# Troublesome Pets



## Taggart (Feb 14, 2013)

Has your pet ever caused real trouble?

I was inspired to put this up after reading about this cat LINK :










The cat managed to get itself stuck up the same tree twice in two days. The whole story is typically British with a mixture of sentiment, council inefficiency and over zealous health and safety rules.

So, have you any similar stories about your pets?


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## Dr Johnson (Jun 26, 2015)

A friend of mine has two Siamese cats who like to steal the smaller items from her neighbours' washing lines.


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## Ingélou (Feb 10, 2013)

Cats do seem to like popping through any open window or door that they find.

Once, when we lived in Durham, our cat Peg went missing, and we saw her inside a neighbour's living room - it was a terraced street & they'd left the sash window open.

But they'd gone out. So, as the sash window was low to the ground, I pushed it open and 'burgled' our cat out of there, then replaced the window.

Here in Norfolk, we lost our black cat Bramble & heard him miaowing from inside a neighbour's garage. Again, the owners were out - in fact, they'd gone away on holiday. But I discovered a way to open the garage, which was nominally locked. I released Bramble, but didn't notice that another neighbour's cat Casey was hanging around. I shut the garage door again, and took Bramble home.

Two days later my neighbour Maureen called at our house: 'I suppose you haven't seen Casey, have you? He's been missing for the last two days...'


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## Taggart (Feb 14, 2013)

When we lived in Durham, we had two cats and one of them managed to climb a tree in a neighbour's garden and sit calmly on top of a bird box. The only trouble was that the tree was on top of a bank so that it was some distance from the ground. 

The first time, Ingélou managed to coax it down by playing the recorder. The second time, I had to scale the tree, which swayed ominously, and bring the cat down on my shoulders.


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## Triplets (Sep 4, 2014)

I am a Physician and have treated many Patients who fell over their cats and dogs and had hip fractures, along with assorted infections from bites and scratches.
Last winter my two year old grandson crawled up to his dog's dish and while mimicking the dog's feeding, provoked an attack that resulted in several facial bites, including one that just missed his eye


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## Ingélou (Feb 10, 2013)

Dreadful - wish they had a 'sympathy' button for this, as I can't 'like' it.


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## Guest (Jul 21, 2015)

Dr Johnson said:


> A friend of mine has two Siamese cats who like to steal the smaller items from her neighbours' washing lines.


Yeah I'd blame it on some cats too


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## Cosmos (Jun 28, 2013)

My dog's a Yorkshire Terrier, and we sometimes let him run around in our back yard, which is pretty big. Since he's so small, we're always mindful to block any holes in the fence we can find. I'm guessing he follows the rabbits' smells because he manages to find the ones we miss all the time.

Anyway one afternoon, my parents let him out, they were on the deck drinking wine [pretty much all they do now, I'm jealous] when my mom asks, "Where's the dog?" As my dad was looking around the yard, she went back into the house and heard scratching at our front door.

My dog had squeezed through some hole in the fence, walked around to the front of the house, and was pawing and yipping to be let back in. He's so silly! He could have just went back through the fence. Then again, my dog's so sheltered, he doesn't want to run away haha. My story's not on the same level as the others; my dog's rude, but he isn't too troublesome, even if he barks a lot.

We keep his collar on so it'll jingle wherever he walks


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## elgar's ghost (Aug 8, 2010)

Perhaps this doesn't come into the 'troublesome' category as such, but my late uncle's Boxer, Duke, had probably the worst case of extreme flatulence I've ever encountered - whether animal or human. My uncle took him to the vet when he was a puppy to be examined but the vet apparently said there was nothing particularly wrong with him. Unfortunately it was difficult to be in the same room as Duke sometimes but he was a smashing dog otherwise, and the vet must have been right about his well-being as he lived a long life. Duke's successor, Max, was thankfully a fart-free zone - well, most of the time...


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## Pyotr (Feb 26, 2013)

Speaking of troublesome pets, check out Patches.


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## brotagonist (Jul 11, 2013)

I find all dogs that are untrained and bark and jump up and whatever to be troublesome. People strolling is a normal occurrence and no reason to be barked at. People have to have their pets properly trained... and this should be mandatory.


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## Jos (Oct 14, 2013)

Triplets said:


> I am a Physician and have treated many Patients who fell over their cats and dogs and had hip fractures, along with assorted infections from bites and scratches.
> Last winter my two year old grandson crawled up to his dog's dish and while mimicking the dog's feeding, provoked an attack that resulted in several facial bites, including one that just missed his eye


This is the reason why I had my children "steal" the (young) dogs foodbowls just when they had started eating. Just a few times in a month or so. Boxers are amongst the kindest of dogs especially to children, but the mongrel foxterrier needed a bit of a correction when my oldest daughter pulled that trick, mind you, the fox was not a puppy when daughter came into the family.
Anyways, I do hope your grandson is allright, Triplets!


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## KenOC (Mar 7, 2011)

My dogs are no trouble, but my wife is convinced that if we leave them at the doggie hotel they'll be rented out for medical research or something. This puts a bit of a crimp in our travel plans...


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## ArtMusic (Jan 5, 2013)

The tropical aquarium. Everything must be right otherwise the fish die (I live in temperate zone).


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## Ingélou (Feb 10, 2013)

What is it with cats and hidey-holes? We once looked after a kitten for a friend and after a day couldn't find it anywhere. We panicked - we didn't think it could have got out, but who knew? Eventually we found that it had crept through the hole in the back of the gas stove & into the bottom section where the pans were stored.

Our friends started a family and a year or two later, we took this now grown-up cat into our house. She was a gorgeous affectionate little tabby with a bright orange tum. We moved home, and once lost her for over twenty four hours, though we looked everywhere. Eventually we heard a piteous miaow from the cupboard under the stairs.


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## breakup (Jul 8, 2015)

I posted this on the "funny pictures" thread, but it fits better here. 

"We had a dog once that was farting loudly for awhile, and they stank. After one or two times in the living room I started chasing him back to the room where he slept in case he did it again, and kept doing it for several times over the course of a couple weeks. One evening we were in the living room and my wife passed gas loudly, and the dog got up and slunk back to his room."


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## brotagonist (Jul 11, 2013)

I had a misadventure with a pet dog last night.

I was walking in the neighbourhood and stopped to chat with a neighbour who was out pulling weeds. We were just beginning our chat, when an average sized dog, barking fiercely and with fangs bared, bolted out of the man's yard and leapt up at me, jumping up at my face and close to my bare arms and t-shirt clad torso, barking toothily. The man yelled at the dog and it returned into the yard. I was quite shaken.

I asked the man if he had not heard of dog obedience training. He blithely told me that this is what he had trained his dog to do and then he uttered the threat: "And one word from me and things would have been different!"


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## breakup (Jul 8, 2015)

brotagonist said:


> I had a misadventure with a pet dog last night.
> 
> I was walking in the neighbourhood and stopped to chat with a neighbour who was out pulling weeds. We were just beginning our chat, when an average sized dog, barking fiercely and with fangs bared, bolted out of the man's yard and leapt up at me, jumping up at my face and close to my bare arms and t-shirt clad torso, barking toothily. The man yelled at the dog and it returned into the yard. I was quite shaken.
> 
> I asked the man if he had not heard of dog obedience training. He blithely told me that this is what he had trained his dog to do and then he uttered the threat: "And one word from me and things would have been different!"


I would think that would be something worth reporting to the police, or bury the dog, especially if the dog left the mans property.


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## Ingélou (Feb 10, 2013)

brotagonist said:


> I had a misadventure with a pet dog last night.
> 
> I was walking in the neighbourhood and stopped to chat with a neighbour who was out pulling weeds. We were just beginning our chat, when an average sized dog, barking fiercely and with fangs bared, bolted out of the man's yard and leapt up at me, jumping up at my face and close to my bare arms and t-shirt clad torso, barking toothily. The man yelled at the dog and it returned into the yard. I was quite shaken.
> 
> I asked the man if he had not heard of dog obedience training. He blithely told me that this is what he had trained his dog to do and then he uttered the threat: "And one word from me and things would have been different!"


It does sound horrible. What a wrong-headed man; animals will be animals, and are never under iron control. Somebody could get hurt in the future. Sympathies.


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## Ingélou (Feb 10, 2013)

Some years ago, when we were pet-owners, we were walking on the beach with our two dogs (off the leash) when they were young. It was autumn, and there was a line of men standing on the shore and casting fishing lines into the waves. Suddenly one of them reeled in a small fish, and as the line dragged through the surf, Taggart - the border terrier, *not* the man! - leapt excitedly upon it, and ran off with the fish in his mouth. We ran after him, shouting, and miraculously for him, he dropped the fish, uneaten, though with a bit of scuffing where his teeth had held it. We returned it to the man apologetically and scarpered.


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## Bulldog (Nov 21, 2013)

brotagonist said:


> I had a misadventure with a pet dog last night.
> 
> I was walking in the neighbourhood and stopped to chat with a neighbour who was out pulling weeds. We were just beginning our chat, when an average sized dog, barking fiercely and with fangs bared, bolted out of the man's yard and leapt up at me, jumping up at my face and close to my bare arms and t-shirt clad torso, barking toothily. The man yelled at the dog and it returned into the yard. I was quite shaken.
> 
> I asked the man if he had not heard of dog obedience training. He blithely told me that this is what he had trained his dog to do and then he uttered the threat: "And one word from me and things would have been different!"


A dog is a reflection of his owner. You better watch out!


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## SixFootScowl (Oct 17, 2011)

brotagonist said:


> I had a misadventure with a pet dog last night.
> 
> I was walking in the neighbourhood and stopped to chat with a neighbour who was out pulling weeds. We were just beginning our chat, when an average sized dog, barking fiercely and with fangs bared, bolted out of the man's yard and leapt up at me, jumping up at my face and close to my bare arms and t-shirt clad torso, barking toothily. The man yelled at the dog and it returned into the yard. I was quite shaken.
> 
> I asked the man if he had not heard of dog obedience training. He blithely told me that this is what he had trained his dog to do and then he uttered the threat: "And one word from me and things would have been different!"


You could carry a spray and hose the dog but with that owner, look out. He probably would come at you if you hosed the dog, so make sure you have plenty of extra spray. I would be inclined to avoid that block if you don't have to walk that way.

In the Detroit area a man who happened to be carrying a pistol (legally) was at a park when some people had their dog off leash (illegal there). The dog came charging at the man, He hollered to the owner who said, "Don't worry, he is friendly." The dog kept coming and the guy shot the dog. The dog lived and the man with the pistol was not charged because he rightfully was defending himself. Too many dog owners disobey leash laws and it makes taking walks in the park annoying.


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## SixFootScowl (Oct 17, 2011)

My dog ate a poisonous mushroom in our yard a few years ago. She was about 8 months old. It resulted in a $1500 bill for doggy ER and overnight stay. She was one sick puppy. Liver enzymes were 6 times normal limit. They flushed her out with an IV.


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## KenOC (Mar 7, 2011)

For a depressing experience, read the comments at the bottom of articles describing attacks by vicious dogs, especially pit bulls. "My dog is a dominant male. Your dog didn't act submissive enough. No wonder he was attacked! His fault, and your fault!"

The dog may not be alone in needing to be put down.


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## xample (Mar 8, 2015)

We have a dog here and since it's very warm here in our area, we had to put a fan of some sorts near her playground so that she would stay cool. A few days later, we were baffled when we saw the wire completely broken by the dog, and that's when we found out that dogs tend to nip on things when they're bored...


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## Ingélou (Feb 10, 2013)

xample said:


> We have a dog here and since it's very warm here in our area, we had to put a fan of some sorts near her playground so that she would stay cool. A few days later, we were baffled when we saw the wire completely broken by the dog, and that's when we found out that dogs tend to nip on things when they're bored...


My sister (years ago) left a new puppy to sleep in the car when she came to see me, and found that the wire to the rear lights had been gnawed through.


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## Guest (Jul 23, 2015)

They can make a mess, but it's hard to get angry when they are so cute! We have since had to purchase a sealed TP dispenser.



















(Ours is white.)


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## TurnaboutVox (Sep 22, 2013)

Arthur Cat: Fleas and fighting (a life!)


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## elgar's ghost (Aug 8, 2010)

^
^

Looks like he's took a swipe on the snout there...is he a bit of a brawler?


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## TurnaboutVox (Sep 22, 2013)

Yes, he is. You wouldn't believe it from this, would you?


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## Jeff W (Jan 20, 2014)

*In which Harry scares me witless*

So this troublesome guy, Harry...









decided to bring me a mouse today. Alive and squeaking. About scared the living daylights out of me! And yes, that is an iPhone under his paw.


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## Dr Johnson (Jun 26, 2015)

I am about to make a 40 mile round trip to feed someone else's cats. That's what I call troublesome pets.


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## SixFootScowl (Oct 17, 2011)

I have neighbor's cats in my yard.

How to keep cats out of your yard.


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## Guest (Aug 9, 2015)

Florestan said:


> I have neighbor's cats in my yard.
> 
> How to keep cats out of your yard.


I'd like to know how to keep them off countertops. We've tried squirting with water, placing aluminum foil around the perimeter, and even installing a shock pad. The latter worked, but it scared one so badly that she leaped about 4 feet in the air and smacked some hanging light fixtures. We certainly don't want to hurt them.


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## SixFootScowl (Oct 17, 2011)

Kontrapunctus said:


> I'd like to know how to keep them off countertops.


Maybe that is why people let them roam outdoors--to keep them off the counter tops.

I was talking to a guy at work who has cats, but I forgot, and mentioned being somewhere where the people let the cats go on the counter tops, and he replied, "What's wrong with that?"


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## Guest (Aug 10, 2015)

Sigh...


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## geralmar (Feb 15, 2013)

The first night my fiancee (now wife) brought her cat over, it somehow got the hook of a coat hanger lodged in its eye. Understandably the creature panicked and raced around the house, my fiancée and I in pursuit. When we finally caught up with it, I was able to extract the coat hanger without damage to cat or eye. Nevertheless it was a stressful evening for all concerned.


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## SixFootScowl (Oct 17, 2011)

I have a great cat story from many years ago. Hang on, it takes a bit of background to get to the cat part. I was helping my friend move to college, so we were driving from Detroit to Atlanta and we had the back of my 1977 F100 filled with furniture and other stuff. We left late Saturday and got about 15 miles down the road when my exhaust fell off from the muffler back, including the muffler. We drove on. The hills of kentucky made the truck work pretty hard and with that and the load, the truck was awfully loud. 

We stopped at a rest area about the break of day and there was a muffler laying in the ditch, exact same kind that goes on that truck, so we grabbed it and beat it onto the open pipe with a rock and tied it up with some heavy cord. It made it the whole trip and then some. So part of his belongings that we were taking to college included his cat, Joey. When we stopped and found the muffler, we could not find the cat. Then we heard meowing and discovered the cat was under the dash board. The dashboard had a speaker grill on top in the middle, but since I bought the truck stripped down, there was no radio. We discovered the cat by looking into the speaker grill and it was staring up at us. The cat did not hide under the dash again, and I think that is because the truck was much quieter with the muffler we had put on it.


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## breakup (Jul 8, 2015)

Kontrapunctus said:


> I'd like to know how to keep them off countertops. We've tried squirting with water, placing aluminum foil around the perimeter, *and even installing a shock pad.* The latter worked, but it scared one so badly that she leaped about 4 feet in the air and smacked some hanging light fixtures. We certainly don't want to hurt them.


 The voltage probably wasn't high enough, I understand that 220 works pretty well. The cat certainly wouldn't jump very high.


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## breakup (Jul 8, 2015)

Jeff W said:


> So this troublesome guy, Harry...
> 
> View attachment 73206
> 
> ...


I had a dog once that came home with half a squirrel. Obviously the squirrel was dead. I figured I didn't need to feed her as much that night.


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## breakup (Jul 8, 2015)

I used to listen to a PBS radio program by Click and Clack, the tappet brothers. It was a call in show where people would describe their car problems and the brothers would try to diagnose and help to cure the problem. One woman called in from Georgia or one of those southern states and had a Gecko that had crawled into her dash and was clinging to her speedometer needle, and she wanted to know how to get it out. The brothers told her that first she should take a photo and send it to the GEICO insurance co. and after they came out and video'd the Gecko and paid her a million dollars, she could then get the Gecko out of her car. They wanted a cut of the million.


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## trazom (Apr 13, 2009)

Ah, I finally found the picture I wanted for this thread. I took this one about 5 years ago and had to dig through a lot of files to find it. I caught her napping up on the couch. Usually, she'd hear me approach and jump down just in time to look up at me and wag her tail all innocently; but not this time:


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## Ingélou (Feb 10, 2013)

^ ^ ^ Absolutely gorgeous, trazom! Thanks for posting.


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## SixFootScowl (Oct 17, 2011)

Here is a real troublemaker:


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## Art Rock (Nov 28, 2009)

Our dog has gone deaf recently. He was never the best listener (as most cocker spaniels), but now commands are totally useless.


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## Ingélou (Feb 10, 2013)

Art Rock said:


> Our dog has gone deaf recently. He was never the best listener (as most cocker spaniels), but now commands are totally useless.


Oh dear - and I suppose it's too late for sign language. My sister's cavalier spaniels seemed prone to age-related deafness too.


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## haydnfan (Apr 13, 2011)

Since I've been sick, my pet dog hasn't been annoying me of late. He just stays very close to me when I'm home. He is pretty swell. I'll have to post some pictures later.


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## Ingélou (Feb 10, 2013)

haydnfan said:


> Since I've been sick, my pet dog hasn't been annoying me of late. He just stays very close to me when I'm home. He is pretty swell. I'll have to post some pictures later.


Hope you're soon feeling better - and looking forward to the pics!


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## hpowders (Dec 23, 2013)

The avatar dog, an occasional house guest, refuses to walk out of my house and pulls back hard on his leash. He must be carried to a satisfactory grassy slope. I've never seen anything like it. The owner should have sent him to obedience school.
My ex-wife sent me and it worked wonders!


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## haydnfan (Apr 13, 2011)

Here is my pet dog Hershey.


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## Ingélou (Feb 10, 2013)

haydnfan said:


> Here is my pet dog Hershey.
> View attachment 74416
> View attachment 74417


Lovely - he has such a nice 'seriously devoted' expression!


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