Very true. Also, supposedly animals are good at reading human's emotions and internal states. So one's vibe might affect nearby pets.
I grew up with big dogs. Newfoundland dogs - a great breed. Strong and loyal. I love big dogs and I wish I had one now, but there's no room for him.
@jannert @123456789 @KaTrian : You guys obviously never owned a chihuahua. I'm by no means a 'small dog owner' I've kept mainly cattle dogs and dingo crossbreeds, can't get a lot 'wilder' than that, also greyhounds, irish setters and bassets. But a small rescue chihuahua came my way some years ago and he was the most ballsy and gutsy dog I've ever known. Chihuahuas date from the time of the aztecs and were used as attack and guard dogs (similar to Pekinese at Chinese Royal Courts) which is why they are very brave and extroverted by nature. Arnie (my chihuahua) and my cattle dog Maggie were very close, and he would get involved every time she would get picked on by another dog (she could fend for herself, of course, but Arnie was that protective of her). Also, it was a common sight to see him pick out the biggest, baddest dog in the park and make him submit, so you'd see a massive german shepherd lying on the ground and Arnie standing over him like the boss. Imagine the embarrassment of the male owners! Obviously, I'd only let it happen if the other dog was ok, Arnie never got into fights as such, he was a smart cookie and very dominant, and in dog world, size truly doesn't matter. He was a little treasure, such a down to earth dog. Any breed of dog can be made into a spoilt brat by inadequate owners, dog is never a problem, it's ALWAYS the owner. In my opinion, the absolute worst are anxious women owners who gravitate towards rescuing pitbulls or rotweilers or german shepherds. On one hand, they feel safer and more secure to have a massive dog next to them, but they have the absolute wrong energy for providing stable leadership to such strong and dominant dogs. And anxious, fearful, unsocialised rotweiler is by FAR more dangerous then a spoilt nippy chihuahua (which also isn't ok at all). About the cat, @Wreybies I sympathise. My sister is hated by her own cats, who are brother and sister Bengals and wild as anything (also have loads of food allergies because they are only second generation from Servals). This is one of them, have a look at that menacing face She refuses to give them away though, because they've been abandoned several times before, because of terrible behaviour and medical problems (they are now ok on special diet). But every time she comes to mine and gets to cuddle my extremely patient and people-loving cat, she cries. Interestingly, her little son Leo is getting on with Bengals really well, so I think it's about chemistry between the cat and the human more than anything. Don't be upset, cats are funny creatures If its any consolation, I have a traitor cattle dog now. Every time my hubby comes home it 'F**k you mummy!" and he is 100% into him, follows him everywhere, won't even come for a cuddle (or only comes when he thinks my husband isn't looking). When he is at work or out, the dog is all like "Mummy! I love you, you are so the best!" follows me everywhere, sleeps at my feet, little traitor
I don't like slobbery dogs, so that's the main drawback for me. Also, big dogs live much shorter lives and tend to have problems with hips and arthritis, and when my greyhound died at 11.5, three months before my cattle dog who died at 17, it felt really gut wrenching to have lost him so early. But rotties are extremely good utility dogs, they are so easily trained, like german shepherds and labradors, they definitely have their uses. I love cattle dogs because they are the ultimate cross breed, so agile, healthy and long-lived, so intelligent, you can easily pick them up, they don't eat a lot, don't need much grooming, and as long as you can give them both physical and intellectual exercise and stimulation, they'll be your best friend for many years Plus they look like Dingoes, and I love them. @jannert : I know several really old ladies with stick and mobility frames who have rescue greyhounds and walk them in the park every day (on and off leash). Greys are extremely gentle, don't need a lot of exercise at all (less than most toy breeds) and they are usually brilliant on leash, because when they were racing, they got taught to heel and walk on the lead really well. They are perfect apartment dogs, so elegant and aware of their surroundings, they never knock anything over. They are perfectly happy lounging on the sofa. The only drawback is that they can eat a lot, and some of them are downright gluttonous (like Wolfie, he used to steal hummus and salad sandwiches, the beast!) And also, most of them have bad teeth because the racing trainers feed them extremely poor diet in order to maximise muscle mass and minimise weight, so they need a dental appointment with a vet here and there (Wolfie only needed about 3 and I had him for almost 7 years).
Yes, I think you've hit the nail on the head. They don't think they need to because they're 'small' and 'cute.' Same reason some parents don't bother to regulate their children when they are small and cute. They can grow up to be spoiled horrors. German Shepherd. When I was a child, that was MY favourite dog too! Rin Tin Tin ...that shows my age, eh? Now I think I'd go for a springer spaniel, or maybe a springer/border collie cross. I've known several of these crosses and they are fantastic dogs. They usually have all the alertness and intelligence of the collie, but the friendlier, less focused amiability of the spaniel, and that lovely soft spaniel mouth. Mind you I know one of these crosses who was not ...er, how do I put it ...the brightest light in the harbour. He ate rocks. To the extent that he wore his teeth away. Bizarre.
There're certainly differences between dogs, but I'd still never buy myself a chihuahua. I don't like the way they look, I don't feel like I can go on a long trek with them, and in general I'm not into lap dogs, so, no, I would not get myself a chihuahua for the sake of trying to convince myself I can also be a small-dog owner. Doesn't mean there wouldn't be several awesome ones out there. The only little dogs I could imagine owning are jack russells and corgis 'cause both breeds tend to get along well with horses, for some reason, plus I've had good experiences with both. Yet how often the (big) dog is blamed... Yeah, I agree. I personally like rottweilers as well. My cousin used to have a well-trained male rottweiler, really big, but also very kind, and great with kids. I hope I'll be able to train mine well enough when I can finally provide a good enough home for it.
Hasn't happened to me yet... I don't include my younger cat Nezumi as she hates everybody, not just me. My daughter's great with animals... she was the one who beseeched me to take in my ferrets. Everything was good up until she became pregnant and since then he attacks her on sight. I mean, really goes for it. The only times he's bitten me have been as a consequence of his bad eyesight. A thumb holding chicken is easily mistaken for the morsel itself. As soon as she enters my living room, Pax throws himself at the closest bit of soft skin to him and locks on. He's particularly fond of inner upper arm, the throat, (though he hasn't actually managed to grab a hold of her there yet, thank goodness) and the Achilles tendon. At first it I thought it was hormonal, but now it seem more habitual. I have no choice but to lock him up when she visits. She is the ONLY person he's ever bitten on purpose.
Okay, truth. If I had unlimited space and dog food budget, my dream dog is a Great Pyrenean Mountain Dog. I became acquainted with one once, and it was instant . He was fond of me as well. However, his owner said he ate about 30-40lbs of meat and dog food per week ...so it's not a budget dog to own, never mind the space required to let him roam. They are roaming dogs by nature, and need a large outdoor acreage to 'patrol' if they are going to be happy dogs. But what a gorgeous, intelligent and inherently friendly animal. Like a mild-mannered polar bear with ears and a tail. A Newfie would be my second choice, though. Love them, too.
@jannert: All fun and games until they get the squirts... it's not like you can fire them in the washing machine with stain remover.
OMG! I thought you had a picture of my dog! lol. I have one that looks exactly like that, his name is Judgement. I have a female (whose lineage is somewhat in question so she's not quite as impressive looking) living with me right now as well, and her name is Shooey, like Shoo-fly, I did NOT name her, lol. I also have a Golden Retriever and a Border Collie-x. And a cat, whose full name is Trigger the Troubling Thief Cat. @Wreybies Curious - how is she with your partner? You said your cat and your mom's cat are from the same litter... that can sometimes cause problems.
With William, she's a run-&-hide cat, which is how she is with pretty much everyone. William has a low, gravely voice and he can be loud sometimes. Even my cat is skittish with him. And they're not from the same litter. My mom's cat is like 3 or 4 years old. Charlie isn't even a year yet. But they have the same parents, Gracey and Toni. This is Charlie (orange & white) and his momma, Gracey when she brought him up from the woods for inspection. It's strange to see him so tiny here. He's a truck now. Gracey is just a wee tiny cat too, though she's on in years.
Charlie looks really cute. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to watch YouTube videos of cute kittens for the next hour.
@Wreybies Maybe that's the Law of Opposites working for you. If every animal loves you, certainly one must hate you as well.
Ha! This is what my mom says as well. Tina hates me so much because she's balancing uncounted other animals that love me. She bares a heavy dharma.
Two theories: 1) Did you live in the same house with her and then leave? My mother's cat never forgave me for going away to college. 2) If she's usually afraid, maybe she feels the need to demonstrate power by bullying someone. She has someone to love, and since she knows you won't hurt her, you're a safe person to hate.
You HAVE a dog like that. Oh, I'm jealous. I like the sound of your other dogs as well. It must be fun to have so many different types of dogs in one pack. I love his name, too. Judgement. Is he just 'Judge' for short? That works too!
She's just a defiant personality cat. I have two cats, one is a submissive but the other a defiant. The defiant cats will NOT be told what to do or when to do it, they do the telling, that's why she whacked you. My defiant girl cannot be put off your lap if she has decided that is where she will be sitting, and we had a black cat when I was a teen who was like this too. If she perched on you, she dug her claws into your skin....just to be sure you were not going anywhere without her say so. Here's a fun website, a cat personality quiz. Select her behaviours and see how you go. http://www.catdocmaine.com/purrsonality/typesorter.html Or the other explanation is that she's your mothers familiar, not in the magical sense. But my girl cat has bonded with me and although she's social, she'll bond with no other. I call her my little familiar. She simply must be in whatever I am doing, defiance and all!
Ah... I read that wrong, lol. Sorry! Your Charlie is so cute There are a couple of things it could be, though figuring it out is probably more trouble than it is to avoid her, lol. First - she could have just been having a bad day the first time she got you. Then - you're a little nervous around her because it came out of nowhere, she sensed the nervousness, doesn't understand it and lashes out. Now it's a habit on both sides. (even if you don't actually feel like you're nervous around here you are probably showing it to her without realizing it). The second thing it could be may be completely unrelated to you and is the hardest to figure out. Do you wear the same cologne all the time? Did you change it? Did you suddenly start wearing a hat all the time (or stop wearing one)? Did you start wearing a watch when you didn't used to? A bracelet? Anything? I realize these sound like stupid questions, but they might help you. I used to rehabilitate extremely aggressive animals for the Humane Society and various local shelters/Vets. The things that cause reactions are sometimes crazy, lol. I worked with a cat who had apparently had her fur pulled by her owner's watch while being petted. After a year of terror (he was still wearing the watch) he brought her in for help (or to be put down if we couldn't help). After MUCH observation I realized that people with things on their wrists made her nervous (though not as aggressive as she was with her owner) and people without she was quite lovable with. It only took a couple of weeks to desensitize her and get her back on track. Another cat had a fear of necklaces. After figuring that out and desensitizing her the owner remembered the 'hilarious time!' when she had been playing with a necklace chain dangling off of a dresser. Then she pulled it, this huge - costume jewelry size - pendant down on her poor little head. I don't think the cat thought it was funny. While the abused/neglected dogs and cats were difficult to work with, it was usually the well-loved and cared for animals that were hardest to figure out, lol. Don't know if any of this has helped, but it would be my starting point if I was working with her.
I technically have two of them, lol. The female that is currently living with me was originally sold as a Pyr, with papers and all, but I think she's a Pyr-Kuvasz-mix. My Pyr, Judge (yes, that is what we call him most often), is 260 lbs. The female is 230lbs. Here's a pic of my Judge and my Golden (Drake) from last winter. And also another pic of Judge, because this one shows how big he is REALLY well, lol It is fun to have so many different ones now that they've all been together for 3 months, but it was stressful in the beginning. My boys are well-trained and very accepting. They have no aggression problems and no training problems. The two females (the pyr-x and border collie-x) were largely untrained, both have health problems and were seriously food aggressive. It took about a month to get them settled, and it was a fun month, let me tell you! lol. They're all doing quite well together now though (with only the occasional outbreak in bad habits) so I'm happy with the pack as it is for now
