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Sometimes when I'm tired or in a bad mood and I come home after a long day to a mess in the house, I stomp around and yell at my dogs even though I know they don't know why I'm doing it and it isn't even their fault because I left them alone too long (I'm very rarely gone all day so we don't deal with this often). Then I feel guilty and they get special treats later that night. I'm also bad on the litterboxes. One box for two cats, scooped a couple of times a week. I do a full litter change about once a week though. I also look the other way when my old dog eats cat poop because it means I have to scoop less, even though I know that's disgusting but hey dogs are pretty gross anyway. Right after my divorce I was really broke and I fed my dogs Ol' Roy for a month because I couldn't really afford anything else. I kept a Betta in a fish bowl for 3 years before I learned any better. Sometimes I think about doing it again because my old fish did so well...  (I won't though)edit: Oh yeah, and I like never trim my dogs' nails and some are pretty long. Not like uncomfortably (for the dog) long, but long enough that people have commented on them (usually after getting scratched in the face because I also encourage rough play with my dogs...). I just hate doing it because the dogs who are the problems have really hard black nails and I always quick them, and I just always forget to stop by the grooming department when we're in Petsmart or Petco (both will do a quick and good nail trim without an appointment). It makes me feel like a Bad Owner though. 2tomorrow fucked around with this message at 18:20 on Nov 28, 2012 |
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Nov 28, 2012 17:40
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| # ¿ May 15, 2024 18:59 |
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So thanks to this thread I have now started intentionally farting in my dogs' faces. It is hilarious and also payback for all those times they lay with their butt up near my face on the bed and let one rip. I also have favorites. My 3 dog boys are hard to place (though Dan has to be the best, just because I've had him for like 14 years now), but Ruby and Sophie...eh. My current partner asked if she could have them if we ever split up and I was like, "Yeah, that's fine with me." Like I love them and all, and I'd never dump them in a random home, but I could live without them. This actually makes me feel horribly guilty because Ruby loves me, like "refuses to walk 10 feet away from me in public places even when lured with the tastiest treats ever" loves me, and I knew her previous owners and she never had anyone she loved like that before. But I think she's sweet and all but you know...she's just a pet, not a dog I worked and bonded with like my boys. I'm also not that fond of my cats. Again, I really care about them in a way and I take responsibility for them (some may remember my angst over my ex wanting one and I didn't think he'd take care of him, and if y'all saw my dental bills on the tortie you'd never doubt my care for these animals), but really, I could take 'em or leave 'em in a "must have them in my life" sense. It's almost like they're other people's animals, so I still care for them but not really with that deep emotional attachment.
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Nov 30, 2012 19:04
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Oh well if we're counting verbal abuse...I constantly (and I mean constantly) tell George that nobody likes him, and that I'm going to dump him in the desert just like his last owners did because I think they had the right idea. And then sometimes my mom will be visiting and hear me say that and tell me, "You know, they may not understand English but they can pick up on the energy you're sending out," and even though I don't really think George has any doubt that I adore him, I get all guilty. I wouldn't really dump you in the desert George.  I tell Bandit that I will just shoot him if he does [insert x that he does all the time here] one more time. Then he does it again and I tell him I'm going to get my gun, because it's about time I quit putting up with that poo poo. But I don't feel guilty because then I point my finger at him and go "Bang Bang!" which is his cue to play dead so he does and I give him a reward. Also I spent the night at my partner's house last night and one of my dogs peed in the bathroom wastebasket during the night. The aim was perfect and I found it hilarious, though my partner was less amused so I pretended I wasn't happy either. It was really funny though and I wish I knew which dog it was so I could give them a high-five.
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Nov 30, 2012 21:01
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TMMadman posted:Speaking of food, I normally feed the cats Blue Buffalo, but when I'm lazy I will just get them the hairball Iams dry food because they eat it with no problems. I also feed them Friskies wet food, even though I know it's not the best thing out there. However, I caught the 3 dumpster kittens using Friskies and all of them eat the hell out of it. I have tried other wet foods, but all that did was cause them to puke it all up or just not eat it. So they will continue to get Friskies and I won't feel guilty about it. Oh man, I forgot about that one...I always feed my cats Iams. It is the best quality dry food my crazy little tortie will eat reliably and the whole reason I have it is so she'll eat because she's so small and skinny all the time, so the vet wants her to have dry food available constantly in addition to the canned food I give them. So that's a good reason for it, but in truth, even when she passes (she's about 16, my other cat is about 5...guessing she's going to go first) I'll probably keep feeding it to Bagheera even though he'll eat anything because for some reason it makes their coats so incredibly soft. He used to have scraggly fur even on high-quality food brands but now he is soft and shiny and I love snuggling with him. I also feed Fancy Feast wet food. Only the flaked kind, though, not the loafs. The good stuff is expensive and hard to find around here. My dogs are on premium kibble and I'm picky about their diets, and I know I should be that way about my cats but I'm really not. Also I discovered the tortie drooling excessively and her cheek is a little swollen again this morning and I know I need to schedule a vet appointment because she probably needs yet more teeth removed (she only has like 8 left) but I keep putting it off because I just spent $700 on dental bills for her like last loving month (well, maybe 2 months ago now), and another $300 shortly before that. I'm just going to tell them to pull them all this time even if they seem healthy. edit: vvv I do that last one too. Also sometimes when someone comments about how well-behaved my dogs are (which happens shockingly often considering the bad behavior I tolerate/encourage), I pretend like it's easy and get all superior. "What, you mean your dog isn't like this?" type of thing. But it isn't easy, I work my rear end off for it, I just don't want to admit how much time I spend training my dogs. Then hypocritically I get really harsh when someone just expects a dog to be good. "Dogs take a lot of work! You're setting him up for failure!" Which is true, but maybe I shouldn't spend half my time pretending my dogs are effortless if I want people to realize how much work dogs are... double edit: Also this last weekend my partner and I had a party and Bandit was really chill the whole time and in the room with us and just really great, but no one really noticed it because it was just normal decently socialized-dog behavior and they didn't know his history of reactivity and fear, especially in those type of situations. So I eventually got frustrated that no one was acknowledging how incredibly amazingly awesome my dog was being by acting like a normal dog, and so I made everyone shut up and listen to me as I told them exactly how good he was that night. Also I pestered my partner about it for most of the next day. I was a little embarrassed upon realizing that because seriously that is kind of childish, but also my dog was very good. 
2tomorrow fucked around with this message at 20:37 on Dec 4, 2012 |
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Dec 4, 2012 19:58
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So I credit George, a GSD, with getting me into SAR... But if he washes out, or when he eventually retires if he does get certified, my next SAR dog is going to be an ACD. I adore George but every single training milestone I think, "I could have done that X months ago with my heelers." And I know I'm right because I work my dogs and know their capabilities. I love George's obedience and his willingness to listen to me, but holy poo poo if I want a serious working dog that is going to save lives, I'm going with a loving cattle dog. If any of my current 3 heelers were younger, I'd swap them out for George in a heartbeat. I know this is breed bias but drat sometimes I get sick of how dependent he is on me. I want a dog who is codependent in some ways but can work on their own, drat it. I like it when my heelers sometimes give me that "gently caress you" look. I love my George and I could see owning a GSD again but really there's no way he's changing my allegiance from ACDs. ACDs are just everything you could want in a dog. And also everything you don't want in a dog, which just makes the good qualities even better.
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Dec 4, 2012 22:59
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Triangulum posted:I was secretly really happy the last time Vecna barked at a group of kids running at him and screaming "Puppy!!!!!!". It was a "HOLY poo poo YES LETS PLAY!!!" bark (he thinks kids are the poo poo) but he's got a really loud voice and it scares people. I am just so loving sick of idiot mothers unleashing their out of control children on my dog without even bothering to talk to me first that I can't bring myself to give a gently caress if he barks at a kid and scares them a little bit. Oh that reminds me of a good one... So I've posted in the cattle dog threads about how Bandit would sometimes snap at my ex-husband, especially if I went to bed earlier than him and so Bandit and I were cuddled up sleeping. This is usually followed by  AND YOU MUST NIP THIS BEHAVIOR IN THE BUD BECAUSE IT IS SO BAD RARRGH!!Um, yeah. I totally liked it because this started leading up to our divorce and I felt like Bandit was protecting me and also that my ex was a jackass who deserved it, and so I actually really didn't address it until after my divorce and I started sleeping with other people. Then we dealt with it quickly and easily. So I did eventually fix it, but it was actually pretty terrible of me not to do it earlier because of the risks of a bitey dog.
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Dec 5, 2012 23:11
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Pile of Kittens posted:In a way, you've trained your dogs to be protective only when someone is stressing you out (as opposed to just biting everyone), which is a good contingency if you ask me. I think we can add that to "signs your relationship is hosed and you need to get the gently caress out". You're so nice.  But Bandit is a reactive dog with an unprovoked bite history before I got him, and my ex's and my relationship never got all that bad, so I don't think that's a valid excuse though I wish it was. I was never afraid of my ex, just pissed at him for being an idiot. Super's story is a lot worse than mine. I really have no excuse.
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Dec 6, 2012 01:48
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RazorBunny posted:Whenever I see someone walking several dogs, I quietly say, "Pull Daddy like a chariot!" I do a lot of hiking and trail running on steep mountain paths and if I'm going on the really steep ones I intentionally bring 3 of my dogs so that they can help pull me up the mountain. I pretend that's not why I do it but yeah, it's totally why. My running partner has caught on and accuses me of cheating but I say he's just jealous he doesn't have 3 dogs of his own to pull him up the mountain.
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Dec 11, 2012 21:16
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| # ¿ May 15, 2024 18:59 |
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I don't hate all small dogs (though I can't stand the way most owners let them behave), but whenever I see one, especially a fluffy or long-haired one, I get an almost irresistible urge to dropkick it like a soccer ball. It's the same thing as when you look over a huge cliff or something and get that urge to jump...something I'd never do, but drat is it tempting. This weekend my freaking cat's face swelled up again (this time on the other side) and she blew an abscess out this morning, and I almost just took her to the vet to have her put down because I am sick of spending so much money on her and it's not like she's remotely adoptable. Instead I had a last minute twinge of guilt and told them to just remove all her teeth if possible because this is the third time she's had dental surgery in the last 6 months or so and it's freaking ridiculous. But still if I go to pick her up and someone is like "oh I want her!" I would be like "she's yours." I feel guilty because I know she's suffering a lot worse than I am (my bank account doesn't literally feel pain, after all), but goddamn I am sick of this. Lyz posted:I want to rehome Luna. Mostly because she doesn't like the baby at all, she's super stressed and peeing and pooping everywhere if she gets "blocked" from the litterbox and she jumped over a baby gate and clawed my kid's hand pretty good because OH NO SOMEONE'S MOVING IN THE OTHER ROOM, but honestly I just don't like her anymore. I don't know, I think it does kind of sound like she would be happier in a quieter home. I don't think you should feel guilty about this at all as long as you take the time and find her a good home.
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Dec 17, 2012 19:46
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