Stacwase! Where are you?

[dukedogsmom]

You've been on my mind today and I'm wondering how you and Max are doing. Please check in with us. I miss hearing from you and seeing that gorgeous Max.

[stacwase]

Thanks for the thoughts! That makes me feel really good!

I've been under a lot of stress in my personal life. My husband and I may be getting divorced etc. - so I have neglected all my old friends at Pet Talk.

Other than that, we're all doing just great. Max and Toby are doing wonderfully, and I finally found good homes for my mom's two chihuahuas. I don't know if you remember the story with them - I thought I was babysitting them for her and wound up having to find them homes. One went to a vet tech. at my vet's office and the other went to a nurse my daughter works with. Don't worry - the new owners were very carefully screened.

I couldn't keep them - they were so tiny and delicate. Max is a big dumb oaf. (But he's MY big dumb oaf and I LLLLLOOOOOOVVVVVEEEEE him!)

We really want another dog (a large adult from a shelter or rescue) but we're going to wait until we can have a kennel built in the Spring. While Max remains unrestrained and doesn't leave the yard while he's an only dog, I'm certain things would change if he had a buddy. Plus, during deer season, hunters are a danger. We're going to put in a real nice kennel with access through a dog door off the front entryway. Maybe even a nice metal roof over the top of it.

Toby misses his daddy. He's a man's cat - no doubt about it. Whenever any men come over, Toby clings to them. I don't know if you remember this - but it used to be that he would only eat if my husband fed him. Now that Bob's in Iraq, he has had to learn to accept food from me. Now he won't leave me alone - meowing at me constantly for food. The little hog!

He's also almost entirely an indoor cat now. It's wierd - this is the first time I've had to clean a litter box for him. He's always meowed at the door when he wanted to go potty. But with the subzero weather (-40 with windchill) he, understandably, decided that houseplants were a better alternative. So I set him up a litterbox and he is a good boy about using it. He's safer inside, and my bird feeders are too.

Do you all remember Miss Kate? She came for a visit not long ago, and I see her just about every day now. She is a very good girl for her "new" daddy. She has a best friend, Zipper. Katie is "insane cat." She'll be just sitting there looking pretty and then suddenly start running around the house like a bat out of hell, then go quietly sit in the sunbeam again.

Didn't you get a cat, Val? I seem to remember popping in here once and seeing one in your signature, but I could have been dreaming.

How is Duke?

[stacwase]

Gee - I forgot to update you on my wittle Maxipoobear! hehe

Max is CRAZY! He has cabin fever BAD. He wants to play constantly - and he talks all the time now. It's hilarious. He comes up and makes these talky noises. He tilts his head and says "Ar arar??? Ar. Arowwww. Errrrrrrr." He is the most communicative animal I've ever met!

And - even though I don't really train him to do tricks or anything, he has just automatically learned what things mean. It's almost like he understands me when I talk. I point & tell him to go somewhere and he just goes. I don't know how he learned it. Or, when kids who are afraid of dogs come over, I'll say "Max - leave him alone" and he won't try to play with that particular child.

He's a good dog and he just keeps everybody in stitches.

Anyways - that's about it!! I'll check in at the other forums when I get a chance and see what's going on. Thanks again for emailing me, Val - I truly appreciate it.

[dukedogsmom]

So glad you checked in! Sorry to hear about you and your husband. That kennel sounds like it's going to be really nice. And yes, I do have a cat now! He's moosmom's Doogie. He and Duke get along amazingly well. I picked him up in Ohio while I was visiting Anna. Donna drove south and I drove north on I75. We met at a rest area. That cat is huge! Here's the link to their Valentine photos.
http://www.petoftheday.com/talk/showthread.php?s=&threadid=69665&highlight=duke+doogie+valentine
Max sounds just adorable. I'll bet he's a great companion for you. I don't remember Katie, though.

[Christiansmommy]

lol!! Dale "talks" too, sounds just like the way you described Max!! He makes these odd noises, when he comes over to me, and i know it is doggy talk!! :) I can almost understand him :)

I am sorry to hear about you and your hubby. :(

[ramanth]

You read my mind Val!

Thanks for the update Staci. :) Sorry to hear about the rough times, but I'm glad you and the fur kids are well. :)

We really must try and get around to going camping together sometime. :)

[stacwase]

Val - those pictures are adorable! Duke looks like he just loves Doogie! Do they get along?

How old is Duke, now? I was surprised how grey he was getting, around the muzzle. He looks like a gentle and dignified elderly man!

Miss Kate is a cat that my husband brought home, on impulse, one day - a little over a year ago, I think. To make a very long story short, it was necessary to rehome her. I posted about it a lot on the cat side. I gave her to a friend of ours.

Kimmy - maybe we really should get to planning a camping trip for this summer! Now that my husband won't be around I'll have a little more freedom. Though my chickens will need tending . . . hmmmmm. Well - I'm sure I can find somebody to do it! How have you been? What's new?

Did I see that Anna has adopted a dog or dogs? Or is she fostering? It's been so long since I was on here - the last time I was here, she had recently lost Angus.

I'm going to have to look through some old messages to catch up on the news!

[ramanth]

Originally posted by stacwase
Kimmy - maybe we really should get to planning a camping trip for this summer! Now that my husband won't be around I'll have a little more freedom. Though my chickens will need tending . . . hmmmmm. Well - I'm sure I can find somebody to do it! How have you been? What's new?
If I'm not broke by this summer then definitely! :D *laughs*

I've been good. Trying not to stress about wedding plans. Work has been good for the most part. The Library wants to keep me despite my title and duties changing (I posted about it in General a bit ago).

Last Saturday I took Kia to an animal communicator and found out that Kia has an abused past. Her quirks make sense now.

Other than that, Kia, Zam, and Logan are well. Logan has really come out of his shell these past couple of months. :D

And that's about it for me! :)


As for Anna....she adopted Bon. :)

[stacwase]

Originally posted by ramanth
Trying not to stress about wedding plans. Work has been good for the most part.

Last Saturday I took Kia to an animal communicator and found out that Kia has an abused past. Her quirks make sense now.

As for Anna....she adopted Bon. :)

What's this about a wedding? When? What wedding?

I read your post about the animal communicator. " Veddy veddy intedestink. " How did you locate an animal communicator? Were you surprised at what he said?

I'm sure if I brought Max to an animal communicator, the communicator would get a very confused look on his face and get a slow, deep voice like the abominable snowman on Bugs Bunny (which is the voice I always think Max would have if he could talk), and say "BBBBBBooooonnnnneeee! I Wanna BBBBBBooooonnnnnnneeeee! Squirrel? Where? Which way diddee go? Which way diddee go?"

That would be it. All the thoughts in his entire big, adorable head.

I'm going to look up more stuff about Bon now - oh, and I see Tonya's ready to have her baby any day now.

[stacwase]

Originally posted by Christiansmommy
lol!! Dale "talks" too, sounds just like the way you described Max!! He makes these odd noises, when he comes over to me, and i know it is doggy talk!! :) I can almost understand him :)

I am sorry to hear about you and your hubby. :(

Ooops! It looks like I didn't respond to your post! Sorry 'bout that.

Do you think that, maybe, they actually do speak English but that the shapes of their mouths make it so that we just can't understand them? Sometimes I wonder . . . . .

[ramanth]

Originally posted by stacwase
What's this about a wedding? When? What wedding?
*laughs and points at her signature* ;)

Andy and I got engaged in September and are planning to get married in July 2006.

My best friend is getting married this August and my sister is getting married in September. It's going to be a very busy time. :)


I read your post about the animal communicator. " Veddy veddy intedestink. " How did you locate an animal communicator? Were you surprised at what he said?
Yes and No. Very surprised by her reaction. I had a feeling Kia came from a bad home, but I had no idea it was THAT bad.

The local dog shop invited her to do readings at the store and I signed Kia up for a session. :)