My intention was the the favorite to imply a singular. I thought favorite was an absolute and could only be one. Since I was including all the pets anyone may have had throughout their lives, the young and the old, past or present, male, female, any cross between, both, and any other concoction that could be considered a pet, even a rock, I felt the unbiased approach would be the best and use "them." . It could be one habit from many pets or one habit from a specific pet. My question is open to interruption. However the reader would like to make it work for them, is fine with me. There is no right or wrong answer. Pets are important and are normally accompanied by a smile. :) :)
This post was edited by Merlin at December 3, 2018 10:22 AM MST
I know. Right? I Do that Every Time. Both, I presume, would work but the later was the word I was searching for. If I would only learn to spell both, I wouldn't have to use spellcheck and then misread it when it corrects it incorrectly. Ugh! Thanks Stu! I still DO appreciate you catching it. I am going to sit down and write them both physically 10 times and then type them both 10 times in a sentence. Maybe I can rewire my brain to read them correctly that way. Hugs and Loves! :) :)
My cocker spaniel would let me put doggie boots on him so his muffin paws would stay clean. He never tried to get them off and would stand patiently while I would take them off. He was almost human and was the best friend I ever had. The way he looked at me was everything. He was absolutly the most patient being I've ever known.
He actually let you put on the doggie boots without a fuss? That right there shows the patience and trust and love he had for you. It sounds like you have a great friendship. I am glad you two found each other. Thanks for sharing and have a great day! :)
This post was edited by Merlin at December 3, 2018 10:22 AM MST
I can totally see you having a dalmatian!!! And as you know, no dalmatian's spots are the same. Just like you are enthusiastic, funny, and kind, they are a exploding with "dogality" and turn heads everywhere they are seen. What a team! I LOVE it! :) Thanks!
I have a huge smile spreading across my face as I write. I'm sure Sugar was beautiful with her sugar-white body, brown head and three big brown spots. I am guessing her spots were symmetrical. If not, I can only imagine it would drive you both crazy This leads me to visualize the two of you being the happiest, most neurotic couple running down the block. I don't mean that in a bad way. I mean it is a perfect match. Thanks Stu! :) :) Big jumping up and down wags!!
Sugar was a boy! And they weren't symmetrical. One was around his tail, one on his back, and one on his side. We also had a terrier mix named Spice, who was a medium brown female with white feet. We used to call her Spicy Chicken and say she had permanent socks. LOL.
This post was edited by Stu Spelling Bee at November 30, 2018 5:21 PM MST
I had a clever rat who used to escape her cage at night and come climbing into my bed just so she could snuggle with me. She was the one who turned out to be pregnant when we got her and left me with her brood. They all had wonderful personalities just like mama. It's sad they have such short life spans though. That rat family was pretty cool.
I remember this about you now. :) :) You are the only person I know who has had rats as pets. We had a great conversation way back on ASK.com, I think. Maybe it was here but here or there, it doesn't matter. You told about how smart they are and how loyal and fun they are. I then saw on Youtube this girl who had trained her rat to do amazing things. I was blown away. I knew they were social and communicable but never thought they would be trainable for a person. I'm sorry she and her brood are no longer with you. But, great memories are fun to visit. Thanks for bringing a good light into the world of rats. :) :) Most people just think of them as huge pests or food for other pets. You see through that to the other side of them. Cool. :) :)
This post was edited by Merlin at December 1, 2018 8:19 PM MST
That is funny! Thank goodness your friend didn't make a coat out of him. How did the other rat feel about that? Did he feel like a Vega next to the chinchilla Cadillac?
It's sad how they're so misunderstood, they make great little buddies. It was pretty neat to witness her give birth and watch her little ratlings go though all their life stages. They were especially cute at the age where they just grew their fuzz and started playing. I also love how rats would wrestle with my hand as if it were one of their brethren they were playing with and not a part of some big scary monster. Sometimes I would let them "win" the little wrestling match and they would pin down my hand and playfully nibble away. It's no fun if I win every single time even though I totally can.
That is awesome you let them win sometimes! See how fair you are?!:) Too Cool. How many ratlings did she have? 2? 3? 4? Did they have names? That reminds me. I have something silly to share with you. A bizarre occurrence happened around mid-summer at the Merlin household. At night in the back bathroom I thought I would see something out of the corner of my eye. I racked it up as being tired and never said anything to Don. Then, I went to grab a clean towel in the linen closet and a bunch of little yellow balls went flying. After a closer look, I realized they were small seeds. What are small seeds doing in our clean towels? I let it go. Later I found another pile of the same seeds in my left running shoe. A couple days later, the same seeds in Don's folded t-shirts. I couldn't figure out where these piles of seeds were coming from. We do have 3 bird feeders and a large sealed tub full of bird seed but it is plastic and always shut. I didn't put two and two together until the night I came head to head with a small grey mouse. Her cheeks were as full as she could possibly have stuffed them which made her head look huge! She froze and looked frightened and hilarious. I didn't get mad at her but did tell Don. He said get the traps. There is no such thing as just one mouse. That mind of reason. We both knew it was Never going to happen but it sounded logical and responsible. Days went by and we continued to find sporadic piles of bird seed in pockets and places throughout the house. One night Don was at his computer working and I heard this "AAhhhh! SH*T!!!!!" Don comes around the corner claiming that Dam mouse just ran up his pant-leg with his leg still in it!! We both cracked up! :) From that night on, this little mouse became our friend. Don named her Zippy. :) She zips in and out and around the house all the time. Well, she used to. She eaten so much bird seed now she has become a touch tubby. Don thinks we should stop giving her free-reign to the birdseed and put her on a diet. She's not pregnant. She's become accustom to us and us to her and become part of the family. We don't have her in a cage and have no desire to domesticate her. Zippy comes and goes as she pleases and is always welcome in our home. :) :)
*Don did draw the line on her inviting her friends over and throwing parties. One party and she's out to the curb and on her own. ;) :)
Aww Zippy sounds like a cute little housemate. My rat, Holly, had about 10 babies, but only 5 survived past the newborn stage. I guess that's why they have so many at once. There were 4 boys named Hollis, Basil, Santa, and Skinny. The one girl was named Pinky, she was quite a shy little one compared to her siblings.
Once you name them, they are hard to let go. All animals seem to grow into their names or their names are spurred by their already found personalities. :) I think are right. That is why they have so many. It is survival of the fittest and securing the species to continually exist. I don't know about the ratio of boys to girls when being born. I would have thought the ratio to be the opposite because the girls have the ability to continue the species. At any rate, did you make a Youtube video? If so, I may have seen it. As I said before, you made such an impression on me years ago, I have had an appreciation (beyond Mickey) for mice and rats ever sense you opened my eyes to their "awesomeness." Thanks Patchouli and see you soon on another question! Love, Merlin :) :)
My old Labrador who died 2.5 years ago of cancer. She was one of the best I have ever had and a great family member. The current pair of Labradors are great, however not in her league
Sometimes there is that magic bond between a pet and her human friend. They are one-of-a-kind, like you were made for each other. I'm glad you had that opportunity. Many, many people don't. Happy! Happy! Thanks Archerchef! :) :)
Stu Spelling Bee 