Lucky dog! When my mother was a girl, their family dog died shortly after eating a scoop of chocolate ice cream that fell to the ground from an ice cream cone. Not all dogs react the same way and there are variations in concentration of the toxic ingredients in different chocolates.
My sister had a beagle who dug through a box of stuff to get at her chocolate-covered coffee beans. He did survive, but she got him to the vet immediately after the episode. I think it's the caffeine in coffee that is so hard on the animals.
My dog did that too. My father brought me a large bag of them. We were gathered in the family room and my beagle-mutt kept leaving the room for a short time and returning. Turns out she was digging in the suitcase. We simply shut her in the laundry room (had a doggie door to get outside) for a while and she seemed to be fine. No ill effects that we ever saw. Except my extreme annoyance at the loss of my chocolate treat.
My dog ate a bag of miniature reeces. He even managed to get the foil off them. I yelled at my son because I thought he had done it. Fortunately no adverse effects to the dog. I guess there’s not that much real chocolate in reeces.
Before Holloween a friend of my daughter's found the bag of Reese's Peanut Butter Cups. After helping herself she left the bag on the counter where Ella could get it. Ella, a forty-two pound Shepherd mix, managed to eat at least sixteen of them, as I counted the wrappers lying around the house and backyard. I called the vet and was told that Reese's was poor quality chocolate and that she would have a nice nap, which she did. The chocolate to watch out for is Belgian.
For years I had tag teams of cats. I took in a stray kitten years ago when my first cat was about 9 years old They hissed and fought for awhile, until one day the older cat was napping and the kitten started to play with her twitching tail. The older cat woke up, looked at the kitten -- (I thought uh oh, this is it, Shadow is going to die) -- and then she licked the kitten all over from head to doot, and from that day on they were inseparable. I've seen that dynamic play out twice more.
Years ago, I had a lovely calico named Puff. She seemed to adore me. She gazed deeply into my eyes, curled up on my lap for naps and spent the nights on the bed sleeping behind my knees. She did not like anyone else. She would walk over my husband's face to get to me. (Wise kitty.)
When she was about 3, I thought she might like a feline friend so the kitten Indy was adopted. He loved everyone. Puff was not amused. Indy tried his best to charm her. She decided to let him live, but that was it. Oh, well. I adored both of them.
My current kitty seems fond of me and terrified of everyone else. Friends who visit have never seen her. She is the center of my universe. I don't know how I would survive our effed up reality if I didn't have her.
A lesson in love for sure! Our daughter was volunteering for a pet rescue organization. There was a huge dog (I can't remember the breed, I think probably a "Heinz 57") that was being placed in hospice care. She was old and had several health issues but our daughter agreed to taking her home to make her comfortable during her last days. Mission accomplished, right? Nope! She was still with them several years later, insisting on accompanying the children on their walks to school (and even their rides in foul weather). And every single night after everyone was settled in bed, she also insisted on laying her body across the front door, as if to say "No stranger shall enter here on MY watch!"
Thank you. I’m the first year of our marriage my wife and I took in a ten year old collie mix that some friends of ours had since she was a puppy and when they had no children. Fast forward ten years and three children later our friends were struggling to address this dog’s severe flea allergies. My wife and I who cared for Farah( they named her) when our friends vacationed suggested that we keep Farah through the flea season. Farah did well with us and I asked our friends if we could keep her as ours. They told me that they were probably going to euthanize her. So my wife and I got our first dog who gave us a good start to our marriage for four more years.
Sharrie was our first dog, from the Humane Society. I had asked my kids if they wanted a dog and they'd say, "Yeah. Sure, Mom." I could tell a dog was really not in their sites. I was the one who wanted and needed a dog! So I adopted a Shepherd mix, Emily named her after her friend's nanny, who had the same color hair as Sharrie, and she became their second mother. When I lost patience, there was Sharrie, licking their faces, teaching them how to read, encouraging time outdoors. When I tell people in front of my kids that she was the better mom, they never dispute that fact!
All of us, two-legged or four-pawed, feline, canine or humanine, feathered or naked, Hottentot or Eskimo, gay, straight or othered, white, black, green, fuchsia or cerulean, need Significant Others (or significant otters) to get through this life in one piece…❤️😿🦦
Thank you for this wonderful story, Andy. I was four years old when my younger sister was born. At first I was furious that my reign as princess was over. But I quickly accepted my new baby sister, and like Cookie and Mousse, became best buddies.
You probably had parents who integrated your sister. I was not so lucky. My mother was an only child and shielded my brother from me for too long. We never became close siblings.
If one of us (hubs or I) had to leave the premises for even 5 minutes, Tucker sat in the driveway and wouldn't budge until we came home. If we were both gone, you'd have thought we died. He refused to eat. He drank as little as possible and would not under any circumstances leave his lot. He also chewed the door facings as soon as we arrived home and he got back into "his" room. Our daughter-in-law would grow frantic when he didn't eat, but he made up for it when everything returned to the "way it's supposed to be--everyone under his watchful eyes." He died last November, and I am unable to type even this short story without tears.
such devotion and love from our beloved 4 legged. i'm so sorry you lost your boy. unfortunately, i know that deep pain cave...i just lost my 2 14 yo kittehs 6 weeks apart.
When I married my husband he had a Russian blue cat named Shadow, who was very scruffy. When I met him I spent three hours on the floor brushing him, and we became fast friends. He died at the age of 20.5 in 2011, and even though he was in my life for only 3 years, I still find him irreplaceable. He was an opinionated curmudgeon and very loving at the same time.
Susan Stone: "An opinionated curmudgeon and very loving at the same time" is the PERFECT (or purrfect) description of a cat. We earn their love, and then the love is endless and strong.
I know that pain 😢. I am sorry you had that loss💔. I find it helps if you think about all the amazing times you had together ❣️We are so lucky to have experienced such unconditional love ❤️❣️
I had 2 cats who went through 3 distinct phases: War, Detente and Love. War: Female joined the household. Both cats were young adults. They would clash, screaming and clawing at each other until we separated them. Male spent his entire day watching her and plotting her doom. And I mean ENTIRE DAY. Detente: Then after a couple years, they simply ignored each other. Each went about their day as if the other did not exist. Whew, much easier on my nerves. Love: They both got quite elderly. And as they aged, they had the realization that the other one was warm. They began cuddling together, grooming each other and sleeping together. I would not have believed it if I did not see it for myself. When the male cat died at 16, the female clearly missed him and looked for him. She passed away at the same age.
Loved this story about their relationship. Some days we just need these stories. I would have added "more than others," but these days we need them every single day just to stay grounded. Reality has become way too fungible.
Our 8 year old bichon poodle mix Lola is a sly character and funny. She wakes me up in the middle of the night, I believe she can sense the fullness in my bladder, so I take a bathroom break and come back to this little fluff ball lying in bed in my spot, head on the pillow, stomach exposed for a belly rub. It gets me every time.
Such a sweet story. My first dog story happened in 1977. Roger and I drove to Bakersfield to get a puppy. A puppy. We wound up with two 9-week-old standard poodles. We drove them back to L.A. sitting together in a box behind the seats in the Alfa Romeo. We named them Fritz and Lucy. My dad had a massive heart attack that day, so the puppies were left to their own devices for many hours each day for two months. They slept inside with us, and spent the days flattening 350 Iris plants, 250 day lillies, and 150 of some other flowering bulb I cannot recall anymore. They were the best dogs. For a year they thought their names were Fritz’n’Lucy. Both of them. They were always together and best of friends. Kind to the babies when they arrived and very protective. They helped care for Dad when he came home post open heart surgery. They were the best. They lived into their teens and I still miss them. Sorry it’s so long, but your story reminded me of them. Thank you!!
Yes, I know (read it to my kids when they were little), but since Cookie came first in the Borowitz household, I thought it would be fun to invert them.
Thank you so much for the wonderful story- I went into a shelter for a small female dog and came out with a big male pitbull Lab mix who stole my heart- we absolutely don’t deserve dogs ❤️
We had a female pitbull and brought another terrier into our house -- a male. They HATED each other and fought like crazy. Ugh. But then the lightbulb went off. Hey! You're just like me! A crazy, hyperactive terrier! Then they became fast friends and constantly played with each other. Adored each other. When the male was diagnosed with a brain tumor at age 15 and was laying lethargically in his crate, she would stand at the opening of his crate and lick his head hard, trying to get him to play. Absolutely heart-breaking. When he died, she was bereft. She walked slowly through our big backyard, looking underneath each bush. Eventually, she realized he was gone. She lived 2 more years, but was never the same after his death. It's as if his death stole her joy. 😭
This gives me hope that, eventually, my new dog and my old cat will find peace living together. The cat, who has always gotten along with dogs, really hates this one, probably because he's a little yappy, 3-year-old Chihuahua from the shelter, and she's used to the big, calm, very old Golden Retrievers that I used to foster, who always ignored her, moved slowly, and mostly slept all day. The new guy is very alert and hears her every move! She now prefers to live outside most of the time. :(
With cats it’s hard to tell what’s really going on. :*( I had a tuxie boy whom my front-house neighbors’ dogs tried to kill, and he left home. A neighbor adopted him, with my blessing, but one day he stopped coming and no one saw him again.
My current cat tries incessantly to befriend my dog, who’s extremely jealous and walks away from all Kiko’s attempts to snuggle. BUT Bear will let me know when the cat wants to come inside, and on the occasions when I’ve stepped on Kiko’s tail 🥺, Bear will come running at the squeal and wag while she inspects Kiko and licks her. They also play a kind of tag in the morning.
Awww, such a sweet story. I have an 18 lb Maine Coon mix who abuses me by leaping up and biting me in the butt. I got him from the shelter during the early days of covid. I'm in an abusive relationship but I love him.
Marilyn Jackson - Your cat is inviting you to play - he wants you to chase him. Maine Coons need a lot of physical stimulation. It will help if you have some time to set aside each day to play with him. I had an Egyptian Mao mix and the vet actually offered me pills to calm him - but I opted Instead for 20 minutes of play with a string each night so he'd let me sleep - and rolling a tennis ball down the hall for him to chase was a help, when I had time. But, I did often wave the pill prescription at him and threaten to get it filled if he didn't relax. He used to jump and butt-bite when I was dressing to go out - he didn't like it when I went out, but he eventually stopped that. He was the most amazing cat I ever had - he was a handful, but worth it. You and yours will work it out.
Dogs are the very best at taking our minds away from the insanity of this time. Indigo gives me unconditional love and hope that someday she will stop tearing up our bedspreads and digging massive holes in our back garden. For a little bit I’m not experiencing existential dread from ass clowns just normal dread as in what will I find when I come home today?
Cayenne pepper works wonders on my blueberry bush that Coco was stripping! And I gave her a tear-up blanket she still carries around. It’s our scent on it & we let her rip it chew it and kill it.
I think we’d have to sprinkle the entire outside! I’m not sure it’s fabric with our scent she shreds stuffed animals quickly. I think part of it is waiting till she gets older since she’s still a puppy albeit a big one. Thanks though!
I apologize to Kristi Noem for publishing this article. But let’s hear your pet stories! ❤️
Kristi Noem is like a box of chocolates. They’ll both kill your dog.
My dog ate a one pound box of See's chocolates and was fine. I, on the other hand, was extremely pissed
Lucky dog! When my mother was a girl, their family dog died shortly after eating a scoop of chocolate ice cream that fell to the ground from an ice cream cone. Not all dogs react the same way and there are variations in concentration of the toxic ingredients in different chocolates.
Here's some biological detail:
https://www.msdvetmanual.com/toxicology/food-hazards/chocolate-toxicosis-in-animals
Take home lesson: Keep chocolates away from any place a dog could potentially get to.
P.S. Andy, thank you so much for the literally heart warming story! Yes, we needed it, too!
My sister had a beagle who dug through a box of stuff to get at her chocolate-covered coffee beans. He did survive, but she got him to the vet immediately after the episode. I think it's the caffeine in coffee that is so hard on the animals.
My dog did that too. My father brought me a large bag of them. We were gathered in the family room and my beagle-mutt kept leaving the room for a short time and returning. Turns out she was digging in the suitcase. We simply shut her in the laundry room (had a doggie door to get outside) for a while and she seemed to be fine. No ill effects that we ever saw. Except my extreme annoyance at the loss of my chocolate treat.
My dog ate a bag of miniature reeces. He even managed to get the foil off them. I yelled at my son because I thought he had done it. Fortunately no adverse effects to the dog. I guess there’s not that much real chocolate in reeces.
Before Holloween a friend of my daughter's found the bag of Reese's Peanut Butter Cups. After helping herself she left the bag on the counter where Ella could get it. Ella, a forty-two pound Shepherd mix, managed to eat at least sixteen of them, as I counted the wrappers lying around the house and backyard. I called the vet and was told that Reese's was poor quality chocolate and that she would have a nice nap, which she did. The chocolate to watch out for is Belgian.
See.
Exactly!
😂😂😂
lol
🤣🤣🤣
For years I had tag teams of cats. I took in a stray kitten years ago when my first cat was about 9 years old They hissed and fought for awhile, until one day the older cat was napping and the kitten started to play with her twitching tail. The older cat woke up, looked at the kitten -- (I thought uh oh, this is it, Shadow is going to die) -- and then she licked the kitten all over from head to doot, and from that day on they were inseparable. I've seen that dynamic play out twice more.
You are lucky. Our cats and dogs all acted like the others were not real.
Years ago, I had a lovely calico named Puff. She seemed to adore me. She gazed deeply into my eyes, curled up on my lap for naps and spent the nights on the bed sleeping behind my knees. She did not like anyone else. She would walk over my husband's face to get to me. (Wise kitty.)
When she was about 3, I thought she might like a feline friend so the kitten Indy was adopted. He loved everyone. Puff was not amused. Indy tried his best to charm her. She decided to let him live, but that was it. Oh, well. I adored both of them.
My current kitty seems fond of me and terrified of everyone else. Friends who visit have never seen her. She is the center of my universe. I don't know how I would survive our effed up reality if I didn't have her.
No satire here. Just a lesson in love.
We can all benefit from that. Thank you.
A lesson in love for sure! Our daughter was volunteering for a pet rescue organization. There was a huge dog (I can't remember the breed, I think probably a "Heinz 57") that was being placed in hospice care. She was old and had several health issues but our daughter agreed to taking her home to make her comfortable during her last days. Mission accomplished, right? Nope! She was still with them several years later, insisting on accompanying the children on their walks to school (and even their rides in foul weather). And every single night after everyone was settled in bed, she also insisted on laying her body across the front door, as if to say "No stranger shall enter here on MY watch!"
Thank you. I’m the first year of our marriage my wife and I took in a ten year old collie mix that some friends of ours had since she was a puppy and when they had no children. Fast forward ten years and three children later our friends were struggling to address this dog’s severe flea allergies. My wife and I who cared for Farah( they named her) when our friends vacationed suggested that we keep Farah through the flea season. Farah did well with us and I asked our friends if we could keep her as ours. They told me that they were probably going to euthanize her. So my wife and I got our first dog who gave us a good start to our marriage for four more years.
Oh and do I have to mention that we loved Farah . She was such a gift
Sharrie was our first dog, from the Humane Society. I had asked my kids if they wanted a dog and they'd say, "Yeah. Sure, Mom." I could tell a dog was really not in their sites. I was the one who wanted and needed a dog! So I adopted a Shepherd mix, Emily named her after her friend's nanny, who had the same color hair as Sharrie, and she became their second mother. When I lost patience, there was Sharrie, licking their faces, teaching them how to read, encouraging time outdoors. When I tell people in front of my kids that she was the better mom, they never dispute that fact!
Love. Love. Love. :)
All of us, two-legged or four-pawed, feline, canine or humanine, feathered or naked, Hottentot or Eskimo, gay, straight or othered, white, black, green, fuchsia or cerulean, need Significant Others (or significant otters) to get through this life in one piece…❤️😿🦦
There are several substacks with otter pictures/stories on substack.
Pity (but not too much) the sociopathic narcissists for whom the Significance of Others depends on their utility in the moment.
Yes, healthy attachments are so much more beneficial than hostile relationships! Nothing political intended here...
Thank you for this wonderful story, Andy. I was four years old when my younger sister was born. At first I was furious that my reign as princess was over. But I quickly accepted my new baby sister, and like Cookie and Mousse, became best buddies.
You probably had parents who integrated your sister. I was not so lucky. My mother was an only child and shielded my brother from me for too long. We never became close siblings.
That is so sad - whatever could your mother have been thinking?
If one of us (hubs or I) had to leave the premises for even 5 minutes, Tucker sat in the driveway and wouldn't budge until we came home. If we were both gone, you'd have thought we died. He refused to eat. He drank as little as possible and would not under any circumstances leave his lot. He also chewed the door facings as soon as we arrived home and he got back into "his" room. Our daughter-in-law would grow frantic when he didn't eat, but he made up for it when everything returned to the "way it's supposed to be--everyone under his watchful eyes." He died last November, and I am unable to type even this short story without tears.
such devotion and love from our beloved 4 legged. i'm so sorry you lost your boy. unfortunately, i know that deep pain cave...i just lost my 2 14 yo kittehs 6 weeks apart.
It's really hard to lose our pets. They love us so unconditionally.
When I married my husband he had a Russian blue cat named Shadow, who was very scruffy. When I met him I spent three hours on the floor brushing him, and we became fast friends. He died at the age of 20.5 in 2011, and even though he was in my life for only 3 years, I still find him irreplaceable. He was an opinionated curmudgeon and very loving at the same time.
It's so hard. They claim a big part of your heart faster than you ever think they will
So true!
Susan Stone: "An opinionated curmudgeon and very loving at the same time" is the PERFECT (or purrfect) description of a cat. We earn their love, and then the love is endless and strong.
💔❤️❣️
💔. I am sorry sorry, Verne❤️❣️
I know that pain 😢. I am sorry you had that loss💔. I find it helps if you think about all the amazing times you had together ❣️We are so lucky to have experienced such unconditional love ❤️❣️
I had 2 cats who went through 3 distinct phases: War, Detente and Love. War: Female joined the household. Both cats were young adults. They would clash, screaming and clawing at each other until we separated them. Male spent his entire day watching her and plotting her doom. And I mean ENTIRE DAY. Detente: Then after a couple years, they simply ignored each other. Each went about their day as if the other did not exist. Whew, much easier on my nerves. Love: They both got quite elderly. And as they aged, they had the realization that the other one was warm. They began cuddling together, grooming each other and sleeping together. I would not have believed it if I did not see it for myself. When the male cat died at 16, the female clearly missed him and looked for him. She passed away at the same age.
Loved this story about their relationship. Some days we just need these stories. I would have added "more than others," but these days we need them every single day just to stay grounded. Reality has become way too fungible.
Cookie and Mousse should have their own substack.
Please note Kristi Noem stories. Don't ever have to hear her name again
Our 8 year old bichon poodle mix Lola is a sly character and funny. She wakes me up in the middle of the night, I believe she can sense the fullness in my bladder, so I take a bathroom break and come back to this little fluff ball lying in bed in my spot, head on the pillow, stomach exposed for a belly rub. It gets me every time.
Such a sweet story. My first dog story happened in 1977. Roger and I drove to Bakersfield to get a puppy. A puppy. We wound up with two 9-week-old standard poodles. We drove them back to L.A. sitting together in a box behind the seats in the Alfa Romeo. We named them Fritz and Lucy. My dad had a massive heart attack that day, so the puppies were left to their own devices for many hours each day for two months. They slept inside with us, and spent the days flattening 350 Iris plants, 250 day lillies, and 150 of some other flowering bulb I cannot recall anymore. They were the best dogs. For a year they thought their names were Fritz’n’Lucy. Both of them. They were always together and best of friends. Kind to the babies when they arrived and very protective. They helped care for Dad when he came home post open heart surgery. They were the best. They lived into their teens and I still miss them. Sorry it’s so long, but your story reminded me of them. Thank you!!
If you give a Mousse a Cookie…
Beat me too it! You must be on the East Coast. :-) But I would have inverted it. If you give a Cookie a Mousse.
It's referring to a wonderful kids' book, "If You Give A Mouse A Cookie..."
Yes, I know (read it to my kids when they were little), but since Cookie came first in the Borowitz household, I thought it would be fun to invert them.
Thank you so much for the wonderful story- I went into a shelter for a small female dog and came out with a big male pitbull Lab mix who stole my heart- we absolutely don’t deserve dogs ❤️
We had a female pitbull and brought another terrier into our house -- a male. They HATED each other and fought like crazy. Ugh. But then the lightbulb went off. Hey! You're just like me! A crazy, hyperactive terrier! Then they became fast friends and constantly played with each other. Adored each other. When the male was diagnosed with a brain tumor at age 15 and was laying lethargically in his crate, she would stand at the opening of his crate and lick his head hard, trying to get him to play. Absolutely heart-breaking. When he died, she was bereft. She walked slowly through our big backyard, looking underneath each bush. Eventually, she realized he was gone. She lived 2 more years, but was never the same after his death. It's as if his death stole her joy. 😭
Pictures of the dog or it didn't happen.
Harry Truman quite:If you want a friend in Washington,bring a dog.
😄 Harry Truman was very quotable.
If possible,listen to the 78 rpm records,see Hal Holbrook's "Give 'em Hell,Harry!"
Thanks for a story that brought me to tears that isn’t about children dying on another part of the planet.
I love this story
Like in today’s world…..we need to be patient, do what’s right and things will work out….I HOPE!
This gives me hope that, eventually, my new dog and my old cat will find peace living together. The cat, who has always gotten along with dogs, really hates this one, probably because he's a little yappy, 3-year-old Chihuahua from the shelter, and she's used to the big, calm, very old Golden Retrievers that I used to foster, who always ignored her, moved slowly, and mostly slept all day. The new guy is very alert and hears her every move! She now prefers to live outside most of the time. :(
I get it as I have one myself. They're definitely a challenge, not like the Collies, Sheltie and Cocker spaniel we've owned.
With cats it’s hard to tell what’s really going on. :*( I had a tuxie boy whom my front-house neighbors’ dogs tried to kill, and he left home. A neighbor adopted him, with my blessing, but one day he stopped coming and no one saw him again.
My current cat tries incessantly to befriend my dog, who’s extremely jealous and walks away from all Kiko’s attempts to snuggle. BUT Bear will let me know when the cat wants to come inside, and on the occasions when I’ve stepped on Kiko’s tail 🥺, Bear will come running at the squeal and wag while she inspects Kiko and licks her. They also play a kind of tag in the morning.
Awww, such a sweet story. I have an 18 lb Maine Coon mix who abuses me by leaping up and biting me in the butt. I got him from the shelter during the early days of covid. I'm in an abusive relationship but I love him.
Is he hungry? My gray tabby nips at my ankles as I get his food ready. I guess he's too small (weight about 11 lb) to jump up and bite my butt.
Marilyn Jackson - Your cat is inviting you to play - he wants you to chase him. Maine Coons need a lot of physical stimulation. It will help if you have some time to set aside each day to play with him. I had an Egyptian Mao mix and the vet actually offered me pills to calm him - but I opted Instead for 20 minutes of play with a string each night so he'd let me sleep - and rolling a tennis ball down the hall for him to chase was a help, when I had time. But, I did often wave the pill prescription at him and threaten to get it filled if he didn't relax. He used to jump and butt-bite when I was dressing to go out - he didn't like it when I went out, but he eventually stopped that. He was the most amazing cat I ever had - he was a handful, but worth it. You and yours will work it out.
I needed this! Especially the photo of Cookie and Mousse.
How about an interspecies love story? My horse's best friend and constant companion is a chicken!
Awww, Kim! That’s sweet! 💕
Dogs are the very best at taking our minds away from the insanity of this time. Indigo gives me unconditional love and hope that someday she will stop tearing up our bedspreads and digging massive holes in our back garden. For a little bit I’m not experiencing existential dread from ass clowns just normal dread as in what will I find when I come home today?
Cayenne pepper works wonders on my blueberry bush that Coco was stripping! And I gave her a tear-up blanket she still carries around. It’s our scent on it & we let her rip it chew it and kill it.
I think we’d have to sprinkle the entire outside! I’m not sure it’s fabric with our scent she shreds stuffed animals quickly. I think part of it is waiting till she gets older since she’s still a puppy albeit a big one. Thanks though!
Just what I needed today. Thank you.
A dog story always lifts my spirits...thank you.
Whiskey and Tango are rare high-Himalayan-plateau tuxedo panthers.
Or just Domestic short-haired litter mates (but don't tell them that).
They entertain us endlessly and provide the necessary distractions from our FUBAR world.
Going to the shelter to look at dogs today-to add to my current dog household! Love those dogs!