Please don't stress out now. Tell me the name and your best memory of a pet that you have had ....

[Botany]

... or still have.

1) Caesar .... Golden Retriever I was about 13 and the older boys would ask if I
wanted to go hunting w/them and BTW can you bring your dog too?

2) Mac... Yellow Lab about 100 LBS ...used to pull me on my cross country skis one time he
and I were on an icy road and I couldn't stop and he ran for about 1/4 of a mile.

3) Flubie .... black lab ..... when I took my son to the kennel and told him we couldn't get
a dog now but at the last minute I told him to go and talk to Sally about looking at picking out a pup.
He was 11 and started to cry and then when all the pups were out he waited across the lawn
and when the first pup got to him he said "that is the one."

[cmb1729]

1. Smoky, Brother and Sister...

All gone over the rainbow bridge, but loved them so much. They were wonderful feline companions. Thanks for the calming suggestion.

[Hannahcares]

2. Best pet memory

Darby - my darling yellow lab. Prone to “sneaking off the reservation”...Neighbors would call with a Darby siting. DH would call out the door for her to come home...didn’t happen, I would stand at the door with a tidbit of grilled lamb or pork- she would be home in 20 seconds! Miss her😍peace, Hannsh

[Jack-o-Lantern]

3. Every sweet kitten/cat, (too numerous to name) I have ever rescued and given a forever home to.

[Pimienta]

4. Frankie

We just lost him a week ago. Tiger cat we adopted in Mexico. Still a big hole in my heart.

[TlalocW]

5. First ferret I had - Zowie (said like Zoe)

Was a re-home from a friend who couldn't keep her anymore. Well-trained so had the run of the house. I wold come home from work and not be able to find her until she decided to put in an appearance. One day, I went to the junk drawer in the kitchen to get a rubber band, open it, and there she is sleeping in it (ferrets like tight places). I take her out of it, go back to my home office then decide I need to put rubber bands on the knobs of the lower cabinets in the kitchen (she's opening them, jumping onto the top shelf, going to the back, jumping up and grabbing the back of the drawer, and pulling herself in). In the less-than-a-minute that I had gone back to the office, decided to rubber-band the knobs, and gone back to the kitchen, she was already back in the junk drawer.

TlalocW

[KT2000]

6. Abby the cat

She was a serious, no nonsense cat who was a nurse to me when I was ill. When I could not sleep she would get above my head on the pillow and put her chin on my head. She then purred until I fell asleep. If she quit before I was asleep, I would pat her head and she would start up again. Believe me, you cannot think of anything when a cat purr is vibrating you skull.

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

13. I used to have a cat that would make it clear to me when it was time to go to bed.

I'd lie on my back and she'd curl up on my left shoulder and purr. None of the cats I had afterward did anything quite like that, and I still miss it, even though she's been gone for about 20 years now.

[KT2000]

16. I know what you mean

I still miss Abby and it has been years. She did lots of amazing things - other worldly. I still give her a shout out every now and then.

[WhiteTara]

7. Elkie - German Shepard- my first dog at

age 3. She taught me about dog love. She let us dress her baby clothes and she pulled our wagon and sled. She lived with us for about 16 years.

Wolfe - Akita/Elkhound - we lived together for 18 years and for most of that time, he was never more than 10 feet away. He went with me almost everywhere. He was totally non aggressive, but a very serious. I had some painters working in our factory and Wolfe didn't like this guy and he went over to where the guy was working and he peed in the guy's paint bucket.

Tashe - Kangal/Anatolian - She has just come to live with us a few months ago. She is like a spirit dog. At night, she is almost invisible because she has a black face and is very silent in her movement. One minute she's standing right beside me and then I look down, no Tashe. Or I can be somewhere and suddenly, there's Tashe. She's very independent and does just what she pleases. Sometimes it pleases her to please me.

[Botany]

11. Great story about Wolfe .... dogs know things

My black lab who I just put down about 2 months ago got his by a car when he was 2 ...
and he spent a lot of time @ the vets ..... some woman who was a pain in the ass client of
the vet hospital was giving the techs and the vets a hard time and Flubie went over and
peed in her purse. The vet tech told me that story when we had him put down. She was crying
w/my son and I and stayed with us afterwards.

[WhiteTara]

14. I had a cat who jumped

up on my bed and peed on my new lover's chest! surprisingly, it didn't end the affair right there and then.

[TomSlick]

8. Beauregard.

90lbs of Weimaraner that thought he was a lapdog. Sweetest dog in the history of dogs.

[Raine]

9. My little rescue sheltie mix Dandy

I had him for 16 yrs until brain cancer took him but many happy memories. I still miss him but thank you for such a nice thread.

[MountCleaners]

10. Duke was my favorite dog ever

My shepherd mix died, and I wasn't sure if I wanted a dog. My neighbor had a white German shepherd, and I mentioned to my dad that I would maybe like a big white dog.

My dad called me to his house one day and told me there was a surprise in his basement. Went down there, and this big white dog (7 months old) comes running up to me and gave me a great big bear hug. He knocked me over. I KNEW right then and there this was the dog I've always wanted. My dad found him at the city pound and his days were numbered.

Duke is deceased now, but he was my favorite dog ever. He had such an expressive face and we had an incredible bond. He taught me to appreciate the intelligence and sensitivity of dogs.

My favorite Duke story was from when my sister and I were out of town, and we left both of our dogs with Dad to watch them. Her pit bull liked to sleep in a crate. My dad went out somewhere, and the pit was in his crate. Duke had the run of the house. When he got home, he found that Duke had opened the crate and let Mack the pit bull out so they could play.

Here is Duke (behind) with his pal, my sister's dog Mack (in front). They liked to roll in the mud together.

https://flic.kr/p/gQ2Vn

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

12. No one specific memory.

But my cat Gracie. She came into my life when I already had two others and wasn't looking for another feline friend. She showed up in our front yard at the beginning of a week-long heat wave, starving and flea ridden. She'd apparently decided we were her last best hope. So after a day we gave her some water, and the next day food. A few days later decided to take her in entirely, with a stop at the vet for check up and flea medication.

She was so thin that if you ran a finger down her backbone it felt like tiny needles. She put on weight, eventually adjusted to the two other cats in the household, and was with us about three years. I think she was fairly old, like at least 12 or 13 when she came to us. I am so glad we had those few years together.

Right now I have no pets, but some day I hope to welcome cats into my life again. When I'm ready I'll go to the nearest animal shelter and adopt the oldest one they have.

[MontanaMama]

15. Breathe. Okay.

Dodger. White cat. Nickname: Mr. Bunny O. Feline LOVE of my life. Peed on everything my then boyfriend, turned fiancé now husband ever left of the floor. The man married me anyway.

Jaz. Border Collie. Nickname: Jazmanian Devil. Agility star. Lightening fast. She died unexpectedly from an allergic reaction to anesthesia getting her teeth cleaned.

Tag. Border collie. Nickname: Budnick, Mama’s Best Guy. Still with me. He’s 11 and my constant companion. He’s psychic and knows what I need and when I need it. We have the best conversations.

Nice thread Botany.