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What have animals done for you?

15:34 / 20.03.02

What amazing acts of bravery and kindness have animals done for you? Tell us about the creatures that have touched your lives.

STOATIE LIEKS CHOCOLATE MILK

16:20 / 20.03.02

My current dog's never actually saved my life or anything (tho' I bet she would- fortunately the situation's never arisen)- but I do wish I took her advice more often. My last girlfriend, who turned out to be Really Evil, was one of the very few people the dog's ever taken a serious dislike to. (The others also turned out to be twats.) God, I wish I'd listened to the dog.

16:26 / 20.03.02

Well, in our old apartment we used to grill on a hibachi in the fireplace & the first time, the flue was partly open but not all the way open... so there was a little CO hazard happening, this was overnight as we were letting our little briquettes burn down... so anyway, in the middle of the night the cat came in the bedroom and sat all night by our heads.

Didn't try to wake us up or anything, but I figure that's pretty good for a cat.

Less searchable M0rd4nt

16:30 / 20.03.02

My old cat used to know when I was coming home and would run down the road to greet me. She wasn't the sharpest tool in the box but was unfailingly docile and freindly. Also she suffered considerable humiliation at the hands of my most juniour sibling (up to and including being rolled up in a sleeping bag) and only once scratched him the once. She rocked.

16:54 / 20.03.02

Yesterday I left work unusually late at 6 p.m. and it was cold and raining. I went out of the building, and since I had skipped lunch, I was hungry as hell.
So I went into a snack bar, and on the sidewalk I saw a small white dog with its leash tied to a bike pole thing, outside the snack bar, in the rain. Its owner was probably eating inside the bar, and the poor animal had been left out in the cold.

Anyway, I walked into the snack bar, and my stomach was making all those noises (I was *really* hungry). Then I asked a tuna sandwich.

Man, that fish, you know, those nice slices between the bread, with mustard and all sort of condiments, it REALLY mitigated my hunger. As I chewed on what was once undoubtedly a proud, lovely living being, I thought: "You know, I think this is the nicest thing an animal has ever done to me". Then I helped it to go down my throat with a big gulp of soda.

Sorry, I'm stepping away from the keyboard now...

[ 20-03-2002: Message edited by: Rancid Maggot Circus de Jade ]

18:23 / 20.03.02

quote:Originally posted by Moominstoat:
God, I wish I'd listened to the dog.

Tell me about it. [My dog is named after a singer, and I have this thing about names being important, so I am not going to post his name here]..but prospective friends now have to pass the double ------ test - they have to like the singer, and my dog has to like them...

18:30 / 20.03.02

Well, some dingoes ate my baby! And if that's not kindness, then...

m3

18:39 / 20.03.02

apart from being cute, cats have never done anything for me. But that's okay, I don't expect any more out of them. Anything beyond food-orientated behaviour is a bonus.

18:43 / 20.03.02

My cat obsessively tongue-bathes me. I'm very dirty!

Suedey! SHOT FOR MEAT!

18:51 / 20.03.02

My cat sleeps a lot. That's what I look for in people. I like my cat.

19:03 / 20.03.02

My cat attacked the mail man...blood everywhere, his leg looked like someone had taken a buzzsaw to it. He's an odd cat...chases after rottweilers and usually scares them off. I like that cat. He's part dog. Or part Satan. Im sure of it. But the mailman thing made my day just a little bit brighter. The guy still laughs about it...cant believe he was attacked by a cat.

STOATIE LIEKS CHOCOLATE MILK

19:14 / 20.03.02

Just remembered another cool thing my dog did once... I got hit in the back of the head by a brick at a Reclaim the Streets (long, embarrassing story) and when I finally got home about nine hours later, my flatmate made me go to bed (despite the fact that I was pissed and concussed and wanted to drink more beer). I woke up, on average, once an hour. The dog (as far as I can tell) spent the whole night standing by my head watching me to make sure I was OK. Boy, did she sleep a lot the next day.

19:17 / 20.03.02

I was spitting in the canyon
Near the cliff up on the mountain
When an unexpected sneeze
Hung me in the breeze
At forty five degrees in the sky
Suddenly I felt something
Had me by the belt
And in between my praying
Swore I heard a stallion neighing
Was the ghost of my horse
And I cried, yes I cried
That was the day
My dead pet returned to save my life

-Alice Cooper I'm Alive (that was the day my dead pet returned to save my life)

One of my cat's recently woke me up in time to catch some flooding that was happening in the kitchen. We had plenty of water damage but if it had gone on for another hour or two, it would have been catastrophic.

Other than that one instance, she's an evil cat. EEEEEVVVVVIIIILLL!

19:38 / 20.03.02

The cat my family first got when we moved here was really loyal. She'd follow me up to the bus stop and when I got home she'd be waiting at the end of the drive way.

This went on for around 3 years before one of the neighborhood dogs that usually run around loose got her. Now when I saw the dog with my cat in its mouth, I picked up a shovel, because dammit I was going to smash the fucking thing's head in until there was nothing left expect for a blood spot on the ground. Now my mom and one of the neighbors was there and they convinced me that killing the stupid thing wouldn't do anything except make me feel better.

What did this teach me? It taught me that one should be careful about your loyalties.

It also taught me if you're going to kill something do it at night when nobody is around to stop you.

19:45 / 20.03.02

Aztec-By far the greatest companion I have eve had. This cat was totally independent and full of personality. He used to come home every day and tell me about his adventures (in cat talk mind you) and would respond to my thoughts. I remember once, I had moved and was affraid of losing him, so I had to keep him indoors.He would whine and complain until Itold him " Aztec, you're not going out unless you can say 'I WANT TO GO OUT'.
For a week straight he tried until finally he mustered "ow wan go rout"

True story,I swear. Anyone who met him paid witness to his genius. I miss him so.

Less searchable M0rd4nt

19:49 / 20.03.02

I worked with this lass over the summer who knew a cat that could say "milk". Not as wierd as it sounds, since a cat's meow is an attempt to mimic our speech (so I've heard). Cats who've grown up without people around generally don't mew, they go "Mip!" instead.

Suedey! SHOT FOR MEAT!

20:08 / 20.03.02

*listening more carefully to cat*

Wake up, ya bastard!

Generally he sounds more like "'row" or "ummmm' row" - what is he trying to tell me?

23:37 / 20.03.02

Petra collect wood when we go camping...

She gave birth to Ziggee... he protects us from squirrels & probably anything else we may encounter!!!

they are also quite eager to do our dishes after dinner!!!

Less searchable M0rd4nt

23:53 / 20.03.02

Yay! is PATricky! And PATricky's dog! Awsome.

Haus about we all give each other a big lovely huggle?

06:56 / 21.03.02

Chol - hang on....to be your friend, people have to like a particular singer?

Wow.

06:57 / 21.03.02

My dog hasn't done anything spectacular yet - she's only a year old.
All the same, the only person she bites is my german friend. Every. Fucking. Time.
In a friendly way though.

She also wees on my floor occasionally, because she doesn't like going out in the cold to go number-onesies.
She's just had her first season and blobbed all over the carpet.
She gets my girlfriend's clothes off the line and covers them in hairs.
She has a thing about chewing clingfilm.

And this is after training.

But I love her. Her name's Maddie, and she's a whippet.
(no real reason for the last info - just wanted to share.)

07:18 / 21.03.02

quote:Originally posted by The Haus that shot Liberty Valance:
Chol - hang on....to be your friend, people have to like a particular singer?

Wow.

In my experience, I have had a lot more success friendship-wise with people who appreciate this particular singer... I was taking the piss slightly, but it is actually more and more seeming like one of those things that just indicates a fundamental unbridgeable gap, fundamental incompatibility... This particular singer has so much soul, that to me, people not liking him just does not compute. Even worse is people who don't much care either way... I just don't get it. I realise it probably sounds odd, or worse... but there you go...

07:18 / 21.03.02

Mr Y, it's lunchtime and hence I'm eating. Do I have to be informed about dog blobs?!

Chol, you're clearly prejudiced.

My cat just eats and sleeps and shits but I love him all the same. He has an Egyptian face and is very ancient.

07:18 / 21.03.02

Y'know, like the Sphinx.

07:18 / 21.03.02

My cat isalways there to greet me when I get home.

10:49 / 21.03.02

Mine too.

But then, he's too scared to go outside, so that's sorta cheating I s'pose. He's agrophobic, bless him.

12:05 / 21.03.02

Sorry about spoiling your lunch, Bill.

Funny thing - people who can quite capably talk about some of the most icky things on the planet (and in some cases, have done some of the ickiest things on the planet) tend to go all wibbly when you talk about your doggie being on rag week.
Tell you what though - It's the last time it's going to happen. It's spaying time...

...because when she jumps up excitedly to say hello to you when you get back from work, the mess in the floor is incredible. It's like someone's been stabbed.

And as for the constant licking...

[message edited for reasons of public hygiene]

12:32 / 21.03.02

<gives up totally and passes what's left of his lunch to the woman next to him>

12:51 / 21.03.02

<picks up discarded lunch and passes it to whippet.

"Ahar! There's another one for ye, me lassie. This'll save me money on pedigree chum!"

On a more savoury note, when I was very small we had a collie called Glenn. My sister must have been all of six when she decided to leave home. Glenn went with her.

She walked in a circle around the block and came home, because she realised she wasn't allowed to cross the road on her own. And Glenn stayed with her all the way.
<sniff>

14:03 / 21.03.02

We have a cat who was weaned about a week too young, I think. He thinks I'm mom. Two years old, and he still leaps on my chest and nurses on my chin.
It's inconvenient, but touching.

15:31 / 21.03.02

Bet none of you lucky pet owners have thought of this though:
Poodle called for Jury Duty.

Tuna Ghost: Pratt knot hero

18:02 / 21.03.02

My cat seems to always be telling me to relax. "Hey man, relax," he says, "you know, sleep for a while, eat a bit, maybe chase a milk cap. Then go shit in a box. It's great."

What a guy. He looks like he always knows the score. If he's going nuts, you know some bad shit's going down. Sort of a barometer-cat.

18:19 / 21.03.02

"shit in a box"

new t-shirt idea, maybe?