Aww, thanks for the picture. I lost my Border Collie, Ben, at 17 and was heartbroken. They are so intelligent; my sons called him my third son. I showed him in obedience, such a pleasure to train and he enjoyed it too.

I have had Dalmatian dogs since 1971. Now, we have three rescued Long-Coat Dals -- wonderful rescued dogs, who love every person and every other dog, and cats, too.

Jeri

Our dog is a herder, a red Australian shepherd, guardian of the garden. She buries her bones in newly dug beds and chases gophers and ground squirrels (usually without success). She is getting older now, 12 years, but is still quite vigorous.

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I have not been consistent in the dogs I have owned. My family had a collie when I was a child, and earlier in my adult life I owned a Newfoundland. I expect my next dog will be somewhat smaller yet. I've been thinking of some sort of terrier (the gophers and ground squirrels mentioned above).

Rosefolly

I've had few dogs, being more of a cat person. My most beloved dog was Nellie, a gentle female brindle pit bull, who embodied all the great qualities of the breed, was taught to love cats whom she had no experience with before we adopted her, and always exhibited perfect behavior. We now have a Yorkie and a rescued rat terrier who was abused and then abandoned, and had considerable issues, some of which will never go away. Our beloved Maine Coon cat, Casey, is sadly gone, although never from our hearts.

Ingrid

I grew up with Labradors, for bird-hunting, but I prefer cats. Like Camp, I've always done best with whatever cat happened to show up. It's flattering to be chosen, especially by a cat. That's a picture of Olive, whom I found one morning, as a tiny kitten, cowering under a pine tree at the beach. She was howling at me to rescue her, and when I knelt down to her she climbed onto my shoulder and dug her claws into me- and that was that.

Jeri, those Dalmatians are so beautiful.

And the male, who appeared out of NOWHERE in the middle of winter a few years ago. If he could speak, I'm sure he'd sound like George Sanders.

Ingrid, I love brindle bullies! Nellie seems like she was a gem.

I've always had mutts. Right now I've got two older girls, a petite husky mix and a sturdily built mutt made of spare parts from all sorts of dogs, as far as I can tell. There are some breeds I feel a soft spot for but I've had all sorts. Never had a small dog though! Here is the wannabe lap dog lounging in my newly landscaped yard. She thinks the rhubarb makes her butt look smaller.
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I love these postings. You can look at each of the pictures posted here and see so much personality in each face. You can also see how beloved they are. They are all so touching, but I was especially touched by Ingrid's post. I am so glad your little guy found a good home at last.

Shadow

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Hello Kitty

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MayBee

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Frida

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I love my dog but I am really a cat person. Roses and kitties, didn't someone say the perfect garden book would include several kitty pictures?

The first dog I knew was my grandmother's German Shepherd, whom I loved, but the dogs I grew up with and have had ever since have been Rough Collies. When my parents decided to get their first dog, shortly after getting their first house, there was a difference of opinion on what breed to get. My mother having lived with German Shepherds wanted that breed and my father having lived with a Collie wanted that breed. So my father said that if Mom would let him have the first dog be a collie, she could have German Shepherds from then on. Later he said that he knew that mom, having once lived with a collie, would choose them from then on. He knew his market.

Yes, Camps, it is the intelligence, the obedience and also the intuition. It is as though she can read my mind and I hers. Whether it is familiarity with the breed, the dog, or having lived with dogs since babyhood, I don't know but I am awfully grateful for it.

Cath

What are we like? If I had a bet to get a thread to reach 100 posts, animals would be my number 1 subject. Obviously, pleasure in our furry (and scaly or feathery) pals is not just associated with gardeners but you must admit, by and large we are a fervently animal loving lot.

We've always had Sammies due to allergies. They are better than most other breeds for us with our chronic allergies. They are not particularly clever save for two things: stealing things and eating them, and looking beautiful. Boris last weekend ate a stick of butter and a map of Kern County.

I love cats but can't get near them. Sneeze, sneeze, sneeze, eyes swell, wheezing commences.

Beautiful pets everyone has! Great photos.

That's a wonderful collection of critters.

Dr. Tommy Cairns did a talk years ago, on Roses And Human Genes, in which he maintained that those who gardened with roses were genetically programmed to love critters.

HoovB -- That is a breathtaking photo. Sammies have such wonderful faces.

Jeri

One of those stripey kitties is so much like our old Thomas, I caught my breath . . .

I just love seeing all of our four legged friends. This is my garden buddy, Huck. Huck is a grand rabbit chaser but has not figured out the vole hunt yet! He`s my good buddy and I love him dearly. He is just a sweet-heart! lesley

Jeri - your dalmations look disconcertingly like spotted salukis - a breed I am only too familiar with since our infamous lurcher, Yoshi (on personal terms with dog-wardens from 3 counties) had a saluki mum who gave him endless energy, gracefulness and, unfortunately world-class sneakiness and thieving abilities - luckily, he was also endowed with an unfailingly loving and gentle nature, so much so that he became a fixture in, on and around numerous radiators, kitchens, beds, sofas and rugs across the length and breadth of Cambridge and its environs (up to 15 mile radius). When he died (of a heart attack, chasing a hot but reluctant German shepherd ), certain families felt that they were actually part-owners and grieved more than us (who had the dog-wardens, college officials, police, and several court cases to contend with).

Camp -- I've not had a Saluki, but (I've traveled with some) and my DH had Afghan Hounds when we married. He still appreciates a good Hound.

And actually, in FCI countries, Dals have been placed in the class with other Sighthounds -- and they may be closely related to the old Talbot Hound. In FCI shows, I showed a Dal in the Sighthound Group, against my DH with an Afghan Hound. :-)

OLD pictures of Dals show a dog that is houndier than most of what we see today. And our dogs are very old-fashioned in type (not to mention all that hair!)

Jeri

Traditionally, the breed changed with each new arrival, most often after the last one passed. The Chihuahua was a Craig's List throw away, brought home to force the 93 year old to interact with something; force him to answer the phone (Beau will NOT stop barking as long as ANYTHING that sounds like a bell, timer, ringer, etc. makes noise and often keeps on barking LONG after the noise stops); get out of bed, etc. He did his job and still loves it, though it's no longer necessary.

Paddy arrived because the groomer is also the breeder and she's been a family friend for 20 or so years. She groomed the previous dogs and began grooming Beau when he arrived. She looks for homes for her "girls" when she retires them from showing and breeding, and Paddy was ready to retire, so she came home. Lula was the same story. So, usually the breed changes, but as long as Susan continues retiring her "girls", needing good retirement homes for them, and there are openings (I want to KILL the Chihuahua! LOL!), new ones are very likely to continue being Toy Fox Terrors. They're cool little rats, anyway. Kim

I've always had cats, as they're take-care-of-themselves kinds of animals, yet companionable too. I find few cats ugly, some definitely more beautiful than others, but have never had a perfectly beautiful cat, since it seemed more important to accept what showed up at the door and needed a home.
I grew up with dogs but never had one myself until my daughter wanted a dog and DH backed her up; I was the only one who knew what we were getting into but was outvoted. We got a dog. I am its owner. Bolt is a hunting dog mix with considerable hound character: hardheaded, a great runner, and will chase anything on four legs. He's somewhat teachable, thank heavens, but still gets himself and us into trouble now and then. In looks he's like a scaled-down hound, with floppy ears and a lean waist. It's a good thing we live in the country and he's not tied up, because he's a dog who needs a lot of exercise. He's fond of his human pack and mannerly in the house, can't be convinced not to chase our cats, or cars, but has learned that the neighbors' goats must be left strictly alone. I can dialog with him. He's my companion on my long walks, and I welcome his company and enjoy having him around. Even my husband, who was not raised with pets and has never liked or appreciated them, has begun to get fond of our dog.

Don't you wonder WHAT goes through his mind, Melissa? Lula is "The Great White Hunter", anything that moves, she hunts. I stood out front during their potty break, laughing myself silly as she kept catching the little moths flittering around the coach lights on the retaining walls bordering the stairs. She'd lunge, grab the moth and then spit like crazy trying to get the nasty thing out of her mouth. Then, she'd do it again! Paddy just stood there watching her as I did. We probably shared the same thoughts, "Dumb dog!" Kim

I grew up with Toy Fox Terriers. Mom said they were the cheapest pedigree dogs she could find. No she wasn't a snob, we lived on a beer budget...still do.
I've had all sized dogs: from Yorkies to a Mastiff-Wolf cross who was a target brindle and weighed approx. 145 lbs. Most were rescue dogs.
The current spoiled brat and totally loveable 130 pounder is a St. Bernard. We actually paid for her and had to drive twice to Portland, Oregon to get her. We call her Marki, but her true name is Marchessa Bocella. Today she smells like her namesake as she had a bath along with her 2 horse buddies, Coda and Cuti. The 2 resident cats don't do baths. Both were foundlings. Hummer, who has the loudest one I've ever heard is a Japanese Bob. He was abused. Sarah is a torti-point calico..she was found at the age of about 4 weeks in a dumpster at Walmart.
This menagerie along with the OGR's and vegetable gardens for charity keeps us hopping.
ZJW727..thought you might want to know I have a climbing red rose bush named Olive. The red is almost electric in color.
Jeannie

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Love the pooch pictures and the Kitties. We miss our lovely cat inky, a stray who adopted us but the birds are much happier now that she is gone!

Campanula, I don't know what a lurcher is but we have had Salukis for a long time and this is our latest Daze as a pup showing that desert landscaping is not going to detour her. Of course she no longer chews the agaves just tears through the yard "rearranging" the gravel mulch. 3/4 an acre looks small when a saluki is running through it.

Maria

Mohavemaria, a lurcher is basically a sighhound cross which was originally intentionally bred for a hunting purpose. It's not a set breed, being as the parent-breeds could be very different.

:-)

~Christopher

Indeed, Christopher - we coursed hares and rabbits with our lurchers until it was outlawed. I can still skin and joint a hare faster than I can knock up a decent beefburger. Yosh had a deerhound x greyhound father so was technically a sighthound (or long dog as they are sometimes called) rather than a lurcher (we also had a 1/4 collie x 3/4 deerhound / greyhound 'Fly'), which traditionally has one of the parents coming from a working breed such as terriers or sheepdogs, bred with one of the hounds which tends to lend a degree of intelligence to add to the breathtaking speed and visual acuity of the sighthounds.
Yep, Maria, 3/4 acre is a few floating strides for a saluki......apparently, they also have the greatest stamina of all the sighthounds - Yosh could cover a couple of miles on the fen at full pelt, jinking and turning, pick up a hare in flight and return it alive (soft mouth).....after a 6 mile cycle ride before dawn. Out of 3 runs, he could catch 2.....and then run behind the bikes back home. His middle name was sneaky ba***rd.

All of these pictures are wonderful, what a good idea!

Didn't the Romany use lurchers a lot?

Jeri

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Here's Daze all grown up playing with Tucker a pound rescue.
Thanks for the information on lurchers. This sounds like what we work hard to avoid - half salukis of our doing!

Hunting with sight hounds sounds like great fun although I hope your rabbits there taste better than the sage eating ones around here which we have eaten exactly once and that was enough. I wonder why it's illegal since rabbits are pests in most areas. Our dogs go after anything that lands in our yard be it rabbit, pigeon, chicken and once an unfortunate cat.

Maria

Maria, in much of the U.S., rabbits carry some diseases which you can catch by eating them. (Or your dog could.) That's why people who DO hunt rabbits and eat the meat usually do so only in the winter months, when whateveritis is dormant.

I'll pass.

Lurchers aren't casual crosses of sighthounds, et al, but the concept goes right back to the middle ages. Very useful dogs, so I gather.

Jeri

Here is a link that might be useful: About Lurchers

Maria, we can still hunt for rabbits as they are classed as vermin rather than game but hares are off limits......and, in truth, I do support this ban. We always felt justified in filling the family pot and scrupulously despatched hares humanely. There was an undoubted romance in poaching which appealed to our inner outlaw but..........the hare started to vanish from the East Anglian countryside and even worse, was almost hunted to extinction for 'sport' - killed in 'best out of three' coursing bets, then left on the field for the crows. For a while, we worked at night with lamps, where the prey was always rabbits (although we would never eat a 'myxie' coney (although myxomatosis was dying out by the late 80s) but we had started something which the dogs found hard to renounce (hunting) and for an awful time, there were a few attacks on neighbouring guinea pigs and rabbits kept as pets (did I mention the lurcher's unbelievable escape abilities - a 10foot wall is nothing to them - Fly won medals for scramble jumping over 16 feet and they could creep through a keyhole, almost). Yep, Jeri, lurchers have always been valued by travellers and Romanies and until the ascent of Staffies and Pitbulls in the lexicon of 'street' style, they were a general signifier of a renegade spirit (fancy that!) - the classic 'dog on a string' with crusty anarchist boho types.
I could write a long picaresque biography of our lurchers whereas 16 years of our border collie has passed without a single distressing incident - the very worst thing she ever did was steal the christmas dinner (although she did do that twice).....I am now addicted to a quiet and peaceful life.

They don't garden with me, since they aren't allowed out (speedy road just outside the fence, and wildlife that would kill them sprinkled around the neighborhood) but they do their best to interfere with all planning. I had to get a plastic tub to hold seeds since Noelle (my 'free' Maine Coon girl [there are NO free pets...]) would snitch them off the shelf they were on and bat them around before chewing holes in the packets. Most annoying.

Melinda

All this is interesting reading, as I've known dogs only as pets. You all are making me wonder if it wasn't a blessing that our dog is half mutt in addition to the half hunting dog, adding a certain malleability to his character which was badly needed. He still tends to be stubborn, territorial, and dominating, wanting to claim a higher rank on the human-animal social ladder than he merits (as I have to remind him occasionally still, he's a DOG), and this in spite of his having been with us since he was weaned and extensively socialized. Formal training, which I don't know how to do, probably would have helped, but I at least I know something about how to keep a dog sweet and in his place. I had some major battles with our dog when he was younger, and there were times when I wondered how on earth I'd ever be able to live with him. He wasn't like any dog we ever had when I was a child, ours having been mostly a mixed bag of pit bull or collie mixes. I wasn't used to such a temperamentally aggressive and dominating character in a dog. Fortunately he's calmed down some, and I think I've done enough of the right things that he's generally pretty well intentioned and well behaved. His sire, the hunting dog, is a bad animal, and I think passed on a good portion of his undesirable temperament. But our dog has turned out, in spite of occasional idiocies, reasonably well.
Melissa

' occasional idiocies'

I think that sums up dog-owning in a nutshell.

My experience of 'cat gardening' is generally a sinking feeling as your questing fingers find yet another fragrant (ahem) kitty offering.

We have had every kind of dog imaginable from Peke-a-poos to German Shepherds and everything in between. Cats, everything from Manx/Siamese (which is like having a monkey living in your house) to dumpees from down in the woods.

My most-loved dog was a Lab/Sharpei mix named Sadie who simply cannot be replaced. I still really have not gotten over her loss due to cancer. Our current dog is a rescue Dobie who is food obsessed. She thinks about food 24/7. She steals cat food and dog cookies out of the laundry room if I forgot to close the door. She eats dead things she finds in the pastures and horse manure. The horse manure thing got so bad we had to sit with dryer sheets by our chairs when watching TV to put over our noses when she "vented" excess methane from all the horse manure she was eating. Now, we keep an eagle eye on her when she's outside since we figured out what the problem was and no longer have to cover our noses with dryer sheets. She now weighs 114 pounds, which is double what she should weigh because of her obsessive food stealing.

Our current three cats were dumped in the woods but I can tell were once someone's much-loved pets because they have been very socialized. In fact, these boys are ultimate lap kitties. If I would sit and hold them all day, they would sit there all day. Sometimes all three of them at once, and that's a lap full as they weigh over ten pounds each.

We also have two sandhill cranes that have been coming to our front gate for years. They dance for horse food. Sometimes they have chicks, sometimes it's just the two of them. And then there's the horses and the cows and....

I have really enjoyed the stories and pics of everyone's extended family.

We had two calm, lovely indoor rescue female cats who were two years old. Then we got another rescue female kitten. I did all of the things they told you - kept her in a different room for a few days so they could hear and smell her, etc. They wanted nothing to do with her, and when I put them together the older cats exhibited fear, and ran away! This picture is the first time I saw any "bonding" beginning to happen - after that all three of them get along fine (although I do understand why the older ones were afraid of her - she is twice as smart as they are and four times more naughtY!

Jackie

"Foodies" can be a real "challenge". The older retired breeder is the definition of "foodie". She's also the first dog I've ever lived with who found other animal "leavings" a real delicacy. She was notorious for mining the cat box and would leave them around the house for later. Happily, since the cat is gone, that isn't an issue now. But, she adores the Chihuhua's offerings and Lula notices everything she does and is following suit. Of course, there is nothing wrong with either one and all are fed a well balanced, grain free food. They just LOVE food and consider anything which has ever BEEN food, fair game. All three also go completely insance for carrots. They're sweet and crunchy. Lula, in particular, will continue eating them as long a you hand them to her. They eat so many, all three should have XRay vision! I figure they're much better for them than the usual cookies or other dog treats and they don't seem to care. None have ever been refused when offered.

I have to really be careful in the kitchen. ANYTHING that hits the floor is theirs. Both Terrors will eat any vegetable they find. The Chihuahua investigates them with trepidtaion, but the girls are furry garbage disposals. As long as it's something I know won't hurt them, I let them think they beat me to it. They seem to enjoy that aspect of the game. Kim

It's quite funny this post popped up, as we were just discussing the idea of getting a dog. My SO and I are definitive cat people. Yet we both had dogs growing up and cats, too, but they were often let outside and less concern was shown for their welfare. (Perhaps that's why we dote on our kitties now?).

When I was maybe 5, we inherited my mom's dog from when she was a kid/teenager (since she was probably about 21 or so at the time, and the dog was already quite old, this makes sense). He was a Chesapeake Bay Retriever, and the most adorable sweetheart ever. Sadly he died not long after. He is my favorite, ever.

Then it was two Rottweilers. Never had a problem with them (a la, aggressive behavior they are oft vilified for) and Sam, the older of the two, was my best buddy. I was still young enough that he could drag me wheeling wildly behind him with ease.

When I was a teenager and fit to move the hell out of the house...long story...my mom and brother (taking over for my dad's ever famous act of bringing home misc pets) brought home a German Shepard-Chow mix. He had all the bad traits of a chow in the size of a German Shepard's body. With the fact that he attached very strongly to my brother, and secondly to my father, my sister, mom and I were persona non grata to that dog.

As a adult, it's been only cats. However, just this past weekend, SO and I were discussing what we'd do if our (hypothetical) kids ever wanted a dog (since our parents had both given their kids dogs in this manner). As we are not really dog ppl, SO is a strong "no. That's not happening". I'm a bit more flexible, but have a soft spot for big dogs. But with our little yard, I am loath to let a large (or any, for that matter) dog run amok. Although, they did just build a big, shiny dog park (it should be on HGTV soon; some lady won a contest and they swooped in and built this fantasy dog park) nearby...

Amelie -- DON'T get a dog because you think you should. Not everyone is a "Dog Person."

Not all homes or lifestyles mesh well with a dog -- and I think you sense (quite correctly) that a dog requires a considerable commitment of time and money. That doesn't work for everyone.

Having a companion animal in your home and your life is really good physical and mental health therapy. But it could be a cat or cats, or a bird or birds -- or any number of small mammals, or even exotic fish.

Jeri

This is a picture of one of my Kuvasz, Zephyr. For the horse owners among us, he is 7.2 hands high at the withers. Which is basically pony size.;) Due to Mr. Zephyr's presence I have to take precautions with baby plants, like putting tomato cages around them. Because he will sit on plants and turn them into pancakes. His coat is so dense he doesn't feel even the nastiest of thorns. Smash goes another purchase, argh!*g* He, ahem, will also fire hydrant them, and at his size baby plants don't stand a chance. So while new arrivals are establishing, I often place large pots in front as shields--works pretty well--or even low wire decorative garden fencing will keep him just out of range. Multiple unprotected plants bit the dust, and I learned a few simple precautions that let plants and dog coexist.

Of course I've also planted greenery especially for the enjoyment of my dogs. They particularly like to snack on native grasses. I think the native grasses are pretty, and they are good for the dogs to boot.

Melissa

Oh, that's a GREAT photo! He is so handsome!

Jeri

I bet you haven't worn black clothes for a long time, Melissa.
I certainly didn't in my days of cream/white hairy dog owning.

Actually when walking puppy Gizi this morning we came upon a lady who wanted to pet her. A lady in black.;) And the first thing that came in my head was that outfit won't be all black for long.

I do tempt fate sometimes and dare to wear black. But I have to try and sneak out of the house without any of the dogs touching me, 'cuz those white hairs have a homing signal attachment for dark clothes. Have to say though that there are many rose photos I haven't shared on here because of the telltale white hairs that also have an affinity with rose bushes. Below is R. spinosissima which has had a visit from Zephyr.

Thanks Jeri. He does look handsome in that picture--while walking through the garden and not caught in the act of flattening anything!

Melissa

Well, with Dalmatians in the house, I probably should have given up black -- but I never did, despite the short, barbed hairs that stick into fabric. I'm sure I have hairs from every Dal I've ever owned.

But my Long-Coat Dalmatians -- tho their shed hair is just as plentiful, it doesn't stick. You can sweep it up and toss it out, and clumps of it must be desirable material for bird's nests.

And I'll go right on wearing long, sweeping, full black velvet skirts for winter "occasions."

Jeri

We've had our first dog--a standard poodle--for about 2 1/2 years and love him so much that we are getting another standard poodle. In about a month we'll be bringing home an eight week old puppy--yikes! We got Mikey at 11 months old and the breeder had him so well trained, it was a piece of cake. I'm a little nervous about doing all the training myself, but I've always wanted to raise a puppy. Wish me luck :-)

Anne

Oops! I forgot to mention how much I've enjoyed all the pics and stories. Zjw727, I also had a cat that looked like he would have sounded like George Sanders if he could have spoken--especially when his eyes were half closed :-)

Anne

I've loved reading this thread! Thanks so much, everyone who contributed.

I grew up on a farm in NE Ohio where we had all manner of farm cats and our dogs were usually some sort of herding mix. Our first dog after we were married was an Australian Shepherd. We got her from a sheep rancher in Utah where we lived at the time. Ever since, we've had Aussie/Aussies of one sort or another. They are wonderful dogs but do need a job of some kind. My daughter brought home a Sheltie when she was 10 and started another tradition. She showed in junior showmanship and agility, taking her old dog with her when she left after college. Our house seemed a little too quiet (those who have Shelties will understand). I began fostering for Sheltie Rescue of East Tennessee and eventually got a Sheltie for myself, too. My current head count is one Aussie- Shine, and two Shelties- Yatta, (rhymes with hurrah) my girl, and Katie, my foster.

Jeri is right on the money about pet ownership. If I could add one thing: just as there's a "right rose, right place" there's also the right dog or pet for the right place. It helps to do a little research on the individual pet you may be considering and be realistic about what you can offer. It makes a big difference in how successful you'll be.

Nice to see some pittie fans here. I've had a few different breeds, but have never been without a pit bull in the home, even when I was growing up. Now we have just one, Hank. He was a no-time-left pound save, and the best one I've had to date.

Rescues often prove great pets. It's as if they're grateful. They've found a good landing place and they know it. Kim

Hank is a pretty boy. Love his little white toes.