Over in the chat room at the Archives I have mentioned to a few people that I now have a new puppy. I have finally had the time to download the pictures I have been taking of her to Photobucket and can now post them for all to see. Her name is Honey, for her colouring and sweet nature, but being a puppy she is full of energy and bounce so at times I do wonder if I would have been better to call her Tigger. These first pictures are of Honey when I first got her at 3 months old. The next pictures are a couple of months later at 5 months (taken about 3 weeks ago). And finally a picture to show how well one of my cats and Honey enjoy getting along. It took me several days to get this shot, because every time I would approach with the camera Honey would jump up and want to start playing with me. Even in this image it is a little blurry because Honey start to move. Sorry.

She is so adorable, CD! I just saw some of these pics in Bird Scramble, but they're better here in colour! Does the "poodle" part of being a cockapoo keep her from shedding as much as dogs normally do? I especially love the pic of her with your cat. I've never had much luck getting cats and dogs to be friends -grudging tolerance was the best I ever got. I've got a new pet too -since Thanksgiving. Well, not that new, as he's been my sister's cat since January of 2007 -but she has given him to me now. My old cat died last year, and I'm realizing now, with another purring black furball perpetually curled up in my lap, just how much I missed having a cat. His name is Sharpie.

I'm glad you guys are enjoying your pets!

She's adorable CD!

LB, Sharpie is very sleek looking. Nice cat. The Poodle part does not seem to help with the shedding, not at the moment, but it is possible a lot of the shedding I am seeing is Honey losing her summer coat. I think the Poodle part controls the "dander" which is what people tend to be allergic to, not the hair. I have been warned by my vet that poodles can have bad skin condition's so I will have to watch for that, but hopefully the Spaniel part of Honey will cancel out the skin problem.

Both Honey and Sharpie are adorable. Thanks for posting the pictures.

I agree. You just want to snuggle them both.

I use a salmon-based dog food for my dog, it keeps her skin and coat very nice. And is also good for sensitive stomachs.

Thanks Amethyst, I will have to look into that. At the moment Honey has such a nice soft coat but I do wonder how much of it is still her soft puppy base.

Oh, CD and LB! They are gorgeous!! I am in love with those eyebrows, CD - they give her a very expressive face and she is totally adorable!! And butter just wouldn't melt in her mouth... LOL And I can see that Sharpie is a very 'I'll go where I wanna go' kitty! The only place off limits in my house to my cats is the kitchen bench and table so my cats walk all over the furniture too. Personally, I love watching them do it - they're inside kitties so is the only way I get to watch them in action!

How adorable they both are (and your kitty too, Cloud!)! I just want to cuddle all of them!! I see that Honey is already doing the "sad puppy eyes"!! *huggles pets*

Thank you everyone for your kind words. I agree Maddy, seeing her like that in that picture makes me glad I have her. Although tonight during chat, she woke up and decided to start shredding things in sight. Kleenex, Kleenex box, (from off the table) newspapers, and and other boxes and styrofoam trays from the recycling bin. My fault, I really should have been watching her closer. She ended up in her crate for the rest of chat and I have a house to clean tomorrow. That little devil you see in the first picture made an appearance.

I must say, Cloud, looking back at those pictures... Your cat is very, very patient with a puppy!! I've had to introduce a puppy to a full grown cat before... needless to say, the instant animosity lasted a life time! But gave us some really great memories of the sneaky things they would do to each other. Pets are special and these piccies just prove how much so! Enjoy your furkids, ladies - they deserve all the love and attention they get!

Originally posted by green And I can see that Sharpie is a very 'I'll go where I wanna go' kitty!

That's pretty much the case, certainly in the rooms I can't close him off from with doors! I'm making an effort, though, to demonstrate that my computer's keyboard is a forbidden place to walk/sleep too!

All this talk and Piccies of your pets is making me broody for one myself, Sadly not finacially practical atm. Hoping one day when situation improves I'll have all the pets we could wish for!!

OMG- I am such a sucker for puppies!!!! CD, I really wish I could reach through the screen and squeeze that adorable pup! She is soooooooo cute! The kitties are sweet, too, but I am such a dog person...it's ridiculous! My dog, Buster says "Merry Christmas!"

Merry Christmas Santa Buster. KT, I know what you mean, pets are a very big expense ... one I am willing to spend for the love and happiness they bring me. Green - It took a week for THAT cat to decide the puppy was here to stay and he was going to have to make do. Now they get along very well, although at times I do worry for Pixie because Honey will drag him around by the scruff of the neck. But Pixie does now when he has had enough, either the claws come out, or Pixie will jump to the back of the sofa or a high surface. My other cat is still a little nervous about Honey. It took almost a month for her to feel comfortable coming out of hiding and walking down the stairs. (Upstairs was safe because when I first got Honey she could not navigate stairs.) Now she (the cat) will wander down or sit on the 4th step but is always careful of where Honey is. The moment Honey starts bouncing around the house Cassie will disappear upstairs again. Honey is slowly learning that not ALL cats are playthings. And as Honey ages, and the bounce slowly begins to fade, hopefully Cassie will feel as comfortable with Honey as she did with my old dog.

Honey seems to be getting curlier as she gets older.

Originally posted by Becky Rock Honey seems to be getting curlier as she gets older.

The first pictures I took were when she was 3 months old, I call that her puppy fur it was very soft and fluffy. That has been falling out and a longer, courser and curlier fur has been growing in. I suspect that is her adult coat. Now it is entirely possible, that what I am calling a puppy coat is Honey's undercoat. I am also trying to decide if she needs to be trimmed and groomed, something I have never had to consider with a dog before.

Aww, Buster is such a cute little Santa, Springie! That is a plus with dogs -they'll wear things that cats won't tolerate. Though my old cat, in his later years when his kidneys weren't great (and he would drink a lot of water... with predictable results) needed "rest stops" during road trips so I had a little harness for him (actually intended for small dogs) that I could attach a leash to and he'd tolerate wearing it. So, there I'd be, at a highway rest stop or at a gas station, wandering around amidst the shrubs with my cat, on his leash, waiting for him to select something to pee on... I used to get amused looks from people!

I can imagine, LB. I know I would be doing the amused/amazed look as well. Expecting to see a dog and not a cat at the end of a leash.

Yeah, it's not the norm. I remember, as a little kid, being at a fair with my family, watching an equestrian event, and seeing someone nearby with a pet ferret on their lap -something I'd never seen or heard of before. I said "Look, Mom, that guy has a weasel!" loud enough for him to hear me, as it turned out. He, somewhat indignantly, informed me "It's a ferret." Actually I got the cat-leash idea from seeing a woman at a highway rest stop with her cat on a leash. She inspired me, and maybe I've given other people the idea too -who knows? If the cat in question will put up with wearing a harness or being on a leash (not all will!) then I think it's a lot easier/cleaner than lugging along a litter box inside your car, and you also don't have to worry about them darting out of your car when a door's open and running off while you're in the middle of nowhere on a road trip if they're on a leash.

Originally posted by lborgia88

Originally posted by green And I can see that Sharpie is a very 'I'll go where I wanna go' kitty!

That's pretty much the case, certainly in the rooms I can't close him off from with doors! I'm making an effort, though, to demonstrate that my computer's keyboard is a forbidden place to walk/sleep too!

Cats and keyboards shall never be separated -- unless the cats wish it so.

I have a harness and leash for my cats. Generally speaking they only wear it when one of them is going to the V-E-T, but my male cat happily lets me slip it on and take him outside for a while. Do we actually go for a walk....? Um..... Well... no. He is a very curious kitty and has to examine everything...every blade of grass, every leaf of the tree outside the front door, every little piece of fluff... By the time we get halfway to the gate less than 17 foot away from the door I could have walked a mile on my own! Keep trying to enforce the keyboard rule, LB. They say cats can't be trained, but.... well, mine don't get up on the computer table very often at all due to some intense and consistent training. I find distraction works very well, but I have a cat who brings me 'gifts' of their toys and a cat who wants to walk over the desk. I simply lean down, pick up the latest offering and throw it....and off goes desk kitty!

sounds like they make a good team, Green!!!!

They are definitely a team, KT! I have two females and a male. The boy seriously has it good - he gets cuddles from one, plays with the other and has a human to feed him! Could anyone really ask for more than that?

Can I trade places with him? PLEASE!!!!!

Originally posted by KT1972 Can I trade places with him? PLEASE!!!!!

That would be the very question I ask every morning when I leave for work and he grudgingly opens one eye when I say goodbye...!

And who would blame him?

I've been trying both "no!" with a shove, and distraction, ie. "Come sit on my lap here instead and I'll cuddle you." I think the second option's working better... My previous cat lived to be 20, so for his last 5 years he was pretty sedate -not much running and jumping on things, a whole lot of sleeping. I'd rather forgotten how much more active a younger cat is!

Originally posted by lborgia88 I've been trying both "no!" with a shove, and distraction, ie. "Come sit on my lap here instead and I'll cuddle you." I think the second option's working better...

Lets see... kitty gets a cuddle, LB gets a cuddle - a win-win situation all round!

My previous cat lived to be 20, so for his last 5 years he was pretty sedate -not much running and jumping on things, a whole lot of sleeping. I'd rather forgotten how much more active a younger cat is!

The last cat we had was an 'old man' the day he was born. Then I got Zeek.... yes, that's how you spell it, because it's 'eek' with a Z! I was not expecting the little flying ball of fluff that tore through my house, leaving destruction behind him. I got him a female companion when he was 10 months old in the hopes it would calm him down, and so he would have companionship while I was at work. It kind of worked, because Heidi is a born couch potato - she's also the one that brings me 'presents' to throw for Zeek... Until I inherited another cat when he was 2.... Missy was 2 and a half, and now, 6 years later, they are still the double trouble they have been since day one. And I wouldn't change a single hair about any of them!

Originally posted by lborgia88 I've been trying both "no!" with a shove, and distraction, ie. "Come sit on my lap here instead and I'll cuddle you." I think the second option's working better... My previous cat lived to be 20, so for his last 5 years he was pretty sedate -not much running and jumping on things, a whole lot of sleeping. I'd rather forgotten how much more active a younger cat is!

LOL, I feel that way with Honey as well. Although Meg was always on the go, until the last couple of months, it was definitely at a slower pace than Honey keeps. Good luck in training Sharpie to stay off the keyboard. I agree with Green I think the "cuddles for you and Kitty" is probably the best method. Although I suspect the "no" is also helping. Negative response, positive reinforcement.

Originally posted by green The last cat we had was an 'old man' the day he was born. Then I got Zeek.... yes, that's how you spell it, because it's 'eek' with a Z! I was not expecting the little flying ball of fluff that tore through my house, leaving destruction behind him. I got him a female companion when he was 10 months old in the hopes it would calm him down, and so he would have companionship while I was at work. It kind of worked, because Heidi is a born couch potato - she's also the one that brings me 'presents' to throw for Zeek... Until I inherited another cat when he was 2.... Missy was 2 and a half, and now, 6 years later, they are still the double trouble they have been since day one. And I wouldn't change a single hair about any of them!

It sounds like you have quite a handful there with your three Green. It is all this mischievousness that we love them for and remember the most when they are gone.

I recall once hearing about a program that you can install on a computer that locks it up if "cat-like typing" (ie. strange combinations of keys being pressed simultaneously) is detected -a notion that I can appreciate now!

Oh, you are so incredibly correct, Cloud! It is all the little things that set them apart from others - even the bad things - that will live on in our memories. Of all the pets I've had in my life time, I can name a single memory of each of when they were the most themselves. It is also always the most fondest thought I have of them. LB...I have heard of that program too, but I've had no luck in finding it... Admittedly, I really don't have too much of an issue with kitty 'help' when I'm trying to write, so I haven't looked that hard for it.... It would be a vastly different story if it was a program that would clean out their litter tray for me though!

I'll add to new pets meet Joe Louis, my mum's new kitten, his mother is a stray and she left him at my mums and it took us 2 months before we touch him and now he has taken over, he is approx 5 months old (according to the vet, and will be desexed when his testicles are larger (he is very small for his age and slightly underdeveloped)) he adores my mum , hops on her lap for a cuddle every chance he gets

Oh, look at him!!! falls into a complete puddle of goo He is completely adorable, LW, and he is obviously much loved! That little face is a picture of contentment, especially in that last one. I am so very happy to hear of a forever home being found for a little stray! I wish your mum and him a very long life together full of love and kitty cuddles!

Oooh, Joe Louis is a sweetie, LW, and he looks so happy! I have a soft spot for tabbies, with those cute stripes... I find it advantageous to have black cats, though, as most of my clothes are black so any hair shed onto me doesn't show up much.

LW, Joe Louis looks adorable. Thank you for posting the pictures. I love the markings on him. And wish him a long and happy life with your Mum.

So many cute and adorable pets! Please give them all a loving squeeze for me!

Springie, I've always loved pets in outfits. LW, the kitten is cute. The love pets give you is unconditional. Can't beat it.

As many of you know I spent the Holidays with my parents about 2 hours North of where I live. While up there we had about 3 inches of snow and Honey got to experience her first "real" snow fall. She spent the first 15 minutes barking at everything. I guess since it looked so different with the snow on it but after that, Honey seemed to love the snow, bouncing all around the yard and rolling in the snow. She would come into the house with "snowballs" attached to her fur and in between the toes of her paws.

Oh, Cloud! Those pictures are adorable - Honey definitely seems to be enjoying herself! I'm glad she liked the snow - especially since it's not exactly uncommon around where you live lol!

Usually it is not uncommon, but over the past few years we have been lucky to see much of the stuff where I live, let alone in the "big" city where SJ lives. This climate change is really going to affect us (as in the world) hard some time if we don't make big changes to the way we live. (Sorry, I did not intend to make an issue about climate change, but sometimes I feel like people don't see what is happening.)

Is perfectly understandable, Cloud! Especially since you work with the younger generation - you deal with the ones who will be most affected as time goes on and the problem increases.

She looks like she truly loves the snow now, CD! And she's grown so much since this summer!

Yep, she has certainly grown and matured since the first pictures I took. Another way I can tell .... when I first got her, I gave her a bath in my kitchen sink, to make sure there were no fleas coming home with her. I was easily able to washer using the sink faucet having it spray her back. Now Honey does not fit under the faucet any more, I have to wash her in the bath tub. Honey has also grown a much longer fluffier coat and, I say even has the Poodle type fluff that stands up on her head. I was laughing with my mother saying I was going to get barrettes and do something like this to Honey .... image

Originally posted by green Is perfectly understandable, Cloud! Especially since you work with the younger generation - you deal with the ones who will be most affected as time goes on and the problem increases.

I guess so, also winter is my favourite time of the year and I guess not seeing any snow makes me irritable. After all for me winter MEANS snow. I arrived back home to find a light covering of snow on the ground and everything looking very brown or grey not the 3 - 6 inches of clean white I had with my parents.

Heh, I think you could do something like that with her fur -it's getting long! Though I see more cocker spaniel in her than poodle, whereas the two cockapoos that a friend had when I was a kid looked more like poodles to me. Honey has longer ears than they did, and fur that's a bit less curly and more of a cocker's butterscotch colour. Granted, I've always been partial to spaniels -the two dogs I had as a kid were English Springer spaniels. We couldn't put barrettes on their heads, but if we ever fed them messy leftovers, we had to pin their ears back behind their necks with clothespins or they'd drag in the food.

LOL Yeah that happens all the time with Honey's ears. Not that I pin them back, that might be a good idea, but the tips get covered in water, mud or snow. I discovered this holiday that my mother had a Spaniel as a child she said Honey looked a lot like her dog although the colour was the wrong shade and Honey's face was a little longer than her dogs, probably the poodle in her.

Awwww

Originally posted by clouddancer I have been warned by my vet that poodles can have bad skin condition's so I will have to watch for that, but hopefully the Spaniel part of Honey will cancel out the skin problem.

When my mom was alive, she was one of the top breeders of miniature dachshunds in America. She didn't get them any special feed (just the regular, grocery-store fare), but she would fix a slice of toast with peanut butter on it. Then, as she ate her breakfast, she'd break off pieces of toast and feed them to the dogs. The only downside to this tactic was that she'd have a bunch of 4-legged vultures at the breakfast table!

Yogurt and fish oil also work well for skin or coat issues for dogs, and are easy to mix in with regular food. Yogurt is also a good special treat. EW, my parents and grandparents also raised miniature doxies. Sadly, my hubby had a bad experience with the breed (mostly the person in his family who had them) so he's not to found of them, but I still love them.

Honey has really gotten fluffy, CD. Most of the dogs I've known have loved the snow. I'd love to have a cat, but both hubby and son are severely allergic and I haven't been able to talk them into a hairless. My hubby calls them mummy cats.

My previous dog did not really like snow - or more the cold. But I suspect that was because she was a very short haired dog and the cold got to her very quickly. I bought a child's sweat-shirt for her to wear in the winter, then she would stay outside for longer. Meg was not really an outdoor dog at all, in the summer her black fur would make her too hot so she always wanted to be indoors - out of the sun. And as I said, in winter the cold would get to her. But I still loved her regardless.

Oh, CD! Honey is becoming even cuter as days go by! Thanks for sharing these lovely pictures with us!

Haven't seem snow yet, (on my bucket list) not something we get in QLD. Your right, Weather is crazy again this year, we are in our summer and I still have blanket on my bed, Usually this time of year we are living in the Air Con, had a few days of extreme heat and humidity then it's like we have Autumn weather again. Except the ground fleas are bad, and our animals require extra flea treatment, plus ticks and snakes are more frequent this years, had two carpet snakes in our yard last few months, chased them off and warned the neighbours with kids and then trimmed the garden right back. CD we had an Old English Sheep dog years ago, shaved her in summer and had an old mens jumper for her in winter, she loved it, if it was hot or cold that jumper was like her own security blanket and she would sleep with it until it was full of holes, would pull it off the cloths line after we washed it and drag it around the yard with her.

Originally posted by amethyst EW, my parents and grandparents also raised miniature doxies. Sadly, my hubby had a bad experience with the breed (mostly the person in his family who had them) so he's not to found of them, but I still love them.

That reminds me that there are no bad dogs, just rotten people who give dogs a bad name! I haven't had any doxies in the house since I had to put Sweetie to sleep in '03. (I'm not in any condition to give 'em the attention they need. . . maybe in a few years, after I've had a couple of surgeries. . .) I've been having to make do with the odd visit from my niece when she brings her 7-week-old Vienna sausage over (hey, the pup's too little to be called a hot dog yet!), or listen to my brother act totally shocked when his dachshunds act like dachshunds! BTW, I found out that today is "Dress Your Pet Day"! I guess that explains why I'm seeing so many pugs in string bikinis bounding through the snow. . .

Originally posted by ElectricWhite That reminds me that there are no bad dogs, just rotten people who give dogs a bad name! I haven't had any doxies in the house since I had to put Sweetie to sleep in '03. (I'm not in any condition to give 'em the attention they need. . . maybe in a few years, after I've had a couple of surgeries. . .) I've been having to make do with the odd visit from my niece when she brings her 7-week-old Vienna sausage over (hey, the pup's too little to be called a hot dog yet!), or listen to my brother act totally shocked when his dachshunds act like dachshunds! BTW, I found out that today is "Dress Your Pet Day"! I guess that explains why I'm seeing so many pugs in string bikinis bounding through the snow. . .

We lost our last one in 1989. I inherited her from my grandfather when he passed away. Right now, we have a black lab/border collie mix. She's good on hikes and going to the beach, but we haven't taken her camping yet (haven't been out since we got her). I never understood the whole dress up thing. Sweaters and stuff for short-haired dogs in cold climates and stuff, yes, but not some of the other stuff I've seen. Some is cute, and some I just want to know what the person was on when they decided to dress up their dog. As for bad owners, I wish that animal control could put some owners to sleep instead of the dog that they mistreated to the point of teaching it vicious behavior.

Originally posted by amethyst As for bad owners, I wish that animal control could put some owners to sleep instead of the dog that they mistreated to the point of teaching it vicious behavior.

AMEN!!!!

We had a golden retriever when I was a kid. Got him at six weeks from a friend who bred them and labs. He was the meanest dog I've ever known, which is highly unusual for that breed. He was good to us, but no one else. Massively over protective. We had to fence in our yard for fear some kid would wander in and he'd attack him. When I met my husband, he was what he claimed was a Pekinese. She was gold and tall for a Peke, with the squished face. Again, mean as crap. Took her about 6 months to get used to me. I checked and determined she was really a Tibetian Spaniel and believed she was the reincarnation of our retriever, who was even more ticked to have been reincarnated as a short female. I do believe people make their animals mean, but there are some animals that are just born that way.

Originally posted by Becky Rock He was the meanest dog I've ever known, which is highly unusual for that breed. He was good to us, but no one else. Massively over protective. We had to fence in our yard for fear some kid would wander in and he'd attack him.

That does happen. Some dogs are more naturally protective of their territory then others regardless of breeds. We had a Doxie that would bite anyone who wasn't family who walked through the door. Now, if she was put in a bedroom and came out and you were inside, you were fine, but you could not walk through the door. A collie/golden lab that we had would climb an 8 foot fence, jump two three foot fences, run around the corner, and sit in the front yard and scare people across the street. She never bit anyone, but you couldn't pass in front of her house. The lab (she looks more like a lab than a collie) we have now, as soon as she figured out she was with us to stay, and we weren't going to beat her (she was a rescue), she became very protective. She has the most ferocious bark I've ever heard in a lab, but that is all it is. She'd lick you to death before she'd bite. Breed have characteristics, but those are just generalities.

meet Clancey, He was rescued from the pound by Peiradise - a recue group for Shar Pei, he is approx. 6 month old (recued in december) and is now being foster with us (as of 3 days ago) He seems to be adjusting quickly and will stay with us until he gets adopted. We are required to keep a diary of his progress (good stuff and not so good) as well as giving him basic training (not easy as Shar Pei usually do what they want (they seem to have cat like natures) One of the reason we got him (after we had our initial assesments (Peiradise takes their placements seriously) is because Clancey needs to learn pack and dog behaviours and we have experience with dog who need extra attention ( Shar Pei have problems with their eyes, skin conditions and dietary requirement as well as excess drooling to name a few ( we have spittle on furniture and the other dogs already) The other dogs are still adjusting to him and his place in the pack, but as clancey is not a dominant dog, they seem happy to have him around. Our youngest dog wants to constantly play, but as yet this has not happened and as long as the other dogs get extra attention, they all seem happy.

Clancey looks like a sweetie! I'm also glad to see that the breed is trending away from the huge, all-over-the-body skin folds that they had when the breed first became popular in the U.S., back in the '80's. (The wife of a DJ at the radio station I listened to at the time got one, so all the listeners got a daily dose of the pros and cons of the breed. For instance, his puppy's folds were so deep that they could swallow his hand. And while that sounded cool, it also meant that skin care was a nightmare.) I'm also glad he's fitting into the pack well. It looks like he'll have a great time while he's in your care!