• Menu
  • Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Before Header

  • About Us
  • Lexicon
  • Contact Us
  • Our Store
  • ↑
  • ↓
  • ←
  • →

Balloon Juice

Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

The worst democrat is better than the best republican.

Republicans are radicals, not conservatives.

Boeing: repeatedly making the case for high speed rail.

Teach a man to fish, and he’ll sit in a boat all day drinking beer.

Radicalized white males who support Trump are pitching a tent in the abyss.

“But what about the lurkers?”

How stupid are these people?

All hail the time of the bunny!

Not loving this new fraud based economy.

New McCarthy, same old McCarthyism.

One of our two political parties is a cult whose leader admires Vladimir Putin.

DeSantis transforming Florida into 1930s Germany with gators and theme parks.

Museums are not America’s attic for its racist shit.

Nothing worth doing is easy.

We’re watching the self-immolation of the leading world power on a level unprecedented in human history.

75% of people clapping liked the show!

Sitting here in limbo waiting for the dice to roll

The arc of the moral universe does not bend itself. it is up to us to bend it.

You are so fucked. Still, I wish you the best of luck.

The truth is, these are not very bright guys, and things got out of hand.

Never entrust democracy to any process that requires Republicans to act in good faith.

There are no moderate republicans – only extremists and cowards.

If rights aren’t universal, they are privilege, not rights.

Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

Mobile Menu

  • Seattle Meet-up Post
  • 2025 Activism
  • Targeted Political Fundraising
  • Donate with Venmo, Zelle & PayPal
  • Site Feedback
  • War in Ukraine
  • Submit Photos to On the Road
  • Politics
  • On The Road
  • Open Threads
  • Topics
  • COVID-19
  • Authors
  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Lexicon
  • Our Store
  • Politics
  • Open Threads
  • 2025 Activism
  • Garden Chats
  • On The Road
  • Targeted Fundraising!
You are here: Home / Pet Blogging / Cat Blogging / Monday Morning Open Thread

Monday Morning Open Thread

by Anne Laurie|  February 28, 20115:23 am| 22 Comments

This post is in: Cat Blogging, Dog Blogging, Open Threads, Pet Rescue

FacebookTweetEmail

From commentor Bloomingpoll:

We adopted Foxy, the red Shiba Inu mix, in 1999 as a buddy for another adoptee, Ollie, who had lost his companion in a horrible accident… Ollie’s reaction to her death was to escape from the house however he could, including jumping through screens, when left alone. He was a lab/setter mix, with the narrow ribcage of the red setter, and he could get out of a car window that was only down 6 inches, I swear! He had been tied to a dog house and was “repossessed” by the Cocheco Valley Humane Society in Dover NH. He once climbed a 6 foot chain link fence in his attempt to escape a thunder storm. If I had been tied out in storms, I suspect I would feel the same way. He usually went down the road to the kennel and sat on the front porch there. He died from a brain tumor, we think, at age 12.

Morgan was my husband’s promised adoptee on his retirement (I had said, no more dogs until someone is home most of the time.) He is apparently a yellow lab, but very tall and big, 120-130 lbs, a lot of dog, but extremely nice. He is reaching the end, I fear, having some nerve damage in the rear end that makes steps difficult and produces a wobbly walk. We had a granite front step that required a big step up, so my husband built a nice front porch with a place to lie and easier steps. Better for us aging folks too.
__
Foxy’s claim to infamy was her love, as a puppy (we got her at 6 months, she was a stray), of plastic, including hearing aids (we heard later that ear wax is a delicacy to dogs!). She chewed ballpoint pens, and loved the plastic strap on the back of baseball caps, as well as VCR cases. At age one she stopped all the silliness, and is the perfect dog, except for her insatiable desire to be patted 24 hours a day by all humans possible. She is very much a larger version of John’s Lily, which I find fascinating. And another oddity, Foxy and Morgan both were born in March of 1999, we adopted Foxy that year, Morgan in 2005

Roo was left with us by an offspring. She was one of those unfriendly cats, with a propensity to be a guard cat, hissing and spitting at visitors, and then hiding. She would bite with little warning, and had a habit of hiding under the furniture and attacking the ankles of any human who needed to visit the bathroom in the dark. One could hear her coming. I never got used to that. She had several years of licking all the fur off her belly and making it raw, which involved doses of prednisone and the fun of giving pills to cats. It finally just went away as she aged and mellowed a bit. She died a couple of years ago at the age of about 20. Indoor cat, scared to death of outside, good mouser, even with no front claws, and no we didn’t do that, the offspring who was the previous owner did.

Sophie adopted my husband Ben. She had been left at our vet, in the entry way, obviously a cared for cat, although she had been declawed as well. When he was invited to look at a shy cat the vet was trying to adopt out, she snuck up from behind and grabbed him, and the deed was done. Except for her hiding from the dogs the first week, she has been friendly, accepting of love, and a superb mouser. Unfortunately, after eating the first couple, she has a habit now of playing with them, and loves to do it in the bathroom or on the stairs. Occasionally she loses them, and we never know whether the next move by the mouse is escape, or dying in a hiding place and stinking up the house.

FacebookTweetEmail
Previous Post: « When You Hit Bottom, Stop Digging…or McArdle’s Kitchen Chronicles redux.
Next Post: An Oscar Winner About Education? »

Reader Interactions

22Comments

  1. 1.

    Ash Can

    February 28, 2011 at 5:55 am

    What a cute bunch!

  2. 2.

    stuckinred

    February 28, 2011 at 6:17 am

    Yay! Wonderful critters and a wonderful story!

  3. 3.

    BruceFromOhio

    February 28, 2011 at 6:45 am

    Ah, pleasant tales of those with tails! Thank you, Anne Laurie! This and a nice hot cup of tea help keep the misery that is Monday at bay.

  4. 4.

    bloomingpol

    February 28, 2011 at 7:13 am

    I am pleased to say that Morgan is still with us, we had worries about him dealing with the winter weather, but despite lots of snow (which he LOVES), he is still coping with getting around. My husband did a maze of sorts on the lawn with the snowblower, since Morgy insists that’s the place to go. Even ice is still manageable. He doesn’t seem to be getting any worse, lots of fish oil (he has a gorgeous coat), glucosamine and keeping his weight down, which as a Lab he hates the idea of, he’s starving!

  5. 5.

    BruceFromOhio

    February 28, 2011 at 7:22 am

    A new entry in “The World Of the Unlikely and Bizarre”: One of TRex’s old posts apparently now fronts a site for dinosaur toys.

  6. 6.

    comrade scott's agenda of rage

    February 28, 2011 at 7:24 am

    Awwwwww. Old dogs rule.

    The snow maze, ah, I know it well from this winter. Used a shovel mind you. Our 3-legged dog who’s now 13 simply can’t wallow around in deep snow like he used to.

  7. 7.

    Napoleon

    February 28, 2011 at 7:37 am

    Sully joins Newsweek:

    http://mediadecoder.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/02/27/andrew-sullivan-joins-tina-browns-team-at-the-daily-beast-and-newsweek/?hp

  8. 8.

    Pococurante

    February 28, 2011 at 7:53 am

    Sullivan is off to the Daily Beast.

  9. 9.

    WereBear

    February 28, 2011 at 8:19 am

    What a lovely bunch! When I’m too old to have pets, I hope I go the next day.

    I’ll never understand declawing. Especially, after, so many cats get issues… and the whole point is now moot.

  10. 10.

    debit

    February 28, 2011 at 8:53 am

    @WereBear: I can’t understand how people, after the process is explained to them, can still do it the pet they claim to love.

  11. 11.

    WereBear

    February 28, 2011 at 8:54 am

    @debit: I understand a lot of vets push the procedure at altering time; “it’s a deal!”

    And they, of all people, should know better.

  12. 12.

    bloomingpol

    February 28, 2011 at 9:12 am

    Ours both came to us without front claws. No real problems by the time we got them and neither had/have any desire to go outside, which is great, because we live in the country in NH and there are lots of things that like to eat cats out there, fishers and coyotes among them.
    The last cat we had with claws used to hang by a claw or two from the jowls on the Lab we had then. They were great playmates and Sam put up with Cinnamon’s abuse cheerfully. Unfortunately Cinnamon was an outside cat and we found her dead, back broken, probably by a neighbor’s dog. Cured me of letting cats outside.

  13. 13.

    Kristine

    February 28, 2011 at 9:36 am

    @bloomingpol:

    He doesn’t seem to be getting any worse, lots of fish oil (he has a gorgeous coat), glucosamine and keeping his weight down, which as a Lab he hates the idea of, he’s starving!

    OMG, tell me. My King is a GSD/Lab mix, also getting on in years. He’s about 115 now, and is having a little hip stiffness. Vet would like him less than 110, but 110 seems to be the lowest I can get him, and it takes a real cut in his caloric intake to get him down that far. He’s licking crumbs off the floor and the rug, and sniffing the air for stray food molecules.

    Yes, he does exercise–big back yard, and Gaby to play tag with.

  14. 14.

    geg6

    February 28, 2011 at 9:41 am

    Morgan is our Henry’s twin brother. Henry, too, has severe hip problems which preclude him going outside from any door except the front door, which has a minimal step down. He’s also huge, running about 120 pounds, which makes it impossible for me to give him the boost he needs to stand up most mornings. He’s a sweetheart, though, and I don’t know what we’ll do when he finally goes, as he obviously will soon as he is 12 years old now.

    Thankfully, our Otis (a golden retriever) is only 4 and we’ll have him for quite a while yet.

  15. 15.

    Perfect Tommy

    February 28, 2011 at 10:08 am

    Can someone tell me what the hell Senators Grampa and Droopy Dog are doing in Cairo, openly criticizing Obama’s handling of Libya??

  16. 16.

    Sko Hayes

    February 28, 2011 at 10:20 am

    Ah, nothing like old lab stories. I have two seniors now, Noel is a 16 yr old black lab cross and fortunately is the slim and active type, and even more fortunate, has healthy hips. She has arthritis, but daily walks and an every other day dose of Metacam (canine NSAID) seem to work wonders.
    Home remedies for sore hips can include baby aspirin (80 mg), preferably buffered, ot protect the stomach.
    My other lab, Hershey, is a chocolate I got from the shelter in 2007, he’s somewhere around the age of 9 now, and also has the labrador tendency to eat everything that resembles food (bird seed, apples from the neighbor’s tree, litter box “tootsie rolls”, etc) so we walk about 2 miles every morning before work. The 16 year old Noel goes with us most days, and they both benefit from the daily exercise.
    Thanks for sharing.

  17. 17.

    Origuy

    February 28, 2011 at 11:22 am

    @Perfect Tommy:
    The rule about partisanship ending at the border only applies to Democrats. IOKIYAROJL

  18. 18.

    Mary G

    February 28, 2011 at 12:05 pm

    Lovely animals and stories. Bless you for sharing with us.

  19. 19.

    Jim Parish

    February 28, 2011 at 12:14 pm

    Did anyone else see a bald eagle for a moment, when they first looked at the second picture?

  20. 20.

    asiangrrlMN

    February 28, 2011 at 12:41 pm

    @Jim Parish: No, but it’s all I can see now!

    Bloomingpoll, wonderful animals and stories to match.

    I love the early morning animal threads.

  21. 21.

    Yutsano

    February 28, 2011 at 12:48 pm

    @Jim Parish: I didn’t before, I see it now. Sort of an optical illusion thingie.

    And of course PUPPEH and KITTEH!!

    @asiangrrlMN: Morning hon. I think I’m having sympathy blahs for you.

  22. 22.

    Delia

    February 28, 2011 at 6:11 pm

    @Jim Parish:

    Did anyone else see a bald eagle for a moment, when they first looked at the second picture?

    yes.

Comments are closed.

Primary Sidebar

On The Road - beckya57 - Copper Canyon, Mexico, April 2025 6
Image by beckya57 (6/19/25)

Recent Comments

  • Sister Inspired Revolver of Freedom on War for Ukraine Day 1,211: Another Drone Swarm in the Small Hours (Jun 19, 2025 @ 11:42pm)
  • Geminid on Our Failed Media Experiment (Jun 19, 2025 @ 11:34pm)
  • Adam L Silverman on War for Ukraine Day 1,211: Another Drone Swarm in the Small Hours (Jun 19, 2025 @ 11:29pm)
  • Westyny on War for Ukraine Day 1,211: Another Drone Swarm in the Small Hours (Jun 19, 2025 @ 11:25pm)
  • Jim Appleton on Our Failed Media Experiment (Jun 19, 2025 @ 11:17pm)

Personality Crisis Podcast (Cole, DougJ, mistermix)

Balloon Juice Posts

View by Topic
View by Author
View by Month & Year
View by Past Author

Featuring

Medium Cool
Artists in Our Midst
Authors in Our Midst
No Kings Protests June 14 2025

🎈Keep Balloon Juice Ad Free

Become a Balloon Juice Patreon
Donate with Venmo, Zelle or PayPal

Calling All Jackals

Site Feedback
Nominate a Rotating Tag
Submit Photos to On the Road
Balloon Juice Anniversary (All Links)
Balloon Juice Anniversary (All Posts)
Fix Nyms with Apostrophes

Social Media

Balloon Juice
WaterGirl
TaMara
John Cole
DougJ (aka NYT Pitchbot)
Betty Cracker
Tom Levenson
David Anderson
Major Major Major Major
DougJ NYT Pitchbot
mistermix

Keeping Track

Legal Challenges (Lawfare)
Republicans Fleeing Town Halls (TPM)
21 Letters (to Borrow or Steal)
Search Donations from a Brand

Site Footer

Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

  • Facebook
  • RSS
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
  • Comment Policy
  • Our Authors
  • Blogroll
  • Our Artists
  • Privacy Policy

Copyright © 2025 Dev Balloon Juice · All Rights Reserved · Powered by BizBudding Inc

Share this ArticleLike this article? Email it to a friend!

Email sent!