Well, I'm going to have to be the odd one out - but I'm used to that :)

I've had many pets, particularly cats and dogs, over the years (and a few humans, too:), but these days I am loath to have a pet which I had to leave for long periods. Perhaps when I retire, because I really want to keep up my long walks, and I know a dog would help my weak resolve to go out on cold, wet evenings.

As most people without a pet soon find, an un-tenanted garden soon becomes home to most of the neighbourhood cats, and that's fine with me - they are generally welcome.

My closest pet, who does work with me every day, is Mottisfont's garden cat, Murphy, a wonderful rescue cat who has the ability to befriend thousands of visitors every year even when faced with teams of over-boisterous children. He is much loved, and quite famous - in fact, he features in a book called 'Cloister Cats'.

I notice that a retired local photographer has a picture of Murphy on a little out-of-season photo essay on Mottisfont linked below.

I don't think I can claim our Highland cattle as 'pets', but they are very special!
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Best wishes
Jon

Here is a link that might be useful: Murphy about 10 photos down

I guess I'm another oddity. I'm allergic to both dogs and cats and have no pets. I used to have a hamster when I was a child; that and goldfish are the only pets I'm not allergic to.

As you can tell from my log in name, I have corgis, or rather they have me! I've had Pembroke Corgis for 30 years now and currently have two -- Seamus who is 11 and Magic who is 3. They're both too smart for their own good but quite different from each other. Seamus is wherever we are -- he will wake up to escort us from one room to the other. Magic is more like a cat -- he wants to play but refuses to be cuddled except on his own terms (very un-corg-like!).

I love all animals but corgis and I are a match. I love their sense of fun and their "always ready for a good time" attitude. I think their attitude lightens me up.

Debbie

Jon- Thank you for the wealth of photos, my what an eye you have ! and what beautiful countryside, a feast for the eyes.... thank you, sally

To those who may wonder, I was referring not just to fishers but to the idea of allowing a huge cat to roam at will who can climb trees, kill birds, nestlings and adults, baby squirrels, and any number of small wild animals who are helpless against such a powerful predator. I don't mean to spoil the wonderful intent of this thread, and I apologize sincerely, but was distressed by such unawareness.

Ingrid

You could never spoil anything, Ingrid.

Sherry

Another corgi fan here. Here's our beloved Megan in our old garden in California:

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She loves to garden with me, and will follow me around everywhere, although she'll try to find some shade if it's sunny. She loves the weather in Oxford, especially the snow, so she's had a marvellous time the past month running through meadows and along towpaths in the snow. This from last year.. "Come on Dad!!"

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cheers all,
robert

Robert -- How difficult was the process of taking your girl into England? I know it used to be tough.

Jeri

Here is my sweet little Pomeranian Foxie, such a cute little doggie with a lot of spirit. She loves to check the flowers out every chance she gets.

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Robert -- How difficult was the process of taking your girl into England? I know it used to be tough.
Jeri

Hi Jeri,

It wasn't nearly as bad as it used to be when they forced all animals into kennels for 6 months. Now you can go through all the shots, tests and official paperwork from home, although it is a very complicated and specific procedure, and then bring the dog over without a stay in a kennel. The process takes *at least* 7 months before the dog can come over. So, if you know far ahead enough in advance, there is no separation at all. For us, we needed to come over earlier than she was allowed, so she had to stay with friends to wait out the time. Harder on us than her I think. So... it still sucks, but if you have the time to prepare, and are willing to jump through hoops to have everything done, it's doable. I'd not have come if it meant keeping her in a kennel for 6 months like it used to. Below it the official information.

Would I do it all again to have her with us? In a heartbeat.

Here is a link that might be useful: Bringing dogs and cats into the UK

We have 4 dogs ....all rescues and a cat. At first the 3 larger breed Black Labs would play by pulling shrubs out of the ground and tossing them across the garden.....Most could be salvaged and replanted.

Then I found the trick....If you plant in mass...they are much less likely to pull out a plant in a grouping...they go after the individual shrub. Don't ask me why...but they do!

Also they love to pee on certain shrubs. A smart solution is to plant a single cheap (Pee shrub) that they always go to ) to fool them into not peeing on everything. Usually the pee is pretty harmless until they all do it repeatedly to one plant. Recommend hosing them with water... Fun!

SiSi is my female Pomeranian rescue. She has been with me for three years. Before she came, I had a male Pom, Sebastian, for 14 years. Molly the cat was with me for 18 years. When I retire in a couple of years, SiSi and I will be joined by another dog. I want a puppy, but I can't figure out how to housetrain one when I am at work so much. SiSi loves to be in the garden, and I have fenced in a large part of the back yard for her so she can go out without me at times. I have always had pets and always had a garden and can't imagine life any other way. Denise

ah, a pee-plant. Yep, I am familiar with those. It used to be the preference of the lurchers to back up to a prickly spruce as tight to the trunk as they could get...and then do the leg-lifting bit. In truth, when I apply logic and reason (instead of emotion) to this issue, I think WHY? flea-ridden, farting, crotch-sniffing, sofa-stealing, bird-slaughtering, seedling-destroying, bin-rifling, drooling poo machines ....Yet still we love em to bits!

I have 2 ragdoll cats..I had a Blue Persian..a simple happy little guy..he was "the worlds cutest kitty, everybody said so"..he passed last year.and his older brother a Flame Pt Himalyan..Ceasar who adored me. He was 13 and got cancer under his tongue. I learned that indoor cats usually get cancer or something..outdoor cats for the most part don't live that long.

Hubby let me get the two ragolls..and they are 2 now. We live near a green belt and I long for a outdoor cat..I keep looking at rescue places..but hubby says no. He knows I will not stop getting animals..

I have 2 parrots. A slaty head parakeet..(a large asian type) and a rescue Goffin Cockatoo. Tony the goffin is a such a love..but he is a plucker during mating season. At present he has a cone on his head to keep him from pulling out every feather. I now do not believe in breeding most birds for the pet bird trade. Birds are social animals and they have a complex social structure. We clip their wings and wonder why they scream all day.

When I retire I am going to get involved in feral cat spaying and rescue.

Buster, aka Boo-Boo, that I mentioned above is our big cheese. I swear no matter what, there is always enough pee left to pee on top of the other dog's spot. He also has a pee bush which is a rosemary. Cheap to replace, but now it's smaller than the rest of the run around the gazebo.

hemlady, it's because they love us no matter what and there's nothing like hugging a dog. I didn't have pets when I grew up, but I was for sure a stuffed animal kid, no dolls for me. I had a stuffed wiener dog that got recovered at least three times named Lassie ;-) Guess that dates me, eh? When they snuggle on my lap or on the bed doesn't the love make you feel like you're a little kid again?

And, not to be a busy body, but have you thought of rescuing a pom when you retire? We still have so many dogs abandoned, dumped, or turned in because of the foreclosure problems that would love you even more. I'm sure you could find a young, puppy-like pom, say a year or so old. It would already be potty trained and you'd know for sure if your current dog was happy with the new family member. I know my husband is a puppy person also (and I la-la-love puppy breath!), but Lucy sure hasn't been what he expected (a sassy, independent girl!) so 'molding' is not for certain.

In our mountain community we are isolated, so homelessness is clear if no posters are put up in town, so we try to place the ones we find, in the last 2-3 months there's been 6 GSDs and now we have an emaciated Great Pyrenees that's been on his own for some time. Bonnie put us way over the top so I try to help out where I can, I recently found a microship scanner on Craig's list that we all chipped (HA!) in for because we don't have a vet in town. It's very sad. Hope you take my words in the spirit I meant them. Good luck with your retirement! Hope we get to do so some day!!!

Hi Leslie - Yes, lots of the cat food is labelled 'gourment' but is junk- I had taken my big boy 'Baxter' Ragamuffin to the Vet over and over for Urinary Tract infection and the Vet kept selling me bags and cans of 'speciality' foods they carried, finally I went on Google and researched Urinary Tract and cat food, and it was an eye-opener, I kept fooling around with Google putting in different terms, and found out that the corn in dry kibble is a culprit in Diabetes also many other maladies afflicting cats... the stuff the Vet was selling me was mostly corn based, and the canned had corn also 'by-products'.. so I called Science Diet and the spokesperson said 'by-products' are beaks, feathers, feet, anything that humans don't eat... so I researched some more with Google and there are several meat-based canned and dry foods but they are not in the supermarket, they are found at specialty pet-food stores and cost more...I like Wellness, Origen, Natural Balance, Core.....read the labels, I try for 'human-grade ingredients' and higher protein content with no fillers or preservatives.... but the upshot of all this, my big-boy Baxter no longer has any UT signs and he runs and plays like a kitten, at age 10 and 1/2--- and they eat much less, and there is less stool in the litter-boxes because they utilize the food instead of eating more to get what their bodies need, and they have all lost excess fat and are more trim and lively... I rinse the cans with water after I empty them and mix the canned food with the water, I read this also, cats are 'desert animals' and don't drink enough water, so if you add some to their canned food it helps their system and prevents UT and bladder problems.... I think the large commercial pet-food companies are doing a real dis-service to the pet-food consumer, with their phony advertising and detrimental products... I also grow Catnip, outside, I hang it in the tree and break off sprigs and give it to my babies, they love it and roll and play... I learned not to put it in pots on the ground, other cats gobble it right away, so hang it in a tree where they can't reach it, and dole it out as it grows.... I have several hanging pots of catnip...... there is so much information out there abt. cat-nutrition if only we look we can find it and educate ourselves, Google is great !......... sally

Great thread ! I enjoyed reading it.

I went many years without a dog after my last one died - I grieved so much for her and just couldn't think of getting another dog.

But four months ago, Snowy Paduwan entered our lives. He was a stray, covered with foxtails and wounds, and had been clearly abused. After a great deal of care and cleaning a lively and quite handsome little Bichon Frise-Poodle mix emerged. He's still timid with strangers, but is such a grand little dog.

He's much loved and it's inevitable that he has a string of names - Cutie Patutie, Pongo Little and Mr. Stinker Pinkerton (for when he's particularly smelly) are some.

Cheers,
Jo

Sally, thanks for the info on pet nutrition. We have a store near us called Cutter's Mill that sells all the brands you mentioned. I'm going there tomorrow.

Jo, I love all your names for your precious rescue. What a great ending to Snowy Paduwan's very sad story.

I call my pets all kind of silly names in addition to their "real" names. My oldest pet, my 12 year old rescued springer spaniel Abby, gets called Abby Dabby Doodle, Dab Dab, and sometimes Scabby Dabby (for no other reason than the words rhyme!). I think my funniest name is for my 3 year old golden, Lucca. He had some housebreaking issues as a puppy, and I occaisionaly call him Lucca Ducca Poop-a-doop-a-lous! Strange, but I also talk to my outside plants and tell them either how beautiful they are or that I'm worried about them. LOL

I think rescue could be rewarding. Saldut, we are going through a food change for our ragdolls as well. My male had a urinary problem. Our vet said it is from grains in cat kibble..cats are carnivores. We will check into some of the foods you suggested.

Silly names..as I said above "Baby Max, the worlds cutest kitty, everybody says so"..Caesar became "Sun"..then "Son"..for some reason my daughter started calling him "son of a son of a son of a kid of a son". Just sillyiness that only pet lovers understand. My current cats Oliver has become "Alls and Palls", and his sister Peanut I call "Nuts and peas", and so on

Outdoor cats fare poorly here on the hillside, unless they are smart and tough. Best they go out during the day, but are in and safe at night.

In a few years, we will have a kitty again.

Rescues rule!

Jeri

A problem with dry kibble food for cats, it is dry, and as it passes thru' the gut it draws the moisture from the gut adding to the UT problem since cats don't naturally consume much water.... years ago we used to just put down a bowl of kibble and that was all they ate, having a tom with UT was an eye-opener also expensive... it is very convenient to just feed the kibble, no muss no fuss... but it has consequences.....there is a lot more information and research out there now so it behooves us to take advantage of it, for the sake of our furry friends.... Google has loads of data, stuff the Vet is not telling you because lots of Vets are also in the business of selling a certain brand of cat food, as my Vet is.... I still go to him because he is near-by and they are familiar with my herd, especially my Baxter, but I refuse to buy his cat-food, and when I tell him why he has to agree.....besides he makes a lot of money off me anyway I am a sucker for cats and bring strays in to be needled and neutered.... sally and her cats ............

I don't feed any of my animals with commercial brands as it works out cheaper, kilo for kilo to actually buy meat and either feed it to them raw or steam the chicken. Pilchards are a great buy - we feed cats and dog twice a week on pilchards or mackerel, breast of lamb or oxtail for the collie and even just ordinary mince - i think you guys in the US call it hamburger?. Offal is good too, especially heart but you do need to have a good butcher. Bit of a palaver but costs the same and the animals are all fit and healthy. Also, our dog will happily eat any leftovers including fruit and vegetables.

Salt, my vet is not that way. He told us right away to get wet food. We did buy his CD food in wet style..but my cats hated it. Right now they are on Friskies. The vet says most wet food is okay. It's the kibble he hates. I will say my cats personality have changed since the food change. They seem happier and more playful.

My blue persian..Max was so funny. He would sit by his food bowl..it would be full..and he would cry because he wanted us to know that he was going to eat and his bowl might be a bit to empty later on and to pay attention. He was so cute. He was very furry and he didn't groom alot..it was like he figured "why bother". When I would get him groomed he would sleep for days..he felt so good! He would find the silliest places to sleep and he looked so uncomfortable! His attitude was so simple and happy. The flame pt himi..Caesar..he was a sneak and so smart. Jealous of me..he lived for me. When he got sick I spoiled him rotten and the last few days he smelled so bad..a tumor under his tongue. I let him sleep lengthwise next to by body and I petted him every time I woke up. He was in bliss. I was there when they put him down..and it was peaceful. I had never done that before..but my friend told me that I would be happy I did. I had both my boys creamated..and I have some of their fur. I have the baby ragdolls now. They are 2 years..I am starting to love them lots now.

Sally - thanks for educating people about cat food. Of our 48 cats, we have 2 that are diabetic and need insulin shots twice/day. The vet said it was directly due to their diet and the grains in their food.

So, now we buy the high protein stuff (gets very expensive for 48 mouths!), and I've been thinking about making cat food from scratch. I have a few recipes that include all the nutrients a cat needs. As campanula pointed out, it will probably be cheaper.

Holly, what is the type of food you buy?

Hi Holleygarden - I read where it is difficult trying to prepare cat food at home, getting all the ingredients costs a lot because there are so many micro-nutrients, and if it isn't correct the cats have problems... also, cats in the wild eat whole prey, when they eat birds they can digest the bones and all, but we can't give them raw chicken because of the pathogens in commercial fowl, so we have to cook it, and then we can't let them eat the cooked bones because they are too sharp and can pierce their intestines.... the cat-food companies have studied all this and have wholesale sources for their ingredients, whilst we have to run around and hunt for suitable stuff..... all the references on Google advise not to try and prepare the food at home, they say instead find a really good canned source and buy that, ones that list the meat ingredients and state no grains , no by-products, no added fillers, no MSG, etc. etc. ... when I switched my herd from dry kibble to canned, several sulked, so I mixed it with the kibble gradually... now they all love the canned and I use the kibble as a 'treat'... I get abt. 4-5 different brands of canned, so they don't get stuck on one kind, and I also use Friskies Special Diet from the grocery, also Publix canned, they list the meat and it's listed first, I fill-in with these, I open abt. 6-8-10 cans every day, different sizes, and rinse them with water so the food is soupy..... I am training my babies to 'come' , with the kibble..... I call 'come' and walk away so they follow me, and when I get to a ( inside) door I call 'come out' so they follow me thru' the door..... don't know if it would work in a disaster but it's worth working at, cats are so unpredictable...... sally

zyperiris - I used to buy just 'regular' cat food. Not Wal-mart brand, but stuff like Friskies, Whiskas, etc. Unfortunately, those foods are not good. We did buy the diabetes brand from the vet for a while, but instead now we look for the protein content. We shoot for 40% protein, and make sure that is comes from an animal, not a grain. How they get protein out of corn, I don't know! We have become big label readers. It's not easy to find good high-protein cat food. EVO by Enova is the best (only 7% carbs), but it's hard to find (at least around here). We are now using Blue Buffalo Wilderness Natural Evolutionary Diet because we can get it from Petsmart. It's 40% protein.

sally - I know canned food is better, but we don't feed it because it's so much more expensive. And when we go away, it's easier for someone else to just pour them some dry food. Sounds like you have a great plan. A disaster is something I've never thought of! Maybe I won't start making our own cat food. Just been thinking of it as more and more good cat food is hard to find.

My older cat is allergic to corn. She will vomit immediately after eating even a little of dry or canned food with corn. It wasn't like that when she was young, this condition developed with age. I did a lot of research trying to find the food for her and honestly our doctor was not much help, he prescribed her special diet for digestive problems which main ingredient was corn. He didn't believe me when I said it is corn that is causing problems. My cat almost died when I was trying to figure out what is causing her illness. The best brands that work for her (no corn)are Now, California Natural, Pinnacle, Halo, Instinct, Evo. I tried some other brands which were fine from the ingridients point of view, but my cats didn't like the taste ,Wellness, Natural Balance, Avoderm and some others.
We are lucky here to have place called "Whole Pet", it has a lot of good cat food brands. Before I found this place I was ordering from "petsdirect.com"
Olga

Here are my gardening companions. It's a bad picture, but at least they are all together, a rare sight. It would have been a miracle had they all been looking at the camera.

Here's Fergus, Flora, and Pants
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I have never chosen a pet in my whole life. Fergus and Flora were the kittens of a neighborhood stray and Pants came with the house, the only survivor of her feral family. She sleeps in a cardboard box in my enclosed porch. I know she gets cold, especially since her sister is gone, but she refuses to stay inside the house unless a door is left open.

Maureen, They each have their own personalities, don't they ? they are much smarter than folks give them credit for.....I couldn't do without them, they are my constant companions.... EVO is a really good brand with high protein content... what I do, I give my outside kitties kibble in the morning and then canned for supper that I have added water to, make it real soupy.... it is expensive, but a lot cheaper than going to the Vet and having to give them medicine, I am so glad I did the research and learned abt. the dry kibble... especially the kind that is mostly carbohydrate, corn.... kitties can't process carbs and just put on too much fat... now mine are all the correct weight and are sleek.... sally

hey, I am SOOO excited - we are going to get some chickens this Sunday! They are a bit of a rescue job as the people who had them have a small garden and a bit of a rodent problem - v.nervous as they have small children so the chicks are coming to us - will have to get out quicksmart to knock up a good run at the allotment. Fortunately, a good henhouse is coming with them. We had talked about it for ages but the intial costs where just too much, specially as we had a whole heap of other financial responsibilities - daughter just starting her own business, gardening work always a bit slow at this time of year and so on. However, while looking at cafe stuff on Gumtree for my daughter, we saw the ad and got in touch. We are really thrilled and will be on poultry-keeping sites continually now - maybe even deserting the rose forum....I don't think.

Arlo Standing in front of my Westerland rose, and Lena (black) & Bailey relaxing on a warm Summer day

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Iris, a rescued racing greyhound named "Cherry Pie"
2 dachshunds, Ollie & Belle & 2 kitties...Noggers (cause his noggin is HUGE) and Miss Pretty, my 3 legged Siamese. All but Ollie are rescues or strays.

I call them my "fur kids"

~deron

Wonderful to hear about everyone's pets! We have two big mutts, Twyla and Dahlia and a darling little Whippet, Mimsy. There are three kitties, Jenny, Nimue, and Zazu. Zazu and Mimsy sleep with us. We also have chickens, koi, and goldfish. The koi have names, Opal, Luna, and Petunia. Petunia looks like a whale.

I've posted pictures of our Australian shepherd Freya before. She is not well-behaved in the garden as Pamela's dogs are, romping roughshod through the beds and exasperating me by digging holes to bury stolen socks. However, the other day she got a gopher. Hurray! That will keep her high on my approval list for some time to come.

Also living us for the past year is my daughter's Boston terrior Ty. This charming little fellow will be moving out in the fall when my daughter goes away to school. We'll miss him, and so will Freya, who still has not made up her mind whether he is her playmate or her competition.

Rosefolly

poodlepup, those are wonderful pictures, and the second is soo funny. Might I ask the name of the lavender-pink rose to the left of Arlo? It looks a bit like Duchesse de Brabant or perhaps one of the Austins. It's gorgeous and I'd love to know what it is. TIA

Ingrid

Poodlepup, I love your dogs and your roses. Your patio is wonderful, and I can see Lena and Bailey are quite the social types. They gave me quite a chuckle. And I love your shed colors.

Sherry

Sherry & Ingrid- Thanks- Now that I know how to post pictures you all will never see the end of me.I will try to not overdo it.

To the left of Arlo is "The Cottage Rose" tough everblooming, but very nasty thorns. in back of Arlo is Westerland-One of my favs, and to Arlo's right is Colette, pretty, gets really big, also very thorny. They have all been removed because they almost died from root rot due to my underground lake or creek or something. Have since put raised brick planters (which everyone hates) and new roses that won't get too tall

Dog days of Summer photo inspired by Lena and Bailey who actually like to sit in those chairs. So, I put a couple of glasses of wine in front of them, and just as I snapped the picture-Bailey leaned back in his chair.
Glad you enjoyed them!

4 dogs
2 cats
all strays!
Lots of fish.

I have 2 Great Danes, a German Shepard, and a Collie ? Mix. ... They are spoiled beach dogs!

poodlepup, how funny! I have two plants of Cottage Rose myself! I think yours must just be prettier than mine.

Ingrid

a very fat black cat who stays indoors. :)

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My Springer thinks that anything I do in the garden is to provide him with entertainment.

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When he was a pup, the fish pond was the big attraction.

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I have an almost 2 yr old chocolate lab (Patriot), a very old 14 yr old black cocker (Harley), and 3 chickens (Hannah, Abby, and Ginger) soon this spring I will add 5 more to the bunch plus a rabbit! Here is a picture of 2 of my "girls" last summer..
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~Meghan

About 40 miniature horses, 3 house dogs that are like my children [Cupcake and daughters Fruitcake and Tutti Fruiti], 5 outside dogs [all small, 3 are Cupcake's children], 6 cats, all siamese cross that came from a wonderful stray momma, Mildred [now deceased] and about 35 chickens - Jersey Giants, cochins, different kinds of bantams, black tailed Japs - the Giants play in the yard during the day, go back to their big coop at night and the bantams are in roomy cages and will hopefully start laying soon, then the 6 Heinz 57 that run around in the barn. My favorite is Gorgeous George, a big palomino Buff Orpington who follows me everywhere. And a wonderful Significant Other who loves them as much as I do!
Judith

my chooks have arrived! we just about got the run built when the chickens and coop arrived at our allotment. They scratched around, ate some broccoli and acted as though they had lived there all their lives. Tucked up in the hen-house, we will have to rush out to let them out in the morning - can't wait!
momoluv and alameda - I may be pestering you.
cheers, suzy

I am blessed with my wonderful pup daisy, who keeps the birds out of my blueberries and the rabbits out of everything else!
Here she is in our big snow/ice storm we got this weekend :)

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We have three indoor/outdoor dogs (Yellow Dog, Sausage Man, and Circus Bear), three indoor cats (Bunky, Waterbug, and Kewp Kewp, who is allowed outside supervised), fish, and three parakeets (Marley, Sabra, and Blueberry).

All are rescues except the fish and two of the keets.

What a fun thread. I've really enjoyed it!

Poodlepup,
Great Picture. 4 dogs here. 2 are Great Danes, also a German Shepard, and a Collie Mix.

Regards,
Andrew

2 cats and 1 sheltie mix Hunnybunny :D

Here's Hunny with a hydrangea bloom on her head!

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