Dog days (and cat days) of summer...

[magnetic_pole]

We've been doing some dog-sitting and cat-sitting again, flist. They are darlings, all of them.



You've met these two before: R and O, my downstairs neighbors, who need a little feeding and entertainment occasionally when their human is on a work trip.

As usual, the elderly and cantankerous R (below) is sleeping. After getting his human's approval, I'm on a shameless campaign to win him over with treats, which apparently are the only things in the world he likes other than napping and his human.



The young and lively O (below), sitting still for once. (It's a rare day I can get a photo of him that's not blurry.) His latest trick is snuggling next to me for about five seconds. Then...things to do, people to see. Gotta move on.



And our new charge: Dog R, a neighbor on our floor, who needs an afternoon walk when his humans are at work. In his case "walk" is a very loose term: we bribe him to shuffle down the hall, enter the elevator, and descend the steps. Once outside, we sit around for a bit, waiting for people and/or other dogs to come by. I never thought I was a fan of bulldogs, but R is winning me over. He's social, fond of hanging out, low-energy, and highly food-motivated...not that different from me, actually.

R: Here he is "walking" a few steps away from the building, hoping to get a treat from the better half. (That's me in the background, to show you how relaxing this gig is. I rarely need to stand up.)




Every year I forget how quiet it gets on social media at this time of year. Happy mid-July, everyone!

Comments

[therealsnape]

OH, these are fun. And the dog sounds charming, indeed. The perfect companion.

[magnetic_pole]

Dog R is so much fun! (Now we have Dog R, Cat R, and Person R on this journal.) He's an excuse to sit downstairs and chat with folks as they enter or leave the building. Dogs are interesting for a sniff or two, but people are where the real interest is. :) Thanks for looking, TRS! M.

[lash_larue]

Beautiful creatures all. Those sound like proper cats, and it's great to meet Ripper face-to-face!

L

[magnetic_pole]

Aw, Ripper. Poor thing does not have energy to rip anything, even if he wanted to. I've been reading up on English bulldogs and realizing how many physical problems they have--yikes! No wonder he doesn't walk to walk with me.

Thanks for looking, L! M.

[shadowycat]

They're all lovely! :D

[magnetic_pole]

They are! (Am I allow to brag if they're not mine?) Thanks for checking them out, SC! M.

[shadowycat]

Heck, yeah! We should all brag on our friends! The world would be a happier place. :D

[magnetic_pole]

:) :) :)

What about the little one in your icon? Are they yours? M.

[shadowycat]

Yes, that's my cat Spooky when he was a younger cat. He's 18 now and quite the curmudgeon. I love him though. :D

[magnetic_pole]

Aw, Spooky. You and Cat R could be Waldorf and Statler, muttering comments about all those perky kitties running around these days with so much energy. :) M.

[shadowycat]

LOL! He'd probably enjoy that. ;D

[walgesang]

Ohh! What cuties. Thanks for posting these!

[magnetic_pole]

And thanks for taking a look! Hope they improved your day a tiny bit. M.

[secretsolitaire]

What a crew! *sends virtual pets and scratches*

[magnetic_pole]

They are all such cuties, Thanks for looking, S! M.

"not that different from me, actually"

[jesse_the_k]

Ha, I've never spent more than a minute with a bulldog, so this was educational.

(The snuffly way they breathe gets on my penultimate nerve.)

Icon is our maximally-relaxed dog, Bella.

Re: "not that different from me, actually"

[magnetic_pole]

I know what you mean about the wheezing/sniffling. It bothered me at first, but I've gotten used to it over time, if that helps. I'm still distressed about the overall heath situation (he's a dog with problems that are clearly caused by breeding, which is hard to deal with), but he's such a sweetie.

I like the look of maximally relaxed Bella! What kind of a dog is she? (I'm starting to know dogs, but I'm not good enough yet to recognize breeds/mixes.)

Thanks for looking, J! M.

Re: "not that different from me, actually"

[jesse_the_k]

We don't know for sure, as she came to us via rescue networks age ~2.

Having spent many hours in dog parks, and based on her behavior, we think she has some herding dog (maybe border collie) and some fighting dog (maybe pit bull aka staffordshire terrier).

Her fur is a very weird color, and her tongue is exceptionally soft, especially when she licks my ears. She's great when she's awake--always ready to play. She's also prepared to sleep whenever the opportunity occurs, which is a good exemplar. And when she sleeps, she makes soothing snoring noises.

Re: "not that different from me, actually"

[magnetic_pole]

Hm. I think I can see that in your icon--some border collie-ish dog and some pit bullish dog, that is. She sounds lovely. Ready to play but also ready to nap sounds like a great combination. :) M.

[semielliptical]

Those are adorable pets, and you are the most enthusiastic pet-sitter!

(Why don't I have a cat icon to use here?)

[magnetic_pole]

*blushes* I may have a bit of a crush on all these of these boys.

Thanks for taking a look, Semi! M.

[liseuse]

They're so cute!

I always feel so sorry for bulldogs.

[magnetic_pole]

Aren't they? *loves*

And, yes, very, very sorry for them. Poor Dog R has so many problems! The wheezing, the difficulty walking. He basically doesn't stand up on his hind legs if he can help it--he has this little resting stance that involves collapsing his back legs and half-sitting. But he's apparently getting some medicine for arthritis and is doing much better than when we first met him.

He's the opposite of the cats--completely dependent and very affectionate. M.

[liseuse]

I have reached the point where I really think there needs to be some form of ban on any further breeding of them that doesn't actively try to eliminate the health problems. I struggle with the fact that humanity has bred them to this point to make them perfect for our needs and not for their original purpose. Paintings of English bulldogs from the 1700s show such different dogs! I mean, I don't want bear and bull baiting to make a comeback, obviously!

[magnetic_pole]

Recently Dog R and I encountered another canine from the seventh floor of my apartment: a very young pit bull, who also, confusingly, has a name beginning with R. "Funny they don't get along," the younger R's human said. "They're practically cousins." And that made me laugh, because Dog R is so different from this puppy I could hardly see the similarities between them.

I'm not that familiar with breeding practices (how many dogs are deliberately bred, and how many just...appear?) but I'd love to hear that bulldog breeders were taking steps to breed out the most difficult qualities.

Hope you're having fun on your trip! M.

[liseuse]

Awww! I love pit bulls! They have such a bad rep over here (is it the same on your side of the ocean?) and they're such sweeties.

I think it's less deliberate breeding out of traits and in of traits these days, and more that we've spent so many hundreds of years trying to breed dogs into being house companions not working animals, and along with that has come a whole host of health problems.

My trip was good! Very tiring and whirlwindy, but good!

[write_out]

I love it when dog-sitting really means dog sitting. :) I'm much more a fan of sitting than walking myself, and yeah, I'm highly food-motivated too, heh. (and hello you!! nice to see you, even if blurry)

How is winning over R with treats going? I hope you've made good progress. How do those two cats get along?

[magnetic_pole]

Oh my word, the cats do *not* get along. They generally ignore each other. Their human insists the younger bullies the older, although I don't see the behaviors she describes. The older tends to eat his food and then the younger's (to the point of sidling up to the younger one while he's eating and pushing him out of the way in an effort to get at a second bowl of food). But, that said: we've been lifting the older one up so he can sit on a bar stool (he's not able to jump up any more), and the other day, after the older one settle down up there, the younger waltzed up and pushed the bar stool's foot rest so that the chair turned around and the poor elderly cat faced the wall. It was so deliberate and so malevolent! *sigh* There is no morality in the cats' world, just well-fed/happy and not.

The treats are working, though! And Human R and I are trying to go downstairs at the same time so each cat gets one of us paying attention to them at the same time. Which seems to be working.

I love the term food-motivated. I first heard it when someone was describing their dog, but basically what's true of pets and babies is true of adults, too. We all feel better with treats, a full night of sleep, a good poop, and lots of attention. :)

Thanks for taking a look, W! M.