I think it's great that you have formed this bond with Dixie, good for you and he. Great Landlord you have too. I too deal with social anxieties so I understand that, it's really great that Dixie has helped you with this some.

We have an indoor cocker spaniel named Casey who is more like a furry little girl than a dog. We took her walking in the back woods this past weekend and for once let he play in the mud, she really had fun doing that. For now on I think we will do that on bath day(when we can) for her. We enjoyed seeing her have so much fun but she really got dirty.
She's vewry timid with other people and children, does not like other dogs, likes cats, squirrels, birds, and such. She eats a diet we cook for her( Chicken, noodles, carrots, peas, snaps) once a week or so and this has helped her alot with food problems. She did not have allergies per-say, but a very sensitive stomach.

We have a little poodle named Buster. He turned 11 years old this last November. He was diagnosed with diabetes 4 years ago this June and is doing great.
The diabetes has taken his eye site but he has remarkably well.
We weren't able to have kids so we have raised him as our "little guy". He's very special to both of us. My desk is covered with pictures of him on different trips we've all been on. He has traveled the world with us.
During the day while I am at work I have a dear friend that comes to the house to let him out and to play with him. We are gone too long to leave him alone so we hired a sitter! :0)

Hello,I have two female basset hounds and I'm totally in love with them!They have taken the place of my two grown kids that don't live at home any more.The dogs are Lucy and Sally.Lucy will be 4 years old the end of this month and Sally is approximately 2 years or so.You sound as if you are going to be a great pet owner..Debbie

I have the same problem Firemenswife!! I will never be able to have a child so my dog is my baby. I get very upset if anything is not right which shows I can never have a child cuz I panic when he gets sick like the ear problems he now has. I do not have a dog sitter but my landlord takes my dog out sometimes when I am not home. He says he hates pets but he sure does spend lots of time with my dog!

Yes jcal my landlord is great and so is his wife. We help each other out like when she was sick I cooked her rice and lots of times I go to the store for her. He said he never had a renter that helped them out before.
Thanx Debbiep! I love basset hounds too. My cousin has one that had to have surgery on his eyes. He weighs about as much as my labrador retriever mebbe! He is very heavy. Is your dogs heavy too?

I have had outdoor dogs since my girls were little. When my DH died 3 yrs ago, I wanted to die also. We'd been married 48 yrs. My DD talked me into taking in 2 rescued dogs as house dogs.
My big dog,Dillen is a hound mix. weighs 60lbs on the way down to 50lbs on vets orders. He is such a kind lovable dog,never gets mad but really can scare a stranger till i tell him enough.He'd really love the person to death.LOL He is really cowed by my little chipug mix who weighs 6 lbs. He is very gentle around her and when they play, sometimes he'll put his paw on her like a cat would a mouse. she'll just lay there and play dead. Each will bark to get the other one to go look and see if someones outside than the other one will go steal the others treat.

my little chipug mix Cricket is very loving too. She is reserved untill she knows someone. she loves to play tug of war with her stuffed toys with me but not with Dillen. Dillen loves balls. Cricket loves to curl up in my lap when i watch tv so does Dillen but thank goodness not much.Cricket also loves to get close to my face and pretend she's going to tear me up than give me a kiss on the nose.

The dogs have a large 6' high fence pen and a doggie door. Cricket goes out for her business but don't play much outside unless i go out too. Dillen likes to go out more if i
go out to play too.
Cricket hates my DD,s cats,who are bigger than she is and will growl and snap at them.

My dogs have become my close family as well as my friends and yes i talk to them. Cricket will cock her head like she hears every word. Dillen just gives me a well you maybe right look and goes on.

Dillen will howl everytime the Law and Order theme song comes on, so i howl with him when it's over he'll run over for a hug.

Cricket likes to keep me in sight so she follows me all around the house. Right now she's asleep in a chair next to mine.

Hugs to all our animal babies!!!
vickie

Hello All:

Can you tell by my forum name that I'm a dog lover. I have a little Lhasa Apso named Fuzz. He's very fierce around any animals and WILL attack them. He loves people though.

We lost his little sister 2 yrs ago from renal displaysia (Kidney Failure) and miss her terribly, but can't get another one because Fuzz would eat it.

Fuzz is 11 yrs old, has arthritis in his back legs, is on Rymidal, vitamins and a great food from Petco called Natures Balance. The only things it's made from are Salmon and Sweet Potatoes, that's it. No grains, no fillers, nada! So lablover4ever give this food a try. It is specifically for dogs with allergies. try their web site at www.naturesbalance.com and read about it.

Fuzz (and his sister Tigger) used to suffer from constant ear infections, costing us a lot of money in vet bills and medicine so the vet put them on a fish and sweet potato diet made by Iams. It helped some, but since I have switched to the Natures Balance, Fuzz has been clear and his coat is even more beautiful than it was before.

They also have these meat rolls that can be cut up to use as treats. Same thing again, no fillers or allergy producing grains.

You have nothing to lose by trying these products.

Good Luck!

Lablover4ever one of my bassets(lucy)the one with allergies is heavier than she should be.She weighs in at around 54 lbs and could stand to lose a few pounds.

Oaklief,my moms mixed breed small dogs howl to at the theme of Law and Order.Its hilarious!
Debbie

I'll start with the the ones I have the least to say about and work my way down, lol.

Bowser, our mali uromastyx, is just old and grumpy. He pretty much hides all day unless he's hungry. He spooks easy and will run at the slightest sound, or if someone goes up to the tank. He doesn't have much time left, I don't think.

Kupa, our juvenile bearded dragon, has taken over the tank, I guess you could say. He's about the same size as bowser now, and will jump on boswer and bob his head, and puff out his big black beard to let boswer know its his turn to eat, not bowsers. He's also a bit grumpy, He got quite a spook when the boyfriend left the tanks lid off after a feeding, and the cats got in. He's been skittish ever since. I can't blame him, they killed our baby bearded dragon when they got in there. Not on purpose, but they stepped on him and pierced right through his little body.

Zoey, my calico is my baby. I've had her for nearly 4 years now and shes my little mom suck. She loves most people but I can call her and she'll run to me no matter how many loves and pets she is getting from someone else. She's a bit of a snoot, and definately lets us know if she doesn't like someone. She has a major personality to her, and big time attitude. I think thats why I like her, she reminds me more of a 15 year old hormonal teenager, than a cat!!

Resin, my little black kitten, is a little terror. She just doesn't stop all day. Go, go, go, for her. She bugs the dogs, she bugs me, she bug anyone who walks in the house. She'll eat anything. But she's one of the biggest cuddlers ever, when she slows down for a few minutes. She absolutely loves to be petted and loved when shes calm.

Ponch, my boyfriends Boxer-Pitbull. He's just a great dog all around. He listens well. He's a huge suck. When he wants to lay on the couch with us, he'll come put his big dopey head on the couch and stare up at us with sad little eyes. He's very smart. And he's an excellent guard dog. He will wake up out of a dead sleep and start barking and spike up if something bad is going on outside. He's only done it twice in 2 years, and both times our vehicles were getting broken into. Though in his old age he is losing patience and getting a bit grumpy. He will snarl if he gets yelled at sometimes, and the puppy annoys him every now and then and he'll go after her. He's never bitten her, though. He just likes to put some fear into her.

Lastly, Coda. She is one of the funnest dogs I have ever owned. She's so mischevious and smart. When she gets ahold of a toy she knows isn't hers she'll toss it up into the air and play catch with herself, that way she doesnt REALLY have the toy. Sometimes she'll come padding over to the couch, looking sorry for herself, put her front paws up for pets and very slowly and sneakily crawl up the couch with her back legs. Before we know it shes on the couch and we didnt even notice she was doing it. She's also learned to walk so her collar doesn't jingle. So when she's been told to stay and she's decided she's stayed long enough, she'll creep and we won't even notice. Either that or she'll do an army crawl and next thing you know she's in the middle of the room, but still laying down. Every morning she wakes up she sits in the middle of the living room floor making high pitched sounds when she yawns and scratches her ears. Then she'll drag her bum in a circle, staying in the same spot, go back to scratching and making grunting noises and yawns and then shes good to go for the day! She absolutely adores people, and will do anything for a pet and snuggle. And she lives to hear the words 'good girl' She's truly one of a kind!

Lablover, I have a yellow lab also, a 2 yr old male who is quite a character. He was a handful to train (training still going on!) but loves all people and all dogs. His great joys are chasing the ball when we throw it and swimming to retreive balls. He could do that all day, he is almost tireless. He also lies on his back and waves his paws in the air, making little groaning noises indicating someone should rub his belly. We adore him!

I just wanted to say also that a KONG is a rubber toy that you can get in pet shops - roundish with a hole in the middle that you can stuff food into. The black ones are the strongest, the only ones that our lab can't destroy. He has very strong teeth and jaws and can shred almost anything to bits. Lately I tried putting peanut butter in it and freezing it, but it only took him about 15 minutes tops to get the peanut butter out!

Let me apologize in advance for all the pictures. I'm surprised no one else has included any. What can I say about my purring, playful, pretty prince? He's amazing... as sweet as beautiful. He loves everyone he meets... he even kissed a magazine salesman that made me burn my dinner a couple weeks ago! His presence has certainly enriched my life and I wouldn't be the same without him. He's my companion to make my first apartment on my own feel like home. He gives me someone to come home to... he is always happy to see me and interested in what I am doing... in short he's amazing. He's 11 months old now, I got him from the shelter when he was 6. I collect vacuum cleaners as a hobby, so sometimes he gets lost in the mix. But he gets along with them much better now that he realized that there were more of them than there were of him and they weren't going anywhere! My precious baby!

My dog is 950lbs and 24 years old, she does tricks such as fetch and roll over, we used to go for walks up to 25 miles long, she gets along with all animals, but she never wags her tail :( I dress her up for halloween, and I think she enjoys it, she hates riding in the car, as I think she likes to just walk everywhere. she never pees in the house, as she is a outside dog, but she alway runs up to greet me when I get home and she hangs out on the porch a lot.
me and hubby don't have "kids" but we have a lot of fur babies, but I'm not sure all of them are dogs???????????
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Halloween
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ROLL OVER!
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Born in the USA!

We have 5 pomeranians and a kitty, so I'll start with the oldest.
Boogie- he is 10 and seems to have every problem under the sun. He has arthritis in 3 legs so sometimes he walks ok sometimes they all go out at the same time. He has about 2 seizures a month, and also has a disc problem in his back. But all in all he is a happy little fellow, who just keeps chugging along. he is very verbal and will let us know loudly if he has any needs,as we have spoiled him terribly due to all his problems...he is the love of our lives
Gus- is 7 yrs old and a little sweetie devil he looks just like a fox and loves his toys although he has a male agression problem, trying to show he's the boss. He also is the love of our lives
Babygirl- is a very quiet sweet girl who is very easily overlooked around here because she is so quiet and laid back, sometimes I have to remind myself to spend time with her cause she is not always vieing for attention like the others. she is also the love of our lives.
Mysti- is quite the clown, she always does the goofiest things and gets along with everyone.She has a bedtime routine that is so funny and has to do it every night, she will get a piece of food and hump babygirl get a piece of good and go hump babygirl, and will do this over and over till I go to bed.
Onyx- is our newest arrival at 3 yrs old. the people that had him just didn't want him anymore and we are thrilled to have him as he is the sweetest dog, we were told that he was used for a stud and kept in a cage most of his little life we also belive that he was abused due to his very shy timid nature. if you fuss at him he looks like he is going to fall apart. thank goodness he dosen't need much fussing at.He loves his freedom with his backyard,(we have a doggie door)and I bet he goes in and out a million times a day. The love he has for us is is so very plain in his eyes , that we are so very happy to have him and be able to provide him with a good loving home. He is also the love of our lives
Sprocket- our kitty is a straight up stinker as she is the boss of the house , she rules the dogs and they obey her or she will pounce on them. She came here from under my sons car, where she must have climbed under while he was parked somewhere, when we found her stuck under there she was so tiny, thats why we named her sprocket. again as we have a doggie door she comes and goes, this past summer she broke her knee and had to be put back together with pins...very expensive.but she is worth every cent, and dosen't have a limp. now she stays closer to the house thank goodness. and she is the love of our lives. Do you suppose that our pets are loved just a tad. lol

I just love this post; we all LOVE our pets.
I really like the roan(not a dog) as I have a grey (not a dog) who was born in my arms 29 years ago. His name is Ralph. I got his equine mom when she was 14 mo old and never saw a halter 'till she met me. She died in 1999 at the age on 30, we miss her very much. We did 50 mile runs, I used Ralph as a lesson horse and he did 25 years of rock concert security. Reggie on the River and the Pignic. He is my equine son and I love him very much.
I have two dog friends Skeeter a McNab, Skeeter was put in a cage at 6 weeks old and not let out until she was a year old. Then she was declared crazy and not able to work cattle, she was going to be shot but I butted in and took her. I've had her 7 years and she is a wonderful companion. She goes to work wih me at the feed store, her job is Skeeter the greeter. My other dog is Maee (means god's dog) she was a feral dog in Arizonia on a rez. She is Lab and Coyote. I've had her 4 years, she and Skeeter are best of friends. Maee goes to work with me too, she does security. She has learned to open the bulk bins and helps herself to treats.
I have 6 cats indoor outdoor. Rubie is the oldest she is 16. I found her as a grey and white kitten under a resturant I was cooking in. I was able to trap and tame her, I had her for two weeks befroe my dh ever saw her. I put out food and a box she ate and used the box without being seen. Dh teased me about not having a cat I was just messing with his mind and put cat poo in the box lol. We are still the only people who see her. Sam just showed up one day and stayed. He is about 6, he showed up 5 years ago. He was already nutered when he came. He is a grey and white tabby. Sheena is a delute tabby with blue eyes. She is 3 now , she came in the feed store as a wild kitten with cat fever. I couldn't watch her die so I took her to the vet then home. She is spayed and stays in the house most of the time but follows me around on our land. RocKat is 2 he was a bottle baby. I found him at 1 1/2 weeks old under a pile of dead feral kittens. I am the only mother he knows and he has a special relationship with me. He is a brown and white tabby. I have 2 15 mo old kittens Oreo a spayed black and white female and her brother Kreem a delute tabby with blue eyes, he's been nuttered. They were found on a major highway in a box, they were 3 weeks old. The people who found them didn't want to keep them so they were brought to the feed store. I meant to foster them but they were so attached to each other I kept them. Everytime I sit or lay down I get covered with cats and Skeeter lays on my feet. They are all loved and so are we.