A friend just brought a kitty from NYC that we adopted, and she said that travelling with the cat was relatively painless. There were some rules about the carrier, and absorbent pads, and when they got to security they had to carry the cat through the security gates and have the carrier scanned. This cat did not have a collar on nor leash or harness and they did not know the cat. They were TERRIFIED it would run. So please be aware that you may need to remove your pet and secure it well. Luckily this cat was so terrified it went limp! They kept the cat with them on their lap, no problem, but they made sure when they were seated that nobody was allergic to it around them. They were given bulk head seating for extra space with kitty and said they got treated extra well, got off the plane first etc. Kitty arrived intact if not terrified (you would be too, torn away from pet parents, carried outside into unfamilliar areas, FLYING, and coming to some strangers house...) Luckily she seems just fine here now!

Sammy..... The only critters that get removed from my garden are rattlesnakes. I plant enough food for migrating birds to feed on while making their trip south, but not enough to make them stick around. I always have water available for them because I have read that more birds die of thirst than lack of food. I don't feed stray cats or dogs, but report them to Animal Control (Rabies is a problem up here, so I no longer rescue stray cats or dogs) ... nor do I feed the deer, at least not on purpose ... lol. When I had a stare down with a cougar one night, I decided to have the fuel reduction crew work in our neigborhood to remove the brush that created both a fire danger and provided the preferred habitat for a hunting cougar. I got all of our neighbors involved in the project. Yes, we changed the habitat, but our homes and children are safer. (There's plenty of places for the wild animals that lived in that brush to move to up here.) The deer moved back to their usual deer trail, but if there is a hunting cat, I think it will be further down, or up, the deer trail...at least I hope that's true. My whole view of wildlife has changed as I got more information, but each of us has to decide how we are going to live with the animals that are a part of our world. Smiles, Lyn

Bunny in your case the profession would be gigolo! Nice work if you can get it. I was never pretty enough and my gag reflex is too strong. Math has haunted me all my life, unfortunately I can't stay away from it as I am in the science field. I can barely keep my two phone numbers straight in my head. Last summer I suffered through college algebra (again) in a vain attempt to raise my GRE anayltical score. Plus studied all the tutorials for the math part in my spare time. I would hate to imagine what kind of score I would have gotten had I not done all of that! Still it wasn't good enough to get into a doctoral program. So if I ever have any spare time again, I will be back at the math tutorials. I just don't have the knack, it's a real struggle. The job I want is to write trite, innacurate platitudes and make a bundle selling books to miserable bourgeoise who dream of being a forest ranger! People say I'm a good writer. Another gig I fantasize about is travel WRITER. You know, go on fantastic trips, and then write about it for the poor slobs stuck in the office! Having had jobs that a lot of people fantasize about being easy and stress free, it is one of my pet peeves. Like the idea that teaching science to kindergarteners is "easy" because it is at a basic level. Yes of course it's easy for a college educated person to understand the science part, but the difficult part in managing the kids with their different perceptions, experience, maturity level, and 15 minute attention spans, etc. It's not just a matter of speaking slower and louder! And to work as a tour guide at a national park you have to put up with years and years of grunt work and moving from park to park. One of my former students works for the National Park Service. Sure he has had some great jobs--he once lived in a lighthouse on an island off the coast of WI on Lake Superior. But i saw him last summer and he says he longs to settle down. He said he wants to finally know where the hardware store is and what box he left that book in. He's lived in five places throughout the country in eight years--FLA, WI, CA, WA, and now ND. Yes, he's finally gotten a job where he can settle down a bit--in the Badlands! Going on a nature hike in a park is fun and relaxing, but it isn't necessarily fun and relaxing for the person who's job it is to lead it. They work hard to make it look easy. Not that I haven't loved my career, but non-competitive and stress free it aint. The visitors feel non-competitive and stress free--but they are on vacation. The employees are not, and all the things that they deal with and take care of are the stresses the visitors are there to avoid. That's what they get paid for, to deal with them so the visitors don't have to. If you live in a tony vacation spot it is even worse. On your way running errands or to the grocery or laundromat you have to pass by folks lounging around on the beach, something you would LOVE to do, if only you had the time! But you're NOT on vacation. It's like torture, lol! I much prefer grungy Allentown where the housing is affordable and the parking is ample and folks are as stuck here as you so might as well smile and make the best of it! But having worked outside most of my life I am unfortunately spoiled for a desk job. It also doesn't suit my personality--I need to be up and doing.

First of all, it's not you or the dog- ALL huskies have issues LOL! I've had 3 huskies, all have been shall we say, stubborn about housetraining. None of my huskies will potty on a walk. Ever. I could walk 8 hours straight and they are way too busy to stop to pee or poop. In fact, 2 of mine won't stop to pee or poop even when I take them on potty breaks- they walk and do their business! To housetrain a husky, you need 3 things, and you've already got the crate, so good start. The second thing you need is a 6 foot long leash that you will attach to the dog and to yourself at all times when he is inside. If you cannot tether him, then he is in the crate. The goal is to never give him the opportunity to potty in the house. All my huskies would sneak off and potty in the house when I wasn't looking. But they cannot do that when they are no further than 6 feet from you. Plus the leash gives you the opportunity to correct him immediately if he should start to potty in the house. You jerk the leash- not hard, just to get his attention- and say NO. Feel free to use a VERY loud voice for the NO. Then you walk him to the door and say whatever command you use to go outside for potty. I use "Let's go outside." This is where the 3rd thing you need comes in. I use a separate leash for potty and for walks. For walks, it's the 6 foot leash, same one you use inside for tethering is fine. I use a retractable leash for potty. So once I get the dog to the door, I switch leashes to the potty leash, repeat the command "Let's go outside" and take him to the same spot every time. Then wait. It will take a while before he stops looking around and at first he will probably want to walk or run since that is what you have been doing. Just plant yourself in a spot and wait for him to potty, then give all the praise in the world when he does. When he comes inside, switch back to the tether leash. The goal is to keep the walks and the potty breaks as separate as possible. Use a different leash, go through a different door (I don't but that could be helpful), use a different command (Let's go outside vs Go for a walk)- everything you can do to reinforce the idea that this is time to potty is good. As shroppie mentioned, it sounds like Kane is playing Husky games, and Dogma wishes not to participate. Huskies often play fight. My girls will jump on each other, bite each other's necks, punch each other, drag each other across the room by the leg, etc. Nobody gets hurt and they enjoy it. They even make play growl noises, which are very different than an aggressive growl. The difference is facial expression and body language- an aggressive husky has the ugliest scariest face ever, much like a wolf. You will not mistake it for anything. The ears go back, lips curl, tail swooshes slowly high over the back, hackles up, head hangs low, and if that body stance is ever directed at you or anyone else, get them to immediately stop what they are doing because that is serious. The playful position is ears picked straight up and forward, head high, tail may or may not be wagging quickly but never swooshing slowly, hackles down, lips not curled. The swooshing tail in the aggressive stance is sometimes confusing for people, they think it's a wag, but the rest of the body language is clearly aggressive, so don't over analyze. OTOH, people also mistake the pouncing and biting for aggression, but if the rest of the body language is playful, then that's what it is. Dogma is going to have to tell Kane to quit it in her own terms. She may not understand Husky games, or she may not want to participate. Either way, being a Rottie, she will be able to communicate that effectively unless you keep trying to stop it. My old Rottie had to snap at the newest young one once or twice before she got the message. But sometimes even old K'Ehleyr plays husky games, when she is in the mood. My first husky and first rottie played husky games all the time. The new young one had the distinct pleasure of teaching a young foster rottie how to play husky games- that was fun to watch a 35# husky drag a 90# rottie across the floor by her rear leg, but they both loved it! I think you are doing a great job on the exercise front. Huskies are VERY different from rotties, as you are finding out. While the rottie will do anything in the world to please you, the husky will do anything in the world that pleases him. The biggest accomplishment in training a husky is finding the motivation that will make whatever you want him to do the best idea in the whole world to him. Whether its treats, praise, playing a quick game of tag (that's what made my first one happy), whatever, once you find that thing training will be a breeze. In my experience, huskies do best with positive reinforcement, as they couldn't care less if you are mad at them. You can get mad, just realize that you'll have to do something else to train him! Have fun with your new family member.