2451119) Subject: RE: BS: Unfaithful Pets From: catspaw49 I always loved that one Maggie.......Especially now as my girl Sissy won't be here much longer. Thanks for posting it. Spaw |
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26 Sep 08 - 04:35 PM (#2451122) Subject: RE: BS: Unfaithful Pets From: Newport Boy Frank Mansell got it right (at least as far as dogs are concerned) in his poem: CUPBOARD LOVE Hold up thy paw, old dog and shake me by the hand; I prize it more than grasp of human kind; For well I know that clumsy clasp will stand, And thy regard veer not with every wind. Thou wilt not burn with envy nor with hate, Nor sully my good name with slanderous tongue; If I give but a morsel from my plate, Thou art content and I need fear no wrong. Thou would'st not cast me off in time of need, Nor yet betray me if my back was turned. Thou would'st not leave my side for lust or greed; I prize thy loyalty - it is returned. A rattling dish. Dog! Hound! Perfidious one! Hast pricked thine ears, withdrawn thy paw and gone? Phil |
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26 Sep 08 - 04:49 PM (#2451141) Subject: RE: BS: Unfaithful Pets From: SINSULL Alice the Slut aka Any Port In A Storm Alice will go to anyone anytime for a nap, a cuddle, a snack or a pee. But no matter how angry I get at her she always comes back to me. SIGH. She always comes back. |
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26 Sep 08 - 05:03 PM (#2451158) Subject: RE: BS: Unfaithful Pets From: Goose Gander Cats are naturally ungrateful most of the time, not that they can help it, though. |
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26 Sep 08 - 05:12 PM (#2451167) Subject: RE: BS: Unfaithful Pets From: Bill D Moved into a house once..40 years ago now... and while we were carrying in stuff, this old grey & white cat strolled in the door and 'announced' ..."I come with the place". She proceeded to make herself at home and ask when supper was. Well, it turned out she had done similar things at several places in the area. She would disappear for a couple days sometimes, but seemed to think we were the cushiest, and was around maybe 70% of the time. She did NOT like supper to be late, and would walk up to the nearest adult and nip them on the ankle to remind them that the cat was hungry..... She was still around when we moved 4 years later. I always wondered how she dealt with the new owners. |
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26 Sep 08 - 05:14 PM (#2451168) Subject: RE: BS: Unfaithful Pets From: Little Hawk My dachshund is deeply loyal and faithful... As long as I've got the food. There isn't anything he'd do for me... As long as I'm holding the food. He adores me... If I have food. Once he's got the food it's "See ya later, sucker!" ;-) |
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26 Sep 08 - 05:17 PM (#2451174) Subject: RE: BS: Unfaithful Pets From: wysiwyg I do everything for Faulkner, but he loves Hardi more. Well, I did encourage that bond so we could keep the dog. But he knows where to come for Real Help. And he has learned a really neat thing. He knows that when he needs to go out FAST, I need a little help getting to my feet to get going. Long story, but the recliner never did fit me right and it's angles are all wrong for me, some days. So when he sees that I'm trying to respond and need an assist, he will come over for me to get an arm around his chest to pull myself up against to get started. And then he will hold his Gotta Go till I get to his dog door. It used to was that I had to call him over for this, and he wasn't sure he liked it. But now he just romps over, "I know! You need Help! I Help! I smart! I figured it out!" And now that he's down with this, he always knows whether I actually need help, or just patience. He always pauses to see how it's going to go before he crowds in. ~S~ |
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26 Sep 08 - 05:28 PM (#2451194) Subject: RE: BS: Unfaithful Pets From: Becca72 My boys (cats) are very faithful to me (read: mamma's boys). Mikey and Madmardigan so much so that they won't come out for hours if there are strangers about. Sheldon is more social and will take a scratch at the base of his tail from just about anyone. I was given a George Carlin quote calendar for Christmas last and this is today's (very true) entry: "cats have a quality I find admirable: blamelessness. When a cat makes a mistake he doesn't accept responsibility or show embarrassment. If he does something really stupid, like jumping onto a table and landing in four separate coffee cups, somehow he passes the whole thing off as routine. Dogs aren't like that. If a dog knocks over a lamp, you can tell who did it by looking at the dog; he acts guilty and ashamed. Not the cat. When a cat breaks something, he simply moves along to the next activity." |
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26 Sep 08 - 05:37 PM (#2451200) Subject: RE: BS: Unfaithful Pets From: Sorcha On a rather different tack...our Molly is just a whore. She ADORES males...and if there is a male available to pet her (read rub tummy) she does her Show you my Tummy! trick. If there are females AND males around, she totally ignores the females every time. No, she's not 'daddy's girl' either! Ho. Ho. Ho. |
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26 Sep 08 - 06:18 PM (#2451226) Subject: RE: BS: Unfaithful Pets From: Stilly River Sage My mother used to cat sit for a friend of my sister's when they went on long vacations. The cat figured out that our mother was pretty deaf and before long she had worked out the best way to transmit her need (usually to eat). She would get on Mom's lap, stand with her front feet on her chest, nose to nose, and give a big hiss right in her face. The expression and message was understood when meows went unheard. SRS |
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26 Sep 08 - 06:21 PM (#2451228) Subject: RE: BS: Unfaithful Pets From: Sorcha LOL...good one! I'm pretty deaf also, but since I feed on a Time Schedule, I get to ignore that kind of stuff! Just give 'flying lessons' if necessary! |
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26 Sep 08 - 08:24 PM (#2451299) Subject: RE: BS: Unfaithful Pets From: kendall Sinsull, I've been considering charging you with alienation of affection! No wonder the son of a bitch didn't want to come home. |
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26 Sep 08 - 08:34 PM (#2451303) Subject: RE: BS: Unfaithful Pets From: John Hardly Somewhere Yonder By Lisa Price We both know the end of our time together is approaching, my dog and I, but still we hold on. I lie on the floor, my arm around his furry neck, scratching his chest as I watch a marathon on TV. He's lived a long life for a shepherd-Lab mix, nearly fifteen years, but his black coat is still as glossy and thick as it was in his puppy days. People often ask if he is part wolf. Watching the marathoners reminds me of all the miles Kliban and I have run through the years. We have probably run ten thousand miles together as I trained for races, through all seasons. I was there when Kliban was born, and I named him after a cartoonist I liked. His presence has been the one constant thread, the singular unchanging color, in the tapestry of the past fifteen years. Threads of that tapestry have unraveled, people have gone, and there are memories that only the two of us share. 'He's just a dog,' people who have never had a dog might say. But there is a wisdom, born in the shared years, that glows in those luminous brown eyes, now clouded with the blue of old age above a graying muzzle. When we hiked the Appalachian Trail together, we fell into a pattern that mirrored the way he always lived in my life, his self-appointed guardianship of me. He always trotted ahead to wait for me, standing protectively where he could scan the trail ahead while keeping me in sight. As I slept, he protected me, once even charging a wild boar that rooted around our tent in Tennessee. Twice on the trail he disobeyed me. Once, in Virginia, he returned from his vantage point and blocked my path. As I kept trying to go around him I grew irritated—until I finally heard the ominous shakes of the rattlesnake up ahead. And in New York, where we had hiked a long two days without water during a drought, he suddenly disappeared for a stretch of many minutes. I yelled at him when he finally reappeared and approached, until he rubbed his wet chest against my legs and then led me to the water. The words 'good dog' made him quiver with happiness, and that was all he ever wanted. But now the arthritic hips have finally failed, the vision has dimmed, and the internal systems have worn out. Still, how I dread that last good-bye, that scene at the veterinarian's office when he will be 'put to sleep.' And yet, as I hold him and feel his thin shoulders, I know it is time. So I tell him so and start to cry. 'Tomorrow,' I tell him, 'I'll make the appointment. You've been so tough and brave, protecting me all your life. It's okay.' 'You're a good dog,' I tell him, and he responds with a quiver. 'It's me you've been waiting for, I finally understand. I love you, and I'll never forget you. I wish you could be with me my whole life, but I'm ready. It's okay. You can rest now.' I can't stand it. I get up and go into the other room, turn on the computer and try to work for a while. When I return twenty minutes later, Kliban has gone, with dignity and peace, protecting me this one last time. He is wrapped in a quilt made of T-shirts from the running races he helped me train for and is buried in a shady spot with a view of the mountains. And he is somewhere yonder, on the long trail, where he has gone ahead to wait for me. |
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26 Sep 08 - 10:57 PM (#2451350) Subject: RE: BS: Unfaithful Pets From: catspaw49 Surprisingly, I have never seen that one John. Very touching and true, however mauldlin it might be. As I said, I can't help but be a bit into that right now. Sis is the best dog I have ever shared a life with and Jaeger, who died just over a year ago was the sweetest Wimaraner and most docile dog I could have imagined. I miss him greatly and, sadly, I know Sissy probably won't see another spring......but I can always hope to be wrong. In that vein I saw the following on the Weim board awhile back and it too hit home........... A Letter From Your Dog The years go so very fast and before you know it that romping pup is old and grey muzzled and they have sat by our sides while we read, watch TV, and work on our computers. Every so often they come and lay their heads in our laps, toss our elbow with their muzzle or gaze into our eyes and wait for us to notice them. Take a moment now to remember what they mean to you.. I am your dog, and I have a little something I'd like to whisper in your ear. I know that you humans lead busy lives. Some have to work, some have children to raise. It always seems like you are running here and running there, often much too fast, often never noticing the truly grand things in life. Look down at me now, while you sit there at your computer. See the way my dark brown eyes look at yours? They are slightly cloudy now. That comes with age. The gray hairs are beginning to ring my soft muzzle. You smile at me; I see love in your eyes. What do you see in mine? Do you see a spirit? A soul inside, who loves you as no other could in the world? A spirit that would forgive all trespasses of prior wrong doing for just a simple moment of your time? That is all I ask. To slow down, if even for a few minutes, to be with me. So many times you have been saddened by the words you read on that screen, of others of my kind, passing. Sometimes we die young and oh so quickly, sometimes so suddenly it wrenches your heart out of your throat. Sometimes, we age so slowly before your eyes that you may not even seem to know until the very end, when we look at you with grizzled muzzles and cataract clouded eyes. Still the love is always there, even when we must take that long sleep, to run free in a distant land. I may not be here tomorrow; I may not be here next week. Someday you will shed the water from your eyes, that humans have when deep grief fills their souls, and you will be angry at yourself that you did not have just "one more day" with me. Because I love you so, your sorrow touches my spirit and grieves me. We have NOW, together. So come, sit down here next to me on the floor, and look deep into my eyes. What do you see? If you look hard and deep enough we will talk, you and I, heart to heart. Come to me not as "alpha" or as "trainer" or even "Mom or Dad," come to me as a living soul and stroke my fur and let us look deep into one another's eyes and talk. I may tell you something about the fun of chasing a tennis ball, or I may tell you something profound about myself,or even life in general. You decided to have me in your life because you wanted a soul to share such things. Here I am. I am a dog, but I am alive. I feel emotion, I feel physical senses, and I can revel in the differences of our spirits and souls. I do not think of you as a "Dog on two feet" -- I know what you are and who you are. You are human, in all your quirkiness, and I love you still. Now, come sit with me, on the floor. Enter my world, and let time slow down if only for 15 minutes. Look deep into my eyes, and whisper into my ears. Speak with your heart, with your joy, and I will know your true self. We may not have tomorrow, but we do have today, and life is oh so very short. So please--come sit with me now and let us share these precious moments we have together. - Love, on behalf of canines everywhere. So I try a bit more everyday to share those times with Sissy that will all too soon be gone. Who was it said something like, "Dogs only live a short time.....Their only fault really." Spaw |
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27 Sep 08 - 01:09 AM (#2451381) Subject: RE: BS: Unfaithful Pets From: DougR There is no such thing as a Unfaithful pet. There are only unfaithful caretakers. DougR |
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27 Sep 08 - 08:17 AM (#2451473) Subject: RE: BS: Unfaithful Pets From: kendall I've posted this before, but it is worth repeating. A poem by my friend, Bill Levenworth. Yellow Dog You keep your lofty abstract god, Myself, I choose a child of Pan, An ordinary yellow dog Who does for love what mortals can, Who stretches out her mortal frame Determined, although she's lame For one last walk beside her man. Whose ashes grace the forest way We roamed together yesterday. And, to the wilder god I pray: Give her soul some woods to run, A stick to fetch, a patch of sun. And near her, Pan, preserve a place For me, come from a lesser race. |
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27 Sep 08 - 10:01 AM (#2451551) Subject: RE: BS: Unfaithful Pets From: Stilly River Sage Daniel Pinkwater has written a lot about dogs and his dogs over the years. He did an essay about a malamute, I think his name was Harold, that had to be put to sleep. This essay was on All Things Considered and Linda Wetheimer was the host at that time. She was audibly in tears (as were all of the listeners) when she had to come back and speak after his piece. I've never been able to find a transcript of that story, but it was wonderful. SRS |
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27 Sep 08 - 10:01 AM (#2451552) Subject: RE: BS: Unfaithful Pets From: Stilly River Sage Wertheimer. |
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27 Sep 08 - 01:20 PM (#2451672) Subject: RE: BS: Unfaithful Pets From: wysiwyg I should add, to the above, that F is a terrible flirt with ALL Mudcatter company. If I ever lose track of him I will not prowl the neighborhood looking for him-- I'll just assume he stowed away in a Catter's rucksack, or that one of you called him from a NY state highway as you passed "nearby." But due to the number of Cat-visits in his first year, he is totally relaxed with the idea that people come, are immediately welcomed as pack members, are loved furiously, and then they disappear. He remembers each one who returns, but doesn't reeally "miss" them, and I love his openness with any new ohouse visitiors-- y'all trained him well! But he knows the difference between a welcome guest and an intruder-- and yes, I was worried about that... till he showed me, one day. 'Nuff said! ~S~ |