Got a dog! And a cat! You'll like the cat's story...

So over this last weekend my girlfriend and I got a cat. And a dog.

Short and sweet of it, is that we were going to get the dog - but it fell through, so we got the cat. The next morning, we got a call for the dog. Sweet!

Belgian Malinois Shepherd and a grumpy little tabby.

This is the cool part!

Originally "Cheeks" ( now "Jeb" - girlfriend thought "Jed" from Red Dawn was "Jeb"... I'll take it ), the tabby from AFGHANISTAN ( little Jihadi bastard )!

Jeb's story goes like so:

During a deployment in Afghanistan, a Ranger comes across a kitten in a pile of rubble and decides he's gonna stow him in his pack and smuggle him home. Sure enough, "Cheeks" ( at the time ) made it back to the good ol' US of A, and lived with the Ranger for some time. Cheeks ( Jeb ) is now somewhere in the ballpark of 5 years old, and the Ranger has now passed of cancer.

When we picked him up, he was in some disheveled conditions that I was a little concerned about - my girlfriend said that if she had come up to get the cat alone she wouldn't have gone up to the house. One person took him home before us, and somehow freaked him out on the ride so he p***ed in the cat carrier - only to be thrown in the bathroom so his new 'owner' could call the former caregivers to have them come pick him up. When we picked him up, he fell asleep in the carrier and napped for the 20 minute car ride. Clearly, the former was not a good fit.

Addie! The Belgian Malinois in mostly black. Sick. White patch on her chest and white boots. Possibly the calmest dog I've ever owned. She won't even come up on the furniture if coerced; I literally tried to drag her up onto the bed to hang out with my sick girlfriend yesterday and she wouldn't have anything to do with it. Ran to her 'room' ( closet w/ massive dog bed... ) and curled up.

Addie's story is that initially, her owner was extremely abusive, and I'd probably beat him to a pulp if I ever found him... Literally a pulp... Like orange juice. Ahem. Story goes that he had a number of dogs that he would beat regularly. Neighbors were aware, but it wasn't until they overheard him say 'That's it, this time I'm just gonna ##&&in' shoot you!' - something he had a history of doing with dogs that he was 'over'.

Luckily, seeing the situation and the age of the dog ( I'm assuming about 2-3 at this point? ), the neighbors took it upon themselves to go steal the dog. After he never came looking, they found a good home for her, where she lived for ( again assuming ) 2-3 years. She's just shy of 5 now. After this time with her new owners, it was decided that she wasn't going to fit well due to the husbands allergies, and what was portrayed to me as fairly consistent gunfire out in the country where she was living, conflicting with her instinct to hide from the gun.

Moral of the story, after Addie's first attempt at a foster home came up short due to a conflict of interests between her and the [two?] Siamese ( bitchy cats ), we came into possession of a 55 lb ( maybe about 65 - she needs a good run ) bundle of guard dog.

I've heard her bark twice in 72 hours, and both times were entirely warranted. Her and the cat started off a little edgy - "If you're within striking range I'll do it... Careful..." and "HI IM ADDIE I WANT TO BE YOUR FRIEND"; but they're warming up a bit - "I'm not gonna swing unless you touch me..." and "Can I touch you?".

All in all a couple of cool stories for a couple of very cool animals. I figured Jeb's story would appeal to the greater masses her at ATS.

Cheers gents.

P.S/ They're all alone by themselves right now... I'll be worrying all day... Anyone got any super hot tips on his to make the mingle quicker? Any ideas for a 'common toy' or something?

Great stories for both animals!

You left them alone? Eeee. That's a bit scary. If they survive, make sure to give the cat his space. Make sure he has places that he can "escape" the dog energy. Platforms, cat trees, etc. Also, exercise that dog like crazy before you leave them! A tired dog is a good dog. Exercise is the single most important factor in having a well-behaved dog.

Also, pictures are a necessity!

a reply to: DigitalJedi805

Cool stories about the new pets. Congratulations on your loss of freedom and new enslavement to the animal kingdom. Pics are most definitely in order.

I'm 3rding the pictures!!!

You are wonderful!
You have adopted two "older" animals, and sounds like they will be ruling you shortly.
As far as getting them to mix? I just let mine go at their own pace. The devil cat, loves the bulldog. The boxer on the other hand, gets beaten by the devil on a daily basis.
It works for us. Nobody is ever bleeding.

Again, good job on adopting!

Oh, and I am more partial to the dogs story. Sorry, but it sounds like it was literally on death row. Needed immediate assistance, and someone actually stepped up. Not enough neighbors are willing to do that. So good for them!!!

a reply to: chiefsmom

originally posted by: Benevolent Heretic
Great stories for both animals!

You left them alone? Eeee. That's a bit scary. If they survive, make sure to give the cat his space. Make sure he has places that he can "escape" the dog energy. Platforms, cat trees, etc. Also, exercise that dog like crazy before you leave them! A tired dog is a good dog. Exercise is the single most important factor in having a well-behaved dog.

Also, pictures are a necessity!

Thanks for all the kind words gents; we were glad to get both and they're both so well behaved I have a hard time believing I'll have any kind of a problem.

Heretic: The girl and I are a bit skeptical; but over the course of the last few days they've only gotten less and less timid of each other, so I'm pretending to be optimistic. The cat has a 'window seat' over the couch, and the most incredible thing - the dog actually doesn't like to be on furniture. The most I've seen her willingly do is put her front paws up on the couch. I tried to drag her up on the bed to comfort my sick girlfriend and before I could get her up she scrambled and bounced for her bed in 'her room' ( the closet is now her room ). The cat has a lot of high places to retreat to if he needs; but she doesn't even seem to want to go visit him up on his window 'palace' ( is more like it ). I also ran her a couple laps after her morning deuce for exactly that reason.

The roommate just woke up and says they're doing alright - he's being a lazy bastard and she's pacing waiting for us to come home.

Pics as soon as I negotiate myself a cable so I can rip them off my phone. Associate just showed at work and he has one

originally posted by: chiefsmom
I'm 3rding the pictures!!!

There ya are gents.

A little distraught - why doesn't the 'insert picture from your library' button work? Took me far to long to figure out how to do that

a reply to: DigitalJedi805

Nice! Is that a bit of a territorial look coming from Jeb? That dog also looks so adorable. I wish you lots and lots of very happy memories with them.

originally posted by: aboutface
a reply to: DigitalJedi805

Nice! Is that a bit of a territorial look coming from Jeb? That dog also looks so adorable. I wish you lots and lots of very happy memories with them.

Yeah Jeb's still a little hesitant to let her in his bubble - they did touch noses this morning though. This could also be because Jeb may or may not be all hopped up on catnip in the picture.

Thank you for the best wishes, I'm sure they'll be quite the collection of memories in a few years; and I feel the same way about both of them.

a reply to: DigitalJedi805

Awe congrats!

They both sound super sweet!

When I got my dog, 2 yrs ago on Wednesday, he wouldn't sit with me either. Just give Addie time you might be surprised at how se opens up the more she is with you and knows she can trust you. Rosco now jumps on my lap and rolls around.

We also rescued our cat and she is a sweetie too. Her story isn't like your little guy but she was someone's pet and then a stray. She's the sweetest cat I've ever had but my god she is the most vocal!

Now post some pics of your fur babies!

originally posted by: mblahnikluver
a reply to: DigitalJedi805

Awe congrats!

They both sound super sweet!

When I got my dog, 2 yrs ago on Wednesday, he wouldn't sit with me either. Just give Addie time you might be surprised at how se opens up the more she is with you and knows she can trust you. Rosco now jumps on my lap and rolls around.

We also rescued our cat and she is a sweetie too. Her story isn't like your little guy but she was someone's pet and then a stray. She's the sweetest cat I've ever had but my god she is the most vocal!

Now post some pics of your fur babies!

The strange part about Addie is that she will come over and lay on me if I invite her if I'm sitting on the ground or on her bed - but she won't even go on any of her own 3 beds unless told she's allowed - I feel like at some point in her life she was restricted from being on Anything.

Glad to hear you did the same thing - my heart goes out to any animal in need of rescue or who has been rescued from a bad situation - it's warming to know that people still care. And what fun is a Quiet cat



Oh, and can you not see my pictures mb? 3rd post up from yours...

Lol what's really going to be fun in all of this - is keeping an eye on the fish and snake. The cat's already showing an interest in the snake ( who would probably whoop on the cat, really ) - but luckily not the fish.

The fish is a pretty cool little dood too - biggest Beta I've ever seen ( I probably overfed him a little as a lil' one, but he's not fat ) - you can stick a finger in the tank and pet him, or hold your finger over the tank and he'll give you a 'fish kiss'.

Right now I've got a binder on top of the fish tank and two pictures on top of the snake tank. Ugh. lol

a reply to: DigitalJedi805

Both of your new pets found a good home, yay! I love reading about other ATSers pets and their stories. Jeb's story is very interesting and sad too, the smuggled cat, lol! Love that Ranger and all the other servicemen and women who brought back animals from a war zone to a peaceful and loving home and environment.

Addie's story is that initially, her owner was extremely abusive, and I'd probably beat him to a pulp if I ever found him... Literally a pulp... Like orange juice. Ahem. Story goes that he had a number of dogs that he would beat regularly. Neighbors were aware, but it wasn't until they overheard him say 'That's it, this time I'm just gonna ##&&in' shoot you!' - something he had a history of doing with dogs that he was 'over'.

Addie's story is one very close to my heart...

My family adopted an abused dog, Buster. His tail was bent from the abuse he sustained. When he first came home he was so scared of feet. He must have been kicked all the time, poor Buddy. We were able to get him to the point that he let our family pet him with our feet.

He was so very loved and I miss him every day. If I ever found out who abused him, I'd give them a piece of my mind, for sure. I'm hopeful that since we adopted Buster from the shelter, that they were arrested for his abuse. I'm glad that my family found Buster and he was able to live out the rest of his life being loved, every single second of it.

a reply to: Jennyfrenzy

Cheers Jenny,

Anyone with a heart to adopt neglected or abused animals gets a gold star in my book. We were very lucky that Addie didn't end up with any permanent injuries - she's as healthy as could be now; and as for Jeb, I'mma give that sucker an AR-15 and a ghillie suit. He's my new spotter.

Addie seems to have been very well treated at her last home, so we're lucky not to have to warm her up to a loving environment - she was rescued early enough to be shown that not all people are bad. I'm glad to hear that Buster made such a recovery, stories like that are what make the world go 'round - and I have the same hope as you that her owner made it to the pen and got what he deserved.

I do have another curiosity for the masses - if anyone has any suggestions...

As should be clear by now, Addie has some serious apprehensions about guns; and sadly I'm a big fan of them. Sooner or later, I'm going to want to get her warmed up to the idea of being around them - I'd honestly love to teach her how to hunt. Anyone out there start out with any 'gun-skittish' dogs and manage to warm them up?

So I'm pretty sure that Jeb just sat on the Ranger's shoulder for his journey out of the hot zone.

I can throw him up on my shoulder, let go of him, and pretend I'm wielding a 'tactically engineered rifle', and Jeb will basically just sit there until I take him down; content as can be covering my six. Love it.

Psh, what's an extra 10 lbs on my shooting arm in exchange for an extra pair of eyes? I'll take it.