People 'babying' pets.

[Mo1959]

My two sleep down the bed. They think that I don’t know. About 5 minutes before my alarm goes off, they sqiggle out of bed and curl in their baskets. Then make a massive fuss with stretching and yawning when I get up. As if to say ‘we’ve been in our baskets all night’. There is a bit more dog size in my Lurchers. I fondly remember having some space in the bed when I had my Whippet, Feargal.

I love Whippets. Their coats are so soft I could just cuddle them all day 🐱 comes under the duvet and usually snuggles into the back of my legs at night.

 

[figbat]

We have a 4 month old Lab x cocker (ie: mutt). I have said all along to the family that he’s a dog, not a person. He is loved and treated well - he sleeps in our bedroom (this was always going to be the case) and we recently bought him a coat because on a wet, chilly walk he got cold and was shivering. But I won’t tolerate begging for food (he doesn’t) nor being fed titbits. He will never be “dressed up” and we wouldn’t dream of assuming he is welcome anywhere unless explicitly invited.

We had two cats that lived up 19 and 20 - that was a wrench when they died. We also had a horse who we didn’t even live with - when he died unexpectedly it was a very emotional time.

No doubt they mean more to some than others. Lots of trophy dogs out there but also lots of emotional support pets. Treat them as you will but, as with many personal life choices, don’t force it on others.

 

[Mo1959]

We have a 4 month old Lab x cocker (ie: mutt).

My last dog was a lab/springer cross. They make a nice cross with lovely natures.

 

[tom73]

Thankyou very much 😉

It’s been a couple of months. I’m at home alone far more than my wife. And I’d get another dog now. Probably a rescue.
We live right by the sea, relatively in the Country - and I’m an outdoors guy. ‘We’ could have so much fun together. For my wife however it’s still very raw.

In no way will / do we think we’re replacing Ruby. But she’s just left such a huge void behind……

Damned ‘pets’ !!!

What’s not to love about a Westie ? We are on to our 3rd now. What you’ve described is typical of the breed. we’ve never rushed into getting another dog we take time to get over things and use to not having one around. We do things that are possible with a dog just a bit harder like weekends away to see shows , long days out without worrying about being away. We find it helps us everyone is different one thing is true you just know when it’s time for another.

All ours have been dogs needed a new home they’ve all come with a few sharp edgers. But you soon sort them out.

As for now it will feel like a you’ve a big hole in your life and in your home. When times are hard think of the good times they get you though the bad times.

 

[sevenfourate]

What’s not to love about a Westie ? We are on to our 3rd now. What you’ve described is typical of the breed. we’ve never rushed into getting another dog we take time to get over things and use to not having one around. We do things that are possible with a dog just a bit harder like weekends away to see shows , long days out without worrying about being away. We find it helps us everyone is different one thing is true you just know when it’s time for another.

All ours have been dogs needed a new home they’ve all come with a few sharp edgers. But you soon sort them out.

As for now it will feel like a you’ve a big hole in your life and in your home. When times are hard think of the good times they get you though the bad times.

Thankyou so much for the thoughts and wisdom.

I'd have another Westie (Now !!!) in a heart-beat. Lets see how time heals the wife's heart.........

 

[Reynard]

My Poppy was black-and-white, and was happy to wear a harness and go for a walk - or even a bus ride, to a 'dog-friendly' cafe where she'd sit on my lap and survey her surroundings. She was perfectly content around dogs who 'knew their place' and, in fact, great friends with the next-door dog, Elliot the Patterdale. They looked, at first glance, to be sworn enemies, but Sharon (neighbour) and I knew the truth - that when Poppy and Elliot thought no-one was looking, Poppy got down off the top of the fence, and Elliot stopped barking and leaping, and they rubbed against each other, groomed each other, shared food and water and generally acted like friends-with-benefits. But then either Sharon or I would succumb to temptation, make our presence known and laugh like drains as the two of them would hurriedly restart their charade of hate!

That's just so funny...

Actually, Poppy and Lexi are a bit like that. On the face of it, they just about tolerate each other, but when they think you're not looking, they'll curl up together... They do like to keep one on one's toes...

 

[Petrichorwheels]

What is it with owners treating their dogs like a surrogate child?

Newish friends (seem okay but still getting to know them) fairly recently got a 'new to you' dog and they have gone OTT with it imo.

I am a massive dog lover and still miss my long gone beautiful Weimeranar, however, a child he was not.

He was walked hundreds of miles a year, was well fed, well-vetted, lived in a comfortable warm home and he was very much loved.

So back to the new dog, shod in various gaudy pullovers, it appears to have taken over the household.

The owners refer to each other as mummy and daddy in conversation.

Yuk. Maybe they don't like leaving the dog alone in case it sniffs out a keyboard and gets on a hook-up site.
Followed by morality jealousy explosion.

 

[Time Waster]

There was a story of a family doing the Wainwrights and taking their cat on a long lead with them. It was apparently far along in ticking them off when local news got hold of the story. I've also heard of rabbit walkers eh harness and leads.

On a similar vein. I knew a family once who took their whole family on uk holidays. That included dog, cat and cocktail.

 

[Mrs M]

As a cat show judge and someone with ragdoll breeder friends, I can categorically say that Ragdolls (and their non-pointed cousins Ragamuffins) do NOT go limp when handled. It's an urban myth.

A Ragdoll is quite a large semi-longhaired cat that has quite a bit of Persian in its ancestry, although they should have a balanced conformation, not extreme in any way. But they were originally bred for a calm and unflustered temperament, which is why they do make a good family pet. The ones I know are all soppy cuddlebugs. They're not the smartest cats though...

Mind you, every cat, regardless of its breeding - Ragdoll or otherwise, has that point in its temperament beyond which you don't want to push. I can go so far with my own two (both non-pedigree), but then Poppy will biff and Lexi will bite. You learn to read their body language and then back off - a cat is an incredibly good communicator.

As for doing stuff with your cat, that's just down to building trust and understanding their individual personalities. Like anything, it's a two-way process...

Thomas is a “biffer”
Sam is a “biter”.

 

[Mrs M]

@Saluki makes an important point. Dogs differ widely in their needs.
Sighthounds/most lurchers for example have little or no undercoat so felt the cold and wet more than other breeds, hence Whippets, Greyhounds, Saluki's etc. All need fleeces and raincoats in the winter.
Sighthounds are very deep chested, lack body fat and find it difficult to lie on hard surfaces - we have to take sheepskins or a mattress into a pub so the Whips cab lie down. This is not cosseting, it's caring. Also, if they can't lie down and sleep it will be a miserable evening.
Sighthounds hunt by eyesight, it sounds obvious, but because of this they naturally like to be high-up, hence they automatically climb into any chair, bed, or top of stairs - it's in their nature to seek the best view.
Whippets were also called bedwarmer dogs, because they would be put into kids beds to keep them warm. Many Whippets end-up on or in their owners beds.

Each breed has its own foibles....

Similar to Vizsla’s ❤️
Deep chested and no undercoat.
Need extra spoiling. 😀

 

[AuroraSaab]

Really interesting thread. Fascinating hearing about the different breeds. My RSPCA friend tells me they are starting to get the pets through for rehoming that were purchased during lockdown and which are now surplus to requirements, especially with the push to go back to the office.

 

[FishFright]

There was a story of a family doing the Wainwrights and taking their cat on a long lead with them. It was apparently far along in ticking them off when local news got hold of the story. I've also heard of rabbit walkers eh harness and leads.

On a similar vein. I knew a family once who took their whole family on uk holidays. That included dog, cat and cocktail.

No UK holiday is complete without a good Martini.

 

[Reynard]

I've got several friends who go caravanning with their assorted cats. One couple have about twelve cats, and the other have three.

 

[tom73]

12

 

[stephec]

My little baby's not spoilt but she did have this coat on tonight. 😊