The Chillout Zone (Off-Topic Thread)

Choc Chip

Feckin wasps. The big black dog ran into a wasp nest while we were out in the forest today. I've given her antihistamine and she seems fine (accidentally headbutted me while I was checking her gums and tongue 'cos the terrier was too near her bone and she had to bound over and grab it). She really impressed me with how she handled it though - didn't panic, came running when I called (despite hundreds of wasps stinging around her head and neck) and ran with me through the woods, only stopping once to snap at them while they were stinging her and immediately running again when I called her. If she'd bolted I don't know when I'd have found her. She even kept her cool when we stopped and I was digging wasps out of her hair, snapping at herself when they stung, but not at me as I was flicking them off.

I know I'm lucky she hasn't had a worse reaction, and I'll be keeping an eye on her for the next 48 hours, but I'm just so proud of how calm she was while it was happening.

This is the same dog who runs away if a stranger arrives at the door and who took a year to even sniff the UPS man (I get UPS deliveries every couple of weeks). She's so brilliant with everything except strange people!

tk123

I almost grabbed a box of dehydrated tendons this morning instead of my lunch!! :pac:

borderlinemeath

Just saw on the Citizen Canine facebook page that Emmaline has had a baby girl, gorgeous photo of Mum, baby and Cowboy posted up. Coincidentally it's a year to the day I came home from hospital with Genie to meet her hairy brothers and sisters :P. I only wish she stayed that small though, she's like a wrecking ball at the moment! Only relief is that any food that gets thrown about is quickly cleaned up by the reds! When she gets out of her highchair she goes looking for crumbs on the ground and offers them to Buddy!

mymo

It's so good for children to grow up with pets, I hate when I see the "don't touch the dirty doggy" type, not that I like strange children approaching my dogs, but the horror and giving the children the idea an animal is bad thing doesn't sit right with me, I mean wash your hands and it's fine. I taught my daughter it was ok to say hello to an animal, but to ask to approach or pet the animal (at 2 she asked a farmer could she say hi to his sheep, he got a great laugh at that, I had to explain she couldn't get out of the pram to go into the field and say hi to every sheep) but she grew up with a great respect for animals, and I think it teaches early about boundaries and sharing, thinking of others.

My daughter is off to electric picnic Friday, hope weather is ok, not her first time away but first festival, she's sensible, but likes her comfort so not sure how much she'll enjoy the camping.

tk123

mymo wrote: »

It's so good for children to grow up with pets, I hate when I see the "don't touch the dirty doggy"

I got that at the weekend 'those doggies are DIRTY and dangerous!!!' :rolleyes: - we were queuing to get an almond croissant minding out own businesses and all of use clean, dry and presentable. The week before 'they're big bad wolf doggies!!' - mammy and snotty kids had skipped us in same queue at the market!
Lucy got very afraid of kids from them screaming in her face but has started to warm up to them the last while so trying to keep all our interactions positive for her!

borderlinemeath

I was called all sorts of a bad parent on another forum for letting my daughter interact with the dogs. It was on a thread where the 4 day old baby had been killed by the parents dog in California. And one of the posters went so far as to envisage the same scenario but with my daughter and my dogs because of how I parent. :eek: Another poster wasn't going to let his child near a dog until she was old enough to kick it!

I don't remember a time growing up when we didn't have a dog or two, it was only when I moved out of home that I was petless for a while. I was never bitten as a child, the dogs were my best friends. But there's a generation of kids either growing up not knowing how to behave around dogs or instilled with a fear from their parents of dirty dangerous dogs.

SillyMangoX

Peach and Cream have been so clingy the last few days, Peach glued to my lap and Cream to my mams. Can cats grieve too I wonder or are they just picking up on what we feel?

tk123

SillyMangoX wrote: »

Peach and Cream have been so clingy the last few days, Peach glued to my lap and Cream to my mams. Can cats grieve too I wonder or are they just picking up on what we feel?

Ah it must be both I'd say. Just terrible for you all

NamelessPhil

I'm so sorry for your loss. My cats have definitely grieved in the past when they've lost a close companion. My Mum would always insist that they got to see and sniff the dead cat (where possible) so that they would know what had happened. We've had cats that wouldn't pass any comment and some who would still look for their friend. Cats are smart enough to know and they will probably pick up on your mood and want to comfort you too.

My vet even sent me a condolences card after my last cat died, she was 15 and an absolute wagon to man and beast but I have some great memories of her quirks!


Good luck for the days ahead and you'll always have special memories of Dude to look back on.

mymo

Toby has been sick for about a week, needed to be knocked out twice and has been confined to a bathroom for observation over the weekend. I let him out yesterday and everyone was so pleased to see him, Dogs ran over sniffing him, even Figgy cat ran over to him, he must have felt like a celeb, followed everywhere!

Collected daughter and friends from electric picnic yesterday, they got in the car and daughter said "ahhhh seats, real seats...with back support" the chorus of yeah, so good, was very funny, they proceeded to express how much they loved toilets, showers, beds and dry clothes. They had a great time though, and are thinking about next year, she better find a bit more work to pay for it.
She also missed the animals, and went straight to her bed with 4 of them.

hardCopy

We're moving house this week. Mo got to have a sniff around the new place on Sunday and was very excited by it all. He'll get to look around again tonight before we move on Friday. Hopefully he'll settle fairly quick with all the new sounds and smells.

tk123

ZZZZZzzzzzzzz
I was up at 2 this morning with Bailey. Crying and panting and I was sure he farted when he was lying on the floor and jumped up with a fright onto his bed (ROFL) :pac: so thought it was his tummy at him. I had to tie a belt thing - the only thing that resembled a lead - to his harness to get him to even come downstairs with me.. He wee'd and raced back in past me and back up to his bed... Gave him fresh water and turned on the fan and he was asleep in 2 mins... Of course I was wide awake for ages lol! I left the fan on all night in the hope I might get some peace! The last 2 nights before I've been woken up by Lucy's legs falling on me because she's been lying on her back with her 4 legs stuck in the air lol!!! Eventually they fall to one side...and on top of me! :rolleyes:

SillyMangoX

I only ended up with half my dinner today. We were having fish and Cream decided it was the perfect time to play the 'Oh look at me I'm so sad and skinny' act, so he got the majority of my fish. He's been out cold in a food coma for the rest of the evening, while I'm here making myself a sandwich cause I'm starved!!

ShaShaBear

First night ever in kennels for Opie. Had to face away from everyone so they couldn't see me sobbing

aonb

ShaShaBear wrote: »

First night ever in kennels for Opie. Had to face away from everyone so they couldn't see me sobbing

its awful being such a softie. Im bringing my dog to a new lady next week - hes never been to a kennels before (this is in the ladies house) without the other two dogs (RIP) - we've been to visit and check her out, and get to know the place, but no doubt our trip will be RUINED thinking about the little twerp being miserable and scared

Dandelion6

aonb wrote: »

its awful being such a softie. Im bringing my dog to a new lady next week - hes never been to a kennels before (this is in the ladies house) without the other two dogs (RIP) - we've been to visit and check her out, and get to know the place, but no doubt our trip will be RUINED thinking about the little twerp being miserable and scared

Oh I was devastated when I had to leave Sammy in a cattery for two weeks - he's such a nervous cat anyway but I was probably worse than him! Never again, I get a housesitter now!

tk123

Bailey flips out when I leave him so my Dad drops them off. He was clearly disappointed last time when they ran into the house without giving him a second glance lol! "They ran in and didn't even look back at me!"

aonb

Dandelion6 wrote: »

Oh I was devastated when I had to leave Sammy in a cattery for two weeks - he's such a nervous cat anyway but I was probably worse than him! Never again, I get a housesitter now!

LUCKY you! I had a housesitter, but shes no longer around. Then I had a woman come to the house twice/day to walk/feed. Now Im down to 1 dog (will get another one day) I cant leave him alone in the house all day just with someone coming to walk/feed . Hopefully the little twerp will settle at this new place - fingers crossed

borderlinemeath

There's a setter in a rescue that's the IMAGE of Coco. He's 7 (she's 9) so possibly from same lines. Not a million miles away from her original breeder either, maybe 20 miles? Can't stop thinking about him, although I think they do brilliantly as a threesome. Himself always says no, but once they arrive and make themselves at home, he's a pushover.

VonVix

borderlinemeath wrote: »

There's a setter in a rescue that's the IMAGE of Coco. He's 7 (she's 9) so possibly from same lines. Not a million miles away from her original breeder either, maybe 20 miles? Can't stop thinking about him, although I think they do brilliantly as a threesome. Himself always says no, but once they arrive and make themselves at home, he's a pushover.

...foster?

borderlinemeath

VonVix wrote: »

...foster?

I have an English Setter foster at the minute:p
I'm incapable of fostering the red ones. They never leave!

muddypaws

borderlinemeath wrote: »

I have an English Setter foster at the minute:p
I'm incapable of fostering the red ones. They never leave!

I love English setters, although Gordons are my favourite.

Ghost tried to kill me this afternoon, charged across the backyard at full pelt into the back of my legs. I ended up in a patch of nettles, but thankfully missed the big stone that was lying there by inches, so every cloud and all that!!!

Knine

I love Gordons too. I was judging them at an IKC show recently. I would love one for myself.

Choc Chip

borderlinemeath wrote: »

There's a setter in a rescue that's the IMAGE of Coco. He's 7 (she's 9) so possibly from same lines. Not a million miles away from her original breeder either, maybe 20 miles? Can't stop thinking about him, although I think they do brilliantly as a threesome. Himself always says no, but once they arrive and make themselves at home, he's a pushover.

I sent that one to my oh as it's the same rescue i foster for and he loves red setters. I think he's saying no as he'd never let it leave again. The dog is just gorgeous.

ShaShaBear

Got a lovely video of Opie PLAYING WITH OTHER DOGS!!!!!!!!!!!!! :D:D:D

I'm sure you all know how much that means to me! At least now when he goes again in a fortnight for the honeymoon, I know he'll have a great time!

VonVix

Bloody long day. I'm in bits, can barely feel my legs and the back of my head!

muddypaws

VonVix wrote: »

Bloody long day. I'm in bits, can barely feel my legs and the back of my head!

The legs I can understand, but the back of your head?

My whole body aches, not sure if its old age, or 3 days of driving, or today standing, cycling, scooting etc. Was lovely to meet you VonVix

VonVix

muddypaws wrote: »

The legs I can understand, but the back of your head?

My whole body aches, not sure if its old age, or 3 days of driving, or today standing, cycling, scooting etc. Was lovely to meet you VonVix

Headache! Numby-painy feeling. Still a little off this morning, but not so bad.

Lovely meeting you as well!

Lady Haywire

Does anyone else have cats that refuse point blank to eat the beef & tomato cat food? I am constantly mixing around foods as my precious idiots get bored of the same ones and so far it's the only mix they hate across all brands; Gourmet, Lidl and now even the Felix sensations one which I'm on now gets a disgusted sniff and they walk away. An Iams one with red pepper also didn't go down too well yesterday! Maybe it's red stuff that that think I'm trying to cod them with

muddypaws

Had a day out with the dogs yesterday, did some filming to promote canicross etc with Pete the Vet, then stopped off on the way home to run the dogs on bikes and scooter along the Royal Canal. Great spot, pub for lunch, then lovely trails, dogs popping in for swims to cool off. Plans are now afoot for a long distance outing, going from pub to pub along the canal, stopping off for food - not alcohol, honest.