Chat for Pets Regulars

[Rauhiss]

Morphine Kiss

Well that's crap. Lobby the politicians to change that? Hell, HSUS and Peta like getting attention, maybe we can finally use that to do some good by getting them to throw shitfits until they change the laws to make abuse of pets as illegal as abuse of livestock there.

Seriously, that's s**t. Even the tiniest stores around here have cameras, or at the very least fake cameras to freak people out. Hell, people get little cameras hooked to computers for their houses, there's no reason a store shouldn't have one.

I haven't ever stolen anything, and don't plan to. I'd prefer to stay out of trouble and not be banned from stores. I don't know why there'd be a $500 minimum. Theft is theft is theft. That's like saying stabbing a guy less than three times doesn't count as armed assault (or whatever crime it is).

No-one should have to see things like that because no-one should be doing it. At least you found her and not, say, someone's kid.
And people SHOULD be freaking out. An innocent, defenseless animal was stolen from her home and died a horrible, violent death for absolutely no reason. If enough people raise a stink about it, then maybe some other poor cat's life can be saved.

[~ Aki - Fairy ~]

The worst part about theft is that you can't actually accuse them until they've stepped out the door. Ask if they slipped something into their pocket/bag because their hands were full (honest to god the boss did this recently, because it looked like the guy had something in his pocket and the person on till when he entered didn't notice such a shape when he came in), or if they were buying the item they're standing there holding, sure, but you can't blame them while they're still inside.

[Morphine Kiss]

Rauhiss

Morphine Kiss

Well that's crap. Lobby the politicians to change that? Hell, HSUS and Peta like getting attention, maybe we can finally use that to do some good by getting them to throw shitfits until they change the laws to make abuse of pets as illegal as abuse of livestock there.

Seriously, that's s**t. Even the tiniest stores around here have cameras, or at the very least fake cameras to freak people out. Hell, people get little cameras hooked to computers for their houses, there's no reason a store shouldn't have one.

I haven't ever stolen anything, and don't plan to. I'd prefer to stay out of trouble and not be banned from stores. I don't know why there'd be a $500 minimum. Theft is theft is theft. That's like saying stabbing a guy less than three times doesn't count as armed assault (or whatever crime it is).

No-one should have to see things like that because no-one should be doing it. At least you found her and not, say, someone's kid.
And people SHOULD be freaking out. An innocent, defenseless animal was stolen from her home and died a horrible, violent death for absolutely no reason. If enough people raise a stink about it, then maybe some other poor cat's life can be saved.

Ohh man, nooo way keep HSUS/PETA out of my state. They've done enough "helpful" damage here. xD they screwed over many people's farms and reputable breeding businesses. Several states are making laws now, and we're up next, that state something along the lines of "Animal rights activists are not allowed to lobby or make laws in such and such state..." There's more to it, but the agriculture states are catching on big time to them.

Even the previous owner never installed cameras. I'm guessing because they're all ...not technologically advanced. She barely knows how to use the store laptop, and i'm always fixing something on it because "she hit a button"

I think the minimum is also dependent on what/where you're stealing, but everything i've run across says at the 500$ mark you can be jailed right off. My brother had some bad checks (which is considered theft) out there a few years ago and his wife got plopped in jail for it because her name was signed on them. She was only in a few days though, and it was probation or something she ended up with. My husband's previous manager just got fired for theft too, from the convenient store he works at, and she ended up in jail only because it had been over 500$.

Being that killing cats is just in general an issue in this area, I don't think it will ever be stopped. I remember even in HS, (grad class of 50 mind you) idiots would talk about shooting cats for fun, or putting firecrackers in the cats bums/mouths. Off to the principle I went to tell on them, with a reply of "Kids will be kids" Though 10 kids (Several of which I remember talking about this crap) ended up in jail out of my graduating class. Now I live in a slightly bigger town but, there is NOTHING for people to do here and it leads to trouble. We have all sorts of buildings tagged, and theft from cars is a issue too. It's a very boring area. =/

This is why i'm content in the pet shop, though. We get people who actually care about animals coming in, and it's a nice change from all the crap you hear about. And I can educate people who come in too about animals and how to take care of them better.

Oh a lovely example; person just replied on one of my swap posts:
"poor baby. some one shot our long hair cat several years ago in our yard and the then sherriff said 'it was just a cat, nothing to investigate'"

^^This is the crap i'm talking about.

[Morphine Kiss]

~ Aki - Fairy ~

The worst part about theft is that you can't actually accuse them until they've stepped out the door. Ask if they slipped something into their pocket/bag because their hands were full (honest to god the boss did this recently, because it looked like the guy had something in his pocket and the person on till when he entered didn't notice such a shape when he came in), or if they were buying the item they're standing there holding, sure, but you can't blame them while they're still inside.

Well, the hot topic guy got me before I walked out. He just asked me some questions then was like oh hai what's in your bag. Good thing though because I think I -could- in theory have been in more trouble had I gotten out. I do know though, that if you steal from walmart and you make it out the door, no employee/security can legally stop you because after that it's up to the cops to get you. A lot of people just walk out the door with TVs and crap this way.

I hadn't thought of just asking someone like that, though. I'm going to keep that in mind because I on't think my boss would have any issues with me asking that. Do you also work in retail? So frustrating sometimes @__@

That's how I caught that kid, though. He came in, pockets flat. The kind on cargo pants on the side of the legs. Left with pockets bulging. This time he'd come in with a hoodie and I wasn't about to let him leave with something more. xD Instead he left actually buying things. His little sister bugs me to no end. The boy is about 10 or 11, his sister is probably 8. She drives me crazy, such a rude little brat. And to this I always think "Where the hell are the parents?"

[Rauhiss]

Morphine Kiss

Heh, I'd figured as much. But still, people need to be way more angry that their pets can be killed for no reason and they can't do anything about it.

Ow. Well, fake plastic cameras or those mirror tiles put into the ceiling with no cameras behind them, combined with a paper put up saying that the store is monitored by camera and theft will be prosecuted might be enough to scare off some kids.

I think stealing a live animal for the sole purpose of smashing its head in should count as one of those "jailed right off" offenses...

I live in a small town here, and we don't have too many problems with people killing animals for shits and giggles. Of course, pot, video games, and robbing other people's apartments seem to be fairly popular, and we are in NY... Come to think of it, we don't have much trouble with car theft or graffiti either...

Good that you've found a nice place with people that care. Hopefully you can get enough people that care together to change how the law reacts to animals being abused. It's not just a cat, it's "someone's cat". Killing the cat is depriving that person of their property, thus theft. Theft of a best friend, still theft.

[~ Aki - Fairy ~]

Morphine Kiss

Well, the hot topic guy got me before I walked out. He just asked me some questions then was like oh hai what's in your bag. Good thing though because I think I -could- in theory have been in more trouble had I gotten out. I do know though, that if you steal from walmart and you make it out the door, no employee/security can legally stop you because after that it's up to the cops to get you. A lot of people just walk out the door with TVs and crap this way.

I hadn't thought of just asking someone like that, though. I'm going to keep that in mind because I on't think my boss would have any issues with me asking that. Do you also work in retail? So frustrating sometimes @__@

That's how I caught that kid, though. He came in, pockets flat. The kind on cargo pants on the side of the legs. Left with pockets bulging. This time he'd come in with a hoodie and I wasn't about to let him leave with something more. xD Instead he left actually buying things. His little sister bugs me to no end. The boy is about 10 or 11, his sister is probably 8. She drives me crazy, such a rude little brat. And to this I always think "Where the hell are the parents?"

Grocery. Catch very little of the theft, but no doubt it happens and the bosses are paranoid about it, constantly telling us to keep an eye on certain people and such. The worst in my eyes are the people who think it's okay to eat the food in the store, as if that negates the need to pay and/or the issue of theft. Had an old man have a fuss a few weeks back because the boss (not the one mentioned before) made a comment that it's customary to pay before consuming the food - guy was going to just sit there and have some right then before heading on his way; as it was they were pretty sure he'd pocketted some bananas at least, and he got to the till/sat down right at cashier-switching time.
Had another guy b***h that he doesn't appreciate being watched like a criminal while he shops... boss told him not to shop at the store, than (he's a shady type and already on our alert-list)... He still shops at the store...

Comments about where the baskets are, if they'd like you to grab one for them, etc.. could come in handy, too, if just asking if they filled their pockets is a little straightforward (I was kind of shocked when boss asked the guy that, because there were other customers around then; pretty sure it threw the guy off too and left him a bit flustered... he absolutely insisted he could pack his groceries out himself after that and usually he'll accept one of us doing it for him). Or, for somebody looking at products for one kind of animal and buying something cheap for another, comments about what they were looking at/not buying, questions about what they have, etc... Even just the "can I help you find anything" question and/or leading into asking about their animals while they're looking.

Sometimes I think kids are the worst for theft. Parents just don't watch them, and obviously don't teach them that it's wrong to put whatever in their pocket/bag/etc.. unless they're caught stealing.

[Mistress of Rain]

Rauhiss

Bathing cats? Why don't you just get self-washing cats like we did?
The most we ever have to do is brush them once in a while, and they seem to enjoy that enough, though Dopey thinks it's a game and tries to bite/wrestle the brush. He does the same with scissors when we try to cut a big burdock mess out of his fur...and he's always got a big burdock mess in his fur. You'd think he'd eventually learn to stay out of them, but he's not called Dopeycat for nothing.

for the most part she is a self washing kitty... but I decide to help her get her shedding fur out and make sure she doesn't have to much dandruff (though I haven't seen any since we did the diet change) So now it is down to like every other month that she gets a bath...

it is bad when she is shedding so much it is making me sneeze....that and she has started a habit of chilling on my lap and flicking her tail under my nose...

She also loves her brush...and she turns into a noodle cat

[Mistress of Rain]

Morphine Kiss

*hug*

I'm sorry about Miss Kitty.


As for the stupid little 8 year old and his sister... we get them all the time up here at Tech... Weekends and during the summer they move like packs around town and some parts of campus... rude little hellions which make you want to know why their parents let them just run around with out much care....

[Latrans]

I'm so sorry for everything you're going through all at once, Morphine. You're showing a lot of grace, especially with the puppies you just rescued. It's really beautiful they way you're pulling through all of this.

I also wanted to share with everyone at large something that I've hit upon with Elsie. She's been a bit of a counter surfer ever since she had to be on a restricted diet for a while during her weird health scare. I misplaced my treat pouch a while ago, and I've been using plates and bowls around the house instead. I think that's actually helping her to realize that she'll get what she wants if she waits patiently instead of stealing stuff.

We also shaped walking backwards three feet to her 'mat' and laying down tonight! I will have one of those dogs that lays on a mat during gatherings if it kills us.

[Moth Feathers]

Latrans

Lol, I like the last bit, "even if it kills us!".
I would love to meet Elsie in real life, she's such a smart dog and knows so much. Is your dad into teaching a lot of tricks like you, and if so, is Zoey going to know as much as Elsie one day?


In other news:
If you all were able to name your aviary, what would it be named?
(in this context, 'aviary' doesn't mean a single avian enclosure, but rather the entire facility/business of birds. Like how 'Brooklyn Kennels" refers to the entire breeding operation, not just a single particular kennel.)
One aviary I know is named Singing Wings Aviary, for example.

Oh, and speaking of kennels, does this seem like a puppymill to you? rofl

[Shearaha]

Moth Feathers

Oh, and speaking of kennels, does this seem like a puppymill to you? rofl

I'd say it looks like a clean well staffed mill, but still a mill. Though if all mills were run the way they claim to run I would likely have less issues with mills in general.

[Latrans]

Moth Feathers

Latrans

Lol, I like the last bit, "even if it kills us!".
I would love to meet Elsie in real life, she's such a smart dog and knows so much. Is your dad into teaching a lot of tricks like you, and if so, is Zoey going to know as much as Elsie one day?


In other news:
If you all were able to name your aviary, what would it be named?
(in this context, 'aviary' doesn't mean a single avian enclosure, but rather the entire facility/business of birds. Like how 'Brooklyn Kennels" refers to the entire breeding operation, not just a single particular kennel.)
One aviary I know is named Singing Wings Aviary, for example.

Oh, and speaking of kennels, does this seem like a puppymill to you? rofl

She's the best dog ever. I'd love for more people to meet her, although she wouldn't be thrilled. She's like Ron Swanson (Friends--three to five is sufficient).

Teaching her to go to her mat shouldn't be that bad, but sometimes she does stuff that baffles me. Like, I moved the mat, so that she doesn't think it's room-specific, and instead of laying on the mat, she laid on the floor at the same angle to me that the mat had been at before. Which is crazy smart, but not exactly the point of the exercise.

My dad loves teaching tricks, yeah. Zoey already knows sit, down, roll over, come, up (on her hind legs) and walk (on her hind legs). She's catching up to Elsie fast. She's also going to do obedience, rally and tracking, and, if she turns out well, my dad wants to do conformation with her, weirdly. We'll see.

Elsie went for a 5+ mile run next to my bike today next to a lake, and we saw about a billion birds (herons, egrets, hawks--coopers and redtail, humming birds, red-wing blackbirds, ducks, geese) and carp (in a lake, they were huge). It was awesome.

I'm terrible at naming stuff. There's too much pressure to be clever.

About that breeding facility... they're not likely to be producing the kind of dogs I'm interested in. Not seeing anything about the parents, they'd be dismissed out of hand by me. All puppies are cute, but they also only last 3-6 months. Then they're a dog. And then what? lol

[~ Aki - Fairy ~]

Moth Feathers

Oh, and speaking of kennels, does this seem like a puppymill to you? rofl

It might be nice and well-kept but it's still screaming mill... If the little cages and vague details on the tour page didn't tip a person off, the "designer puppies" section in the showcase makes it pretty obvious. And then I read the reviews... "we picked our puppy up from the airport today; he/she is perfect; now I won't hesitate to buy pets from the internet in the future"...

[Vegeta_Lover239]

UGH.
As some of you know, I have a sister whose 21 and very irresponsible with her animals. All of them either die or end up as family pets because we're the ones who take care of it.

So...she's going to be moving in with a friend, and she wants a dog when she lives there. She's looking at pitt-bull crosses, I think, but she wants them to not look very much like pitts...or something like that, that's what I gather from her comments as she looks at dog mixes online, anyway.

Mind you, I won't go into detail, but my sister is not completely "right" in the head. And I REALLY doubt she'll stay at her friend's apartment for very long without having some sort of a breakdown. But my mom already said we won't be having any more dogs if this doesn't work out, so that means the dog will just go to the shelter.

/mini rant about very minor, but frustrating things. Dx

[Morphine Kiss]

Ugh, guys
Zoey has diarrhea and I feel so awful for her. I took away/picked up all sources of food she can get into//bones/etc;
But I actually have her crated right now. Diarrhea makes me really, really, nauseous. (This is one reason I haven't had human babies) My husband is at work right now sadly. Yesterday we had a play date with her siblings. Maybe I stressed her out too much. But, she is on TOTW dog food along with a tube of pre-made raw you can buy, and she pigged out on Beneful while she was at my friend's house before I realized what she was doing. ugh. Though after that bag of beneful my friend is switching to TOTW. She's been leaving food out 24/7 but i'm going to talk to her about that, as she's having issues with potty training and her dogs are little poop machines.

Anyhow, is there anything I can give her to help this? I know to let her drink water so she doesn't get dehydrated.

I have to leave for work at 1, and then I get home at 5:30. Husband gets home at 2:00, and then he's leaving for training at work at 4-6. What a time for this.
She's had diarrhea since this morning. Husband left for work at 4AM and it probably started happening within the hour of him leaving. If it doesn't subside in the next 24 hours i'm calling the vet.

My husband has some messy crates to clean when he gets home. I've bathed Zoey two times now because she has a habit of laying/rolling in it for some reason after she does it. First it was her crate, so I got up and then took her out/took her and gave her a bath/tossed the crate into the hall. So I put her in Puppy's crate, then up I get again and this time it's just everywhere on her and his crate is still sitting in my room and now she's in molly's crate. I don't want her roaming around though eating things on the floor. The best I can do is just keep taking her out and hope she stops doing it in the crates because i'm running out of crates/husband is going to be the one to clean them.


All of this aside she's been doing so good though. Yesterday I think I walked her way too much though. Yesterday was her official first day of actually going on a walk. Husband and I walked her/molly/puppy around our block once, so that was about 10 mins. But after work we went to my friends house and we took all the pups on a walk, before we realized it we'd walked a little over a mile and we found ourselves carrying the pups part way too because they were so tired. Zoey started clicker training yesterday too, and i'm going to attempt at clicker training 2 of her siblings too.

I'll edit this post with some pictures if I have time before work.

Edit:
I'm so frustrated right now I could cry. She is a mess. She just had her 3rd bath, I don't know what else to do for her either. =/

Playing at the park
This was at my friends house, as soon as we got in the door they all found a place to sleep while we had a bbq.