Pets

[Addie]

I do not understand people who get dogs and are not home for them. When I say Rosebud is crated, that means she is in her crate for a few hours here and there. Every Friday we go out for drinks and dinner, and maybe twice a month for lunch. Not even once a month we leave for the day. People who are only home for a few hours a day, here it is: Don't get a dog. Get a fish. Maybe a cat (but two is better, they'll play together). Dogs just need more attention than you can do in 4 hours a day.

OK, my soap box. One friend told me that it was cruel to crate a dog. Huh? No, cruel is coming home and finding that your doggie has chewed through not only your couch, but an electrical cord or two. Luckily they were for appliances that were not plugged in!

When the world isn't right for her, Rosebud retreats to her own bedroom (that is to say, her crate). A friend knew all my dogs have loved hand-crocheted afghans sent me a small one, which lines her crate. After she had her last fit, I had to wash it (I wash it regularly) and wipe out the crate. She only gets to stay locked into her crate is when no one is home, or for a minute when someone elderly or incapacitated (in other words, someone who would suffer grievous damage should she jump on them) comes to the house, and that's only until I get them seated.

I have been attacked by two German Shepherds and one Doberman. Both times I was just walking on the other side of the street. But anytime I come upon a dog and it is with the owner, I just stand still, with my hands down at my side and my palms outward. I let the dog smell me. I will talk in a very soft voice to the dog first before I talk to the owner. I make no effort to pat the animal or get to near the owner.

I have a girlfriend in California that has four small rambunctious Yorkies. Everytime I go to visit her, the second I walk in the door all four of them are jumping all over me. And that is what they do to everyone that comes in the house. They see company as a new playmate. They all have crates. At night they all go into the bedroom and each one goes right into their own crate. If one should misbehave, all she has to say is "Crate" and off it goes with its head down. After about fifteen minutes she will call it out again to play with the others. Those dogs are very well trained. Any time they go on vacation, she has a friend that has the sisters to one of her dogs and she babysits her four. She returns the favor in kind when they go somewhere for any length of time. Her and her husband are truly excellent and very responsible dog owners.

 

[jabbur]

We crate trained our dog too. Now that he is a senior citizen, he doesn't get crated much. We mostly use it when we have workmen in the yard or house. Since we have a doggie door into the back yard he's allowed free roaming of the house and yard. He's way past the chewing stage and hasn't reached the incontinent stage. He chewed up any kind of pad we put in the crate and the only thing he likes in there is the blanket we brought him home in when he was a pup. It's his blanket and he knows it's his! All we have to do is say crate and he goes right in. He did hide in there when Salem was new to the household and there have been times when other dogs are visiting and he'll go there to rest away from the rambunctious ones.

 

[Barbara L]

A friend of ours, who openly admits she does not like animals, takes crating to the extreme. Unfortunately, to her a pet is something to take out and play with when you are in the mood, but it is to be put away the rest of the time. The dog (a beagle) is hooked up outside most of the day, which she (the dog) doesn't mind. But when she is in the house she spends way too much time in her crate. She is often in there 12+ hours without any potty, water, or food breaks. She goes wild when she is allowed to get out and play. It is sad because no one in the family really knows how to relate to an animal.

 

[Whiskadoodle]

How many of you sleep with your pets?

My two girls sleep, one close to my chest area or else stretched out on top of me ( the big lug) if I'm on my side. The youngest has taken to curling up in a ball on top of the covers and nestling against my feet.

It's a commotion every time I turn over in my sleep.

 

[Barbara L]

How many of you sleep with your pets?

My two girls sleep, one close to my chest area or else stretched out on top of me ( the big lug) if I'm on my side. The youngest has taken to curling up in a ball on top of the covers and nestling against my feet.

It's a commotion every time I turn over in my sleep.

Sometimes it is just James and me in bed, but on any given night there may be one or two cats, and/or 85 pound Cubbie. Our one cat likes to lie at our feet. Our other cat changes spots a lot. He will lay next to my head a few nights, then at my feet, then at James's feet. Sometimes he likes to snuggle up tight against my back. If Cubbie is in bed, sometimes the cat likes to snuggle up against his back. Sometimes the cat will lie on top of me, but I am kind of like a tornado when I sleep. Plus, he is the heaviest-footed cat I have ever known, so it can be uncomfortable to have him walking around on me!

Years ago I had a little cat named Angel. I called her a log-roller because she would manage to stay on top of me even though I flipped and rolled all night.

 

[quaker]

I have an adorable little 'Designer Dog' (read 'Mutt') who is part Yorkie and has a very Yorkie attitude, "I heard the word 'come' I'm just making up my mind if I want to or not--is there something in it for me ?" We love her to pieces. I worked for a vet, and have lots of stories about people with different ideas about animals. It is amazing the different attitudes that are out there. Fortunately for some of them, we were not allowed to jump over the desk and beat the .......... out of them. But then there are others, for instance, a very large, rough trucker had to put his dog to sleep and was muttering as he left, " its about time, the dumb dog has been nothing but trouble " When I looked outside after he left, he was sitting on the step crying his heart out. It was a fun, but at times heartbreaking job.

 

[Dawgluver]

A friend of ours, who openly admits she does not like animals, takes crating to the extreme. Unfortunately, to her a pet is something to take out and play with when you are in the mood, but it is to be put away the rest of the time. The dog (a beagle) is hooked up outside most of the day, which she (the dog) doesn't mind. But when she is in the house she spends way too much time in her crate. She is often in there 12+ hours without any potty, water, or food breaks. She goes wild when she is allowed to get out and play. It is sad because no one in the family really knows how to relate to an animal.

That's terrible, Barbara! Beagles are such sweet and loving little dogs, and no dog should be treated like that. A dog is a member of the family.

Our beagle likes to burrow under the covers and snuggle.

She also has a crate, mainly for travel in the back of the car, and for when we stay in hotels and at other people's houses. She's very comfortable with it.

 

[Somebunny]

How many of you sleep with your pets?

My two girls sleep, one close to my chest area or else stretched out on top of me ( the big lug) if I'm on my side. The youngest has taken to curling up in a ball on top of the covers and nestling against my feet.

It's a commotion every time I turn over in my sleep.

Lol Whisk! You made me think of what a co-worker said to me yesterday, I had just shared a video with her of two golden labs "sledding". (I wish I could figure out how to copy it here, maybe it could be googled) and she related to me how when she was leaving for work it was so "darn cute to see Cooper snuggled under the covers with his head on the pillow). Lol! "Cooper" is a full grown Golden Labrador Retriever! Makes me smile! When our dear cocker (Cujo) was still with us he often slept on the bed, until he got to old to make the jump.

 

[PrincessFiona60]

How many of you sleep with your pets?

My two girls sleep, one close to my chest area or else stretched out on top of me ( the big lug) if I'm on my side. The youngest has taken to curling up in a ball on top of the covers and nestling against my feet.

It's a commotion every time I turn over in my sleep.

Both cats and Shrek...can't sleep unless all three are present.

 

[Claire]

I confess! Yes, we've always slept with our doggies. It is my husband's fault, it really is!

 

[GotGarlic]

Our black Lab used to sleep in her own bed at the food of ours, but she's gotten to arthritic to manage the stairs safely; we have to keep a baby gate at the bottom of the stairs to keep her from climbing up to join us, though.

With the two cats, you never know Elwing, the 17-year-old, can't jump up onto the bed anymore, but if I bring her up, she'll sometimes spend the night. She also has a basket next to the radiator in the guest room where she likes to sleep. Bella sometimes sleeps on the bed, sometimes on a radiator, sometimes on my computer chair ... all over the place.

 

[Addie]

Teddy will only sleep on my bed when he is here. But he has to be under th cover. At home he will only sleep in his own bed with a blanket over him. When he is ready to go out in the morning, he jumps on the bed and sticks his backside in Spike's face to wake him up. He keeps pushing against Spike until Spike acknowledges his presence. Then he will stretch across the top step so Spike can't sneak out without him.

 

[jabbur]

Ollie (the 93 lb shepherd/collie mix) sleeps at the foot of our bed. There is no room for him on the bed since it's only a queen size and there are already 2 full grown folks in it! Salem (the 8 lb cat) starts out sleeping against my feet. Some nights we manage to get through the whole night that way. Other nights she gets tired of me moving my feet and will jump down and sleep under the bed. She enjoys sleeping under the bed because then she can play "Smack the toes" from under there in the mornings when I go to the bathroom.

 

[LPBeier]

Does this answer the question?

 

[LPBeier]

A friend of ours, who openly admits she does not like animals, takes crating to the extreme. Unfortunately, to her a pet is something to take out and play with when you are in the mood, but it is to be put away the rest of the time. The dog (a beagle) is hooked up outside most of the day, which she (the dog) doesn't mind. But when she is in the house she spends way too much time in her crate. She is often in there 12+ hours without any potty, water, or food breaks. She goes wild when she is allowed to get out and play. It is sad because no one in the family really knows how to relate to an animal.

Barbara, this sound so much like Joie's ordeal. The dog is so happy to be out that they get excited and "wild", so the owners put them back in the crate because they (owners) can't handle it. Allowing Joie to come and go as he pleases to his crate and giving him the love and attention he needs has really helped, but both TB and I are dog lovers That's the big difference.

 

[CWS4322]

When I was involved with rescue, we crate trained all the dogs. This was so that if the dogs had to be confined in a kennel/vet clinic, the dog would not panic. I still have a 54" dog crate in the basement. I often find Cliff in it. I had several dogs that were on IV fluids at home over the years. Being able to confine them meant they got the treatment they needed. The rule was that the dog was not to be confined for more than 3 or 4 hours without being allowed out. Puppies can hold their bladders for 1 hour for every month of life until about the age of 8 months. I always ask people if they'd like to wait 12 hours before going to the bathroom...And, no, I don't have a dog sleeping on the bed. At one time, two dogs slept on the bed with us. I woke up with a sore back for years. I also found that I was congested. Now that dogs do not sleep on the bed (or in the bedroom), my back no longer hurts in the morning and I am not congested. And, the bed is too high for the dogs to jump on.

 

[Barbara L]

Barbara, this sound so much like Joie's ordeal. The dog is so happy to be out that they get excited and "wild", so the owners put them back in the crate because they (owners) can't handle it. Allowing Joie to come and go as he pleases to his crate and giving him the love and attention he needs has really helped, but both TB and I are dog lovers That's the big difference.

Fortunately this dog is very sweet-tempered and seems to have accepted her lot in life. They do leave her out more now than they used to, but they will never be animal people. Laurie, you "know" who it is, so I'm sure you can imagine this isn't the biggest problem they have. LOL I love her dearly, and she really does try when I give her tips on raising a dog, etc. I give the dog lots of attention when we are there. And the dog loves them like crazy.

 

[LPBeier]

Fortunately this dog is very sweet-tempered and seems to have accepted her lot in life. They do leave her out more now than they used to, but they will never be animal people. Laurie, you "know" who it is, so I'm sure you can imagine this isn't the biggest problem they have. LOL I love her dearly, and she really does try when I give her tips on raising a dog, etc. I give the dog lots of attention when we are there. And the dog loves them like crazy.

I did know who it was. But I do understand things from the dogs point of view having gone through it with Joie. He is very sweet too, but would come on strong any time he was out of the crate. He is better now but he is also 9 so an "old man" by dog standards. I am glad the dog is adjusted. that makes all the difference in the world.

BTW, Barbara, did you see the picture of Violet "pushing me out of bed" a few posts back? TB got up to go to work and I hadn't slept much so he was letting me catch up when Violet curled up behind me and her feet were literally pushing me. I didn't fall, and TB got this shot to show me.

 

[Barbara L]

I did know who it was. But I do understand things from the dogs point of view having gone through it with Joie. He is very sweet too, but would come on strong any time he was out of the crate. He is better now but he is also 9 so an "old man" by dog standards. I am glad the dog is adjusted. that makes all the difference in the world.

BTW, Barbara, did you see the picture of Violet "pushing me out of bed" a few posts back? TB got up to go to work and I hadn't slept much so he was letting me catch up when Violet curled up behind me and her feet were literally pushing me. I didn't fall, and TB got this shot to show me.

Yes, I saw it after I made my last post! So cute! Cubbie is usually pretty good about not pushing me out, but now I just have to teach James the same thing! Just kidding! Kind of.

 

[love2"Q"]

I think its more the dogs let me sleep wth them in the bed than the other way around...