Monday, July 27, 2020

Do You Have the Pet Gene?



LUCY BURDETTE: I am starting the week overloading you with puppy pictures, but I can’t help myself as this little girl is only 9 1/2 weeks old. Here Lottie (Carlotta) is meeting Snuggle Puppy, who has a beating heart that is supposed to remind her of her mom so SHE CAN SLEEP. Possibly even one day THROUGH THE NIGHT...

T-bone and John are a little grumpy about having a puppy in the house. (I am trying to do most of the puppy duty until they come around). 

T-bone's thinking about it


Twice in the span of our 28 year marriage, we’ve had a set of animals die close together. First it was Poco the Aussie followed by two undistinguished cats. And then two years ago, Tonka, the wonderful amazing Aussie, love of my life, and the marvelous and popular gray cat Yoda both died within the span of a month.


John adored both of those animals in the end, and enjoyed the antics of the others. But he would be perfectly content not to have a pet in the house. He acquiesced about a cat after I moaned and groaned for five animal-empty months, and I went with a friend to pick out my wonderful T-bone. This spring, I began to agitate about getting a dog. 


“I thought I might be able to extinguish the pet gene if I waited long enough,” he said with chagrin. “But it’s too strong in your family.”


Lucy's mom with Schatzie
And that’s totally true. My mother was mad for animals and we always had two or three around, often more. German Shepherds, cats, guinea pigs and other assorted rodents all took up residence. My father could’ve done without, but he caved because my mother adored them. So that’s the question for today, do you have a family history of a pet gene? Even if you don’t have an animal right now?






RHYS BOWEN : my family absolutely had the pet gene. Growing up we had Sooty followed by Brownie followed by Patch ( who was a champion bull terrier. Looked terrifying but was a big old softie) and lastly Waldi the dachshund the love of my life. When the kids were small we had a disaster of an English Setter but a lovely cat called Marmalade. Since then no animals. Why? Because John absolutely does not have the pet gene. He claims it’s because we live in two places and travel so much. But I’ve worked out what it is with men!  Any attention given to a cute furry thing is attention not given to them!
At least I have adorable grand-dogs who love me.


HALLIE EPHRON: I don’t know it’s genetic (my mother was decidedly not an animal person) but if it weren’t for asthma and allergies, I’d have cats. Jerry and I had one, then two, then four in a two-bedroom apartment in NY. The basement of our NY UPPER West Side apartment building seemed to breed them. 


Gradually we gave them away as I got sicker. My favorite was a black and white male we named Eloise before it became obvious that she was a he. I still miss him/her. 


JENN McKINLAY: Oh, yeah, I have that gene BIG TIME. In my defense, I grew up with dogs,  rabbits, guinea pigs, gerbils, chickens, ducks, geese, a horse, fish, and on and on. My dad rescued a lot of birds and rehabbed them - my favorite was a sparrow hawk that lived in his art studio for an entire winter while he trained it (with raw liver) to hunt and thrive with one foot -- Dad found him on a farm caught in a bird leg trap and had to amputate the mangled leg. Naturally, my own very small house is overrun with pets. Presently, we are at three cats, two dogs, and a fish who won’t die (seriously, we’ve had him for 13 years -- he’s going in the will).


DEBORAH CROMBIE: Not much of a pet gene here. My dad liked dogs, and they had several in the years before I was born, but they were outside dogs who all came to bad ends and my mom never wanted an animal of any kind in the house. She especially disliked cats! When I was nine, my parents gave into my pleading and adopted a middle-aged  miniature poodle that was being given away by relatives who were moving out of the country. Poor Jolie, she was such a disappointment. Certainly not the dog of my dreams! In my teens I had fish and gerbils and finches, much to my mom's dismay, then eventually a nearly feral kitten. My mom was horrified, but the cat stayed. My maternal grandmother did like cats, however, and in the last years of her life adopted a blue Persian, which had to be re-homed when she died.


These days we have two dogs, three cats, and four koi in the pond.

HANK PHILLIPPI RYAN: Oh, dear, well, that’s a good question. Growing up, we had SO many pets! Endless cats--Mrs. Purdy, who gave birth to her kittens in my closet on my first day in eighth grade, Picnic, Rosemary, and Rosemary’s babies, who were named F. Scott and Zelda.
We had a whole string of Irish Setters--Rusty (who chased cars and lived most of his life with three legs as a result) and Penny (who saved my sister Liz from being hit by a car while riding her pony and in order to protect our parents, Liz and I buried Penny back in the fields by ourselves) (Liz got in trouble.) And Roderick St. John. We had a Hungarian Sheepdog (a Puli) named Maggie, and two English Spaniels, Bailey and Barkely. Oh, and at one point, a massive Great Dane, Milton. And the ponies and horses. And two gerbils, named Chet and David, which Mrs. Purdy, um, ate.
AND a stupid stupid STUPID Mynah bird (named Yurza, get it?) who learned to imitate the phone, which was beyond annoying.

You all know about my darling cat Lola, who died at age 20 and loved only me --ONLY me--until she met Jonathan, who is deathly allergic to cats, and as soon as she figured that out, she sat on him every moment she could. And the hilarious and unique Leon, who would wake me up in the morning by batting me in the face with a paw.

So, bottom line, Jonathan is allergic to dogs and cats, (probably a good thing, since I’d adore to have a cat), we have our ducks!

JULIA SPENCER-FLEMING: I very rarely had pets when growing up, as we moved a lot in the military. My sister and I begged and pleaded for a dog, and we adopted one... and three months later were were posted to Germany. The dog went to Grandma's, and by the time we returned from Europe four years later it wasn't our dog anymore, but Grandma's beloved companion.



Perhaps as a result, my brother, my sister and I have always had pets as adults. Patrick specializes in one very well trained dog at a time. Barb has packs of dogs. No exaggeration - she's down to three since one recently passed away. As the only one in the family without cat allergies, I've had one or two kitties since I was twenty-five, with one or two dogs mixed in (not counting the foster dogs and long-term sitting for friends.) Just adding them up in my head, I realize right now we all have the same number of pets as we do children! 

In my household, the Maine Millennial is the owner of the current dog and one cat, and I have the other (for values of the words "owner" and "have." I keep saying when Neko passes away, I'm done with kitties, because of family allergies (see above.) I'm sure you'll all get to see if I keep that pledge or not. I suspect I'm a lot more like Lucy in this regard!

Reds, does the pet gene run in your family? Or are you just as happy to watch from the sidelines?





70 comments:

  1. When we were little, my mom had guinea pigs; later, we had dogs and a very independent cat named Missy.

    Our own pet history is a couple of dogs [golden retrievers], a few cats who took up residence in our garage and were “claimed” by the girls. We don’t have pets at the moment, but both of the girls have pets . . . one has a dog, the other has a house full with two dogs and a couple of cats . . . .

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  2. The allergy gene runs in my family. I'm allergic to dogs and cats, so no pets for me. As a result, I've become a little skittish around animals. Mostly because the owners don't seem to understand that not everyone loves their pets as much as they do. I've had dogs jump on me when I'm out for a run in the park, for example. It makes me really, truly appreciate responsible pet owners. Fortunately, there are many of them out there.

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    1. I can understand that Mark. Having a big dog run up and jump at you is not a great experience.

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  3. We never had a dog - I've lived with one only once, my housemate's golden retriever, Jimena, in grad school - and the two kittens we had when I was a child didn't last long. But I've always had a cat or two since I moved to Massachusetts nearly 40 years ago (one named Neko - cat in Japanese).

    I'm a bit allergic to cats, but I kind of acclimate to my own, they're never allowed in bedrooms, and I always wash my hands and forearms after I pet them. Right now we filled our own seven-month cat free period with now-fifteen-week old Ganesh, who is darling and a terror.

    About men and cats - my sons LOVE cats, and my Hugh finds it easier to be affectionate with felines than with humans. So we're all happy right now, and Ganeshi is a much-needed mood booster.

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    1. Ganesh is adorable Edith! I had no idea you were allergic...

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  4. We had pets all throughout my life growing up and well into my adulthood. Everything but cats. My mom turned out to be allergic to them.

    But it has been a number of years since there has been a pet in the house. After the family pets passed on, we ended up taking in my sister's two dogs when she was going through a divorce. But after they died, I ended up being able to hold off my mom's desire for a new dog.

    The reason for that is that I honestly didn't want to take care of a pet anymore. But another reason was because my mom was getting older and she was having a hard time getting around which meant she would be less likely to take care of a pet when I wasn't there.

    When my mom died, people suggested I get a pet but I haven't done so. My pet owning days are done and to be honest, one illness would probably put me in the poorhouse.

    Still love dogs but I won't be posting an endless parade of pictures on Facebook about one of my own in this lifetime.

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    1. I didn't even think to mention that Jay, there is expense to consider with adopting a new creature. You are welcome any time to take a night shift with Lottie!

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  5. Pretty sure I do have the pet gene. We always had dogs and cats growing up. Litter boxes were unheard of back then, at least in the country, so the animals leaned to ask to go out. Now I have one dog and 3 kitties, one of which in an indoor/outdoor cat but she was adopted as a feral kitten and I could never convince her to stay inside. The other two, Rosie and Rowdy are brother and sister. When I got them I did not intend on getting two but it turned out to be one of the best things I ever did. They are so much fun together, very entertaining. My dog Sunny is a Sheltie, the 7th or 8th who has ever owned me. But if I were to get another dog it would be from the shelter and preferably not an animal with masses of long hair.

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    1. Oh yes you have the gene Judi LOL. It's great when a pair of animals bond, I'm pretty sure T-bone and Lottie are going to be pals. There was a rousing game of fetch at 5:30 this morning.

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  6. Lucy, our Havanese related to King Charles Spaniels? She looks like they might have the same body type, with a better personality.
    Pets, oh my yes. Our family pet, Boy entered the family when I was 2 and died when I was 20. He was a party colored cocker spaniel. In the 1950's pet ownership was a bit more forgiving, Boy was not neutered, and also was allowed to roam. For years, party colored mutts, were found in the old neighborhood.
    I like dogs, but love cats. I love them to the extent I once subject searched, mystery, librarians + cats and happily found the world of cozy mysteries. (and Jenn!) The old saying dogs have people, cats have staff does apply on Nome Street. They are worth it.

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    1. I don't know if they are related, will have to check that. The grown Havanese I've seen do not look like spaniels. I love your party-colored cocker story! and the search that brought you to cozy mysteries...that's a classic

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  7. My family had the pet gene, but I was the youngest child by 11 years and my parents wanted away from being tied down by a pet by the time I was old enough to remember. I was by nature a little afraid of dogs, too. I did convince my mom to let us adopt a lovely little Cairn Terrier when I was in high school. My first husband and I had a cat who just never much liked me, in spite of the fact that it was I who found and rescued him and I who put out his food each day.

    When my son was growing up, he wanted a cat in the worst way. Bob, his dad and my forever husband, just plain doesn't like cats, and we never got one. Once my son was grown I told him that if he had agitated half as hard to get a dog, he totally would have won. But he is a cat person, and Bob just isn't.

    The main reason we never got a dog, really, was that we felt our lifestyle wouldn't be fair to one. We used to both leave the house by 7:30 a.m. and usually get home after 6:30 p.m., sometimes well after. It seemed like no life for a dog. Today, as empty nesters, I am sometimes tempted to get a dog because I have overcome my childhood fears and know many dogs that I truly adore. But we always come back to the idea of how nice it is to be able to travel without finding doggie care, or meet for dinner somewhere and not have to worry about who is going to let the dog out, etc.

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    1. That is definitely the rub, Susan. It's much easier not to have a pet if you're going to travel or have long work hours. In our case, since we aren't going anywhere for a while, the urge overtook my common sense:)

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  8. Yes, a dog is so much more difficult to take care of than a cat. All my friends who have dogs are always discussing how they have to walk them and play with them and go hiking with them. Can you imagine going hiking with the cat? They would just look at you as if you had lost your mind.
    Pictures in the blog – – that is Lola of course, on Jonathan‘s lap. Looking like he is just part of the furniture. I love how her eyes glow in the camera flash.
    And that is Leon against my very old computer. He would pretend that he just happened to be in the place where I needed to write. And he would not budge.

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  9. Yay—There is a Goodreads giveaway for The First To Lie! I will try to put in a link in a little while, but you can just Google The First to Lie Goodreads giveaway and find it!

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  10. I think my pet gene was a mutation. My family had dogs for breeding, cows for milk, and cats for the barn. My first bet was a Boston Terrier named Mitzi, and her pedigreed puppies did much to put me through college. There there was Minga, a pug. All her puppies were stillborn, and my family did not keep her. I can't imagine that now, but as a child, dogs were cherished more for their value than for pets.

    But oh my kids had a progressions of dogs and cats, the most famous being Maggie, the GSD. She was their best friend, housebroke herself after she and I had a conversation about where to go potty, and she adopted every baby in the neighborhood and dragged it home, kittens, squirrels, even my youngest, Christopher, if he strayed too far. Remember when kids and dogs roamed? No more I guess.

    24 years ago, when I met Julie, we had a combo of five cats -- stereotype? -- all of whom have gone to that big Cat House in the sky. Then came Toby the Boy Prince, star of stage, screen, and the entertainment section of the local newspaper when he played Toto to an audience of 800 children and parents. He died three months ago. We still had Penny Lane, a pomapoo just like Toby, and Eliot the hellcat, famous for her 24 toes including opposing thumbs. No more pets we said. We are both getting older, me faster than Julie but oh well, and we didn't need to backfill.

    Toby's loss was devastating, and a month after we were still bursting into tears most evenings. Julie said she wanted a little black dog, another Toby, but that wasn't possible. Then we thought we'd adopt a rescue, and we found to local shelters full of pit bulls. Nope. Julie said we should call Pam, the breeder of both Toby and Penny, and see if she knew of any dog needed a home. Or if she had any pomapoo puppies. All she had was a miniature poodle, in labor.

    And you know the end of the story. The next day Sergeant Pepper and his two sisters came into the world. He was black, with a little white beard. Purebred and healthy. That was two months ago. On Friday he took up residence with us, and so far so good. In three days he is well on the way to potty trained, loves his crate, has mastered the two steps down to the patio, and has a special yip when he needs to do his "bidness." (Jim Zizkin's term)

    I'm blowing up Facebook with pictures and videos. And Lucy Roberta and I are in regular contact. It's wonderful. We needed this. Now I have to stop calling him Toby.

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    1. That's so interesting about animals as breeders in your family. And I am envious of your dog's love of her crate. So far we are a flop in that department!

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    2. It was my grandfather's business, begun in the 30s. He placed breeding pairs of pedigreed dogs on farms, then bought and sold the puppies. My grandmother raised poodles. They had their own house, about the size of a tiny house, heat and lights, lovely fenced play area, and they were well cared for. No cages in those days. But it wasn't very different than raising chickens for eggs or dinner. It was a source of income.

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    3. All of our GSDs have been fine with crates, but the big crates take up so much space that once the puppies were relatively civilized we folded the crates up. But we keep them, one in the attic and one in the sun porch, as they are great for emergencies, including confining sick cats!

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    4. That’s why we have one huge GSD sized crate, for sick cats! Mostly it lives in the basement in a cirner

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  11. So many animal friends. Right now those relationships are keeping a lot of people sane. Saner, anyway.

    Growing up we only had a couple dogs when I was quite young, and they all lived outside, usually chained to the back fence. My parents struggled to keep four kids fed and clothed, so no pets as the siblings came along, and after seeing a German shepherd bite my little sister in the stomach, I was afraid of dogs for most of my life until I met Steve.

    Who, as a wildlife photographer with a weekly column (his dad's Naturalist Afield that ran for 50 years) in the local paper, was constantly raising baby animals that were "orphaned" and brought to them to care for (most of them were just stolen). When I met him in 1978 they kept a pair of mated grey foxes, Tom and Jenny and their annual litter of kits, and later had so many other wild critters in and out of our lives. Raccoons, red foxes, coyote, grey squirrels, flying squirrels (my favorite), bunnies, possums (my least favorite), skunks (no one ever got sprayed), minks (not cuddly!), quail, turkey, ducks, geese, and a fabulous rehabbed Barred Owl named Henry that we borrowed for a couple weeks.

    I'm deathly allergic to cats (seriously, the closest I've come to dying), and also to furry things like hamsters, so the one cat the kids had had to live outside. Dogs are okay, but we lived in homes with huge yards that would have cost a fortune to fence, and neither Steve nor I wanted the hassle of ownership of a dog. He kept beagles for years for rabbit hunting, but that was at the studio down the street. Steve still worries we did the kids a disservice by not having one at home, but I think they did okay.

    Sebastian, my daughter's shared pet with her boyfriend, then husband came into our lives in 1996. Once they moved to Cleveland for Jeff's law school years, that intelligent little fluff ball was a frequent guest at our house. Since then we have had a succession of grand dogs. Now there are three: Samson, a chocolate Lab who lives in Virginia (but who will soon travel to Nairobi to live); Barli, an improbably ancient nine-year old Bernese Mountain dog, and now her new friend: LunaLulu, a three-month old Berner. I've yet to meet Luna, since the pandemic quarantine, but she's an adorable mini-me of Barli, who has grudgingly accepted this interloper into her pampered life.

    And my daughter who just moved this weekend to Portland now has a blind Siamese cat with her roommate. Aren't Siamese supposed to be less allergenic? I hope so!

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    1. that's such an interesting pet path Karen! I don't know about Siamese, though my roommate many years ago had one who peed in my bed. I would have love to see your barred owl...

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    2. He was an amazing animal, and would respond to my voice when Steve wanted him to turn his head for photos. His chest feathers were so soft, too.

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    3. I would have loved to have seen the barred owl, too! They are so gorgeous.

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  12. The animal loving gene. Yep. Got it here in spades! My mother loved dogs but couldn't keep a dog in NYC. The big one they had must have pulled gramma down the stairs because he did not last long in their home. But she reminisced about him constantly! And Gramma loved dogs, too.
    My dad had dogs and other pets growing up in the country and cats were always in the barns, etc. But he adored dogs. His parents had a Cocker Spaniel while I was growing up, so yeah generations of dog lovers on that side.
    Coincidentally, my husband's parents also loved dogs. They, too, tried to keep one in an apartment in Albany, but it was too hard for them to do so. The dog had to be given away. There are pictures of that lovely collie puppy in their photo albums.
    So, I grew up loving dogs and my brother also loves dogs. When his pure bred German Shepherd had puppies, I was living in Israel, but home for the summer. I told him to hold onto the brown and black boy for me and I'd get him when I came home for good the next summer. So, that 100 pound "puppy" was waiting for me when I returned. Six months later, with a job and a condo in the "burbs," I picked up that dog and brought him home.
    An enormous, unneutered cross breed, he needed training really badly. We went to every class that CT K-9 offered for novices, including off-leash. This dog could go through routines just with hand signals and we worked hard on training around the condo every afternoon when I got home from work.
    He screened my dates, if you know what I mean. He was very, very picky. Non-dog lovers did not come by twice.
    Then Irwin bought the condo facing mine. I watched him come and go for a couple of months with no introduction.
    Skipping to the good part, one day he returned from a bike ride while I was out with the dog. His first words to me were, "I've always wanted a dog like that." Then he smiled. I thought to myself, "Easy enough."
    The rest is happy history. Kenai is our fourth German Shepherd.

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    1. Love that story Judy! a matchmaking dog--that could be the making of a cozy mystery...

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    2. It's all yours, my friend. I'm happy to discuss some hilarious side stories

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    3. Judy, I love this story! And your dogs, obviously. My first dog as an adult was a purebred blond cocker spaniel that my ex-husband brought home one day as a surprise. We named him Taffy, for his color. He was supposed to be my daughter's dog, really, but he and I had a really special bond. When he died at nine from a brain tumor, we (I was by that time married to Rick) were all just devastated. I wanted an English cocker (which is why Gemma got Geordie) but Rick said he had always wanted a German shepherd, ever since his parents had kept one for a few months when he was a child. We got our Hallie, who lived to be fourteen, and Neela, and now have Dax and Jasmine. They are such an amazingly wonderful breed, and I adore them. But I would still like an English cocker, maybe someday...

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    4. OMG, your comment about Rick choosing the dogs and cats is hilarious. I lived in the condo with Irwin for several years before we moved to our house. A now very famous newscaster was one of our neighbors and we walked our dogs together from time to time. She had a tiny poodle. A while after we'd moved on, she told me she had to give up the dog because of her husband being allergic. I said to her, "Are you sure that was the right choice?" I was kidding, but...I think they are still friends, but still...

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  13. I have the pet gene in spades. In my family we call it the dog gene. From birth I was attracted to dogs. Dogs (and cats) who hate other people will come to me to be loved and petted. My husband says it’s like watching a Disney movie. LOL. My brother, both of his daughters, and all of his granddaughters inherited the dog gene.

    I will always miss my beloved childhood dog Bingo, a miniature Poodle who was probably a small Standard Poodle. He lived for 18 years and came with me as part of a set when I got married.

    After that my husband didn't want a dog because it would restrict travel. Eventually I talked him into a cat, our beloved Sable, who became HIS first special pet. More cats followed: my precious Saffron (I'm sure Bingo sent her to me) and our sweet Sophie (a Siamese Snowshoe). Our current cats are my Misty (a Russian Blue type) and Roger's Liberty (a tiny black cat). Both are very sweet.

    Recently, I finally got another dog, my cream Standard Poodle puppy Ellery Queen, whom I'm training to be my Hearing Service Dog.

    Loving pets has convinced me that we never stop missing our loved ones (human or four-legged), we find more love to give to the newcomers.

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    1. Ellery Queen! Are you taking him to classes? And I love what your pets have taught you. Once we get past this no sleep past 4 am, I think John will fall in love with Lottie.

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    2. Cathy, I love Standard Poodles! They are so smart, although like with the GSDs and the border collies, that can sometimes be challenging!

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    3. Lucy, we made it through puppy class but there have been no classes since COVID started. We do to visit our breeder so he can play with other dogs. I've been doing the training on my own and it's not too bad because Poodles are so smart.

      Debs, Ellery is a teenager right now so that is challenging. We still train every day but some days he is too wild and crazy to focus on much of anything except running and playing. He's almost 10 months old. The breeder tells me he'll calm down some when he's 18 months old. Yes, Standard Poodles are very smart and can learn things with very few repetition, but they can be stubborn at times. I don't care I love him to pieces and we just keep practicing our training.

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  14. Pet gene combined with dander allergies means poodles, first miniature, and then standards. We're raising our fourth standard, Louie, who just chewed by prescription glasses to bits.

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  15. I come from a long line of dog lovers. My mother adopted a border collie when she was pregnant with my older sister. The dog belonged to the neighbors, who neglected her. She'd come spend time with Mom, and they bonded. When the neighbors got tired of the dog, they dumped her in the country. The dog walked all the way back into town to find Mom. I can only imagine the scene when my very short, very pregnant mother went toe to toe with the neighbor--who was a police officer--to insist that Penny was her dog now, and she never wanted him to come anywhere near her again.

    So I was raised by Penny, who watched over us whenever we were outdoors roaming the neighborhood. She was part of the family through three moves, and died when she was sixteen.

    After that, I took over in the dog department, befriending all the neighborhood pooches, adopting three strays, and rescuing a border collie pup I found wandering around my college campus. He went to my sister, where he became the model of "dog" for her kids.

    I had one dog when I moved to Texas and there it was as if I had a sign at the end of the driveway saying "Strays Fed Here." It seemed like every lost creature showed up on my porch, and we always had at least two dogs and a cat or two.

    But then, one day, when I was at the sensible level of two dogs and one cat, Liam came along. He was a border collie who had been dumped in the country, and I picked him up off the side of the road, skinny, sick, and almost too weak to walk. The vet estimated that he was about seven years old. He was my dog from the start, and wasn't all that fond of Warren but, when Warren died, I think that dog was the only thing that got me through.

    After Liam died, at the distinguished age of 18, I began volunteering for a border collie rescue group. He had rescued me. It only seemed fair to return the favor. I fostered countless lost borders over five years. Although I firmly believe that the proper pet balance is two dogs and two cats, I now have four dogs and three cats. All the dogs are some mix of border collie. Zoe, the matriarch, is a cover girl classic black and white beauty, with the look that just says to me, "This is what dogs are supposed to be."

    Just to show that it really does run in the family, my sister is currently without a dog for the first time in decades, and she's looking to adopt. Her first call was to my border collie rescue group, so I'm sure we'll have more sassy, brainy, fabulous dogs in the family before too long.

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    1. If I had lived closer Gigi, you could have found one for me too! The story of Liam convinces me that having Lottie will be a very good thing. And Tonka of course, who I still miss every day.

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    2. We transport all over the country, and have placed dogs from New York to Alaska. I'd make that road trip myself, if we ever break the quarantine. And two dogs are not unreasonable.

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    3. I'm laughing and laughing, thinking of telling John that line now...

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  16. Pet gene guilty as charged. As a child we lived in apartment buildings that had no pet rules so my pet life was limited to a guinea pig (Georgie) and later smuggled cats. As an adult, I adopted a cat as soon as I was able to so - one cat led to another and then a dog. Right now I have three cats a mama and her two kittens (now all 8 or nearly years old) that were dumped on my property on Thanksgiving eve in 2012.

    My husband, on the other hand would have a houseful of all animals. He has brought home squirrels, flickers, conures, the odd snake. Any animal he deems injured. When he walks into the house with a box or cupped hands, I am never sure what will pop out, but it often needs first aid. Right now he's content feeding a red squirrel and the groundhog. We've also been adopted by a moose we named Darcy who showed up every spring with her latest calf(s) and who would come to the window and bellow whenever she grazed in our yard.

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    1. the moose is hysterical Kait! Your hub needs to get together with Karen's!

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    2. Yes, I think Karen's husband and mine would be best friends!

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  17. My parents definitely did NOT have the pet gene. Well, Mom didn't. I suspect my dad does. I had two aborted attempts to have a dog as a child. I had a number of hamsters (they all died rather quickly), and a guinea pig (lame). My husband is ambivalent to pets. He has allergies, so no cats, and he always says he doesn't care if we have a dog, but when we do, he's a bigger softie than I am.

    I, however, definitely have the pet gene. As soon as our first dog died, I'd have gone out and adopted another, but The Hubby said no. He finally relented when I was working from home full time (since the major objection was we weren't home enough to care for a dog) and we got Koda. I'd adopt another greyhound (or two) if I could, but he says no.

    The Boy already has plans to have two dogs (one big, one small), and The Girl realized that she'll be able to adopt a cat in a year or so, once she finishes college and gets a pet-friendly place. She'd love a dog, too, but says it's easier to find apartments that allow cats. So they definitely have the pet gene.

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    1. those pesky husbands...nice that your kids both love animals. We had 3 or 4 guinea pigs, but only one was smart. Guinea would follow us anywhere, including up and downstairs. One of the great tragedies of my life happened the day the German Shepherd pulled me and I stepped on Guinea...

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    2. Ha, I think if my husband had to choose between me and the dogs and cats, I would lose...

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    3. Debs, there are days that if I had to choose between Koda and my human family, well, I know who would win. ;-)

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  18. Grew up in the country with cows (my mom's favorite was a little bull named Peanut), pigs (one lived in the pen with our English shepherd), chickens, my dad's hunting hounds, and barn cats. My dad, who always insisted 'no dogs in the house' actually broke that rule by giving us our first English shepherd--she was the runt of the litter. We adored her and she was our babysitter, as well as for many many baby cousins over the years. Many indoor/outdoor cats--my mom was a real softie. On my own, I wanted a pet, but my schedule wouldn't allow it. I didn't want to stick a dog in a crate in a hotel room for 10+ hours a day and bringing a dog to a work site was never a good idea. Right now we are a household with four cats and two dogs--the dogs actually belong to a brother. All of my sibs are pet people--only two are currently without pets and all of the nephews (and grands) inherited the gene.

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    1. My siblings all have it too, ranging from 4 dogs to 1 cat

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    2. Flora, I don't think I've heard of English shepherds?

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    3. I looked them up, Flora. Beautiful dogs.

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  19. Yep, 2 cats just now, one of them, Pongo, is just 4 months old. So much energy!

    Grew up with dogs, my mother did not like cats AT ALL. As an adult, I've had a cat or two when I could (landlord rules, etc.) and after I got married we had five, three of hers and two of mine. That was a bit too much, but they were all older and time took it's toll. Both the current cats are adoptees, one adult and the kitten.

    Dogs? Nope. Too much work and noise.

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    1. Rick, every time I miss having a dog of my own, I think how delightful it is to NOT have to get up and go outside at 7am when it's raining. Not to mention the times I had to shovel snow before the Shih Tzu could even get off the porch!

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  20. I think my ideal is one dog one cat, but the bunch of softies I live with keep adopting every stray that lands in our yard. I think I may need to move to a farm.

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    1. Jenn, have you considered keeping your nice small-ish house and moving Hubs and the Hooligans et. al. to a farm?

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  21. Replies
    1. Just trying to figure out how to comment on iPad with google account. Sorry for the interruption.

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  22. Sorry to be late, but I had to run one of the cats to the vet this morning, as he was a bit unwell over the weekend. Why do they always get sick on the weekend when the vet is closed? Anyway, he seems to be okay now. Whew.

    Lucy, those first few weeks are tough! I'm sure that John and T-bone will both be smitten once you get over the sleepless night stage! All of our dogs and cats have gotten along just fine, but our first GSD, Hallie, was just crazy about our first black and white cat. With the current crew, Dax, the older dog, LOVES Lucy, the latest kitty addition. Fortunately, the feeling seems to be mutual.

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    1. Debs, it seems to be the universal law of pet ownership: your dog or cat will get sick on the weekend. Addendum to the law: your pet will only have an accident that needs treatment immediately at 10pm on a Saturday night, resulting in a $500 visit to the emergency vet.

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  23. I definitely got the dog gene. My sister got the dogs, cats, horses gene. Also hamsters and guinea pigs when younger. My niece has "lost" two dogs so far to country living. Each decided he'd rather live in the country with Grandma than live in Houston with Mom. It's a family joke now. Just as well. She and her husband are really cat people. We've had two dogs at the same time, at most. Usually just one spoiled one. Jack came to live with us before my beloved Boo died. Jack is 13 now and definitely slowing down. I just don't know if I'll get another dog when he's gone. It has gotten harder and harder each time we lose one. If nothing else I can lavish attention on someone else's dog. Plus I want to travel more (eventually) and don't want to worry about a dog at home. I've resolved no more dogs in the past but eventually I cave and find that special one.

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    1. Pat, "hard to lose" is one of the reasons I didn't replace my beloved Louie after we had to put him down (cancer.) I had lost our other dog about a year before, and I just didn't have it in me to have my heart bruised again.

      I'm pretty sure I'll get another dog in the future, but I'm seriously considering doing it the way Lucy has done - starting with a puppy (despite vowing I was NEVER going to house train another small mammal after dealing with my toddlers!) A small dog from puppyhood - you can expect a good fifteen or sixteen years.

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    2. I'm hoping so Julia, fingers crossed. They do break your heart

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  24. Wonderful post!

    My Dad definitely DID Not have the pet gene. Still, his friend gave us a puppy from his family dog's litter. The puppy looked like the dog from Babe the Pig. His mother was a German Shepherd /Alsatian and his father was a Border Collie. My Mom has the pet gene even though my grandmother was allergic to pets. My grandfather grew up with dogs. My cousins always had dogs in their homes.

    Question for you all during the Pandemic:

    How are you protecting your pets during the Pandemic?

    Diana

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    1. Diana, we're keeping Janey (the dog) away from other dogs and dog walkers. If six feet is good for us, it's probably good for them. The cats are strictly indoors, so that's not a problem. The only people we've had inside the house for more than a two-minute bathroom visit have been my sister, her boys and their dog, and they got tested.

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    2. Julia, thanks for sharing. A neighbor has this adorable dog and the dog wanted to walk up to people. The dog's owner had to keep the dog close.

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  25. I feel affection toward animals, and tried to have pets, including a stray mama cat, who delivered one surviving kitten by Caesarian, so weak I had to feed her with an eyedropper. Then the allergist declared a 4+ allergy "on a scale of 1-4. You MUST get rid of the cats." He told me if I was too sad, "you should just get married and have children." Teaching worked well enough, and when I found a tree frog in my house one December, I named him Prince and let him stay until spring . . . crickets on the room service menu. I admire others' pets from afar. Ganesh reminds me of Baby Kitten. <3

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  26. Well, we definitely have the cat gene! We weren't able to have pets where we lived the first year of our marriage, but have had cats ever since--30-plus years. We currently have Sammy and Luna, as well as Mycroft, who is technically our older daughter's cat, but she is stationed overseas. Our kids grew up with pets. At one point, we had a dog, three cats, a guinea pig, a mouse, and two VERY nervous fish!

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  27. My mom is 86, and her chocolate lab just passed away. She's talking about getting another dog. I'm in a panic, and have decided to write a novel exploring the concept.

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