Pet Chat

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I thought it would be nice to have a thread where we can share pics and stories about pets we have or have had in the past, or pets we have just known through others.


I will start with sharing something that happened when I was 13.

When I was 12 I got a guinea pig I named Shalom. The summer of 1990 my mother and I were out with him and we set him down in a small sandy place with fences on two sides. He ran right past my mother and into the tall grass which bordered a cluster of trees. I panicked, so afraid I was gonna lose him, knowing all too well he wouldn't make it on his own. My mother located him through the sounds he made and snatched him up, along with twigs and grass. Holding him in my arms again was one of the best moments in my life. It's not often that I have been that relieved!

^ I'm glad you didn't lose him.

Many years ago I lived with a very gentle, friendly and good-looking cat. He never scratched anyone. He recognized my footsteps and often appeared from nowhere when I was nearly home, as if he'd been waiting. Whenever I called out his name in the backyard, he always came back from wherever he was in the neighborhood. He was the best cat I've ever known. I really miss him but that was so many years ago that he cannot be alive now.

Thanks, jk1!

It's so rewarding to have that kind of contact with an animal.


In high school we spent a day in August going for a walk. It was meant to bring people closer to each other but with everyone going at their own pace, and seeking out the people they already knew, it failed. And for someone like me, with poor sense of direction, well, less than fun to roam strange woods. But anyway, that day turned out pretty well because I was allowed to bring my collie, Viggo. On the train station and on the train, he got a lot of attention, being a beautiful Lassie look alike.
I walked with him beside me and we walked by ourselves, took our time. I had brought food for us both and we ate together in peace and harmony. Viggo had never been there before and he enjoyed the new scents. It was a very nice day.

The year before we were also to have such a trip, and I brought Viggo to the train station but couldn’t find them, so we took off and took the bus to another place, and went for a walk on a trail where we have gone a lot. We stopped by the tarn I sometimes brought my turtle Nemo to, and we ate there, and just chilled. Since we were on familiar turf, I was relaxed, not worrying about getting lost. After eating, we went to an old quarry I guess you would call it, where there are a lot of boulders and the soil is reddish, and the old machinery (like a sort of conveyor belt) are still there, rusty but very exciting. It was an exciting place when I was a child and to be honest, I still liked it there. Best “school day” ever!

Awwww, I love that dog that you used to have----it's GORGEOUS!!

I used to have a cat that slept in my long hair!

The dog we currently have is by far the most "unique" dog I have ever seen. He is a mix of German Shepard and Rottweiler (I use to have a picture of him that was just adorable, I'm talking cute dog picture calendar cute here). The first thing..for the first few weeks my mother and sister thought that he was a she. We think that he might still be scared by this confusing experience. Another of his unique traits is that he plays with buckets. He does not drink from them, he plays with them throwing his water away and treating it like a toy. We have been able to determine that the orange home depot buckets are not dog proof and easily gained holes from his overzealous playful nature. This dog still confuses us to this day, but he is a very spirited fellow to say the least. Next time I go home I could send a photo of him to anyone who wants to see what he looks like, he really is a very beautiful dog

Thank you! We adored and loved him very much.
Viggo was a replacement animal. His owner was a colleague of my mother who had to give him up due to the bad allergies of his infant son. Viggo came to us when he was 4,5 years old, and he was with us for a little more than 10 years. He came to us to stay on Valentine's Day



When I was 11 I was given two gerbils, Benny and Rocky. At the same time we also had a budgie bird, Jacina (pronounced yah-kee-nah). My gerbils would sometimes move about so that their tails would protrude from the bars of their cage. Jacina would sometimes land on their cages and grab their tails with her beak and pull on them. Once she sat on the edge and her tails came into Rocky's cage. He climbed up the horizontal bars of his cage and bit down on her tail and dropped from the bars, pulling on her tail with all his little might. They were a lively bunch!



Commander, I would love to see a photo of your dog!

Couldn't find the great picture I had before, but this one is good enough. That's my sister, she's an entirely different kind of animal to say the least

Oh wow, he is really beautiful! Lovely face, gorgeous coloration. Your sister holding his paw is a cute touch. Thank you for posting a pic of him, Commander!

I had a 13'2 Connemara Palomino pony once called Jaye. I broke her in when she was 6 years old, before then she had been a broodmare, it took a long time to train her, and to loose the baby weight, but she was bomb proof, intelligent, had a massive jump, could turn on a 2p, very sure footed. We entered quite a few competitions, mostly show jumping, cross country and some eventing. I outgrew her and she was sold on to a family full of horsey girls who kept her until she passed on two years ago.
She looked quite similar to this:

I like horses, but I'm afraid of them. When I was 8, in summer camp, I was thrown off a horse twice. The first time I got thrown off, I tried to resist getting back on. I was forced on, and I was thrown again. I suffered a broken elbow. The elbow is slightly deformed to this day.

That's a nice horse, Amity. Looks like Mr. Ed's little brother (ever see the show Mr Ed? You would like it!)

Like I said a few times previously, my best friend as a young, lonely teenager was a Persian cat named Zum Zum.

Unbelievable. If someone's uncomfortable you should never force them. The horse can sense it.

I used to ride in my early teens.

Yeah the 'get back in the saddle' expression is quite literal in the equine world. I've broken a few bones, from various 'I went left, the horse went right' etc. time trial experiences.

I like reptiles much, especially snakes and monitor lizards. One of my friends is a snake breeder, she has plenty of them, from small and safe to huge pythons and cobras. When I came to her, it's like a zoo where you can touch animals, pretty nice ^_^

I love your dog, Commander! I agree with Skilpadde, he has GREAT coloration!

Andreger - I love petting zoos, for that very reason. They always have one at the Herb Festival that I go to----and, I always like to pet the snakes, cuz when else can you do that.

Amity - I LOVE horses----can't get enough of 'em!! I used to have an uncle that owned / trained horses----he had Appaloosas, Palominos (they look like YOUR pony), HUGE stallions----all kinds of extremely cool horses! I've fallen off of them, too----you just have to get right back on..... The very first time I was ever on a horse, I was riding behind my cousin..... I fell-off in slow motion! I kept falling over, to the right, but kept my left leg up on the horse----and, I kept falling----then, just my left foot was up on the horse----and then, finally, I had to admit defeat, and let go! LOL Another time, I got thrown from a horse----got thrown upside a barn----not even a scratch!

I love Commander's dog too, he's awesome!

Here's a pic of my dog Benji, who stays with my mom and I stayed over for a few days; he always sleeps on my bed when I'm there:

He always used to follow me when he was a puppy and I had to go out for any reason. He had a very narrow escape when he crawled under the gate at the shelter I was staying in about seven years ago, and got under the wheels of a pickup truck, which stopped to check that he was OK. He had oil marks on his coat but was miraculously unscathed!
When I went out for the day he would always be waiting for me at the gate. I took him for long walks in the hills.

He's gonna be 9 this year and is a little less agile but still a puppy at heart. Love him to bits!

Lol, the need for speed eh, now I have loadsa ponies under the bonnet! Benji is super cute, I love his little face. Comnanders dog has lovely balanced markings, and Viggo, well I have a soft spot for rough collies, had one as a child, such clever dogs.