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[BrilliantEraser]

@Ampersandwitch

Golden Retrievers are the most photogenic dogs ever. I posted a picture of mine earlier in the thread.

[Puki]

My roommate owns a rabbit (called "Zec", which is "rabbit" in croatian, so much for his ingenuity) . We live in a flat. On 7th floor.
Beside rabbit crap all over the apartment, little white fluffy ball is kind of cute.

[Jessidee]

here a few photos of my darling little cat Belvadier.... He is a trooper, he was smooshed by a car almost a year ago, and now you cant tell that his head went through some trauma...






he really likes the toilet for some reason...

[Spluff]

he really likes the toilet for some reason...

It's probably because he's male.

[0bsessions]

Do you really want to start me on this again?

[ampersandwitch]

I posted a picture of mine earlier in the thread.

I miss my dog so much right now.  Yours kind of looks like mine, what with the white face.  I also love my dog more than most people I know. We grew up together and I just want to make her proud.

[Inlander]

Then you go out there, and you sniff more backsides than anyone has ever sniffed before!

[GnarlsBroccoli]

Hope it's not too late to bring back this thread, but after I saw Lunchbox's adorable kitty, I thought I'd post some pics of mine.

She's really sweet, but a little nuts.

[TwistedRemedy]

I love fluffy kitties.
And yours has pretty eyes.

[Tyler]

This is the face he makes when I tell him to get out of my bed so I can sleep.

[Runs_With_Scissors]

I...have a hermit crab.bThe only fun thing to do with it really is accidentally lose it and have a massive hunt through the house. So far it's attached itself to the fire place, the TV, my computer, the stairs, clothes drawers, my sweatshirt, my head and underneath a bookshelf. Oh, and his name is Boeing 747. He's pretty big.

[kaseysaidmaybetomorrow]

I have had two cats, two dogs, three hamsters, and two fish.

This is my cat, Kashmere (Or Kaz).



And this is my mom's dog Kryssi. Unfortunately, since she is my mom's dog this is the only picture I have of her on my computer, so you can just excuse me from the image.

[Jimmy the Squid]

I bought my girlfriend a rabbit for her birthday the other week.

Meet Pandora.


She is really small and enjoys watching cable tv.

[Lines]

SQUEE! TINY BUNNY! I love bunnies. I want to get one, but I'm afraid my younger cat would try to eat it.

Also, Mai: That demon bunny photo made me laugh. That's sad your parents sold him.

[Fenriswolf]

Oo! Oo! Get a giant bunny! In all seriousness, the rabbits that convinced me some of them were actually cool were Flemish Giants. Like 8kg (16lbs), and will rule your household. 

These are ze rats, meeting the tiny googly-eyed one in the middle (their cage is a lot bigger than that spare one):


Some cats:


Some more cats:


The tortishell one being helpful:


The grumpy old one:


And that's pretty much it. Unfortunately no pictures with all 8 in it.

Some dogsez:


And the big one:


Other than that I have two goldfish in 150L (er, 30gal?) but I think I'll leave it at that.

[RedLion]

That seems like an inordinate amount of pets to keep. They're all cute though.

What do people know about Huskies? How hard are they to look after, train, etc?

[mbb]

This is my family's golden. We actually have two, but Billy seems to be the photogenic one, so we have tons of pictures of him.



He's a ridiculously silly dog. He loves playing hide the remote!

[Inlander]

I see you've managed to temporarily distract him with a remote-control-shaped block of wood, though.

[Spluff]

What do people know about Huskies? How hard are they to look after, train, etc?

Siberian Huskies are pretty good dogs. As with practically every other dog breed, if you take care of and train it right, you should have no problems. They do, however, need a lot of exercise, so make sure you can provide that. If you don't they will either get bored and destructive or just plain old fat. Neither of these things are good.

[RedLion]

Thanks. I'm looking into getting one down the road sometime. I've heard they're really affectionate and nice but required a lot of work. Reading around a little bit, though, they seem like they're much easier to care for than labs or retrievers, both of which I've handled before.

[tania]

my housemate's monk parakeet, tycho -



i am taking care of him for the weekend and also while she is in panama. sometimes he is cute but mostly he is an asshole and the noisiest fucker ever. he throws a massive fit every time you don't pay attention to him or let him chew on everything you own. apparently these birds are as smart as a 4-year-old child and since he's learned that his fits nearly always result in people coming over to yell at him or take him out of his cage he now does it more than ever. he's also learned to bite me in the head whenever he's on my shoulder because my housemates laugh at him when he does it. having a really intelligent pet is as cool as it is frustrating.

[redglasscurls]

Huskies are not at all easier than retrievers/labs- my grandfather used to board/breed dogs and he absolutely hated having huskies to deal with. Huskies can be really high strung and a lot of them have the brains inbred out of them in irreputable breeding places. If you leave them at home alone, they are pretty likely to eat your entire living room and probably crap in it since they're a pain in the ass to housetrain.
You need to be serious about training and asserting dominance, or your husky will make your life suck. If you have it from a puppy and really put in the time, they can be great dogs, but I wouldn't recommend it to most people.

[Alex C]

Yeah, huskies aren't really easier to deal with than labs or goldens at all, honestly. Retrievers can be a pain sometimes because they need a fair chunk of exercise plus when they do get into mischief, they're pretty likely to bring back souvenirs. My grandfather used to live out in the country, and his lab Beau absolutely adored finding a nice chunk of roadkill to bring home. Due to the location, this often meant Beau would come home with something like an entire deer haunch. But other than that, they're bred to work extremely well in a one-on-one situation with their handler. A retriever, after all, must sit around calmly until ordered to disembark and return with prey, and as such they're not particularly domineering dogs.

Huskies, on the other hand, are bred for endurance and the ability to work with other dogs and show some initiative; admirable stuff, but often not a good thing by house pet standards. They're not dog aggressive like a pit breed or anything, but dogs keep eachother in line through dominant behavior and a husky with "lead dog" traits isn't likely to take crap from anyone without a fair bit of training. Plus, huskies have a really strong prey drive, a trait that can be a really big pain in the ass when combined with the whole domineering thing and the stupid amounts of energy they have.

[Runa]

Me and my cat giving each other kisses.


Her name is Marilyn, I find her little black spot so cute.

[TheDozarian]

Wow... a thread I can really get involved in...  You may think, after reading this, that we own a shelter... We don't... My girlfriend just loves animals so we have a lot... They are as spoiled as any kids and have their own room and closets...

Dogs:

• Current (11): Leia(Pug), Phoebe(Boxer), Toby(Dane/Shepard mix), Daisy(St. Bernard), Paige(Pug), Connor(Pug), Dex(Mexican Hairless), Rex(Mexican Hairless), Cocoa(Poodle mix), Luigi(Poodle), Hugo(Pug)
  Former (10): Cassie(Mutt), Cassie 2(German Shepard), Cassey(Pug)(Dec), Megan(Pug)(Dec), Warrick(Choc. Lab), Gemini(Pit mix), Viggo(Pit mix), Piper(Pug), Tatum(Pug), Sophie(Maltese)

Cats:

• Current: 0
  Former: 2

Turtles:

• Current: 0
  Former: Cosmo(Dec)

Ferrets:

• Current: 0
  Former: 2

Ball Python:

• Current: 0
  Former: 1(Esc)

CURRENT RESIDENTS
Hedgehog: Sonic
Sugar Gliders: Bob, Lola, 2 babies
Chinchilla: Li'l Vickie
Pot-belly Pigs: Leo, Shipley
Hermit Crabs: 8 or so...

FAVORITES:
I'd have to say that Hugo is my favorite of the current batch... Megan was prior to that, but she died of a breed-specific(pug) form of encephalitis.  Hugo is the father of Tatum, Piper, Paige, and Connor.  He is the greatest pug that has ever lived... 

NEW PETS:
I personally have no desire to get more... but I'm sure I'll be overridden on that one as well...  I wouldn't have this many now if it was up to me...  Phoebe, Leia, Daisy, and Hugo would be plenty... And I'd probably keep Paige and Connor because they're are Hugo and Leia's best looking puppies. 

[pen]

How big is your house/yard?  Jeez.

[TheDozarian]

How big is your house/yard?  Jeez.

It's a big place... and we've got a big fenced-in yard...  But only the bigger dogs ever get a lot of use out of the yard... The pugs are mostly content to stay in the house...  They're all potty-trained and are mostly well mannered.

[Reed]

Huskies are not at all easier than retrievers/labs- my grandfather used to board/breed dogs and he absolutely hated having huskies to deal with. Huskies can be really high strung and a lot of them have the brains inbred out of them in irreputable breeding places. If you leave them at home alone, they are pretty likely to eat your entire living room and probably crap in it since they're a pain in the ass to housetrain.
You need to be serious about training and asserting dominance, or your husky will make your life suck. If you have it from a puppy and really put in the time, they can be great dogs, but I wouldn't recommend it to most people.

I had an Alaskan Malamute, which is a more stubborn, larger version of a husky and my experience wasn't like this at all. He was incredibly sweet, loved attention, only once became destructive when left too long. He was retarded stubborn, but with enough patience he was a great dog. We raised him around other dogs, so he never once tried to assert his dominance (he was actually so friendly that when other dogs didn't like him he didn't care and would STILL try to play with them). The prey instinct is a problem...We had two cats as well, and he liked to hunt them down if they were running around the living room.

His name was Atticus, I just had to give him away 3 weeks ago because when I moved out of the apartment I shared with my ex I couldn't find any apartments that I could afford that would allow a 95lb dog, and she could not spend enough time with him on her own, so it would have been really unfair to him. The sad thing, was that it was harder than her dumping me.

Edit: Sorry....didn't mean to turn this into the blog thread

[Golani]

I've had 4 dogs, 3 cats, 12 fish.

My first dog, Keesha, was a Keeshond, wonderful dog, but was too friendly with the neighbors. he chewed through the fence and would jump up on people trying to play games with them. (This was before shock-colliers were popular).

Two dogs, Penny and Foxy, were enemys from Day one. Defiantly not a match made in heaven.

Cody was my latest, he was a wonderful dog, but too expensive to feed, we had to give him to friends of ours.

-------------------
Felines:

Stupid Cat, (Yes, that was his real name). {An american shorthair} Did the damnedest stuff, attacking roosting hens, getting himself pecked almost to death, licking electrical sockets, jumping into a deep fat fryer. Accidentialy sleeping in the washing machine. (Didn't find out until we heard his very upsetting and scary screaming. Oy, poor cat. Anyway, he died after going into the garage and knocking over antifreeze.... the sight of a twitching cat to my (then) 12 year old eyes) was horrible. We loved him the most though of all our pets.

Annie and Cathy were both Calico, we had them for their full lives, they made wonderful companions. (My aunt claimed annie was trying to kill her by rubbing her legs as the walked (tripping her three times.) this lead my sister and I to call her, The Auntinator.

All my fish... Oh Goldie, I know thee well... Goldie 2, Ben Gurion... Schwarzenegger, Amanda, Gypsy, Miri, Ehud... well, i can't remember all their names!

I am looking to getting a bird someday, though one that doesn't chirp too much.
 

[Fenriswolf]

That seems like an inordinate amount of pets to keep. They're all cute though.

What do people know about Huskies? How hard are they to look after, train, etc?

Oh, whoops, this thread. Thanks, I think they're cute! It is inordinately expensive, even when everyone's healthy, not to mention time-consuming. But animals are better than people. 

Others have answered the Husky thing but to reiterate I think they really are not a breed for many people. Incredibly high energy - ideally need a walk and a run a day, but not early or late so they don't overheat, fairly high upkeep coat (not like a woolly dog but still), often prey driven, super good at escaping, quite vocal (which is fine with the right owner), very independent and quite domineering. On the plus side not as big as Malamutes.

They are awesome dogs but they are a high maintenance breed and usually woefully mismanaged. With a dedicated and confident owner they're fantastic pets and apparently it's really fascinating living with such a "wolf like" breed. ie: A woman off the pit bull forum had a pit bull mongrel and a Husky and where pit bulls are very human-esque, snuggly and in your face, Huskies definitely watch your body language and respond to it, and are more aloof. Interesting contrasts.

It's just sad for Huskies that they're so beautiful as they just need so much time and work (really, they are a working breed) and most pet owners don't really fulfil the needs of their small breed lap dogs or low-drive show bred Labradors (let alone when they get a real, drivey lab).

[Golani]

 very independent and quite domineering.

Not necessarily true, my brother has a Siberian Husky (Gypsy), who rolls over on her belly whenever a human comes along, and follows orders perfectly. (For a dog not previously at a training school).  She is very submissive and dependent on her owners. However as with any dog breed, there is always an exception. I'm just speaking from experiance here.

Huskies are good dogs, great family pets if you get the right one. Just don't leave food on your floor.

[Fenriswolf]

Yes but with the right owner even quite a dominant breed/dog won't show those characteristics - while they might with a less experienced owner. Example: my little red mongrel had potential to be very domineering and resource guard if she'd continued to be owned by someone who babied her. She stood over food and toys and growled if you touched her vulva (she had sores from demodex) or looked in her mouth. You'd never think that now seeing how tolerant she is of anything we do to her.

Also, dogs are individuals, saying "it might be OK!" because of one particular dog is not really the way to go. As I've said before I belong to a pit bull forum. Many people on there have pictures of multiple dogs lounging on couches, refusing to get up to go to the toilet because it's cold, stuff like that. That doesn't change the fact that American Pit Bull Terriers are a high energy breed who are prone to dog aggression. The same lazy couch-snugglers may turn into destructive brats without a run, a walk, and a play on the springpole a day, and the dogs lying together may only get on with each other and require lots of time and work to focus on their owner out on walks so they don't scream and throw themselves around when they see other dogs.

Besides, yes, Huskies are very intelligent but assuming that that means easy to train would be a big mistake. If you're buying a purebred dog you want to get a dog that fits your personality and lifestyle, and from a breeder who produces true to standard dogs. There is a red Doberman at my vet clinic who is the most laid back dog you'll ever meet. Assuming Dobermans are not therefore likely to be incredibly hyperactive would be a big mistake!

[LizziL]

My Pug-Poodle, Arlo, is a great dog. One huge problem, he's a chewer. We've tried everything we've heard, hot sauce, any of the sprays, he just can't seem to be left alone. Heaven forbid he gets into my laundry room, the bugger loves socks.
Any one had an experience like this?

[KvP]

I have a cat.

His name is Shamu.

Shamu.

[TwistedRemedy]

Haha I couldn't tell if the cat was real for a little bit.

[BrilliantEraser]

Aw, cute little kitty kisses. Like puppy kisses, except it feels like your skin is being rubbed with course sandpaper.

[TheFuriousWombat]

This is Fatty (real name Savannah but she lost that when she decided to develop a stomach that literally swings back and forth when she runs):

[ViolentDove]

Aw, cats.

Here's a few photos of Pancake (my housemate's dog) that were taken by a photogragpher friend of mine.





Goddamn she's a cute puppy.

[Lunchbox]

Eeee what a sweetie.

Fatty has a gorgeous little face too! *pat pat*

[Masterbainter]

I'm considerinng getting some fish.. But I really want fish that murder eachother.  Any suggestions?

[Lunchbox]

That's awful.
But siamese fighting fish will kill each other in about thirty seconds.
My brother once had a tank full of tiny goldfish and they kept dying one by one until we realised that one was getting larger than all of the others...

[Boro_Bandito]

Oscars and other cichlids are pretty cool, my dad once had an enormous Oscar that would eat live earthworms hole, literally slurp em up like spaghetti.

[Masterbainter]

Oscars are so ugly though.. I want some fish like a northern pike or muskee.. but I know that's illegal and tanks would need to be huge... I was thinking maybe a pirana(SP?).. but i'm not sure how to get a hold of one.

[Josefbugman]

... Pirahana would probably make bad pets, they like murky water, fresh meat (an expensive commodity) and have a tendancy to attack each other.l

[bainidhe_dub]

I have a hamster named Rupert.


Growing up, we had (all at different times) a husky-collie mix named Fairbanks, another hamster named Koala, and the aforementioned english shepherd rescue, Princess.

[Naira]

I've only ever had one pet. When I was 6, my family got a Black Labrador puppy that we named Samantha.

She was a pretty awesome dog. There are still memories that I can laugh myself to tears about.

But, alas...as you can tell by the past tense, she passed away. She's been gone about 2 years now, which makes a total of 8 dog-less years in my 24 year existence.

I can honestly say that it's actually been kind of hard, especially since no one in my family is in a position to own pets right now. I really miss having one and I'm looking forward to the day when I can get another dog.

Until then, I live vicariously through my other friends who are pet owners. So, counting the pets that I steal for a time to make myself better...I have a Portuguese Podengo puppy (yes, that's a real breed), and two cats, Samhain--pronounced SUH-vain--and Yule (named by a girl who loves Wicca, as you can guess)

[Boro_Bandito]

Oscars are so ugly though.. I want some fish like a northern pike or muskee.. but I know that's illegal and tanks would need to be huge... I was thinking maybe a pirana(SP?).. but i'm not sure how to get a hold of one.

its illegal to keep a pike? I would just think that it would be relatively hard to obtain one and keep it in a tank... but not illegal.

[Verergoca]

Pirhanas you can buy at any good fishstore.

The murkyness of the water doesnt matter much. The main bad part about them critters is:

- They are interesting 15 minutes out of a entire week. As in, interesting at feeding time...

The rest of the time, you have a boring tank (cause well, if you put in other fish, theyll get eaten, they just dont eat eachother to much) with some fish lurking somewhere under a rock. No good

Pikewise, we had one at school once. Getting him was just a matter of having classmates who enjoy fishing. The keeping him was more problematic though.

A). Live food, either feederfish, or catching little fish every week
B). Pike hunt out of the shadows, keeping waterlillies (or something like that) in an aquarium = various shades of hells of tricky
C). You need an aquarium that isnt a rectangle. They dart forward to grab their prey, but also kinda need to have space to turn around (very rigid bodies)

For fish that each eachother, chiclids work rather lovely

[Masterbainter]

Oscars are so ugly though.. I want some fish like a northern pike or muskee.. but I know that's illegal and tanks would need to be huge... I was thinking maybe a pirana(SP?).. but i'm not sure how to get a hold of one.

its illegal to keep a pike? I would just think that it would be relatively hard to obtain one and keep it in a tank... but not illegal.

Depends on your state laws.. It's considered a game fish here in South Dakota so.

Pirhanas you can buy at any good fishstore.

The murkyness of the water doesnt matter much. The main bad part about them critters is:

- They are interesting 15 minutes out of a entire week. As in, interesting at feeding time...

The rest of the time, you have a boring tank (cause well, if you put in other fish, theyll get eaten, they just dont eat eachother to much) with some fish lurking somewhere under a rock. No good

Pikewise, we had one at school once. Getting him was just a matter of having classmates who enjoy fishing. The keeping him was more problematic though.

A). Live food, either feederfish, or catching little fish every week
B). Pike hunt out of the shadows, keeping waterlillies (or something like that) in an aquarium = various shades of hells of tricky
C). You need an aquarium that isnt a rectangle. They dart forward to grab their prey, but also kinda need to have space to turn around (very rigid bodies)

For fish that each eachother, chiclids work rather lovely

Thanks for the Info.  is it harder to keep Salt Water fishies?

[Verergoca]

As long as you have a big aquarium (500l+), access to fresh, filtered salt water (we got it via the local sea aquarium), and a well designed (and overdimensionated) filtration system, its not really that much harder.

Also, you must a). not mind cleaning up algea on a weekly basis b). have a significant other who doesnt mind saltstains everywhere in the vicinity of the thing