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Cats or Dogs?


Purpledevil

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Curious as to just what kind of animal lovers we have here at the HAIF. I am a cat person, and am a complete sucker for a stray in need of help and someone to love. As a result, we have 3 kittys: General Tso (we call him The General), Moo Goo Gai Pan (Moogy), and Bean Sprout (Beaner). Moogy is my favorite, as she's a girl. I like cats better because a cat doesn't tend to sell out for love as easily.

If you scold one of my cats for clawing up the toilet paper roll, they'll look at you, lick a paw, wash their face, or simply give out a long yawn. They have little fear, unless one of them really screws up and doesn't wait to be let out, resulting in a little gift left on the tile, typically by the door to the garage. A simple yell of "KITTY!" in my deep, carrying voice, draws all of their attention and a scattering of cats under the bed, couch, buffet, or whatever they are closest to getting underneath, is the result.

My wife is the on the other end of the spectrum, as she loves dogs. We have two of them, both labs. One is solid white, one is a chocolate. The chocolate lab is the better hunter, and is the older of the two. Her name is Reese. Cotton is about to turn 4, has energy to spare, and can jump over a 4 foot cyclone fence, from a flat pawed stand still. Reese is the more loving of the two, she is a big baby. Cotton is skeptical of everyone but my wife, including me, lol. She's also a digger. I love them both, but God knows, they are expensive to care for. Vet bills, food, housing, and such, plus since we have a rather small backyard, we've got to walk them daily to keep them active and so that Reese's arthritis in her back hips doesn't worsen. It surely deepens my love for my cats when it's time to walk the dogs and either it's 100 degrees outside, or a stiff north wind is blowing and the mercury is barely hovering above freezing. In the wInter, the cats have a way of being in the window laying down and peering out as to say "look at those fools out there in the cold, think I'll just stretch out here and take a nap!"

So what about you? Are you a cat lover, a dog lover, or maybe something else tugs at the strings of your heart? Tell the rest of us HAIFers about your special friend(s).

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Our elderly GSD died earlier this year. She'd had several months of serious health challenges, but we believed she'd gotten through the worst of them when she suddenly passed one morning. She joined our household as soon as she was weaned and spent her entire life with us. I still haven't gotten used to not having a dog around the house, and I'm sure we'll eventually get another, probably from a rescue group. 

 

We've always had cats roaming around the neighborhood, some of which are pets and some of which are semi-feral. Not too long before our dog died my wife started feeding one that had taken to hanging around our house occasionally, and I guess that was enough to convince him that he lives here now. 

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Ours was always a dog only household-

we did a few years of confirmation shows, dabbled with obedience and realized we were out of our element at field trails--so semi serious about dog ownership.

As parents we told the kids that all our lives had been restricted by allergies so no cats growing up and none would be brought into the house because the kids had inherited our cat allergies. When my sons moved out both got cats. One of them explained that there were medications for cat allergies. My Mom even got a cat to " keep her company". I'm thinking maybe I missed out on the opportunity to experience the cat immersion phenomenon, that my Mom and Sons rave about.

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I really like dogs, but I grew up in a cat household so that still seems more "natural" to me.  In the event I don't have either right now, mainly because I've moved around a good bit and spent long periods travelling.  I'll keep thinking that one of these days I'll get a pet, but I think it's going to have to be on impulse for me to ever pull the trigger.

 

 

 

 

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I like cats, but would never have a house cat. If I lived on some land (yeah right), I would have an outdoor cat. The kitty litter is the biggest pain in the behind, and you can always tell when someone has a cat. Unless they constantly clean like they are on meth.

 

I could see myself getting a dog when I eventually buy a house. My brother has a South African Ridgeback mix and I adore her. She is sweet and goofy. Definitely love the bigger breeds. Really want a German Shepherd but I'd settle for a Great Dane.

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I could see myself getting a dog when I eventually buy a house. My brother has a South African Ridgeback mix and I adore her. She is sweet and goofy. Definitely love the bigger breeds. Really want a German Shepherd but I'd settle for a Great Dane.

 

Great Danes are wonderful pets, but they have very short lifespans compared to other large breeds (their hearts are undersized relative to their bodies). I used to work with someone that had always had Danes, and her husband always took it very hard when one of them died after they'd only had it for a few years. The world's largest dog (as certified by Guinness), a Dane named Zeus, just died at the age of 5 last week. 

 

As you might infer from my earlier post, I'm partial to German Shepherds, but I always advise any prospective owners to do their homework if they've never had one. They are very strong, active, and highly intelligent dogs that require training and plenty of exercise. They prefer to be close to their owners, so they're not dogs that you can just put in the backyard and set a dish of food out for (not that any dog really is, but GSDs will find a outlet for their energy if not given a "job", and that outlet may not be to their owners' liking). 

 

For anyone interested in a GSD, I recommend Greater Houston German Shepherd Dog Rescue. They always have dogs available that need homes. 

 

http://www.ghgsdr.org/

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I've always had mid-size terriers or terrier mixes with short coats that I adopted from shelters when they were young adult pups.Terriers are lively, smart, loyal, hardy, and make great watchdogs. However, they require training with gentle firmness and consistency or they'll quickly take matters into their own paws. It isn't unusual for someone to acquire a terrier for its cuteness and then get rid of it when they discover its lively, headstrong personality.

 

I'd love to adopt a kitty, but most terriers never learn to tolerate cats. When a terrier mix has fox terrier or Jack Russell ancestry, most other moving creatures are considered fair game!

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I really like dogs, but I grew up in a cat household so that still seems more "natural" to me.  In the event I don't have either right now, mainly because I've moved around a good bit and spent long periods travelling.  I'll keep thinking that one of these days I'll get a pet, but I think it's going to have to be on impulse for me to ever pull the trigger.

 

Seems like anywhere I have ever lived it's been pretty easy to set out some food and the local cats will adopt you.

 

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Seems like anywhere I have ever lived it's been pretty easy to set out some food and the local cats will adopt you.

Applies to places of business too, lol. This is the exact way I ended up with the three cats we have now. Their mother had either been dumped in our parking lot, or meandered her way there in search for food. Me being the sucker I am for a hungry animal, went to the kitchen, warmed some chicken and milk, and set it outside on the curb across from the front doors.

Well, as you can imagine, she made the hotel her new home and she'd be waiting on me. I'd come to work, there'd be the cat. I'd walk in the door, she'd walk in behind me. I'd put her back out, a guest would walk in and she'd follow. Didn't see me once she made it in? She'd go to meowing. After the second day of this, I realized what I had to do, so in the truck she went, and adopted we were, lol.

I just don't comprehend what goes through a person's mind when they make the decision of abandonment. There's just better options out there than that.

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