Dudley

Dudley has been part of the family for a little over a year now.  He's brought a lot of joy into our lives, but he's still a little rowdy inside the house.  He loves to play fetch with a small dog basketball.  After one of the kids throws it, he leaps over the ottoman and couches to chase the ball into another room.

When we first got Dudley, he was quiet and didn't bark.....ever.  He ignored animals of all types and loved to sit on anyone's lap.  Strangers were welcomed like one of the family.  One morning, Allie came racing into the house very excited because Dudley had barked at a bird.  (He didn't mind the cat in the bushes.)  Gradually, he became more protective of our property.  He still loves people, but he will bark and act intimidating when people arrive at our door.  As soon as the person walks inside, Dudley lays on his back waiting for a good belly rub.

This afternoon, Mike had Dudley out in the backyard.  Dudley was chasing birds quietly and playing with the girls.  After the girls came back inside to finish school, we heard Dudley barking loudly.  I couldn't figure out what was upsetting him.  Mike walked over and talked to him and removed the toad that was 4' from where Dudley was chained.  Dudley doesn't like toads or squirrels.  It seems bizarre to me that cats are no problem in our yard.  But birds, squirrels and now toads are a problem.  I wonder what he's going to do when he sees his first snake?

Chicago (the cat)

I'm not a huge cat fancier. The smell of a litterbox makes me nauseous, even one that is cleaned everyday. Cats aren't as easy going as a dog. A dog will love you when ever you give him attention. A cat needs to be courted on a regular basis and even then, may not want to be petted and cuddled.

Katie received a cat when she was 9. She named her Chicago and at first did a brilliant job of caring for her pet. Eventually, Kate decided that she didn't want to feed or water her pet and completely ignored the need to police that cat's commode.
We spent a lot of time reminding Kate, but frequently one of the other children or I would take care of the cat's needs.

Chicago became a "family" pet and Steve took over the day-to-day responsibilities of cat care. Chicago loves Steve and will spend hours wrapped around his neck or cuddled inside his hoodie. The younger children have always wanted to play with Chicago, but she doesn't like young children.

Since several of the children are at school or work, the cat has started to crave attention. From anyone. She immediately sits on someone's lap as soon as he sits down. She rubs up against my legs when I am cooking or ironing. She's constantly underfoot. I can't decide if it was better when she ignored everyone or not.

Paige and Allie love that Chicago wants to spend time with them now. They make forts with blankets and curl up with the cat. Sometimes they even sneak her up to their bedroom to sleep on their beds at night. Most of the family has mild cat allergies and the cat isn't supposed to be upstairs at all. So I try to shoo her downstairs each evening before I go to bed.

We've had the cat for a long time now and she's never been one to climb on tables or the counter......until recently. When we got our larger dining room table, it had a cherry top, without any laminate. I don't want it to get scratched with daily use, so it's always covered with a table cloth. Chicago thinks that the table cloth is an invitation to sit and rest. We are constantly having to shoo her off the table and change the table cloth. A plastic, wipe able table cloth was purchased a few weeks ago, which I thought would solve the problem. It hasn't.

Chicago has been a mixed blessing over the years. She keeps our home mouse-free and the children all love her. Will we get another cat, when Chicago moves out with Katie or passes away? Probably not, but she's pretty cool......for a cat.

Observations from Our House

I hear munching and crunching near the dog's food bowl on the main floor of the house. After a quick glance, the cat is observed eating the dog's food. A wrapper is heard crinkling in the laundry room, where the dog is seen eating the cat's food. Maybe, I only need to purchase one type of pet food.

A New Trick

Buster is a very smart dog. He is house-trained. He plays fetch. He comes when called. He almost sits on command. These are all normal dog tricks. It's so much easier to have a dog in the house when he listens and obeys. Buster's problem habit is that he likes to bite. I know it's normal puppy behavior and he has plenty of chew toys. Unfortunately, he nips and hangs on. Poor Madelyn got nipped on the finger and Buster drew blood.

Buster is so smart that he has figured out how to open hit kennel, which is actually a pet taxi. Joe woke up yesterday morning with Buster licking Joe's face. We thought that it was a fluke. Last night, Buster opened the kennel while we were playing cards. The door popped open and Buster's nose appeared in the opening. This is not good. I want to be able to kennel Buster when we leave the house and at night when we are sleeping. The furniture has remained free of chewing, but that won't last if we can't keep an eye on the dog when he's roaming the house. I guess I'll try to tie the door with a rope when it's closed.

Welcome Buster!

Steve and Joe both have birthday's between Christmas and New Year's Eve. It is so hard to purchase gifts so close to Christmas. This year, Mike and I decided to purchase the boy's a dog as a shared gift. We purchased a male Jack Russell Terrier. All our other pets have been female, but Buster is a lap dog. He loves to be held and petted, which is a much better choice for us.

Steve and Joe named the pup Buster. His feet have hardly touched the floor today.