Grateful Dead

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We have two awesome dogs named Muggs and Cally. Muggs is a boxer and Cally is a lab/chow. Our long lost Bean passed away this time last year. Simon and Lilly are our cats. They've reached the point in their lives where they are basically fuzzy furniture. They only move when there is food involved. We can't forget Oscar the super cat. We had to put him down a few years back but his memory lives on! I still find shit broken and blame it on him.

thanks for telling us about him.

We have a peacock, well sort of as he is wild. He appeared out of nowhere this summer and has been hanging around ever since, roosting in a tree overhanging the street at night. Must freak out drivers as he usually flies up to his spot in the tree every night at dusk just as a car is coming down the street. He hangs around all day in our yard and is not aggressive or scared of us. My boys and I call him El Peacocko, my daughter calls him Penelope, and my wife calls him Mr. Peacock. He responds to all three. We just go about our business and he sometimes will be standing right next to us, occasionaly fanning up his cool feathers showing off. Last summer, shortly before we were having some family over, my wife put some food out on a picnic table with an umbrella over it. I told her to keep an eye on the food so no critters or the peacock went for it. When I went outside to check on it, he was perched on top of the umbrella almost as if guarding the food. He also likes to stare at us when we are inside through the windows. A couple of months ago I was napping in a chair in front of a window and my daughter came in and started cracking up, pointing behind me. When I turned around he was about a foot away from my face staring me down. What a way to wake up. We had seen it a couple of times at a house up the street from us in the past. Last Feb. my wife was diagnosed with cancer. In Aug. her brother was killed in a car accident. Needless to say 2007 is a year I would just assume forget ever happened. A few days after the accident he appeared at our house. We like to think he is a sign that her brother is still here watching over. My wife decided to go to the house up the street a few days ago and ask the people where it came from. They told her that on New Years Eve 06 they had a very dear friend over who suddenly said she didnt feel well and died of a massive heart attack on their living room floor. Our neighbor was devestated as this was her life long best friend. When she asked for a sign that her friend was still there, the peacock appeared the next day. Turns out the friend loved peacocks. I dont mean to bum anyone out with all the tragedy, but feel it is significant to the story. We have been told they are a sign of immortality. Word has it there is a peacock farm a few miles away and some of them escaped a while back. Its also not uncommon in the rural area we live in for the local farmers to let loose certain animals when they get aggressive, especially roosters as they can be nasty little f&%*ers. We dont see that being the case as he is not nasty. My only complaint is he leaves giant turds all over the deck and porch. Oh well. We really know little about them so if anyone out there knows more, please drop me a pm. Thanks Peace, y'all!

yes, that boiled chicken and rice has been a staple of Callie's life over the years, and of course both dogs love it. Also the mashed potato variant. So glad the dog is restored to his normal self! Tigerlilly, I have no bright ideas except perhaps to give the cat a quiet room of his own for the festivities.

About how to convince a grumpy, half senile old cat that the dog is not a dangerous cat eating demon in disguise? Or am I asking the impossible? China is a freak who adores meeting new humans, and even plays the courteous host to any cat who occasionally comes calling, but the dog is another matter altogether. Am asking (probably too late) because New Year's Eve is coming, with all of the animal horrors of fireworks on the normally peaceful streets in Hüttenfeld, and is kinda hard to comfort both at the same time, when the cat won't even come downstairs when Samba is inside.********************************** Don't part with your illusions. When they are gone, you will still exist, but you have ceased to live. Samuel Clemens

Thanks for the advice and reassurance Marye, not loony at all: you were absolutely right. :-) In the end we took the dog to the vet on Christmas eve. It is a very rural practice, normally far more concerned with sheep and cows than neurotic mutts. But the surgery was very quiet so we got the full service. The vet said that when under stress, dogs can develop an allergic reaction to their normal food and we should switch him to a fat free diet of plain boiled chicken and rice for a while. After 3 days of that and some stomach calming meds he is back to his normal troublesome self, so now we have to wean him onto a different brand of food (and after midwinter indulgence we humans need a few days on the chicken and rice!).

is being naughty again i can hear the wife shouting at him for chasing our cats He is a nine month old GSD and is "quite" large Bob - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Spanish Jam

and I really hate to leave him, but he has a nice dogsitter who comes three times a day and has my cellphone number. He's usually pretty upset and reproachful when I get home and doesn't really settle down till we go get Callie, who boards at the vet's. Then they sleep for the rest of the day and all is normal. (Callie, be it duly noted, LOVES boarding at the vet's, but Rex has severe cage issues stemming from his year at the shelter and doesn't do well at all in that setting, while Callie can't be left home unattended, pretty much. Long story.) So I don't have any real fixes, but I feel your pain. One thing that might sound loony but is worth a try: change his food. Rex, who's always been inclined to think the sky was falling at each departure from routine, was fretful and anxious for months for no discernible reason earlier this year; one day I noticed him kinda avoiding his food and just for grins bought a different brand. (At the time they were on AvoDerm lamb and rice, which Callie of the Bad Tummy was doing well with. I changed to a mix of Nutro Ultra and Canidae.) Within 36 hours he was a different dog, is now off the anti-anxiety meds, etc. Yes, I am worried about how he'll be when I get home next week, but I'm not getting frantic calls from his dogsitter either. What does his vet say? I think the egg-growling incident might call for a checkup to see what's up, as it's a pretty big departure from his normal behavior, no?

Any good dog psychologists out there? Our dog seems to be very depressed. My wife and I travel a lot, but not normally together, so one of us is normally here, but there is a lot of coming and going. On rare occasions when we are both away our lovely neighbours look after him and spoil him rotten. He gets a one or two hour walk in the woods nearly every day, has a big enclosure in the garden, lots of games, other dogs come to visit etc. When we are all 3l here he is a bundle of fun, when not he is so miserable. Symptoms; off his food, restless, wants to go out, wants to come in, grumpy, won’t look at me, I tried to give him a treat this evening (an egg) and he half growled at me. I feel very sorry for him but am at a loss as to how to help. Anyone know how to cheer up a depressed dog who cannot bear it when his little pack is incomplete.

Heee hee, I just got sent this.... http://www.idodogtricks.com/index_flash.html just open the site and type in some commands! Wish my mutt was that obedient!