What did your pet(s) do today?

[JDeere]

Sniffed the car hop at sonic through the window earlier, she was hoping for food but was disappointed when he only gave me my drink.

[RockOn]

A pack of coyotes were in our back woods this morning about 7:45. Jeffrey is the only one who heard them. I noticed his suspicious staring .... and a running to the back woods urge developing so I went and stood beside him. When he let go of one of his mature, deep barks, the coyotes took off running. That is when they became visible in the edge of the woods. I grabbed Jeffrey's collar because he started a lunge in that direction. Note Jeffrey became a year old this past Valentine's Day. He still has his puppy bark but gained an adult bark too.

Later, around 10:30, I texted the four neighbors around me, told them about the coyotes. The four of us always alert each other about events like these - provide a "heads up." The coyotes have never come in this close to the house before this incident. I was proud of Jeffrey's attentiveness to this. He is different than my bullies. I am wondering if it is the "hound dog" portion in him.

[Gemme]

Loki snuggled up and I rocked him like a baby. He actually likes that. He's such a sweet goof. I got some time with my baby girl, Gracie, as well. She's always going to have a bit of a feral streak so my snuggle time with her is very different than what I have with Loki.

I got him when he was around 10-12 weeks old and was able to handle him a lot so he's used to me rubbing him on his feet, chest, everywhere. We were able to clip his nails this way but I can't do it by myself so I'll be taking them both to get their nails clipped before too long.

With Gracie, she has her moods and a lot of the time, she wants to be touched and petted like Loki but her instincts are to get out of the way of people, so she'll come close to me and then slide away when I hunker down. We've found a rhythm that seems to work for both of us. She will come near me and then switch around so her tushy is towards me. That way I can pet her back and tail, which she loves having her tail played with, and not feel as if she has to dash. She gets her space and her lovin' too.

She does get into cuddling moods and will lay on my lap but they are far less frequent than Loki. If he had his way, we'd snuggle and cuddle a couple hours every day. Gracie's more of a snuggle and cuddle every other day kind of girl. I've never had a cat that has such a strong feral streak, so it was hard to not take it personally at first but now that we've gotten to know one another, I get her. She doesn't get me all the time but I get her. Even when they are running like wildfire through the house, I get it and feels really nice to know that she trusts me more than any other human in this world. That makes me feel great.

[Blade]

They ate nanner popsicles and loved them

[JDeere]

Nothing shes being lazy today! Shes having her afternoon nap right beside me as i type this.

[Buckaroo]

they have laid on the bed giving me the stink eye, because we got almost 2" of snow today so no walk.

[Martina]

I have this super long shoestring like thing. So I am tossing it at her, and she is grabbing it, but only when it lands within paw reach. If it accidentally lands too far away, requiring her to get up to grab it, she shows no interest. I landed it within paw reach once and she didn't grab it, so I started hauling it back in when GRAB. It was like she said, stoopid human, it is mine. I just didn't see the point in bothering until you made me.

This is play with a lazy cat.

[Gemme]

Apparently, Gracie heard what I said about her and said "hrmph". She crawled into my lap last night and was very cuddly and snuggly, rubbing her head on me and everything. She's so sweet when she wants to be.

I've had a bit of snuggling with both of them today. It took her a while to come out from under the bed after I put the vacuum away, though.

[Kätzchen]

It's almost time for me to go house sit and take care of the pets at my BFF's house. Simon is an old pup (jack russell) and Toffee is half blind (blue healer shepherd lab mix) and Petunia is my favorite caT in the world.

Last month the dogs got sprayed by a skunk nesting under their back porch, which created all kinds of chaos and trouble (to the tune of thousands of dollars in house damages).

My caT is a saint tho. She never causes that kind of trouble.

I love reading about everyone's pet stories, thanks for sharing about your pets at home!

[Gemme]

Grace Morgan is on a mission to prove me wrong. She crawled into my lap for a major love fest all on her own and without additional bidding from me.

I think Lokie's a little jealous. He was giving us the side eye.

[JDeere]

Got into the neighbors yard via a hole in the fence that the contractor's didnt fix when putting up the new fence. My mom had to go corral her and bring her back home. I was gone.

[Chad]

Requesting suggestions.
I want to add a dog to my family within the next 5 years. The breed must be gentle but fierce when needed. It must be good with kids and cats, useful around the ranch, and not afraid to take on predators like coyotes and wild cats.

I like bird dogs like pointers and setters but I am not sure that they are the best choice. The Newfoundland seems like a good fit but I am not sure if it can handle the Texas heat. I also considered the Great Pyrenees but since I don't plan on adding live stock that may be more dog than I need.

Any suggestions?

[Gemme]

Originally Posted by Chad

Requesting suggestions.
I want to add a dog to my family within the next 5 years. The breed must be gentle but fierce when needed. It must be good with kids and cats, useful around the ranch, and not afraid to take on predators like coyotes and wild cats.

I like bird dogs like pointers and setters but I am not sure that they are the best choice. The Newfoundland seems like a good fit but I am not sure if it can handle the Texas heat. I also considered the Great Pyrenees but since I don't plan on adding live stock that may be more dog than I need.

Any suggestions?

Pit mixes or American Staffordshire Terrier. They get a bad rap but are super loyal, gentle and protective, especially when raised from a pup.

[Chad]

Originally Posted by Gemme

Pit mixes or American Staffordshire Terrier. They get a bad rap but are super loyal, gentle and protective, especially when raised from a pup.

Thanks Gemme.

[Chad]

Originally Posted by Gemme

Pit mixes or American Staffordshire Terrier. They get a bad rap but are super loyal, gentle and protective, especially when raised from a pup.

Thanks Gemme, I appreciate your suggestion.

[~ocean]

CHAD ~~ coyotes are dangerous to all dogs ~ best u shoot the bastards they kill everything in their sight I've seen them in action ~ it's a horrific sight ~ u will end up w/ a broken heart what its capable of hurting or killing your dog. guns are legal in Texas !

[Chad]

Originally Posted by ~ocean

CHAD ~~ coyotes are dangerous to all dogs ~ best u shoot the bastards they kill everything in their sight I've seen them in action ~ it's a horrific sight ~ u will end up w/ a broken heart what its capable of hurting or killing your dog. guns are legal in Texas !

Yes Ocean, I would never let a beloved pet get hurt from coyetes. I too know what you mean. We have lost a lot of pets to them. You reminded my heart of that.
Thank you.

[DapperButch]

Originally Posted by Chad

Requesting suggestions.
I want to add a dog to my family within the next 5 years. The breed must be gentle but fierce when needed. It must be good with kids and cats, useful around the ranch, and not afraid to take on predators like coyotes and wild cats.

I like bird dogs like pointers and setters but I am not sure that they are the best choice. The Newfoundland seems like a good fit but I am not sure if it can handle the Texas heat. I also considered the Great Pyrenees but since I don't plan on adding live stock that may be more dog than I need.

Any suggestions?

You might want to go with that Great Pyreness.

"The most common LGDs in Texas are Great Pyre- nees, Anatolian Shepherds, Maremma, or Akbash. These or similar guardian dog breeds are highly suggested. Breeds that do not have strong protective instincts are less likely to be effective. Breeds whose instinct is to hunt or herd have behaviors that are counterproductive to guarding small ruminants and rarely become effective LGDs. Survey data indicates that the Great Pyrenees is the most common guardian dog, primarily because it is a good guardian breed and is the least aggressive towards people and livestock."

https://www.quora.com/Can-a-dog-kill-a-coyote

I know you are probably looking for personal experience, since you posted here, but I was curious enough to google the question. I like the look of the Anatolian Shepherd, personally.

Why are you thinking that a Newfoundland would be a good choice?

[Chad]

Originally Posted by DapperButch

You might want to go with that Greatgussied Pyreness.

"The most common LGDs in Texas are Great Pyre- nees, Anatolian Shepherds, Maremma, or Akbash. These or similar guardian dog breeds are highly suggested. Breeds that do not have strong protective instincts are less likely to be effective. Breeds whose instinct is to hunt or herd have behaviors that are counterproductive to guarding small ruminants and rarely become effective LGDs. Survey data indicates that the Great Pyrenees is the most common guardian dog, primarily because it is a good guardian breed and is the least aggressive towards people and livestock."

https://www.quora.com/Can-a-dog-kill-a-coyote

I know you are probably looking for personal experience, since you posted here, but I was curious enough to google the question. I like the look of the Anatolian Shepherd, personally.

Why are you thinking that a Newfoundland would be a good choice?

Hi Dapper,

The Great Pyreness was my first choice but after my research it seemed that the Newfoundland was a better fit. The Newfoundland is a working dog, good with kids and cats, and would rescue me if I got hurt alone on the ranch. I have not made a decision yet but I am doing research on different dogs. I consider this to be a life time commitment and I want to find the best fit for the canine and me.

I welcome all suggestions because I want to make an informed decision. Like I said above this is a commitment.
Chad

[Gemme]

It's good to do research because you don't want to get a dog that doesn't fit your life. That wouldn't work for you or them and will just create an unhappy dog and human. I found a neat link that lists a lot things to consider about the Pyrenees, like they are hard to train, bark a LOT, have a thick, heavy coat, require a lot of exercise and drool quite a bit.

Great Pyrenees Dog Breed

Also, there's this article.

Something else to consider besides breed traits is the individual animal. I've had a miniature Irish Setter that didn't fit a lot of either of his mixed breed traits (Setter and Chihuahua) and a Shit Zhu that ticked the list nearly all the way down.

Have you considered a shelter dog?

To be thread compliant, my Loki is warming my spot on the sofa and Gracie is holding down the back of the sofa....oh, wait....she just moved. Not sure where but I'm sure they will both be in the kitchen in a minute when I go in to put down their kibble lunch.

Yep, that's where they are now. He's eating and she's delicately bathing.