Salem Defended His Buddy Sophie!!

My neighbor's son told me that the other day his dog (Shepherd mix) got loose and went to play with Sophie (on her lanyard). He said Salem (my cat) came out of nowhere, stood between the dogs, and when his dog tried to get near Sophie, Salem attacked him!!! How cute!! My kitty is defending the dog!!! Well, Salem is a good 9 lbs larger in both height and girth than the Soph!!!

I'm a terrible pet-parent

I am trying to do everything I was taught in her Potty-Training class. It would work, were my communication skills more profficient! I take her from her crate to the puppy pad, and nothing.....ten minutes....nothing. I put her back into her crate, she arches her back into the poo stance. I say "no." Not yelling, just firm. To make a long story short, she apparently interprets this as "Never poop again." Back & forth each morning. Each afternoon, cleaning it up. I even put her food in her crate. She pooped in it. It's not her, it's me & my lack of skills at this! Why can't I just send her to boarding school for this!!!!!???? I'm calling her trainer tomorrow!!! Anyway....that's about all going on with my sweet baby Soph! The CATS, on the other hand....OH DEAR!!!

I just love birds. They are such graceful, beautiful, delicate creatures. Got some things to attract them this weekend. Filled up the hummingbird feeder with fresh mixture. I re-constructed an old satellite pole for a bird-feeder. Got a concrete (2 pc) bird bath (weighs a ton!). When I look out to see my beautiful, little birdies, the feeder is cocked over and the bird-bath bowl is on the ground. The cats have mistaken the feeder for their personal snack-shack, and the bath for a cat-feeder. What have I done? My friend, Ralph, says I made the cats a buffet!!! I did, unintentionally! How do I rectify this? I have created baited traps for my cats utilization, ultimately! To make matters worse, as my buddy D pointed out, the bird feeder is almost even with the top of a hill, which they could easily pounce from. I was already impressed with my dear felines' natural predatory skills, but this is taking it to a whole new level.... It's one thing that they catch prey naturally, but now I'm an accessory!!!! I feel so guilty!!!! I never wanted to give our feathered little friends the unfair advantage!!!! Give me a minute....I'll rectify this somehow with good old ingenuity!!!

Super Soph-Give that Girl a Cape

Sophie loves tv & her favorite channel is Animal Planet, go figure. She's watching a couple Orcas stalking a seal on a drifting chunk of ice, and barking. I wish I knew which one she was cheering for. Her little barks may be wishing I was the seal, lol, because her new potty-training regimen involves a small crate, of which she's less than thrilled. We're making some progress. She lets me know when she has to tinkle, but for whatever reason, not when she has to poop. She presses her furry little fanny against the back of the cage and tries to launch the stinky torpedos outside the crate. Sometimes she is successful. If I let her out and don't keep a close watch on her, she'll leave a puddle or a land mine in front of every doorway I frequently use. On a positive note, she's quickly learning the 'quiet' command, among others!
I think she's gained a pound in fur! I want to take her to a groomer, but until her anger issues are worked out, I don't think that's a good idea. I'm sure she's just being protective. She's Cujo around strangers. So, until then, I have to shave her behind to prevent another 'crap-catcher' from forming. Boy, was that disgusting! LOL! Se's riled up now barking at animal clips!!! I've never had a dog that watched tv before!!! (Why does it feel so odd calling her a dog?) She's my little genius!! If only she can learn to use her powers for good!! She's such a sweetie!! I love my baby girl! Well, I'm worn out from us chasing each other around the garage. :) Nite nite.

Gangsta Soph

I don't even know where to start. This girl has been raised to be a sweet little lap pooch. She was spoiled from birth. She wasn't born in a puppy-mill-ghetto. She was born into a loving home, where I adopted her into a loving family. It's not like she's on the streets with pit bulls or anything, fighting for scraps. Heck, she's 3.5 pounds, how far would she get anyway? She's a meal for a house cat & a light snack for a beagle, c'mon now! She had her potty-training class Saturday. I got her the cutest outfit! It was a 1-piece with a pink belt, a skirt, and a shirt with "Drama Queen" on the back. Very fitting to her personality. Well, we got to the class early, at PetSmart. A nice lady came up to us as I was holding her, walking through the store. When she commented on Soph's aggressiveness, I said, "Aww, just hold your hand out and let her sniff, and she'll be fine." She did, and Sophie bit her. OOPS! Usually, she chills out & sniffs, and makes friends. Evidently, that wasn't her day, because she bit 3 more people that day, including her teacher. Way to make friends, girl!!! Her trainer is the daughter of an associate of mine. She was wonderful! She is very gifted with dogs, well, except that Sophie is neurotic. She loved Sophie anyway :). I am confident that enrolling Sophie in her further education classes will help with the Soph's stress level. I must say, at the rate she's going, she's looking at a stroke in the near future! At home, she is such a doll & a sweetie!!! She's so kind & tiny!!! I can give her a tiny treat, and she takes forever to bite it from between my fingers so that her teeny teeth won't scratch my fingers!!! She's the most loving baby-doll I've ever had in my life! I think she'd be happier, were she not so stressed! This isn't the half of it! Afterwards, my friend, Rachel, called me and invited us to got for a walk with her and Tucker, her beautiful Lab pup. Tucker wanted so badly to befriend Soph, but she, barely the size of his head, nearly took his little nose off every time he came near her! I should have named her "Taz" like the tasmanian devil or something. "Cujo" would be very fitting. I have faith in my sweet girl though!!! I'm signing her up for the other classes in hopes that everyone can see her true personality instead of this rabid crazed freak! Then, we'll get us a real guard dog for her to hang out with. I know she means well trying to be my bouncer, but baby girl could get hurt bad by a thug hamster if she got too ballsy!!!!