• Melanie,

    Thank goodness my kids are grown and out of the house. At one point we had 7 cats and 3 dogs (couldn’t bear to pass on a homeless animal) and my son would tell people we had “openings.” So THAT’S why everyone was dropping animals off in our yard. Down to 2 doglets now.

    Can’t live without animals, the only bad part is letting them go. Thanks for starting this wonderful thread.

    Marcia

    • Hi Marcia,

      10 pets at once?! I think you hold the record. I can’t begin to imagine the maintenance and yet your son was advertising “openings” for more. LOL!! Bless his heart. Your home must have felt like a kennel.

      Two ‘doglets’ sounds like a walk in the park!

      So happy to see you here today — will you come back and visit again? πŸ™‚

  • Great “rock” trick, Theresa, and I’ve just GOT to meet Charlie. I love “Sweet Georgia Brown”. πŸ™‚

    And I’m getting the feeling Charlie is much smarter than Sylvester’s beloved friend, Tweetie Bird!

    Glad you enjoyed Melinda’s post — It kept me in stitches from start to finish. LOL!

  • Hi Melanie – What a fun post and what great comments! I have to mention that we had a barking Sheltie as a kid. We taught her to pick up a rock on command. She would run all over the place with that rock in her mouth and she couldn’t bark without dropping it! It worked like a charm.

    This post made me sad and glad. We just lost our cat Mister C – after a great deal of veterinary expense. I was glad to know we did what was in our power to do. And I wouldn’t change a thing.

    This post also made me think of my bird Charlie. He’s a nine year old cockatiel with a couple dozen tricks up his sleeve. He whistles tunes: Over the Rainbow, Sweet Georgia Brown, Fur Elise, and others. My favorite tune is If I Only Had a Brain. I laugh every time. He also says β€œUh oh” when he sees my cats. My failed attempt at teaching him β€œUh oh, I think I see a puddy tat.” And now, on his own, he says β€œUh oh” when he hears a siren. (At least he got the danger, there’s trouble, part down pat.) He shakes hands, plays dead, jumps on command, turns around with the circle of a finger, gives kisses with sound effects, and he says β€œUp” and raises his wings skyward. It would be like a dog saying β€œsit” and then sitting down.

    Those are just a few of his tricks. He makes me laugh every single day. But would I spend $900 bucks? I hope I don’t have to find out.

    I loved Melinda’s post! Thanks for sharing.

    ~Theresa

  • I had a cat once who used to “meow” till we hadn’t sat down to study…maybe my mom trained her to do so !
    Love the post πŸ™‚

    • I like it Hajra
      You had a clever mum – I hope that you listened to her. LOL

      • Lol…yes…clever mum, yes! listened to “her” – mom or cat?!

    • If you’re mum is anything like mine, Hajra … she was on the job and doing her duty! Pretty sure she trained the cat. πŸ™‚

      Happy to see you over at Keith’s blog. Stay tuned and keep checking back. He’s got some good things up his sleeve. I’m hanging in waiting for his series on impromptu speeches because I know it’s going to be GREAT. And he’s got a community of loyal readers you’ll want to check out.

  • Mel
    First of all, congratulations on the great community you are building here.
    Jen, Deb, Sam, Sheila… plus al the othersI should really mention.

    Now… furry friends.
    I’ve got three cats at the moment.
    One is sitting at my feet as I type.
    They are great company, great friends and provide fantastic entertainment.

    Sad to say not one of them can open doors, but old Max, no door was a barrier to him.
    With a wave of his furry paw and to the words “open sesame” the door would open.

    Question is… should we have called him Aladdin? LOL

    • Keith,

      “Aladdin” would have fit Max like a glove. πŸ™‚

      “They are great company, great friends and provide fantastic entertainment.” I’ll tip my hat to that remark!

      After my very first pet passed on — a fawn-colored Doberman named “Romel” — I swore off dogs for good. Said I could never go through that grief again. Well, I was mistaken. Getting another pet was the best kind of healing possible.

      Sounds like your cat is keeping your toes cozy and warm. πŸ™‚

      • Hi Mel
        My mom always had a dog and she said exactly the same when she lost her first one, but she did have others.

        Guess that first one is always special.

  • My cat would roll over, sit, and lay down! I swear it Melanie, lol!!! πŸ™‚

    • Oh, I wouldn’t doubt that for one minute, Jen. You have a cat that believes it’s a dog and I’ve got a dog that’s convinced she’s a cat! But that’s a whole other Oprah. LOL! πŸ™‚

      Thanks for swinging by.

  • Give Izzy some kisses from me today, Deb!

    And I’m anxious to read your “fun Friday” post — so hurry up!! πŸ™‚

    As I was mentioning to Roy, it’s tough to decide whether to spend the money on an ill pet. But let’s face it … these doggone critters are like family.

    Catch ya later over at your blog and have a terrific weekend!

    • Will do! He just loves kisses and snuggles!

      My post is up. It took me a while to write it because of the links (choosing songs)… well you’ll see. I hope you’ll join in.

      • Stopped over at your blog tonight, Deb, and got busy sharing your post all over the web. What a great idea — “virtual karaoke”!

        I hope lots of folks get on board and I can’t wait to see the video you put together.

        “Friday” and “Fun” just seem to go hand in hand. πŸ™‚

  • Hi Melanie,

    I guess great minds think alike. I’m also doing a “fun friday” post later today. I shot a video for it yesterday now I just have to write the post. Hope you’ll stop by and see it later when it’s ready. (That is if I don’t “chicken” out on it.)

    I do have a four legged friend. A Rat Terrier by the name of Izzy, but I usually call him Pickle Pie (not sure where that came from). LOL. So far so good as to vet bills, but I’ve paid a small fortune in the past including nearly my entire savings account once for a Silkie Terrier that ended up having diabetes and didn’t make it through. I mourned, of course, over my sweet little puppy (and my lost savings account). But it was worth it even though it only prolonged his short life for a few months. Still miss him all these years later.

  • Melanie,

    πŸ™‚ – Been there done that! I hope Martha lets us know when she finds a medicare plan.

    The waiting room at he Vets office is my favorite part of the visit. So entertaining.

    • Too true, Sheila!

      I would have to say the waiting room at the vet’s office is just as much fun as the bus station terminal! LOL!

      I’m with you — hope Martha lands that Medicare plan. πŸ™‚

  • my household at one time had two dogs and two cats, we are now down to ONE dog so we are extreme pet lovers so yeah your friends are GREAT! With four four-legged friends my stories would be too many to even consider picking ONE. What the hardest thing is saying goodbye especially since all four of the animals were my husband and my first kids before we started our own family. Oh and yes I’ve spent way over $1000 for one of our dogs so know the love of trying to keep your dog feeling well.

    Oh the memories, thanks, Melanie!

    • Hi Leona,

      Welcome to the wild, wacky, and wonderful world of pet ownership!

      My grandma used to say people who love animals have very warm hearts. I wanted to believe her but my mom disliked animals — No pets allowed! when I was growing up. So I’ve been making up for lost time ever since. πŸ™‚

      Thanks for the visit today.

  • I had a girlfriend who spent so much money on her pet (artificial hips, tendon repair, etc.)… and a client who spent about the same ($15K) on his dog- and complained he did not have enough money to “fix” his company.
    Priorities we set…

    • I hear ya, Roy!

      My program coordinator at the hospital spent 1000’s of dollars on her beloved 15-yr-old Golden Retriever a couple of weeks before he passed away. Don’t mean to sound cynical … but I have a hunch the vet knew he wasn’t going to make it.

      It can be tough, though, when it comes to making those kinds of medical care decisions for our pets. Weighing out whether to proceed or not is a big stressor for lots of pet owners.

      Lucky for me, my daughter, Briana, is going into veterinary medicine. Can I hear an Amen?! πŸ™‚

  • Well, I don’t have any four-legged furry friends, but having fun is definitely cool and that blog post was funny :). Thanks for sharing and for providing something light for the day!

    • You’re welcome, Leanne, and it’s nice to take a break once in a while and give our funny bones a tickle. πŸ™‚

      As my friend, Heather Bestel, likes to say …

      Have a “fabbytastic” weekend!

  • Haha! What a great start to my Friday and a send-off for my mini trip to Lima! =) Thankfully, I don’t have to spend much on veterinary fees here in Peru. Everything is really cheap. But I do find that my kitty makes me laugh every single day! I especially love when he does somersaults whenever he wants to play. =) Adorable!

    Thanks so much for the smile, Melanie. =)

    • Enjoy your trip to Lima, Samantha!

      And I’m glad you stopped by to gather up some giggles before you leave. πŸ™‚

  • Cute!!! I’m trying to think of something my baby does…she pees like a boy dog : ) and can open sliding doors. I also think she is psychic!

    • Oh, my gosh, Janine — you need to meet Keith and Courtney!! πŸ™‚

      And she’s psychic? Alert the presses! LOL

      Thanks for joining the conversation and have a pet-loving weekend!

  • Can’t we all relate? Our last house dog was a pekingese who ruled the roost! She was with us for over 15 years and we still miss her dearly but she was pampered more than any girly-girl you’ve ever known! We are down to one outside dog, a jack russell terrior, who is starting to enjoy his vet visits just like an old person. I am looking for a medicare plan now!

    • Well, I’ll be darned, Martha!

      I have a Jack Russell, too, but she’s a mix. She’s part Whippet. She’s ten years old but she sure as heck hasn’t run out of energy!

      I’m with Sheila — hope you find that Medicare plan. Although it will probably only be Part A so then you’ll have to supplement with Part B and we all know how expensive that can be. πŸ™‚

      Thanks for coming by and having a little fun with us!