Bwild: When your right, your right.....My present dog is older and from a shelter, she was absolutely gorgeous when we took her home but SO untrained...she just had to learn who was in charge, and we still have our "moments", but three years later and she knows who's the "boss" and it's not her

Bwild: Ouch Have you ever seen the uTube video where the guy tries his dog's shock collar? It hurt

Bernice: Maybe you could try carrying some small treats on you and when he starts, call him to you, get him to stay put near you, and give him one - I think dogs are like three-year-olds, they only get it when you do things over and over and over.................

Mousetrap: Oh nooooooooo, he's paying rent next year

Bernice: Are you home when he does this?

Mousetrap: Speaking of mices.......the one that was living in my kitchen exhaust fan FINALLY left for the great outdoors

Mousetrap: We got her at the age of 6/7ish so teaching her ANYTHING is tough...she won't fetch, hides instead of guarding the house, won't catch a frisbee (but she's really good at eating them), and keeps the neighborhood free of cat poo (yuch)...I'm just trying to find her "talent", I guess

Mousetrap: I'm working on getting my current "shelter-doggie" (part beagle, part somekindasetter, part collie, maybe?) to swim...she'll go in creeks but if there's a fish, frog, or snake anywhere near her, she's right back out...she's been in the ocean twice, but I had to REALLY coax her to go in with me, and once a wave washed over her, she was again right back out

Mousetrap: The trick with him was that we had to be in there with him in order for him to swim all the way out past the breakers

Mousetrap: An incredible swimmer too, he could outlast the ducks AND swim thru ocean tides like a pro

Mousetrap: LMBO - YES, he was half german shephard and half black lab VERY smart dog

anastasia: I had a dog who could actually turn/lift doorknobs and open doors if you didn't lock them, he just let himself out into the yard and back in

Dolittle: Thank You, that's what I got too.....guess I just needed to double-check

Rose: but I'll try again............who actually makes "Natural Balance"?

Tuesday: How long ago did he fall?

Rose: Thank You MUCH - I heard a snippet somewhere and had NO clue what brand they were talking about - what's the "parent" company, do you know? This is insane, buying pet food shouldn't have to be this scary.....

Tuesday: ROFLMBO

Bwild: LMAO - I think I've got you beat - my dog used to eat chicken bones galore when we lived in a city, now that we're rural, she LOVES cat poo - we've got stray/outdoor cats everywhere in my little town & she hunts that stuff out, even tho she KNOWS it's wrong, she's got an addiction to it

Love, for any creature on this earth, doesn't ever end, so how could they? Anybody that's ever loved an animal/pet knows how unique and special they each are (just like us humans) - I have faith that they get to go on too, otherwise what would be the point of their spending lives (usually way too short) with us? Wherever she is, she's happy & knows that someone, somewhere loves her

Matarilevich: So sad to hear of the loss of your little friend - she's beautiful - Don't worry too much, she's very happy, healthy, and content wherever loved pets go to from here - she'll be okey and I'm sure she'll never forget you either - love is eternal, in whatever form it takes

Rose: LOL - so true - nature's way of balancing it all out, maybe? Cat, dog, frog...I think they all have potential, just like humans, only difference is, we're mostly guaranteed our chance at using it, for them, not so much

My dog of twenty-three (yup!) years used to bring me the mail (sometimes holes, sometimes not), close doors when they were left open, brought me my shoes and his leash if asked to, bark for me when my little ones fell down in the yard, if anyone was crying, he would come and sit with you, he loved to play on sliding boards and such AND even though he was deaf and mostly blind (later in life) he could be a quarter-mile away from me in the woods and if a stranger approached me, he would silently (and suddenly) be right by my side watching over me...If there was ever a doggie that should've worn a cape, it was him...and all of this he did out of love, not training...Animals are amazing creatures when given the chance to be themselves

anastasia: Wow, that sounds like quite an undertaking. Seems like by the time your through, you can probably teach others. I had a neighbor who was a narcotics cop partnered with a K-9 and it was absolutely incredible how his dog behaved, like his mind was zeroed in only on his work, I don't think he ever took his eyes off his master, ever, no matter who or what was around, very impressive what certain breeds/types of dogs will do

Tuesday: Awwwww, I'm getting choked up here

anastasia: Humankind

Tuesday: ROFL - he's hungry - or he really, really doesn't like kibble - mine will eat anything, she's got an ongoing skin condition, is always, on/off steroids (but it helps), and I tell her all the time she's lucky she's not human, she could top 300 easy with her appetite The puppy I watch on the weekends just plants himself in the middle of the kitchen floor and won't budge, I just step over him and keep cooking

Tuesday: Yea, we do, but we just give her simple things like meat, chicken, fish, rice, and eggs, nothing with sugar, but she has a thing for popcorn

Tuesday: LMAO - I think that means he's smart (or cunning, or something) - I've never had a dog that watched TV, I'm envious

Tuesday: Thanks Much for the link - and give Ozzy a hug for me

Tuesday: Is it based on a true story? And, since it's one I've seen, anything along the lines of the Horse Whisperer?

Tuesday: Our dog's name is "Baby Cujo" (ha-ha, but not really). She was downright scary to be around for the first few months we had her (I used to wonder if she'd take me out in my sleep, she was truly certifiable, somebody did something horrendously bad to her) BUT she's turned out to be a real love, very smart, very sweet, and still cautious, but that's okey, I guess she has a right to be. Other things that calm her, case they help you, are low country music, nightlights in a couple rooms (doesn't relax in the dark) and I put a blanket over her when I leave for work in the morn, maybe it's hiding in her mind? She's pretty much stopped barking at every little noise, but she seems to need to growl everytime still. I'll have to rent the Dog Whisperer and see if it'll give me some more ideas

Tuesday: He sounds soooo adorable, I'm sure if you really can't keep him that there's someone out there who would love to give him a home, and I'm sure he loves you for being there for him when he needed someone to care. Either way, I wish you both well. The only pets we've ever had are those that were in need for whatever reason (dogs, rabbits, ferrets, frogs, we even took in someone's pet squirrel once) and I think they mean more to you when they've had such a rough go of it. There are people everywhere who take on animals with issues, I have a friend who takes in feral(sp?) cats every year at this time when it starts to get too cold, even though it causes her own cats to go bonkers, they calm down after she finds the strays homes. I also LOVE animals, I'm the type of person who calls the SPCA to help save wild baby birds that have fallen from a nest that I can't find to put them back

Tuesday: When we first took our present doggie from a shelter, she was an abuse case and we were the sixth family to take her in the course of a few months, people kept bringing her back over and over.....She had (and still does in some ways) major issues with a whole lot of things. She used to bark and growl at everyone and everything. A whole lotta love, attention, and giving her other outlets to occupy her mind (toys, rawhide, a blanket to snuggle with) has done wonders. She still growls for no apparent reason sometimes, but when we call her, hug her, etc. she's ok now... just takes time for them to know things are alright, she still doesn't trust us to protect her fully, but it'll come in time...it took her a full year to stop showing her teeth when scared too And if he loves to be outside, why not? I had a dog for twenty-odd years who practically had to be dragged in kicking and screaming every night, the only reason I didn't let him live outdoors in the yard was the cats, raccoons, etc...he was part-lab and loved to hunt

anastasia: Your right, of course, but, if you don't want to be around dogs that are off-leash, then why don't you simply just go elsewhere? I share my life with one fixed female doggie who's barely ever on a leash, and she goes to a park where there are upwards of twelve or so other dogs off-leash and they just play, play, play, till they all drop.....I puppy-sit on the weekends for a friends NOT-fixed male (he's about 10 months & probably sixty pounds) and I can't take him there, due to his not being fixed, he isn't easily accepted into the pack due to his constant sniffing, humping, etc.....so, long story short, we go elsewhere when he's around, somewhere not so dog-oriented (tho I do keep him off-leash as long as he behaves and listens to me when necessary) as he LOVES to chase every chipmunk, squirrel, and deer (lol) that he can scare up.....I think there's room for both types of dogs, sometimes you just gotta search out the right type of park, woods, forest, etc.

anastasia: Pets are kids, they're the ones that never grow up, rarely argue with you, don't complain much, are always happy to see you, and never have a problem with being hugged in public And GO Damien, sounds like a really good doggie, give em a hug for me

heavenlyemma: OMG - absolutely priceless - was it because the dog thought he was a cat OR the cat thought she was a dog? You could've won "Stupid Pet Tricks" hands-down with that one

Jules: Then why do I have to keep telling my friend's five-month-old male puppy to stop trying to hump my 8 y/o (guessing here, she's from a shelter) fixed female before she snaps one day EVERY time I doggie-sit him?

heavenlyemma: LOL - I wish "Star" good health and an easy delivery, but it's beyond that time for the birds & bees talk, don't you think?

WatfordFC: The best you can probably find in this country is a lower-cost vet who may help out of charity, that and a lot of cities offer cheaper vet services...For ALL animals sake I wish people here would volunteer their time at a "real" animal shelter, it has changed me for life, I will never, ever "buy" a pet again, not with so many thousands sitting there waiting to be exterminated, a mutt, a stray, or an older animal has just as much love (if not more) to give...but sadly, in America, we always seem to want what we perceive as the "best" for ourselves instead of looking at the bigger picture

Tuesday: I grew up in a major city on the east coast where I spent some time volunteering at the SPCA - they had to "put down" forty-thousand animals a year on average because of over-population - every animal I have ever shared a home with has been fixed because of what I saw there - when you think about getting a pet, please think about adoption, they REALLY need you

Nothingness: Never had bettas, but I've had tropical fish.....can you use a vacuum pump to clean the tank(not near the nest obviously)? - I used to do ours once daily for like ten minutes, kept the water crystal-clear OR what about an under-gravel (or whatever you've got on the bottom) pump?.....You might need to invest a bit of money, but that's the fun of keeping fish

anastasia: Thanks again for all the input...Other than taking her to swim, hike thru the forest, or play with other dogs, she stayed home - you could say goodbye, tell her to be good, and go - for the first time, she seems to have a problem with being left, guess I just thought that was something that only young dogs dealt with, she's approx. 8/9 yrs. old...But, some good news, she's eating some (only in the middle of the night ) but she's eating

WatfordFC: There are times I'm still nervous that she'll take a piece outta me for no apparent reason - this dog has deep-seated issues... I'm not used to her being around me so much, she's usually with my sons...I wake up at night now with her sitting on my bed staring at me...wish she could speak her mind

WatfordFC:Ironically, tho, I'm the one she likes the least - she was an abuse-case (they both were) & whomever hurt her must've been female - for the first yr or so, I truly expected her to take a nice chunk outta me at some point just because she could - but I love her & I guess she knows it

WatfordFC: TLC's not a problem - personal space is tho - she's now like a one-yr-old who can't let go of you - Getting the bathroom door open is now a heavy-lifting event due to her girth pinned against it - I've been taking her everywhere I go (other than work) so she's not alone - took her swimming in the woods & to play with doggie friends but she won't leave my side or just lay down and relax - Guess I feel like there's something I'm supposed to be doing that I haven't thought of

anastasia: Thank You both, I guess nature just has to run it's course...They were both bought home together from the same shelter & had their own l'il comical routine...I called the vet & they suggested "doggie-downers" but I worry when giving my kids meds, never mind an animal

Thank You All for your kind words for my Little Guy's passing...Now my doggie won't eat (they used to eat together) and can't seem to stop pacing thru the house all night (that was Big Poppa's time to shine). I'm wary of drugging her (she gets sick off her annual rabies shot, etc.) & was wondering if anyone knows of anything herbal/natural that I might try to at least get her to relax at night? Anything would be appreciated

Just a note of remembrance for all who care to see to say how very dearly I will miss God's most perfect pet, Big Poppa, our ferret, who passed on this morning. Thank You Little Man for almost three years of cherished memories, kisses, and all the laughter and joy you brought into our lives. May you be happy, healthy, and cage-free forever & never forget that mommy loves you, no matter what

The Hunter: Sorry to hear that it's all depending on money, and I say this as a person who lives from paycheck to paycheck - for "Big Poppa" (my ferret) the most expensive part was the diagnosis, with exotic pets they have to be REALLY careful - i.e. they had to put him under just to do tests on him (their organs, veins, etc. are SO small) BUT once they knew what it was, it was more time-consuming for us than anything else - if you do wind up going to a vet, make it a bird vet, that way they'll know what their doing...good luck to you and Joey :)

Fwiffo: Kipling's right, you could possibly put in a "nuisance barking" complaint - there are laws governing how much noise, how loud, and for how long you have to deal with it - you should call either the police or an animal agency (SPCA or ?) - HOURS of anything is TOO long...especially at 7am...If you go the stereo route, go ALL out, place the speaker-front on the floor, make sure it's over their bedroom, and play some Korn, Slipknot or Ozzie (I have teenagers) - maybe they'll take the hint :)