Pets - What kind of owner are you?

[Bowyn Aerrow]

What kind of pet owner are you?

What kind of pets do you have?
Currently 2 dogs.

What kind of names do they have?

The black lab/rott mix, who is pushing 17 years of age, is called Sirius - formally, I also call her Boo, The Original Puppy and a few other 'nicknames'.

The Yorkie/Schauzer mixed is formally known as Andromeda, which was quickly shortened to Andi - I call her bug more often than not because she annoys me.

Are they your "babies"? Do you treat them like children?

There are in a sense 'babies' but I pretty much treat them like Dogs. They are after all dogs. While both are spoiled rotten to the core, they have a sense of 'law and rule' and know they are beneath humans because they are you know dogs.

Do you dress them up on holidays?

They have their holiday bandana's which they collected through Pet-Smart as part of the grooming processes, there is the red-white-blue Forth of July Scarf, the scarves with Christmas themes, the scarves with halloween themes. I never put those on the dogs....

Are they just pets to keep you company?

"Just pets" - Uncertain. Sirius is trained to be a little bit of a help dog, plus she is a watch dog with some minor security training. She is an ancient creature so I'm not expecting her to be helpful if an intruder enters... but back in the day I have no doubt she would have ripped an intruder a new one.

Sirius was my travel mate/companion - went with me to nearly every job site and kept me company. She was also my truck's alarm system. A big black dog barking and snarling at a person is far more effective than all of those weird sounds that everyone ignores (car alarms).



Do you talk to them all the time?

Yes. And Andi talks back. I think Andi attempts to say a few words - I mean really makes an attempt. It sounds like she is trying to say 'I love you' at times.

I know both dogs have an extensive vocabulary and understand complex instructions.

Do they go everywhere with you (where pets are allowed)?

Yes.

Do they sleep with you or have their own room?

Sirius sleeps on my side of the bed on the floor. Bug sleeps with my roommate.


Do you let them jump all over people who come in the house?

No, we have rules and structure in the house. They can greet people once the people allow it, but no jumping up on people.

Do they have regular vet checkups?

Sirius is at the age where she gets a check-up every 6 months, Andi gets a yearly physical exam. They have their credit card as well which is used for Vet expenses... Sort of the medical insurance for dogs.

Do you and your pet resemble each other?

No.

[Udabar]

What kind of pets do you have? I have a pure breed Flame Point Siamese.
What kind of names do they have? His name is Montecore
Are they your "babies"? Do you treat them like children? My Montecore is definitely my baby.
Do you dress them up on holidays? If I could get my cat to wear anything besides his collar then I would prolly buy him a girdle because he is my chubbykins.
Are they just pets to keep you company? He was supposed to be a pet to make me not feel alone, now he has just turned into what I like to call a lover that loves to complain about everything.
Do you talk to them all the time? I have to or else he wont shut the hell up.
Do they go everywhere with you (where pets are allowed)? He never leaves the house.
Do they sleep with you or have their own room? The only time my cat sleep with me is when he wants attention he will get on the bed and meow in my face. Then when I either pet him or ignore him, he will lay down for 5 mins and then get up and go bananas.
Do you let them jump all over people who come in the house? I have no choice. He acts like I dont ever give him any attention so when people come over he is all over them.
Do they have regular vet checkups? He doesnt need a regular vet checkup. I know he's fat and I keep telling him that he is a fattie and he doesnt ever leave the house to get anything else.
Do you and your pet resemble each other? Oh lord yes. He is sexy, just like me. We have the same birthday. We are both stubborn.

Additional information: I got his name from a website of cat names. I was scrolling through the over 100 pages and I saw that name and decided, after 20 more pages, that I liked that name the most. I have had him since he was a kitten and only got him for $25 from a shelter. I have owned him for 4 years now and trust me, that has been a long four years and there are many many more to come. I do buy him things for his birthday and holidays. I love to pamper my little banana butt and as you can tell, I also like to call him weird names.

[Bowyn Aerrow]

^^^ Cats can get internal disorders. EXAMPLE, my cat, Dog (Dog was his name) developed urinary tract crystals. Had I had regular check-ups these most likely would have been caught before it became a serious bloody issue which required emergency vet visit, dialysis and 'operation' to break up crystals.

Cats are also prone to a lot of things that if caught early can be 'fixed'. Example: You don't want to wait until the cat enters a sugar or insulin coma to find out its diabetic.

While your indoor cat may not be exposed to other animals, there are a few things humans can carry and infect a cat or a dog with. Ringworm is one such example, while most sites will discuss it being transmitted from cats to humans, the reality is that that is a two way street.

http://oregonstate.edu/ua/ncs/archives/2...ansmission makes for an interesting read. Reverse zoonosis isn't often talked about.

I know with dogs, kennel cough can be carried into a home on the shoes of a human, and infect every dog in the house... I'm uncertain which of the common ailments that affect cats that can be passed on from human transmission, such as the kennel cough, a human being being merely a transportation vehicle.

A yearly exam for a healthy cat or dog really doesn't run much. My vet charges $50.00 for an exam that includes a little (very little) blood work to check for common ailments which are epidemic around here.

It also helps if you take the animal to the vet for just a visit. I think most vets will take time out of their schedule to spend a little 'friendly' time with a pet. For instance we take both dogs to the vet, while the sick one is getting treated, the other is there just being there and the experience is not just unpleasant, thus going to the vet is not a huge hassle - they never know if they are getting shot, or just visiting.