From commentor Bloomingpoll:
We adopted Foxy, the red Shiba Inu mix, in 1999 as a buddy for another adoptee, Ollie, who had lost his companion in a horrible accident… Ollie’s reaction to her death was to escape from the house however he could, including jumping through screens, when left alone. He was a lab/setter mix, with the narrow ribcage of the red setter, and he could get out of a car window that was only down 6 inches, I swear! He had been tied to a dog house and was “repossessed” by the Cocheco Valley Humane Society in Dover NH. He once climbed a 6 foot chain link fence in his attempt to escape a thunder storm. If I had been tied out in storms, I suspect I would feel the same way. He usually went down the road to the kennel and sat on the front porch there. He died from a brain tumor, we think, at age 12.
Morgan was my husband’s promised adoptee on his retirement (I had said, no more dogs until someone is home most of the time.) He is apparently a yellow lab, but very tall and big, 120-130 lbs, a lot of dog, but extremely nice. He is reaching the end, I fear, having some nerve damage in the rear end that makes steps difficult and produces a wobbly walk. We had a granite front step that required a big step up, so my husband built a nice front porch with a place to lie and easier steps. Better for us aging folks too.
__
Foxy’s claim to infamy was her love, as a puppy (we got her at 6 months, she was a stray), of plastic, including hearing aids (we heard later that ear wax is a delicacy to dogs!). She chewed ballpoint pens, and loved the plastic strap on the back of baseball caps, as well as VCR cases. At age one she stopped all the silliness, and is the perfect dog, except for her insatiable desire to be patted 24 hours a day by all humans possible. She is very much a larger version of John’s Lily, which I find fascinating. And another oddity, Foxy and Morgan both were born in March of 1999, we adopted Foxy that year, Morgan in 2005
Roo was left with us by an offspring. She was one of those unfriendly cats, with a propensity to be a guard cat, hissing and spitting at visitors, and then hiding. She would bite with little warning, and had a habit of hiding under the furniture and attacking the ankles of any human who needed to visit the bathroom in the dark. One could hear her coming. I never got used to that. She had several years of licking all the fur off her belly and making it raw, which involved doses of prednisone and the fun of giving pills to cats. It finally just went away as she aged and mellowed a bit. She died a couple of years ago at the age of about 20. Indoor cat, scared to death of outside, good mouser, even with no front claws, and no we didn’t do that, the offspring who was the previous owner did.
Sophie adopted my husband Ben. She had been left at our vet, in the entry way, obviously a cared for cat, although she had been declawed as well. When he was invited to look at a shy cat the vet was trying to adopt out, she snuck up from behind and grabbed him, and the deed was done. Except for her hiding from the dogs the first week, she has been friendly, accepting of love, and a superb mouser. Unfortunately, after eating the first couple, she has a habit now of playing with them, and loves to do it in the bathroom or on the stairs. Occasionally she loses them, and we never know whether the next move by the mouse is escape, or dying in a hiding place and stinking up the house.
Ash Can
What a cute bunch!
stuckinred
Yay! Wonderful critters and a wonderful story!
BruceFromOhio
Ah, pleasant tales of those with tails! Thank you, Anne Laurie! This and a nice hot cup of tea help keep the misery that is Monday at bay.
bloomingpol
I am pleased to say that Morgan is still with us, we had worries about him dealing with the winter weather, but despite lots of snow (which he LOVES), he is still coping with getting around. My husband did a maze of sorts on the lawn with the snowblower, since Morgy insists that’s the place to go. Even ice is still manageable. He doesn’t seem to be getting any worse, lots of fish oil (he has a gorgeous coat), glucosamine and keeping his weight down, which as a Lab he hates the idea of, he’s starving!
BruceFromOhio
A new entry in “The World Of the Unlikely and Bizarre”: One of TRex’s old posts apparently now fronts a site for dinosaur toys.
comrade scott's agenda of rage
Awwwwww. Old dogs rule.
The snow maze, ah, I know it well from this winter. Used a shovel mind you. Our 3-legged dog who’s now 13 simply can’t wallow around in deep snow like he used to.
Napoleon
Sully joins Newsweek:
http://mediadecoder.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/02/27/andrew-sullivan-joins-tina-browns-team-at-the-daily-beast-and-newsweek/?hp
Pococurante
Sullivan is off to the Daily Beast.
WereBear
What a lovely bunch! When I’m too old to have pets, I hope I go the next day.
I’ll never understand declawing. Especially, after, so many cats get issues… and the whole point is now moot.
debit
@WereBear: I can’t understand how people, after the process is explained to them, can still do it the pet they claim to love.
WereBear
@debit: I understand a lot of vets push the procedure at altering time; “it’s a deal!”
And they, of all people, should know better.
bloomingpol
Ours both came to us without front claws. No real problems by the time we got them and neither had/have any desire to go outside, which is great, because we live in the country in NH and there are lots of things that like to eat cats out there, fishers and coyotes among them.
The last cat we had with claws used to hang by a claw or two from the jowls on the Lab we had then. They were great playmates and Sam put up with Cinnamon’s abuse cheerfully. Unfortunately Cinnamon was an outside cat and we found her dead, back broken, probably by a neighbor’s dog. Cured me of letting cats outside.
Kristine
@bloomingpol:
OMG, tell me. My King is a GSD/Lab mix, also getting on in years. He’s about 115 now, and is having a little hip stiffness. Vet would like him less than 110, but 110 seems to be the lowest I can get him, and it takes a real cut in his caloric intake to get him down that far. He’s licking crumbs off the floor and the rug, and sniffing the air for stray food molecules.
Yes, he does exercise–big back yard, and Gaby to play tag with.
geg6
Morgan is our Henry’s twin brother. Henry, too, has severe hip problems which preclude him going outside from any door except the front door, which has a minimal step down. He’s also huge, running about 120 pounds, which makes it impossible for me to give him the boost he needs to stand up most mornings. He’s a sweetheart, though, and I don’t know what we’ll do when he finally goes, as he obviously will soon as he is 12 years old now.
Thankfully, our Otis (a golden retriever) is only 4 and we’ll have him for quite a while yet.
Perfect Tommy
Can someone tell me what the hell Senators Grampa and Droopy Dog are doing in Cairo, openly criticizing Obama’s handling of Libya??
Sko Hayes
Ah, nothing like old lab stories. I have two seniors now, Noel is a 16 yr old black lab cross and fortunately is the slim and active type, and even more fortunate, has healthy hips. She has arthritis, but daily walks and an every other day dose of Metacam (canine NSAID) seem to work wonders.
Home remedies for sore hips can include baby aspirin (80 mg), preferably buffered, ot protect the stomach.
My other lab, Hershey, is a chocolate I got from the shelter in 2007, he’s somewhere around the age of 9 now, and also has the labrador tendency to eat everything that resembles food (bird seed, apples from the neighbor’s tree, litter box “tootsie rolls”, etc) so we walk about 2 miles every morning before work. The 16 year old Noel goes with us most days, and they both benefit from the daily exercise.
Thanks for sharing.
Origuy
@Perfect Tommy:
The rule about partisanship ending at the border only applies to Democrats. IOKIYAROJL
Mary G
Lovely animals and stories. Bless you for sharing with us.
Jim Parish
Did anyone else see a bald eagle for a moment, when they first looked at the second picture?
asiangrrlMN
@Jim Parish: No, but it’s all I can see now!
Bloomingpoll, wonderful animals and stories to match.
I love the early morning animal threads.
Yutsano
@Jim Parish: I didn’t before, I see it now. Sort of an optical illusion thingie.
And of course PUPPEH and KITTEH!!
@asiangrrlMN: Morning hon. I think I’m having sympathy blahs for you.
Delia
@Jim Parish:
Did anyone else see a bald eagle for a moment, when they first looked at the second picture?
yes.