Are You An Over-Indulgent Pet Parent, Too??

[Daryn Kagan]

I give up the big confession on my blog.
How my 3-legged cat is still learning bad habits at the age of 19!
And I have no one to blame but myself?

Am I alone in this? Or can you do some bad pet parenting confessing, too?
Please!
:)

[Judy Vorfeld]

Oh, really...bad parenting? Not! It just took Tripod a while to bring you around to doing something that he considers very important. Surely he's proved through the years that he makes (usually) excellent decisions and has a fine mind. So how can this be bad parenting? This is what all cats would call "parenting that rocks"!

[David S. Calef]

I have two stories about 2 or my 3 greyhounds:

LadyI

Stish

Wonderful creatures full of unconditional love that knows no end.

[BD]

Thank you , David, for the most moving stories about your greyhounds. How wonderful, indeed, to experience such companionship. How empty life would be without them. They add the color and sparkle to a black and white world.

[Elizabeth Mayo]

There was an unspoken rule in my house that the family yorkie, Chewy, was better off eating what we ate as opposed to regular dog food. We indulged him whenever he gave us those killer puppy dog eyes...because a little piece of steak or bread here and there couldn't hurt!

Well, fast forward a few years and Chewy is so obese that his knee is about to give out!! So we were forced to put him on a strict doggy diet...but even now we still find it hard to ignore his droopy face when he wants something to eat.

[Erin]

I never used to be. Honestly, really really I never used to be. We were a happy 1-outdoor-pet family!

Then she weasled her way from "the kids' dog" to "ooh-my-sweet-sweet-purty-gurllll!!!" with an incredible IQ, a full list of mind-blowing tricks (you know, unique awesome ones, like sit !) to whom I speak as if she is human, and who MUST be either sleeping on my feet as I work, or asleep beside me, with my hand strategically draped off the side of the bed so as to rest on her side...

We have not yet convinced "Daddy" that the 70 pound red-nosed pit deserves full furniture rights, but we are SO wearing him down!

In other words, yes, she is spoiled rotten and I adore her.

[Daryn Kagan]

hmmm...from the sound of things...you must now be doing an awful lot of living outdoors...OR doggie has rewritten the Constitution and now spends many hours inside! :)

[Erin]

oh yes, she's moved indoors. I couldnt stand the thought of her being out in the cold! hee hee...

[BD]

Do I spoil my pets? Let me count the ways.......I guess what will underscore that I most certainly do is a simple statement made to me over the years by various vets and specialized vets. Each professional had/ has a distinctly different personality, yet shared the common statement with me. I have been told, if ever there is such a thing a re-incarnation, they want to come back as a pet living in MY house.

[Judy Vorfeld]

Guys, I had a remarkable woman visiting my home this week: Melissa McDaniel, who is currently on the road from her home in PA visiting animal rescue shelters and related organizations, photographing, and advocating for abandoned and abused pets.

Take a moment to read her guest post on my blog. I could barely read her description of what she saw at the Arizona Humane Society yesterday. I met her earlier on Twitter, began following her trek, and am in awe of her animal photography.

She's doing a fantastic job, and because she so wants to get the word out, please consider going to my blog or hers, and sending the link to people who are "connectors."

I loved visiting with her and meeting her two dogs, Bella and Sadie. Sadie's deaf, and Melissa uses ASL with her plus two dog "signs."

Sometime in the future she'll go visit one of my pet projects, 4 Paws for Ability, in Ohio. What they do to train rescue dogs and provide service dogs for people with disabilities is fantastic.

Those of us in this forum are blessed to have special pets and special pet memories. I'm sure many of you are involved in animal rescue, or have a heart for it. Or both. In these days of economic woes, days when increasing numbers of pets are abandoned and abused, let's get behind Melissa McDaniel. And others serving the animal rescue community.

[Daryn Kagan]

I started following Melissa on Twitter. She's now a member of this community, as well. If you click over to her page you can see many of her amazing photos.

And that's wonderful about AZ Humane Society. That's where I adopted Tripod, the 3-legged wonder cat 17 years ago! And as I type this...he's sitting on my lap!

Thanks, Judy!

[Judy Vorfeld]

I love Tripod, Daryn. He's beyond adorable, and such a role model for my younger cats. I love Melissa McDaniel's photos...the way she has white backgrounds so we can really focus on the dog. But she's also a gifted photographer and writer, and puts stuff together so well.

If you and Melissa are both touting the AZ Humane Society, I'm going to have to go down there. If I can bear it, after reading what Melissa encountered the other day. Oh. My. Gosh.

[Amy K]

OK so your cat has to drink out of your mug...try having to add ice cubes to her special glass that she likes to drink out of...someone told me I was ridiculous...I asked them if THEY liked to drink warm water...they said no...I said neither does my cat...