All Earthly Creatures

Here in the UK, I think the big problem is with breeders...

Or 'designer dogs' — the in-fashion breeds — the demand for which means puppy prices skyrocket and unscrupulous breeders will pass off anything as an expensive-breed puppy, and then the animal's most likely sick ...

If people are spending so much on pets then they really ought to use a bit of common sense. Don't pass over hundreds of pounds to buy a cut-price 'must have' puppy to someone in a service station car park :rolleyes:

Being a city-dweller I don't have a dog. My favourite breed is Irish Wolfhound, and when I was looking at them, the breeders would interview you, to see if you were a suitable owner! Another arranged visits where the potential buyers would have to park some distance from the house and walk down a lane, then send a couple of wolfhounds to say hello ... anyone flinched, no sale.

I find the whole idea of 'designer pets' abhorrent anyway. A living creature is not a fashion accessory.
 
I've always enjoyed having a dog or cat...but now I also enjoy camping and traveling 3 days to 5 weeks at a time....no pets for me.
 
Our "Jackie" is a pure bred Tuxedo Maine Coon cat. We didn't acquire him as such though. He was actually abandoned, sort of, on our front porch.

As it turns out he was left there by one of my wife's colleagues who was desperate to find him a home, but that's only part of the story.

As it turns out, Jackie was the product of a licensed breeder for such cats. Now, Maine Coons are a very large natural breed. One of the oldest in North America most noted for their long bushy fur, sharply pointed ears and 6th toe on the front feet. Thing is, ofttimes not every member of the litter displays these characteristics. The ones that don't are generally euthanized by the breeder, (perfectly legal), dropped off at the pound or simply abandoned.

Jackie, though rare as a tuxedo, has short ears and only the nubs of a 6th toe. Therefore, he was less than desirable and slated for disposal. Luckily for him, he ended up at a rescue shelter. Unfortunate for him, he ended up in the hands of someone completely clueless about cats and was mistreated. Fortunately again for him, he was rescued again and abandoned on our front porch where he finally found a happy home. Talk about your 9 lives...

Unfortunately, few are this lucky, with most being legally killed or worse to assure that only perfect pets reach the market, thus fetching the highest price possible.
 
wil said:
I've always enjoyed having a dog or cat...but now I also enjoy camping and traveling 3 days to 5 weeks at a time....no pets for me.
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If you don't mind me asking, How d'you camp, Wil? We have a lil' ol' folding caravan which you guys would probably pack into a box on the back of a Winnebago :D

(Thinks: Please say an Airstream ... please say an Airstream ... )
 
I'm owned by "friendly parents" (two domestic shorthair :kitty:s, one domestic longhair) that were either found or rescued, but one can find purebred :kitty:s in one's local shelters or rescue groups.

My local shelter bought out a notorious puppy mill several years ago for pennies on the dollar (the guy decided to get out of the business, so he offered his "stock" to the shelter since he used to take the ones that were "bred out" to them for euthanasia.) The people at the shelter had to teach the dogs how to fooking play. I adopted my previous furred manager from them as well (I picked him up the same day a couple tried to adopt a purebred German Shepherd [their adoption fell through because they wanted her to help start a new breeding business]. *shakes head*)

Anyway, I found out that there's been a call out for people willing and able (mostly able) to foster or adopt animal survivors of Harvey, Irma, Jose, Maria and other hurricanes as well as other natural disasters. I would, but I serve the maximum number of furred managers allowed, plus I live in a one-bedroom apartment...

Phyllis Sidhe_Uaine
 
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Thomas said:
Here in the UK, I think the big problem is with breeders...

Or 'designer dogs' — the in-fashion breeds —
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I remember the 1st time I saw one of those 'designer' pups. I was living in the states at the time and this gal comes to audition with a dinky mutt in her purse no bigger than a baby wombat. Hell, I thought it was a plush toy. So I says to her, "Where'd you get that? Almost looks real." :D
 
Here's an interesting article from The Guardian.

Why the internet loves cats – not dogs​

The internet is one giant, virtual cat park, its foundation is one of cat fur, and its currency is the miaows of millions of kittens who lie patiently in wait for you on YouTube, Facebook and Twitter, acting like they pretty much own the place. These are indisputable facts, but nobody has ever been able to come up with a suitable answer to the attendant question: why? Why are there so many cats on the internet? Read More:
 
StevePame said:
A thread for discussions related to the interactions of humans and animals.
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Our relationship with animals is a bit different on the farm then in the cities. Most fall into 1 of 3 categories down here: Working, Varmint or Food. The lines between them do get blurred at times though.

I suppose in a lot of ways our working animals could be considered pets, but not the kind you bring into the house or interact with on a social level. Although, I suspect that'll change once my son marries his intended and she moves in for good. She actually has a gray fox for a pet. At the moment though, all our (pets) have specific jobs. Cats for rodent control, Llamas to keep other varmints at bay. Horses for transport, etc. Oh and not forgetting the goat. He's our lawn mower.;)
 
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Yea in farm or country I was always used to having outside pets, cats were in the barn, dogs ran where they wanted and crapped where they wanted but came when you called them.

City dwelling cats in the house dogs in the house, walking on leashes, carrying around bags of poop, emptying litter boxes, these are things I can't understand.
 
StevePame said:
A thread for discussions related to the interactions of humans and animals.
Click to expand...

My wife and I never had any children of our own so in many ways, pets for us are like substitute kids and that's how we treat them. Just like any other member of the family. Our Jackie for instance has complete run of the house with no restrictions whatsoever. He doesn't even identify with cats or other animals anymore. As far as he's concerned, he's just our little boy. I even find myself introducing him that way to guests at times.

Things are different with our stray cat Charlie. Our relationship with her is much different than it is with Jackie. She's domesticated to the point of being approachable, but that's about as far as it goes. Now our Jackie will watch at the window when Charlie romps about outside, but not like one cat identifying with another. More like a person watching an animal. He'll even get the urge to play when he sees her sometimes, but not with her. He invites me to play with him instead.

Go figure. Darn kids....:rolleyes:
 
Thomas said:
He's not giving up, is he ...
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If you're asking about the puppy, no, the gentleman didn't give up until the puppy was revived (and it was the first time he performed CPR on any living being!) There's an embedded video about the rescue in the article.

If you aren't, please disregard this post. :oops:

Phyllis Sidhe_Uaine
 
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