jaybeece

You know as much as I don't believe in an afterlife I really wish this is the case. A lady in a pharmacy said "Oh well, sometimes these things happen to test us" and I could have reached out and slapped her. This wasn't a bloody test A test would be just ME suffering and moving on, not 2 innocent little souls who'd never done any wrong. Thanks again for all the kind words, some days are really shit as I miss them so much it hurts, but because it's not a physical pain I don't know how to make it better. Others it just doesn't feel real. I had a dream the other night that the neighbours were stealing both of them. Usually with that kind of dream I'd wake up and go hug them both but this time I couldn't :D It just feels so wrong

Thank you all ;) This is really beautiful and so true

Baz wasn't the brightest of cats, he would screech for food frequently and start 2 hours before breakfast and dinner. It took 2 weeks to teach him to beg in the hope he could show the hunger in other ways but it never worked. It did look very cute though. He was always a bit odd, I never really understood him, but my god did I love the hell out of him. One of my last memories of him was trying to have a nap after work and he kept licking my nose every time I closed my eyes. I'd giggle, pat his head and be rewarded with bitten fingers. Such a strange little guy, but so sweet. I will be forever grateful for Ari's tolerance and sense of humour, Basil's warmth and gentle nature, both of their affections even if it was on their terms, and their lives. I loved them with all my heart and losing them has left a hole that will never close. They were part of who I am and made my life just that little bit warmer. I wish so much that I could have told them one last time how much I love them, that I had taken the time to cuddle Ari that day rather than just pat her at breakfast. Wish I had given Basil a longer head scratch and wish I could have saved them. I would have given up every material thing that survived the fire to save them, they were far more precious than anything else I could ever own. I know Ari was planning to live another 10 years and develop a revoltingly expensive medical condition just to spite me. And I was going to pay it because damnit, she was my shit head and I wanted her to be happy and healthy even if it killed me. Baz was just going to get weirder and more adorable as he aged, I know my love for him was only going to grow stronger. I doubt anyone here believes that pets are just pets, but they weren't just cats. They were MY cats, they were so special and so unique that no other cats will ever replace them. I don't want them to. I want my cats back and I want to give them everything I never gave them in their too short lives, more cuddles, that outdoor enclosure I'd always promised, more toys, god anything. Anything to bring them back. I took hundreds of photos of them over the years, these were the last 2: RIP kitties. I love you

On the night of the 24th August I lost both of my beloved cats. My house caught fire, they were indoor cats and had no chance. Although if they hadn't been they still would have been inside in the warmth at night. Thankfully neither suffered as they were overcome with smoke inhalation and were found together in the kitchen. I'll never forget standing outside in the street, waiting, waiting, waiting. Not allowed to enter the house, not knowing where they were or if they were alive. Feeling so numb that when the firies said there were 2 dead cats I felt nothing. I couldn't even cry as I held their limp bodies, it was just too big, too inconceivable that my beautiful cats could be dead. My brother and my dad both sobbed though. I wish I could have joined them right then, even though crying for them now is so easy. It kills me to know that in the last few minutes of their life they were scared, but at least there was no pain and they were together until the end. Neither deserved to die young or in fear and I wish I could have been there to at least try to save them. My hosuemates did try, but the house was too full of smoke to find them. I will be forever grateful to them for trying so hard though and for saving my dog. Arianwen, otherwise known as Ari or Moo was nearly 9 years old. I was 20 and never a cat person and my parents were vehemently opposed to cats, we were a dog family and that was it. But there was an offer of kittens going around at work, they'd been found abandoned in a tip and a few people were going to go have a look. I thought why not have a look, kittens are cute. That was a mistake. She was 2 weeks old, pure white with dark blue (later yellow) eyes. I picked her up for a cuddle, she stopped mewling and I knew I couldn't let her go. I called mum, heard dad yelling "NO CATS" in the background but I was already too head over heals love to obey. I didn't go home for 4 days as dad was threatening to take her to a shelter, after that I made sure she came everywhere with me just in case dad followed through with his threat. She had to anyway, she was too young to be weaned and had to be bottle fed warm formula every 2 hours. Work turned into cute kitty play time as my boss took one of her brothers, Tiger, and I took her everywhere with me until she was off formula. After that she kept coming to work with me for 2 years as she loved it so much. She was a crazy, crazy kitten and not the affectionate type. She tolerated my cuddles and learned not to cry and scratch at the door very slowly. She learned sleep time is when I sleep and would cuddle up at night, rolling over with me and never waking. I loved her with all my heart. I bought her hundreds of toys, dad fell in love with her very quickly, as did mum. She napped on top of the deerhound in front of the heater and went on regular back garden explorations. When it came time to move out I took her with me, I couldn't stand the thought of leaving her behind even though mum and dad would gladly have kept her. She'd been sharing the house with another cat, Momo, who had been left by a homestay student and although she didn't like him much I think she enjoyed the company. So I went to the pound and explained what I needed... "I have this female cat, she's bossy, grumpy, sometimes violent and hates most other living creatures. But I think she'll get lonely, any matches here?" They told me to forget about all of the cats I'd been cuddling and handed me a ball of pale orange fluff they explained was the only cat they had who would be a good match. The first thing I thought was "Oh god, not a fru fru cat". But he was so soft, let me cuddle him and seemed to enjoy it so I took him home. Ari hated him, Fru Fru (as he was known that first weekend) was timid but not overly afraid. Slowly they warmed to each other and soon they were cheerfully beating the snot out of each other on a regular basis. He was quickly renamed Basil Fru Fru, or just Baz Baz which suited him perfectly. Only a couple of months after Baz arrived, I had a dog more or less dumped in my lap. Both cats hated him with a passion and seemed united in their rage. But slowly Ari took to Caesar, well, she took to beating him up. Baz always stayed out of his way but would approach him sometimes for a quick sniff and head rub. Ari soon had Caesar sorted out, he was terrified of her and she was once again queen of the house. And so that was life for the next 5 years. They never slept together, but they touched noses at dinner time and were always in the same room. The screaching cat fights became fewer and futher between even though they were never serious. Baz was always timid as I suspect his eyesight wasn't very good and would cringe if he saw hands approaching. But on his terms he was one of the most affectionate cats I've ever met. He'd take head scratches all day and loved being near you, or snugggled up until he got too hot. I'd often shave him for summer which he loved and would become even more snuggly. He was a big cat, but became so scrawny when shaved it was hilarous.

Er well, he would chase cats and other dogs But I'd make some flaps to go down the sides so he can only see ahead and it wouldn't be a problem. Like the idea about making him help me up hills I think you're onto something there.

Does anyone here have one of these: http://www.bikes.com.au/p/291978/k9-carrier-steel-frame.html And are they any good? I'm thinking it could be really good to transport le mutt when it's too far for him to trot next to the bike, although towing 15kg of trailer + 38kg of dog up hills could change my mind...

Oh dear I still remember the time we saw a GSD over the other side of the road while on the push bike. I casually dismounted (my boy dun like other dogs on HIS street), but a little too casually as he took off before I'd finished. Next thing I know the bike's lying on the nature strip and I'm being dragged down the road towards the dog and it's poor, horrified owner He didn't get far thankfully and I only had a couple of scrapes. Poor GSD owner though, she'd gone white and was staring with her mouth open. As soon as I got up she yelled out to make sure I was ok, but about all I could get out was "Dog, sorry, bastard, ok, going home, bastard, dog, %$" before shuffling back to the push bike.

If this is directed at my dog, he's certainly fit enough Picture if you will 38kg of tall, skinny creature bouncing from a standstill a metre into the air, twisting mid air, landing with mouth on a toy and then tearing back down the hallway. Now repeat 10+ times and you have play time in this house

Weeeell the first issue is that I'm horribly lazy and only get motivated to run every 3 months or so He could be trained, but it's hard going. He's only really learning to not pull while walking now (it's only taken 4 years) and he's actually really good about not sniffing things as we run as he's ok at jogging next to the push bike. The big issue we have is that our paces are so different and all he wants to do is RUN RUN RUN. He'll hold back for a few metres, then surge ahead, nearly pull me over and then come back and almost send me flying. It's a lot easier to make him walk slower to heel next to me as he's not as excited, when the running happens he just loses his head.

That is just fantastic :rofl: You forgot the swearing EDIT: I think my dog would be ok to run with if he was offlead. He'd bugger off, I'd run after him and try to stop him doing bad things. We'd both get exercise. But I think it is best he stays restrained for the greater good.

Yeah that sounds like it could be why I think it's developed into a bad habit for him as well though, he'll do it more if he's excited or anxious. Less if he's relaxed and not at all when he's occupied with playing, walking or training. He seems to be on the improve, the last few days I've given him a quick "Oi!" if I see him scratching and he stops straight away. Coupled with praise if he doesn't do it when he looks like he was about to. He's always worked well that way, he's still getting attention with the correction, but he likes the positive stuff a whole lot more.

easier said than done I have a confession to make. I've always been one of those people who scoffs at neighbours who go for a jog without the dog. Those wankers, I think, not taking poor pooch out with them, I'm sure the dog would love a run, just look at them, all sad face and big brown eyes. And then there's me who has decided, based on this scoffing, to never ever run without the dog because he is a world class expert on Sad Face and Big Brown Eyes. I really *want* to start running, but as the years pass I'm coming to the uncomfortable conclusion that it may be time to ditch the dream and just leave the silly bastard at home. This is because today he tried to kill me no less than 3 times. On a 20 minute run jog walk that at times turned into an odd jerking, stagger. Upon my return home my housemate admitted that he has tried runs with his westie and ended up leaving him behind as the fluffy little white legs cannot keep up. I realised that the long, lanky brown legs of my dog weren't making it easy either, especially since he has only slow speed and fast speed. I just can't keep up with him without being headbutted, tripped over, run into or pulled into the closest tree and peed on. So now I will save my scoffing for anyone with a medium sized dog who goes for runs without them. That is until I get a medium sized dog and find another excuse not to do it

Nah, nothing seems to trigger it and it's random. He doesn't do it when he's occupied with other things, so while training I don't think he's ever done it. Same with on walks. No skin or neck issues that I can see, his fur looks fine and this is the 3rd collar he's had with no change in behaviour. He does it with anything he can feel on his neck, the bandana he wears at obedience also makes him scratch. I think you're right about the conditioned response part maybe, I wonder if he just doesn't like collars and the scratching is just a bad habit or something? The fact that I can stop him verbally says to me that it can be broken. I dunno, good to know that others have the same problem! I keep having to explain to visitors that he doesn't have fleas, he just seems to hate his collar. Hmm well he IS half sighthound, maybe that's what causes it

The mutt has a problem with his collar and it's gotten worse since I spent a fortune on a new one He doesn't have fleas, he doesn't appear to have any allergies or rashes. When I take his collar off he stops scratching. When it's back on the scratching is back, he's at it a few times an hour and stops when I tell him off. I've had him for 4 1/2 years and he's always done it, despite wearing a collar all the time. I would think he's used to it by now. It's happened across 3 different collars too, varying tightnesses and he doesn't have enough coat for them to be catching fur or anything. He's not scratching anywhere else, just at the collar. I'm beginning to say "Oi!" every time I see him and he stops immediately, could it be that it's become a bad habit over the years and he just needs the distraction to break the behaviour? I'll start coupling that with praise if I see him start to raise his foot to scratch and he stops when I tell him to see if that helps, but I really don't know why he started it in the first place. Does that sound about right?

Ok, thanks for that Aidan Looks like it'll be worth a shot. Geez, that's rough Perrin! My boy is easily the most worked up dog in class, but he can still work 99% of the time and he'll still focus on me ok. In fact ironically enough he's nearly always top dog in class, except for that damn kelpie with the perfect owner His obedience is great and we get used for demonstrations quite often. I just wish he could calm down when we're sitting still and just relax like all the other dogs do. We do the walking off thing too when he's really lost it as moving calms him down a bit.

At home he's usually fine. Outside in the back garden he can get a bit up tight if he hears the neighbours banging around he'll run up and down the fence whining and carrying on a bit but it doesn't last for more than a minute or so. If I'm at home and awake he'll mostly nap in his crate or lie in the sun at the front door. Occasionally jumps up to bark at things, but mostly he's pretty laid back. He has a nutty play session with toys once a day or so too, I just run around with him and have a bit of a play and then he's back to chilling out when he's tired. I have noticed though that his reaction to the neighbours and other outside sources that are bark worthy has become more whining/pacing than just barking in a guarding way. I don't know why this is as nothing has changed, but he has become progressively more sooky and clingy in general as he's gotten older. He used to have no problem with thunder storms, but now he'll be cowering on the back door step or sticking by my side if he's inside. No shaking or barking at least, but he's clearly not comfortable about it anymore.

I don't mind if people are afraid of my dog. I use it as a training exercise to keep him as calm and polite as possible and find it helps them deal with him better. It's not their fault they're scared. My parents have homestay students from Hong Kong living with them, one of the boys took one look at my dog when he came into the house and nearly jumped a metre into the air. My dog went up to say hi, he took off and they played chasey around the dining table ;) I shouldn't have laughed, but it was hilarious and he did laugh once he realised the dog was playing, not trying to eat him. The boy they have now just took to my dog the second he saw him which was pretty cool, he's a very outgoing kid and despite having never seen a large dog before, he went straight in for a cuddle And a couple of years ago I walked the dog up to the local pizza place and was sitting outside waiting for the food to cook. One of the guys, I think he was Chinese, came out to chat about the dog and while talking about food he said chicken frames make his dogs fart so bad they sleep outside. I asked what he had, my brain generalising straight away and thinking they were small fluffy things and he said "Oh 3 rotties" He wouldn't have been taller than 5'5" and probably weighed less than each dog. So yeah I don't know if the asian/Chinese generalisation works. Mum and dad have a lot of people from Hong Kong coming and going through their house and only a couple have been afraid of my boy.

Thanks Nehkbet, sounds like a great idea! I'd rather not resort to the vet anyway as I suspect the solution would be drugs, they haven't been overly helpful with behavioural stuff in the past.

Alright, that makes sense Battle of the witless part especially This is so so so true. I never realised how mastiff-y he is in personality until I had a conversation with a lady who owns a gorgeous mastiff bitch and compared temperaments. I've done so many things wrong over the years because I didn't understand how he ticks and we're finally getting on the right track.

Right, so maybe in 3 months when he hits 5 years old it'll stop He really is a big puppy, people at obedience school are stunned when I tell them he's almost 5 as they were expecting maybe 2. Licking is anywhere he can reach and usually one big slurp. I think you're right about the confidence link, he is nervy and yelling doesn't help that. And then in turn he's licking more. I do completely ignore him and/or withdraw any attention when he licks, but he just doesn't get it. Maybe it's making him even more anxious to get my attention, resulting in more licking? I dunno. Total and complete frustration. I haven't always yelled (that was worded badly), for the first few years it was just the generic "Ahh!" meaning, whatever you're doing now is not cool. It works for everything else, just not when trying to protect my poor feet or to stop him licking. I have tried things like this, but perhaps not consistently enough. And I've tried this too, a LOT. No use, he just comes back more determined or looks really upset about me holding his muzzle. Yes, I'm beginning to get that impression Glad I'm not the only one God but it hurts doesn't it! While I appreciate you taking the time to reply, this really isn't him. He is not allowed on the bed or couch unless invited and this is not often, he does not eat unless told to and his toys are not his, they're mine. I think we're pretty ok in terms of "dominance" in this house. I've been following NILIF religiously since he was 6 months old. I don't really agree that the trainer who dismissively said "oh yes, it's dominance" before wandering off. She had no concept of the relationship we have or my dog's personality, it felt to me like a generic response to my question rather than one that was well thought out. That was kinda how that obedience school worked though, one size fits all training. My current trainer has been dealing with us for a couple of months now and he doesn't think it'd dominance either. He's a stubborn bugger (dog, not trainer), but when there is nothing else to suggest dominant behaviour I find it hard to believe that standing on my feet in a clumsy way is related to dominance. These days I'm a little skeptical about blaming undesirable behaviour on dominance anyway. Why can't a dog just behave a certain way without having an agenda? They're animals with emotions and personalities and I don't think every move can just be whacked with a dominant or submissive label. It's far too simplistic for such a behaviourally complex (and frequently silly) animal. Alright, will do Erny He knows move, well...sort of :D He's away with the pixies sometimes so it takes some nudging for him to get the message. Thanks again for the ideas everyone, I can see where I've been going wrong (a lot) and have a few things to work on that I think will help.

So el dirtbag has been doing really, really well lately with other dogs which is fantastic. But a problem that he's always had and that isn't getting better is he's just so excited or anxious at dog school and out on walks. I can't tell which it is, or whether one leads to the other, ie. excitement builds to a point where it becomes anxiety. He shakes a lot, pants heavily, pees on everything he can find in an almost manic way (apparently this can be stress related), pulls hard until he's reminded not to, whines and ends up yawning a lot while whining. I've calmed down so much now, but he just doesn't seem to be changing at all. We're doing positive, reward based training which he's taken to really well, bit of clicker work in there too which once again he responds to well. The problem is mostly when he's not doing something, just sitting still in class. It doesn't appear that any one thing is setting him off, it's just the environment itself. I'm allowing him to socialise with other dogs a lot more which I'm hoping will help a little as before this he wasn't really going near them, but then again if he's all excited about saying hi maybe that'll make things worse? Argh I don't know! He gets a few drops of rescue remedy before class which *might* help, but it's so hard to tell. I'm probably going to ask the vet for any ideas and have been looking at some of those body wrap things that claim to help. I have some Chlomicalm around somewhere but am really hesitant about using drugs to calm him down. Does anyone have any other ideas I can try?

Thanks all I think you're right! She always was a determined little trooper, wouldn't surprise me at all.

Thanks guys, it's always hard when they go and the oldies are always so special I'm just so glad that she got her happy ending with my parents after having such a hard time early on. I know I'm biased cos they're my parents, but any dog who ends up in their care is very lucky. They've taken in a lot of unloved dogs over the years and given them a long and happy life.

Wow, there are some awesome achievements in this thread Mine is not so grand, but my boy is learning to ignore dogs he used to have a lunge at and last Sunday he was spectacular. He was up the front of the class being used for clicker demonstrations and didn't lose his head over the staffy sitting neaby staring at him. I've very proud of my boofer.

Sweet I'll try to remember, sounds like it'll be a lot of fun! Might see if I can drag a friend along too.