Deciding NOT to Get a Pet

I firmly believe in adopting and rescuing animals - dogs, cats, horses, whatever, and would whole-heartedly recommend that anyone looking for a pet to consider this option.  I wish that I could convince more people to adopt animals, and I'm sure that those that work or volunteer at shelters or rescues feel even more strongly about it.  But in my conversations with friends considering getting an animal, friends that HAVE gotten an animal, and reading the reasons that many animals are surrendered to local shelters, I've come to the reluctant conclusion that not everyone should adopt (or purchase, really)  a pet.  And yes, I'm sure that there are some of you out there that are saying, "Well, DUH," but it really did take me this long to get to the point that I could admit that to myself, let alone publicly on my blog.

Obviously, anyone who is inclined to abuse an animal is not ideal pet owner material.  I wasn't referring to THOSE sorts of people, who should probably not even be allowed to have a houseplant of their own, but to people who have good intentions, but still cannot provide the home that an animal needs to thrive.  

1.  Time.  I think that this is the big one.  If someone does not have time to add anything else to his or her schedule, then introducing a new animal to his household is probably a big mistake.   Is there a work-around?  Sure.  If an adopter can afford it, he could hire someone to look in on the animals in the middle of the day, or even take the new pet to daycare.  Or someone with less money might be able to have a relative or neighbor check in with the animals.  Maybe with cats, who use litter pans indoors and don't necessarily need outdoor bathroom breaks, someone could choose to adopt two, to keep each other company during working hours.  But in my humble opinion (and take that for whatever it's worth) if someone has to work long hours, and has a busy evening social schedule, or will have to leave the pets alone to travel a lot, that person should think long and hard before adopting an animal.  

2. Stability.  I will admit it.  I torture myself on a regular basis, and read through the ads on Petfinder, or at the local rescues, reading the descriptions of the animals that are looking for homes.  But one side-effect to this rather masochistic hobby of mine is that I read lots and lots of reasons that are given for surrendering an animal to a shelter.  And one of the big ones is that the owners had to move to a place that did not allow pets.  Now, I know full well that we can't see into the future and plan for every eventuality, and I know that the economy is still pretty rotten, and a lot of homeowners are being forced to "downsize," sell their homes, and move into rental properties, some of which do not allow animals.  So I'm sure a lot of these surrenders are due to that.  But some of them make it pretty obvious that the person KNEW that their housing situation wasn't permanent and chose to bring an animal into it anyway.  That is selfish.  Animals are not throw-aways, to be discarded whenever they cease to be convenient.  If a person doesn't believe that they can provide a home for that animal for the forseeable future, then he or she has NO business getting one.  And for heaven's sake, if a person does have to give up animals for housing reasons, every reasonable effort should be made to rehome these pets, instead of surrendering them to a shelter.  

3.  Babies.  Everyone loves babies.  But oftentimes, pets don't.  It seems like a lot of Petfinder ads mention a new human addition to the household being the reason that a pet is surrendered.  I find that very sad, and brings me back around to my "animals are not disposable" argument.  I know that many,  many households manage to get through those rocky first few months with both baby and animal, so I'm not saying that someone should never ever combine babies and pets.  But I do think that if a person is going to be having a little one any time really soon, they should be extremely cautious about getting a new animal.   Babies take a lot of time, and let's face it, those first few months of sleep deprivation, hormone fluctuation, feeding schedules, and sometimes inexplicable screaming are going to be challenging, and maybe even a little demoralizing.  It might be good to plan ahead - if a new mother (or father) is going to be tied up with taking care of baby's needs, who is going to walk the dog?  Clean the litter boxes?  Give the animals affection and attention?  If the answer is "no one" then maybe it would be best to wait until the baby is a little older.

4.  Money.  Let's face it, few of us (including me) are rich, with limitless resources.  And again, we can't see into the future and know how much money we're going to be asked to spend to keep our animals healthy.  No one can predict chronic illnesses, lay-offs, etc.  But some people clearly can't afford to keep an animal - if someone is struggling to feed themselves, then they have no business getting an animal.  That animal is just going to be eating sub-standard food (or possibly not getting enough food,) skipping routine vet care and vaccinations, and not getting taken to the vet in emergency situations due to lack of finances.  I will totally sympathize with an owner who is either in reduced circumstances or dealing with some major health expenses, but get really aggravated when I hear people talk about not wanting to spend the money for vet care, high quality (or at least decent quality)  food, or even heartworm preventative.  These things shouldn't be optional, and anyone who thinks that they are, shouldn't have a pet.  

So...  those are the reasons to NOT get a pet that jump out at me.  Am I forgetting anything?  

Brrrr! Cold

Brrr!  It's cold around here this week!  Well, it's been down in the 40's, and while that is nothing compared to what it will be like later this year and early next year, it is still a shock to the system.  Especially after we were spoiled with three months of very warm, sunshiney weather.  I've even broken my long-standing rule of never turning the heat on before November.  I'm blaming it on the animals.  They're cold, therefore the heat comes on.  It has nothing to do with me shivering under the blanket, no sir.

It started to get cool on Sunday, only we were caught unawares.  We went to North Park for an event called Hearts and Hounds, hosted by UPMC, a large local health system.  It was to promote good exercise and good health, by walking your dog!  Walkers and their dogs were invited to join for a donation fee, all proceeds to go to the American Heart Association.  We were asked to go as representatives of Steel City Greyhounds, and to set up a booth for the group in case anyone there was interested in adopting a greyhound or wanted information about it.

It was a lot of fun!  There were dogs of all shapes and sizes there; everything from Westies to a gorgeous Newfoundland.  There were even two other greyhounds, which pleased Argos immensely.

But as I said, the cold caught us a little by surprise.  Jeff had a hoodie, and I was wearing a thick fleece pull-over, so we were fine (though still a little chilled.)  But then about half an hour after we got set up, I noticed that Argos had started shivering.  Yikes!  It was going to be a long morning with him being so cold, and I was trying to figure out what to do about it when Jeff stepped in and saved the day.

Why yes, that is a hoodie that Argos is wearing.  Jeff stood there in his short sleeved shirt the rest of the morning so that 'gos could stay warm.  What a guy!  I think that some people were startled by his devotion, but some (including me) were impressed.  Argos got quite a bit of attention in his new get-up.

I do think he was happy to get back out of the hoodie, but he kept that red bandana (given to us by the event hosts) and seemed terribly pleased by it.   He strutted around, showing it off for the rest of the day!

So, I'm not sure of what to do about keeping Argos warm.  I have a winter coat for him, that I purchased for him last year.  It's really heavy, though, and is a little bit of overkill for anything besides truly wintry weather.  And I remember that when we got him last January, he didn't have a winter coat, and it didn't really seem to bother him that much unless it dipped into the twenties.  So does this mean that he'll get used to the cooler weather?  Should I get him a light jacket?

Here's a secret...  well, not much of a secret, but it IS the first time I've admitted it online... I'm attempting to knit him a sweater.  I imagine that it would be PERFECT for weather like this, but at the rate I'm going, he might get to wear it in the spring.  (It's a beautiful sweater, or at least the picture on the pattern is.  It's a ribbed turtleneck, and looks oh-so-elegant on the long greyhound neck.)

But anyway, I think I want to try to get him a light jacket in the interim.  It's not the pup's fault that his mom is such a slow knitter.

The cold has another side-effect that I had completely forgotten about in the summer heat...  the animals get much more affectionate!  They are constantly seeking us out to be a source of warmth for them, which means lots of snuggle time!  I can't prop myself up on the couch this week without Argos climbing onto my lap and sandwiching himself between my legs and the back of the couch.  He'll stay there absolutely as long as I do, never showing ANY interest in jumping down.

We haven't spent a night in the bed without at least one of the cats joining us, usually Bit.  I've awakened most nights this week to have her curled up in a tight little ball up against my stomach.  I've seen her do something similar with Jeff.

While I'm sorry that everyone is cold, I do have to admit, I am enjoying the snuggle time.

Chance has been adopted!

Update:  Chance has been adopted!  Congratulations, Chance!  And congratulations to his new adopter!

Dog (and Cat) Proofing the House

I don't remember EVER giving any thought to making the home environment safe for my dog and cats when I was a kid...  possibly because my parents had taken care of that step without telling me.  But now, it seems to be something that I spend a lot of time doing.  There are so many ways that animals can get hurt in a human household!   In the two years that I've had animals as an adult, here's what I've found so far - some through experience, some through research.

Houseplants:  OMG, EVERY tropical houseplant out there is poisonous to animals, to one degree or another!  I do love houseplants, but I have to say that I can't have many of the ones that I would typically have.  Dumb cane is out.  Peace lillies are out.  Porthos and philedendrons are out.  As far as I can tell with my research, most ferns are okay, and I have a couple of Boston ferns and a few asparagus ferns.  (Asparagus ferns do, I warn you, make your cat throw up if she eats them.  I'm looking at YOU, Annie.)  Spider plants are okay too, but for some reason I've never been able to keep those alive.  Oh, and banana trees.  Those are fine too.

What I had to do when we got the cats was put my philedendrons and porthos plants up so high that the cats can't get to them.  I have some on top of our china hutch, which the cats are only getting on top of if they sprout wings, and on top of the floor to almost ceiling bookshelf in the living room.  And anything kept  lower is non-toxic, because Annie WILL sample them.

Plastic bags:  This one is a no-brainer; everyone has heard of  kids and animals suffocating themselves.  I am always super-diligent to pick these up and put them in the closet (they're too handy as used kitty litter holders to just throw away.)  I think that most of the animals would ignore a plastic bag, but not Charlotte.  She is obsessed with them, and will even forego her evening saucer of milk if I've just brought a bunch in from the grocery store.  Suffice it to say, she's only allowed to rub her head on them while I'm in the room to watch her.

Food:  Argos has only, to my knowledge, counter-surfed once, in his first week with us.  We reprimanded him and he's never done it in front of me again.  But I'm super-careful to make sure that no food is left on the counters when we leave him unattended.  Not even if it's in a plastic bag, like bread.  Especially if it's in a plastic bag.  I also take the stove knobs off, but I think that I can probably stop doing that.  He's never shown any interest in the stove, so even my paranoid self is starting to accept that he's not going to turn on the gas and burn down the house while we're gone.

Easily swallowable items:  If we're leaving Argos alone, this means that I have to do a sweep of the downstairs to make sure that the cats haven't left any kitty toys lying around, that there isn't a pair of socks on the floor, and that I haven't left any wash cloths out and about.  Argos has a "thing" for white items, which does include wash cloths and socks.  For the cats, I just have to make sure that I haven't left any of my yarn out - Bit has a nasty habit of eating it... several feet of it.  She has gone to the emergency vet TWICE because she ate yarn and had two feet of it hanging out of her backside by the time we caught on.  (Okay, to my credit, she did it with my yarn the first time, then I started putting it under lock and key.  The second time she went up to the attic and drug a spool of string/twine that we didn't even know we had out of a box and off of a shelf.) 

Trash:  Our trash can latches on the top, and you have to push a button to make it pop open.  But I'm still really leery about leaving Argos alone with the kitchen trash, which must smell delicious to his canine nose.  So it gets locked in the downstairs bathroom if we're leaving.

Litter box:  Since we put the cats upstairs in the bedrooms, and Argos downstairs in the common rooms, I can shut away the downstairs litter box so that Argos isn't tempted to go fishing for "tootsie rolls."  It doesn't take any extra effort:  we keep it under the sink in the downstairs bath, which is already closed off to prevent trash-diving.

Chemicals:  (If you read this before and chemicals weren't listed, it was because I forgot them.  Duh.)  None of our animals have ever gone for the chemicals.  But just in case, those are shut into the closet or otherwise put out of reach as well.

Luckily, Argos is not a chewer, so we haven't had to worry about him going after power cords, pillows, couch cushions, etc.  I know that some dogs are, and geez.  I don't know how people deal with that.  I think if he did make a habit of chewing, he'd HAVE to be crated while we were gone.

And as long as I can keep Annie away from plants, Bit away from yarn, Charlotte away from plastic bags, and Argos away from little white objects, they're pretty low-maintenance. (I'm not leaving Romeo out because I'm forgetting him, but he hasn't really gotten into anything truly dangerous.  Though he will shred and eat newspaper if we don't feed him quickly enough.  That can't be good for him.)

So did I forget anything?  What have YOU had to do to dog or cat-proof your house?

Adopting an Adult Cat

There's been a lot of talk over the past couple of weeks about adopting an adult cat versus adopting a kitten, as everyone is posting about adopting "less adoptable" animals.   As you can imagine, adult cats have a much harder time finding homes than kittens do.  And while I'd never suggest that kittens do not deserve homes too, I always find it very rewarding to adopt an adult.  Three of my own cats were adults when we got them - Charlotte, Annie (though considered a YOUNG adult) and most recently, Romeo.

Adopting an adult cat is very rewarding, because the cat knows full well that he or she has been rescued.  Usually this means that they're grateful.   My thoughts on adopting adult kitties are that it's easier than some might lead you to believe, as long as you're willing to keep three things in mind.

1.  It takes patience.  Maybe some adult cats are more gregarious than mine, but all of mine had issues that they needed to work through before they could let themselves trust me.  Romeo is still working on that a little bit, but he will grow to trust me as well, in his own time.  Charlotte didn't trust me to do anything besides feed her and scoop her litter box until that first fateful night at the emergency vet.  It sounds crazy, but I think that she KNEW that we had the power of life or death over her that night, and we chose life.  She's been a very affectionate cat ever since.  But it did take months for both Charlotte and Annie, and it will take months for Romeo.  And that's okay, because I know how great it will make me feel when he voluntarily jumps into my lap and starts head-butting me for attention.  (He already sleeps on the bed with us, though I suspect that's partially because he knows that sleeping with the humans affords him some protection from the other cats.)

2.  It takes respect.  Cats are sticklers for respect; and they don't hesitate to let you know if they feel you haven't respected them enough.  I've learned to give them space when they want it.  They come to me on their own accord when they want my attention, and it's so very rewarding to see them choose to spend time with me because they WANT to, not because I pick them up and force them to sit on my lap.  I think that this is difficult for non-cat people to understand sometimes... if you're more used to dogs, it seems so foreign.

And have you ever had a cat sulk for hours because you made the mistake of laughing at him when he fell off the back of the couch?  Or even if you were able to restrain your laughter, had the cat sulk just because you had the audacity to witness his moment of clumsiness?  Yeah, your lack of respect has been noted.  :)

3.  It takes consistency.  I have yet to meet a cat that likes chaos (unless, ironically enough, they're the ones causing the chaos, then they revel in it.)  They like routine, and they like calm.  Nothing upsets our cats more than for us to wreck their routine by going out of town, inviting guests over, or  even waking up at a different time.  Not that I'm going to rearrange my schedule or forego vacations for the sake of the cats, but it's good to at least keep the cat's comfort levels in mind, and try to reduce the number of stressors in the environment as much as possible.

Really, those are the big ones.  I think that anyone who's willing to be patient, respectful, and more or less consistent, will earn the trust of a cat.  Especially if feeding and treats are involved.  :)  

Charlotte, in a basket way too small for her... girth.  As you can see, there have been many treats.

Disclaimer:  Charlotte is pudgy, and it's all my fault.  But don't judge!  She's terminally ill with congestive heart failure.  We've just decided to let her enjoy what life she has left, and with Charlotte, that means eating what she wants.  

Chance and Lady

Update:  Chance has been adopted!  

I had the privilege this morning of walking two of the dogs that Steel City Greyhounds has up for adoption!  Their names are Chance and Lady, and they are both fantastic dogs.  My husband and I brought out own greyhound, Argos, with us mostly because it would be too sad to leave him moping on the couch while we went out and have fun with other dogs, but also to see how the "adoptables" would react to having another dog around.

We actually met both of these dogs last weekend as well, when we volunteered at a Petco Meet & Greet.  I followed up with this walk to get to know both of them better, and to snap lots of photos of both of them.

Why?  Because I want to tell you about both of them.  If you read this post, and think either one sounds like a good fit for your home, please contact Steel City Greyhounds!

Chance

This is Chance.  He is only two and a half years old.  He is brimming with youthful curiosity (he wanted to sniff everything!) and would love to live with a person who would introduce him to the wonderful world of parks, walks, toys, and most importantly... treats!

He is very gentle with people.  In fact, my first impression of him was as I was leaning over him, checking to make sure that his leash was firmly attached... he looked up at me, craned his neck, and gave me the softest, gentlest kiss on the nose.

As an added bonus, Chance loves other dogs as well.  He was very impressed with our dog Argos, and set out to imitate him in every way!  He was also noticeably attached to his kennel mate Lady, and kept nuzzling her, and keeping an eye on her so that she didn't get too far away from him.  I do think that he would bond very quickly to another dog, if there was one in a household that adopted him.

Chance is highly food-motivated.  If you offer him treats, he promises to love you forever!  (Well, I think that he would do that anyway, but they can only help.)  He is instantly alert to the presence of food, and has a particular fondness for people-food.  (I wanted to kick myself for forgetting to bring treats along for the walk this morning, but do remember last weekend, watching as he happily gobbled McDonald's french fries offered to him by someone in the Petco store - along with dog biscuits, dog treats, and one attempt to eat jellybeans.)

Chance has been with Steel City Greyhounds for about a month now.  He's being very patient, but thinks that it's high time that he got a home of his own, and someone to love him.

Lady

And here is Lady, who is in addition to being energetic, is  sweet and cuddly and spent most of the walk trying to convince one of us to pet her or scratch her behind the ears, or even to give her hugs.  

This smart girl seemed like she remembered me from the Petco last weekend, and must have been pleased to see me again, because her tail immediately started wagging.  She was very motivated to stay close to my side the entire time that we were walking, and was very in tune with my mood - if I laughed, she would look up at me and wag her tail, if I stopped to look at something or say something to my husband, she would give me a questioning glance.  But nearly always, her gaze was on me.  She is so ready to bond with a human companion who will love her!

She seemed perfectly happy to interact with both Chance and Argos, so would react well to other dogs, but she really preferred to get attention, hugs, and pets from me and my husband. 

Lady is very young  - only three years old!  

She also was very intent on getting into our car for some reason.  I'm guessing that her adopter will have no troubles getting her to go places!  

I am posting a few other candid shots that we took of both of them.  I apologize for all of the shots that contain bits and pieces of my husband, the other dogs, or me:  we are newbies when it comes to walking multiple dogs, and it was difficult to get good individual shots of them!

This was a great shot, by the way, then Chance moved in, my husband followed, and Lady decided to sniff the little box that I kept holding up and pointing at her.

Chance, being curious about a clump of grass.

It makes me sadder than you can imagine that I can't adopt both of these sweethearts, but if I can't, then someone else will be able to enjoy them!  Will that someone else be you?  

I have a Bit Back!

I have a Bit back!  Well, I think that we've been getting her back for a couple of weeks now, slowly but surely.  But we got good solid evidence of it the other night.

You see, after we got Romeo, Bit became 100% obsessed with him.  She would leave him alone for long enough to eat, drink, and use the litter box, but little else.  She even stopped grooming herself, and didn't ask for Petromalt, something that she normally LOVES.  Every other spare moment (when she wasn't shut out of the room he was in) was spent watching him, spying on him, stalking him, chasing him, and otherwise driving the poor boy to nearly have a nervous breakdown on us.

But something has been happening... Romeo has started to fight back.  Just a little, and not with consistency, but enough to make Bit think twice about approaching him.  I think Romeo was probably not used to being in a house with other cats, and didn't know HOW to deal with others of his kind, particularly one who was a stalker.  But he's learning.

Which means that Bit is starting to lose interest in him.  (Thank God!)   Oh, she still feels the need to pick on him a little bit, but she approaches with more caution, and will actually leave the boy in peace for longer periods of time.  (He is happily sunning himself on the window kitty shelf now, in a Bit-free environment, as she and Annie chase each other through the other rooms.)

But the other night, Bit did something that she hasn't done since we got Romeo.. she jumped up on the bed with us and stayed there all night.  This meant that I didn't get much sleep at all, as Bit firmly believes that she can sleep all day, but at night, it's time to wake mommy up for some petting and cuddle time.  And I let her do it, because I'd missed it.  She ran up and down the length of my body several times, curled up on the pillow next to my head, and would kiss my nose every time I started to drift off to sleep.  When I'd open my eyes to look at her, she'd start to purr. 

It's so good to have you back, Bit.  Now if we could only get Jeff to be a lighter sleeper, she might pester him a little more and let me get some sleep!