Just looked a dog thread, read one about Dogs and Cats. Now I am curious to hear about the little things your cat or dog does that earns their keep.

My cat, Stupit, listens quite well for cat. She comes running when I yell her name, even if she's on the other side of the block. Plays tag inside the house (I'll chase her, then she chase me) Will hide behind something until I pass by and then leap put and attack my leg then runn off and hide again. She also fetches better than the dog. Its hard to keep her amused though, think she has ADD.

My Dog, Diego, First of all let me say that he is almost 100lbs and is only 8 months old. He's full blooded american and german rott, one of the most intelligent dogs I've owned and definitely the best security system I've ever owned. Doesn't really do much of anyting though, listens very well, fetches and oh yeah slobbers on absolutely everything!

 

SWEEET, post a picture of your Rottie. So he has the mix of the German blockhead and the big American body? My parents used to breed them. When I was growing up we averaged 10 adults at home. A lot of people hate them, but it's all how you raise them. We had a male, Moose, that weighed 155lb and would like a robber to death...Females were definitely more obedient.

 

We've got three dogs in the house. My Shetland Sheepdog, and Mrs *****'s Minature Pinscher and her 15 year old Chihuahua.

They work pretty good as a team doing duty as watch dogs. The Min Pin keeps the look out and sounds the alarm, the Sheltie herds them up and then the mighty Mexican Death Dog chews their ankles off . Actually they just make a lot of racket and let us know that something aint right outside. It's our part of the job to take care of whatever it is. That's why they are watch dogs, not guard dogs.

The Min Pin and Sheltie get into pulling contests with stuffed animals or anything else they figure is theirs. At 8 lbs, The Min Pin is about one third the size of the Sheltie but makes up for it in sheer doggedness. They're pretty funny to watch. I throw something for them to fetch, they get it and start to pull against each other with the Min Pin groweling and shaking it while the Sheltie pulls the toy with the Min Pin attached back to me.

*****

 

I've got a 96 pound full blooded lab. To say the least he likes to please. He makes it convenient for me as he will often carry things from my upstairs room to downstairs. If my roommate wants the newspaper, I just roll it up and give it to him in his mouth and my roommate calls him and he happily carries it down. He'll carry anything however, even DVD's when I don't feel like going downstairs (or the roommate doesn't want to come up) to give it to my......roommate. He can clear my roommate out of my room pretty easy too. No, it's not his growl, he just has unbelievable gas at times. I'll just look at him and he'll tap his tail on the floor, and I'll say, "good boy". I think he likes his own brand really.

He's also great to take backpacking. He's got his own pack and carries his own Platypus water pouch as well (I retrofitted it to his Kelty Sherpa pack) and he doesn't need to carry a bowl as he'll just drink the water from the platypus "hose" when I squeeze the valve for him.

He's also a good water dog. Does acceptionally well off of the whistle, and is about 80% on his way to being fully efficient on multiple hand signals, on land and water.

He's a great dog. My first big dog, and my first time training a dog at this level for possible bird hunting. Most of all it is just neat and rewarding to see a well trained dog "work".

 

Unconditional love, who could ask for anything more.

 

But then you come home early one night, turn the lights on, and............

 

Got a Lasso Apso/Maltiese mix. Sits on the couch and does nothing. Other than not doing much a good dog (house trained, doesn't bite the kids). I guess she did get my wife off my back about getting a cat. Also have four gold fish that will not die. My three year old wanted some one day so I bought 4 $.29 feeder gold fish and a $2.00 bowl. I figured two or three weeks and they would be gone. Almost a year later all four are still kickin. All I do is change the water once a month and feed every other day. I did add a filter a few months ago, and if they last a few more months I'll opt for a bigger fish tank.

 

Boy, this question is almost like asking, what do your kids do to earn their keep???? Hahahah. Well, I'm still getting used to the puppy that my husband had to have. I had Gypsy, the old grouchy, well behaved dog, already trained, doesn't chew on things, or make messes in the house, before we got married. But Bandit has been a joy to have around and keeps Gypsy company. He's an aussie /blk lab mix and at 4 1/2 months can already clear the coffee table with his tail. Can almost beat you to death with it too!!!

 

Awesome, its cool to hear about other peoples pets, like 53fatfndr's lab, my rott can clear the house sometimes with his gas. It's absolutely horid, I can't imagine what must be going on in there, poor dog, my gut usually aches for a long time before I let one out that doesn't even come close to what he does.

I really would like to post my pet pics, but attaching a pic to a post is the only thing I don't know how to do. I could take a pciture of my truck with the dog/ cat in the back i guess and put in my gallery. If anyone knows how to do it, Id appreciate the help.

It's funny, while I was starting this thread last night, Diego must have known I was thinking about him, because he would not leave me alone, laying his head on my hands as I typed and slobbering all over my arms. That inate sense I guess.

Love the picture Kenny. Don't ask, don't tell?

Keep 'em coming, I've enjoyed reading them all so far.

Later On. . . just figured it out, when I get home I'll try to post some pics

 

David,
I thought you might get a kick out of that picture. I found it on the internet.


I had a cat that sounds very much like yours.

I was always a dog person who never cared much for cats, but then one night in 1989 as we were walking around our block, a very small kitten ran up to me.

I thought it was a rat, and I jumped back!
She was about two weeks old, soaking wet, her ribs were showing, and she was loaded with fleas. I wrapped her up in my flannel shirt, and we brought her home. we fed and bathed her.

I sugguested to the wife that we needed to find out who she belonged to, so the next day we went knocking on doors. One lady who answered her door informed us there was a whole litter that she threw out because she was moving and couldn't be bothered! I guess this kitten was the only one who survived.

I next sugguested to the wife that we needed to find a home for this cat. Long story short, The wife is long gone, and the cat wound up staying with me.

She turned out to be an amazing cat, and we became very attached to each other over the years.

"Boo", so named because she would pop out of nowhere and scare elder house guests was more like a dog than a cat!
Absolutely no attitude whatsoever!
She would come when you called her name (every time), she'd stop right in her tracks when you said the word "NO", she would let me give her baths, trim her nails, etc. She never hissed, scratched, or bit anybody. She was great with all the kids (she was there first).

This cat loved to play, (anytime night or day) even at an elderly age. She had many toys, but her favorites were a christmas bow on a string, and the laser pointer.

She was absolutely terrified of the outdoors, and spent her entire life indoors. Whenever I layed down on the couch, she was always right there to snuggle and watch T.V.
It seemed as if she could always tell if something was bothering me. She would follow me around, or do something to make me laugh.

"Boo" passed on earlier this year due to congestive heart failure. She lived to be 14 years old. I'm still not over it (I'm crying just typing this). This cat touched my life majorly. I feel like I lost one of my kids!

Edit: I forgot to mention that Boo had 4 front paws (not extra toes). Each paw had it's own pads, toes, nails, etc. That's why I had to keep her nails trimmed. She would get stuck in the carpet when they got too sharp. She almost seemed like she enjoyed having it done.

 

My Aussie sheppard likes to "herd". You want to talk about a riot. Tell Boo "go get the kitties". She tries to herd the 2 cats to wherever I am. Them cats really don't like being herded.
She has learned to duck the claws pretty good though.

 

My cat and dog get along surprisingly well, the cat made it known to the dog that being really mean wasn't cool when the dog was just a puppy. Now they wrestle around a lot, the cat will actually wrap its front legs around the dog and wrestle him to the ground. I know that Diego gives in to be a sport, usually ends up falling right on top of Stupit though. I can imagine how most cats would like being hearded though.

Kenny, I have actually inherited my cat and grown very attached to her too, and like you I was predominantly a dog lover, training bird dogs since I was a teenager. But Stupit actually belonged to my sister back in 1999. I never much payed attentio to the kitten, who from the very beginning loved to be hand fed anything you were eating. you couldn't drop the food, it had to be from your hand. Going on, after my sister passed in Jan '00 I just couldn't bring myself to get rid of her. When I went active duty in '01 she stayed with my Mother and Step-father, they moved to Jamesport, Long Island NY and took her with them. After getting POst Quarters with my family here at Hood, I asked for her to be sent back to me here in Texas and have had her back with me for almost a year. That's when I trained her to fetch an play all the games. I call her Stupit because when she was younger she use to get excited and run into walls, she would jump straight into the air, and turn around and sprint in the other direction right into anything that was in the way. She is also cross-eyed, but a very pretty Cat (Siamese Mutt). All in all she has almost been like a part of my sister that is still with me.

I love that cat, my wife even knows not to make any issues that involves the cat. She has grown to love her too.

 

My Girlfriends cat "Rascal" has adapted into the house nicely. When it lived at her parents house it wouldn't come near me...now that it lives with me it loves me. Talks to you when you come home and wags her tail like a dog when she's happy. Catches any insects that make it in the house when the door opens...acts like a monkey and face looks like a lemur (huge round eyes).

Sarah...monsterous chocolate lab...about 1 1/2 years old so there's still some puppy in her...Loves her dad. Attacks me every day when I get home and hugs me and licks me. Will chase a ball until you can't throw it anymore and is very smart. Loves rides like no animal I've ever seen and makes the best faces when my girlfriend tells her stories about the trips we are going on over the weekend. Quite amusing...

Quite a pair. The lab has a rope bone the size of the cat and wonders why the cat won't play with the rope with her.

 

My dogs were english pointers. The first one "Pete" was full grown when I got him. He came from a vet who told me he was a laboratory dog. I was told he was one of the first dogs to ever have open heart surgery, and that pictures of his heart are on the heartworm brochures that you get from the vet.

He was aleady trained, a good hunter and companion.

When He passed away, I tried to replace him with the same kind of dog. "Chip" (another english pointer) who I aquired from a breeder/trainer as a puppy, turned out totally different!

He was a good dog, but liked to run away and somehow got agressive toward other dogs. I sent him to a trainer friend who had six dogs who were related to him. The trainer was going to train Chip for field trials. When I dropped chip off, I warned him that Chip likes to climb chain link, and that he ought to have a top on the dog run.

He said to me I've been raising and training pointers for 25 years." "No way is he going to get out of this 6' pen!"
A week later he calls me up and says "I just wanted to let you know, all six of my dogs are now climbing the chain link and getting out!" He had to put a top on all his runs.

 

Ohhh, I love that your dog taught all the others to climb the fence. Its amazing how much they learn from each other though it seems they mostly pick up the bad habits and forget the good stuff!!!
Though I must say that having an adult (potty trained) dog has done wonders in helping to potty training the puppy. Course maybe he's just that smart (I joke here, he has the blankest look in his eyes!!!!)