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What pets do you have? Why? How did you choose them?
- Thread starter Horsegirl
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- animals autismfriendly choice pets
Stellarpulse
Member
Jeff T
puzzling lifeform
I live by myself, and have had some amazing animals/friends throughout my life:
Upper left- myself and Tucky, an appaloosa/TWH mare in 1978. A wise, bombproof and intensely loyal cowpony, she lived to be 33. Oddly, as an alpha-horse, she would follow me wherever without a halter.
Upper right- In the barn aisle, the 17hh horse is Orchid the TWH. She's 'cheeky' and pushy, terrified of tweetybirds. But she has a gait like floating on a carpet above the rack and ruin. The equid behind her is 'BB', an appaloosa mini-mule. He was mistreated by kids while owned by the previous owner, and is pretty tense.
In front is Cajun II, a happy, bouncy black english labrador that has no fear.
Lower left- At a typical camp spot by mountain lake is L to R: Bayou, a female chow/lab/shepherd with ADHD- nothing else liked her. Cajun II as a pup. And Tawny, a female lab/beagle mix, an always happy hound that would bring up rocks and other stuff from the lake bottom. These three were my 'family' sadly the two older pooches had cancer when this photo was taken- I didn't find out until two months later.
Lower right- a very young Bayou on the left, and Cajun I on the right. This Cajun and Tucky the horse were fast friends, and both were my "soulmates". Both were very sharp and wise; I didn't have to train them as they both grokked how to behave from the start. I called Cajun my 'military cadet/diplomat', the more commands I gave, the happier he got. With other dogs, he would emerge Alpha by friendliness- always taking the other cheek and trying again and again- the other dogs would eventually give up. He never fought, but he was ferocious towards raccoons.
Not included are the 6 cats that owned me over the years*; and Luna, an abandoned female dog who may be Whippet/ Jack Russell? She was very fearful at first but has improved a good deal.
* Notable was Spatz, a female rescued kitty. She sent two german shepherds packing when they went for Cajun-I as a pup. She would jump off the roof and onto my shoulder when I'd come home from work. My ex ran over her with her F250, she completely healed and lived another 5 years until 19.
Upper left- myself and Tucky, an appaloosa/TWH mare in 1978. A wise, bombproof and intensely loyal cowpony, she lived to be 33. Oddly, as an alpha-horse, she would follow me wherever without a halter.
Upper right- In the barn aisle, the 17hh horse is Orchid the TWH. She's 'cheeky' and pushy, terrified of tweetybirds. But she has a gait like floating on a carpet above the rack and ruin. The equid behind her is 'BB', an appaloosa mini-mule. He was mistreated by kids while owned by the previous owner, and is pretty tense.
In front is Cajun II, a happy, bouncy black english labrador that has no fear.
Lower left- At a typical camp spot by mountain lake is L to R: Bayou, a female chow/lab/shepherd with ADHD- nothing else liked her. Cajun II as a pup. And Tawny, a female lab/beagle mix, an always happy hound that would bring up rocks and other stuff from the lake bottom. These three were my 'family' sadly the two older pooches had cancer when this photo was taken- I didn't find out until two months later.
Lower right- a very young Bayou on the left, and Cajun I on the right. This Cajun and Tucky the horse were fast friends, and both were my "soulmates". Both were very sharp and wise; I didn't have to train them as they both grokked how to behave from the start. I called Cajun my 'military cadet/diplomat', the more commands I gave, the happier he got. With other dogs, he would emerge Alpha by friendliness- always taking the other cheek and trying again and again- the other dogs would eventually give up. He never fought, but he was ferocious towards raccoons.
Not included are the 6 cats that owned me over the years*; and Luna, an abandoned female dog who may be Whippet/ Jack Russell? She was very fearful at first but has improved a good deal.
* Notable was Spatz, a female rescued kitty. She sent two german shepherds packing when they went for Cajun-I as a pup. She would jump off the roof and onto my shoulder when I'd come home from work. My ex ran over her with her F250, she completely healed and lived another 5 years until 19.
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I will update, since it's been a while...
I currently have 7 dogs:
Kodi, Chesca, and Hex (Dogo Argentinos, all female, all purchased from reputable breeders)
Enzo (English Pointer, male, a rescue)
Odin (Newfoundland, male, given to me by a reputable breeder)
Malos (Doberman, male, a rescue)
Linda (Podengo Portugueso Pequeno [mix?], female, a rescue)
See my signature for reference photo
I currently have 7 dogs:
Kodi, Chesca, and Hex (Dogo Argentinos, all female, all purchased from reputable breeders)
Enzo (English Pointer, male, a rescue)
Odin (Newfoundland, male, given to me by a reputable breeder)
Malos (Doberman, male, a rescue)
Linda (Podengo Portugueso Pequeno [mix?], female, a rescue)
See my signature for reference photo
Hi. I'm Dog V4. Would anyone like a hug? I can do extra's like stealing your chair, running off with the card centre out of a toilet roll or leave a slobbery tennis ball on your pillow. Also, I would like a biscuit.
Want one but family don't want live crickets and meal worms in the house.
As they get older they prefer to be vegetarians.=)
Arsinoe
Member
I love ALL animals and if I could I'd own one of everything lol
But with my teeny budget and even tinier apartment my choices are limited. But I don't mind really. I got myself a hamster (planning on getting one more) and I also would love to have at least one lil birdie like a canary or a couple of finches.
I liked hamsters before getting my own but now that I also own one myself, I can say they've earned my love! Not to mention how similar our idiosyncrasies are!
My hamster is solitary, loves to have her own territory/home and to make it up however she wants without being bothered much about it, is 100% asocial with the only exception being me (she likes me for the obvious reasons and I can say that she felt pretty safe with me and in my home since the very first day!). She lets me pet her and soon enough I do intend to let her out on the playpen I got her so we can further bond and so I can also pet her a little bit more (I can't get over her adorable round bite sized fluffyness) and she also shares very similar tastes with me especially when it comes to vegetables xp
I had spent pretty much 5 months doing research for my future pet and especially for hamsters. I got her a 80*50 terrarium, she has all the appropriate stuff and every day I think of ways to enrich her life even more. In fact I get hamster 'boxes' pretty often and I'm currently in the process of finding sprays for the enclosure (hard to find those where I am and etsy is awfully expensive )
But with my teeny budget and even tinier apartment my choices are limited. But I don't mind really. I got myself a hamster (planning on getting one more) and I also would love to have at least one lil birdie like a canary or a couple of finches.
I liked hamsters before getting my own but now that I also own one myself, I can say they've earned my love! Not to mention how similar our idiosyncrasies are!
My hamster is solitary, loves to have her own territory/home and to make it up however she wants without being bothered much about it, is 100% asocial with the only exception being me (she likes me for the obvious reasons and I can say that she felt pretty safe with me and in my home since the very first day!). She lets me pet her and soon enough I do intend to let her out on the playpen I got her so we can further bond and so I can also pet her a little bit more (I can't get over her adorable round bite sized fluffyness) and she also shares very similar tastes with me especially when it comes to vegetables xp
I had spent pretty much 5 months doing research for my future pet and especially for hamsters. I got her a 80*50 terrarium, she has all the appropriate stuff and every day I think of ways to enrich her life even more. In fact I get hamster 'boxes' pretty often and I'm currently in the process of finding sprays for the enclosure (hard to find those where I am and etsy is awfully expensive )
I have a black Turkish angora and she will be 12 years old this year. As a kid, I always wanted a black cat. My kitty came in as a surprise. My aunt works at apartment complex’s and happened to found her in a dumpster. She came over to our house and gave her to us. I was happy she found her because i don’t know what would happen to her.
That's an interesting point in itself. In my cousin's case, she is devoted to animal rescues. Leaving her often to surmise that it was the dog in question who chose her at a shelter or rescue operation.
She does have a tendency to be attracted to pets who may not be so attractive to most people at first glance.
She does have a tendency to be attracted to pets who may not be so attractive to most people at first glance.
Arsinoe
Member
Similarly I have a soft spot for animals that are more underestimated or not very cared for, at least not as much as the usual pet choices (dogs, cats, parrots, bunnies)
When I read this I got very happy, your hamster is lucky to have someone caring like you do
---
So we currently have two cats and an unknown number of fish both indoor and in the garden pond.
Our cats are rescue cats from a shelter, they are brother and sister - I have had 5 other cats previously, but I never had a cat that liked to cuddle as much as this one we have now (the brother):
It brings back memories from when my daughter was a baby and I carried her around in the kitchen - one handed cooking is still in my skill set
Arsinoe
Member
Thank you!When I read this I got very happy, your hamster is lucky to have someone caring like you do
---
So we currently have two cats and an unknown number of fish both indoor and in the garden pond.
Our cats are rescue cats from a shelter, they are brother and sister - I have had 5 other cats previously, but I never had a cat that liked to cuddle as much as this one we have now (the brother):
View attachment 125997
It brings back memories from when my daughter was a baby and I carried her around in the kitchen - one handed cooking is still in my skill set
Your cat is adorable! You guys have a fish pond? That sounds freaking awesome, I always thought that if I had a house with a garden or big yard I'd also like it ot be near a lake so I can have ducks too lol
I would love to have some ducks come visit my garden
When I first moved in with my husband, he worked full-time while I only worked evenings, and he thought I might get lonely during the day. So we decided on getting a pet to keep me company.
The landlords didn't allow cats or dogs for some reason, but they allowed small pets. At first we thought about getting fish, but we thought the upkeep of a fish tank might prove a bit expensive. Then I thought about mice, but they don't live very long.
Then my mum came up with the idea of rats. She said rats are quite big for rodents, and are beautiful and intelligent. Although they don't live very long either, they still live longer than mice. So for the last 5 years we've had rats.
Many people think of rats as these creepy-crawly sort of creatures that you can't bond with, but believe me that is wrong. They are intelligent, social and emotional. It's actually cruel to only have one rat, because they're very social creatures and need other rat companions. And they are cliquey towards each other and manipulative towards humans! Yes, you read that correctly. The dominant rats can be very naughty and very difficult. Sometimes they don't want to be put into the temporary cage when I need to clean the main cage out, and they will kick and scream.
Putting some food into the temporary cage to lure them in doesn't work on the more dominant types, because by kicking and screaming it's their way of telling you that you can't tell them what to do! And if they get themselves lost under the couch, they won't come out until they're ready. No food will lure them out, unless they have a less dominant personality. But the more dominant types just stare at you as if to say "you can't fool me with that bit of cheese!"
Yes, not only dominant rats rule their cage, they rule their humans as well. They all have very notable personalities, and dominant rats can bully other rats, not just by fighting but by manipulating and being cliquey and territorial.
Yes, they are very interesting creatures.
This little guy is the naughtiest and most dominant rat. I have 6 rats altogether.
The landlords didn't allow cats or dogs for some reason, but they allowed small pets. At first we thought about getting fish, but we thought the upkeep of a fish tank might prove a bit expensive. Then I thought about mice, but they don't live very long.
Then my mum came up with the idea of rats. She said rats are quite big for rodents, and are beautiful and intelligent. Although they don't live very long either, they still live longer than mice. So for the last 5 years we've had rats.
Many people think of rats as these creepy-crawly sort of creatures that you can't bond with, but believe me that is wrong. They are intelligent, social and emotional. It's actually cruel to only have one rat, because they're very social creatures and need other rat companions. And they are cliquey towards each other and manipulative towards humans! Yes, you read that correctly. The dominant rats can be very naughty and very difficult. Sometimes they don't want to be put into the temporary cage when I need to clean the main cage out, and they will kick and scream.
Putting some food into the temporary cage to lure them in doesn't work on the more dominant types, because by kicking and screaming it's their way of telling you that you can't tell them what to do! And if they get themselves lost under the couch, they won't come out until they're ready. No food will lure them out, unless they have a less dominant personality. But the more dominant types just stare at you as if to say "you can't fool me with that bit of cheese!"
Yes, not only dominant rats rule their cage, they rule their humans as well. They all have very notable personalities, and dominant rats can bully other rats, not just by fighting but by manipulating and being cliquey and territorial.
Yes, they are very interesting creatures.
This little guy is the naughtiest and most dominant rat. I have 6 rats altogether.
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