Animal companions- share your pictures!

[KarenNWendyn]

I love multi colored animals, brindles, stripes, spots, tuxedos, patches, etc. I’ve often wished humans were multicolored, just like some of our animal friends. Potentially it could solve racism, though I suppose some brindle humans might frown upon solid-colored humans, or vice versa!

 

[Narrowminded]

Top is my newbie 11 weeks, Willow GSD and below you can see her with my Oreo - 6ys (Havanese). My loves

 

[KarenNWendyn]

Willow is a beauty. I’m in love.
Such a mischievous smile in the top photo.

 

[KimT]

My Elizabeth liked to dress up, too. She only weighed 3 pounds at maturity. I miss that little bug.

 

[KimT]

Karen, I'm two toned when I take off my bathing suit

Georgia and Crackers. She was dominant and he loved it.

 

[ShiftKicker]

My husband and I went on a very impromptu camping trip on Sunday til yesterday to celebrate our eldest dog's recent good bill of health from the vet. She's had two knee replacements in the last 6 months and has not been allowed to run or do anything fun while we've waited for the pins/bone to heal. She's been an absolute trouper and remained her lovely natured self the entire time despite pain and restrictions while she healed. Her brother has also been quite distressed as they have been walked separately while she heals and they were not allowed to play or wrestle together. He's not a smart boy and has always looked to her to see how he's supposed to respond when they were out on walks together- he's been completely lost without her there to tell him the spaces between parked cars don't harbour monsters and street signs are not intending harm.

The weather was perfect for our trip- warm and sunny. We have a favorite campsite that is rarely busy and usually only contains young families or old folk like us who just want some quiet in the trees. This time, of 42 campsites, only 2 other sites were occupied for the 3 nights we were there. The dogs got filthy, ate all the sticks, dried moss and random forest debris they wanted and slept in the tent (did you know that eating sticks gives a dog gas?).

Daisy is not allowed under the table at home but understands the rules are different when camping:

Theo is eating his 17th pinecone of the day. This is the one that gave him gas, I'm sure:

A snap of the entire campsite- otherwise known as dog paradise. I did a lot of sitting and napping while my husband did all the work, so a holiday for me too.

 

[KarenNWendyn]

Wow, any dog worth his or her salt would love that campground. The picture of the egg and bacon— as we say in our house, “Hope springs eternal in the canine breast”.

What is it about dogs and kitchens?
Good things happen in the kitchen, aka “the food room”.

 

[ShiftKicker]

Karen, for some reason my irritation switch gets flipped when I'm stared at while eating or preparing food. We have some very firm rules at our house about where the dogs can be when there's food involved. Mealtimes should not be a spectator sport or have any sort of audience participation.

1) Not under the table- and if they start doing drive-bys when we're eating, there's a specific place they are told to go lie down that prevents them from spending the rest of the meal staring holes into the backs of our heads. My mother fed Daisy from the table ONCE when she was a puppy (despite being told not to!!) and Daisy has been relentless ever since. Hope springs eternal, indeed!

2) Never in the kitchen. Forbidden zone. As is the kitchen doorway due to having tripped over a suddenly present dog while trying to carry a roasting pan with a scorching hot 20lb turkey to the dining room. They may lie in the area by the front door, which allows for distance viewing but no direct engagement. This also reduces the power of their laser stare of desperation to something that won't be felt with every move I make.

 

[KarenNWendyn]

The rule of “no dogs in the kitchen” is harder with an open-concept floor plan . I’ve seen that paw sneak ever so slightly across the kitchen threshold. We have a command, “out of the kitchen” which ours seems to understand. If she obeys it, a treat follows. It’s amazing how our animal companions have us so well trained!

 

[ShiftKicker]

Now, she was sleeping! She can't be held responsible for what her feet do when she sleeps! UNFAIR.

 

[KimT]

Well, I guess Karen and Fiona wouldn't enjoy my house. Ace sits facing me on the lift chair (I like to watch TV while eating) and lunges at anything that drops. I have a very clean lift chair. Anything that drops anywhere in the house is fair game for him. He knows the friends who will give him treats and stares them down until they give in.

 

[ShiftKicker]

Now, Ace is likely a tidy and compact 20 to 25lbs (?) and doesn't take up as much space as a 70 and 95lb dog respectively. And I am sure he doesn't make gross sloppy dog mouth sounds and drip saliva all over the place whenever someone even thinks "food". Ace is probably also a Very Good Boy and doesn't take up ALL the space and get in the way no matter which direction you're going or stand up suddenly when you're trying to get around him in a doorway. Plus, you're probably straight up nicer and more patient than I am!

 

[KimT]

Ace only weighs 7 pounds. I took him to the dog park yesterday (by myself) and he focused on and guarded a tiny 17 year old, 3-pound Yorkie that was nearly blind. The Yorkie's owner marveled at how gentle Ace was with her considering, five minutes earlier, he was chasing a dog twice his size in some wild playing. The young and weak dogs always gravitate to him because he is gentle, yet fearless.

 

[KimT]

When Ace was about six months or so I heard a splash and happened to have my phone with me. Suffice to say I always put down toilet lids.

 

[ShiftKicker]

Kim, I love how you still managed to get a picture of him before a rescue! Also, 7lbs? That's teeny! What a lovely boy.