Animal Lovers Incorporated :)

[blackstrap]

I have always had a dog and usually two at once. Originally after marriage I had large breeds,working dogs.Now I have a small dog.I cannot stand a yappy dog,I prefer a low growl or woof.My current dog would welcome a burglar with high fives and assist with the removal of any items.My previous dogs would just enjoy the free meal of a hand or leg.

[ERayR]

Yes, Siamese have a very distinctive meow, as well. Usually, quite loud.

Yes Simo was not one of my favorites given my personal preferences.

[thesometimesaint]

When I was a youngster we had a cat the loved to purr. The thing was that we had a 75 ft patio. He sat a one end and we could hear him purr at the other end.

Edited May 18, 2012 by thesometimesaint

[busybee]

Oh wow, my house is like a zoo, I'm afraid!!!

1x Jack Russell who thinks she is the boss. We've had her since she was a pup, About 8 years now.

1x Greyhound who is the sweetest girl. I picked her up on the side of the road. She's been with us almost 8 years too, so she's probably closer to 10 years old.

1x Green Iguana called Stan. He's my husband's friend but I like him too. Actually, Stan is most likely a "she"!!!

1x Cockatiel who is nearly 8 years old.

1x Birmingham Roller pigeon who was rejected by her parents so we hand-raised her. She now has an identity crises and has fallen in love with me!!! She also loves to hang out with the dogs who are happy to have her company on their sofa.

We love all animals.Actually, I prefer them to people!!!

[Libs]

Wow, busy bee, that is quite a critter family! A pigeon who hangs out with dogs, no less. Fun!

What is a Birmingham Roller pigeon??

When I was still working (I am currently retired), my boss brought in an Iguana to live in our office. He lived in a large glass cage, but she would let him out, often. I was kind of freaked over him, at first, but became kind of attached to him, after awhile. She finally did give him up, though, because cleaning his glass house was quite the chore, everyday. He was a big guy and pretty messy.

[Calm]

Busybee, I stumbled across this while looking for pictures of your pigeon: http://www.lds.org/study/prophets-speak-today/what-are-prophets/bio/thomas-s-monson?lang=eng.

[busybee]

Yeah Cal, my husband has kept Birmingham Rollers since he was a child. He was delighted when he heard that Pres. Monson shared his passion. Pres. Monson is still well respected among the Roller community in the US. Some Rollers appear in one of the current versions of the temple video. My hubby always gets a goofy smile on his face when he sees them. He knows the genealogy of each of the birds in his loft better than he knows his own!!

Libs, Birmingham Rollers are pigeons that perform "somersaults" in the air as they fly. It is quite something to see when you have a group of 20 birds flying and "rolling". They are fun to keep and fly because, unlike racing pigeons, you don't have to transport them away from the loft to fly back home. My husband just opens up the loft and they fly out in to the sky above the house where they "perform" and then come back down when he calls them for food. They are actually very intelligent. The one we have in the house, however,has no idea that she is a pigeon!! She wanders around the house and will seek me out during the day so that she can "flirt" with me!! It's really funny. When she's with me, no-one else is allowed to touch her. She pecks at their hands and "slaps" at them with her wings.

[Libs]

It's really funny. When she's with me, no-one else is allowed to touch her. She pecks at their hands and "slaps" at them with her wings.

Oh, that's funny!

I found this video on Birmingham Rollers. That is really interesting! I had never heard of them.

[Calm]

So why do they roll??...besides showing off?

Edited May 21, 2012 by calmoriah

[Libs]

I know. It seems like it would really slow them down, as far as getting some place. It's just the strangest thing..

[Calm]

It looks like fun though.

[ERayR]

So why do they roll??...besides showing off?

It is my understanding that it is some kind of seizure. I used to raise roller pigeons and it was fun to watch a flight of them in the air.

Actually rollers are an exploitation of a genetic mutation - certain pigeons had neuropathic defects which caused them to start flipping backwards in the air, thus "rolling" down, & some breeders liked that & bred the defect into a desirable trait! There are also tumblers & even "ground tumblers" that can't even get into flight - they just jump & do backward flips on the ground. Hope this info helps a bit

Detheven in reply to FatherLawrence

4 months ago in playlist

3 Edited May 21, 2012 by ERayR

[Log]

I prefer to believe the pigeons are having fun.

Life is good!

Edited May 21, 2012 by Log

[Libs]

It is my understanding that it is some kind of seizure. I used to raise roller pigeons and it was fun to watch a flight of them in the air.

Actually rollers are an exploitation of a genetic mutation - certain pigeons had neuropathic defects which caused them to start flipping backwards in the air, thus "rolling" down, & some breeders liked that & bred the defect into a desirable trait! There are also tumblers & even "ground tumblers" that can't even get into flight - they just jump & do backward flips on the ground. Hope this info helps a bit

Detheven in reply to FatherLawrence

4 months ago in playlist

3

Well, that's kind of sad, if it was a genetic defect.

They are interesting to watch, but now I'm going to feel like I'm staring at someone in a wheelchair.

[Libs]

I prefer to believe the pigeons are having fun.

Life is good!

Maybe they are. It looks like fun, rolling in the air like that.

[ERayR]

Well, that's kind of sad, if it was a genetic defect.

They are interesting to watch, but now I'm going to feel like I'm staring at someone in a wheelchair.

Just because it was a genetic defect does not make it undesirable. It was such an interesting trait to watch in action that pigeon breeders have bred for that trait untill there are literally millions of pigeons raised each year for their ability to perform. Not at all like a wheel chair defect more like a virtuoso type. Not to be sad about but to be celebrated.

[busybee]

I don't know about the seizure. These birds really seem to enjoy their acrobatics. Apparently studies have been done which didn't show any proof of seizure activity in the bird''s brain.

The Ground Rollers/Parlour Rollers on the other hand definitely react to a stimulus and will do one, two or continuous spins. Distance rollers can travel up to distances of around 40ft. Very fascinating to watch, but I find it sad that these birds will never have the joy of being in the air.

When we still lived in South Africa we were very active in the pigeon fancier community. Loved going to the shows. I really miss that in Ireland

[Calm]

Since I have never known a human who has enjoyed their seizures, I am glad to hear that there isn't any proof of them and instead may be an instinctual response to some stimuli instead.

[ERayR]

I don't know about the seizure. These birds really seem to enjoy their acrobatics. Apparently studies have been done which didn't show any proof of seizure activity in the bird''s brain.

The Ground Rollers/Parlour Rollers on the other hand definitely react to a stimulus and will do one, two or continuous spins. Distance rollers can travel up to distances of around 40ft. Very fascinating to watch, but I find it sad that these birds will never have the joy of being in the air.

When we still lived in South Africa we were very active in the pigeon fancier community. Loved going to the shows. I really miss that in Ireland

I don't know but it has been my understanding that pigeon breeding was quite popular in the British Isles. Might be some clubs close to you.

[ERayR]

With further investigation I find the seizure thing may not be accurate. Here is what I think is a better description:

A genetic mutation that the bird developed to evade predatory birds. In the area they are from there was probably a high number of hawks and falcons and they developed the rolling habit to evade them and confuse the predator. Though the funny thing is they will do it even not being chased and thats because people took up the fancy of Tumblers or Rollers and started breeding these birds with the strongest traits together, creating a bird that rolls consistently for no reason. So they actually now ATTRACT predatory birds. The Raptors see this as a weakness and go after them as an easy meal. There is a lot of controversy for this breeds fancy, because the owners of the Rollers have been know to kill hawks and other raptors for attacking the pigeons.

[Libs]

Since I have never known a human who has enjoyed their seizures, I am glad to hear that there isn't any proof of them and instead may be an instinctual response to some stimuli instead.

Yes, you took the words right out of my mouth (keyboard) Calmoriah. My daughter has a dog who has seizures and they have caused brain damage. It would be difficult for me to find anything good about that. Glad to hear it is probably not seizures.

[busybee]

With further investigation I find the seizure thing may not be accurate. Here is what I think is a better description:

A genetic mutation that the bird developed to evade predatory birds. In the area they are from there was probably a high number of hawks and falcons and they developed the rolling habit to evade them and confuse the predator. Though the funny thing is they will do it even not being chased and thats because people took up the fancy of Tumblers or Rollers and started breeding these birds with the strongest traits together, creating a bird that rolls consistently for no reason. So they actually now ATTRACT predatory birds. The Raptors see this as a weakness and go after them as an easy meal. There is a lot of controversy for this breeds fancy, because the owners of the Rollers have been know to kill hawks and other raptors for attacking the pigeons.

This doesn't apply only to the rollers but to many "performing" pigeon fanciers, Racers, Thief Pouters etc, However most of the fanciers that I know would rather not fly their birds if there are predators in the area, than kill the predators. My husband has lost several birds to hawks and falcons, but feels that that is one of the hazards of the area we live in. Others have changed the breed that they keep in their loft to a breed that is bred for it's looks rather than it's performance.

[altersteve]

So I've been thinking of getting a dog. I really want to get a Labrador Retriever (best animals in the world), but I'll be going to college next fall and I'm not sure if having a dog while working at least 30 hours a week and going to school part-time is a good idea—and there's also the problem of finding an affordable apartment complex that allows pets. I'm sure there's a way to make it work, though. Any thoughts or advice?

Edited September 15, 2012 by altersteve

[blackstrap]

Most dogs are social and like to be around their ' owners'. If you are going to be gone 6-8 hours a day definitely do not get an active dog breed.

Labs are great dogs but also need to be exercised regularly. A cat ,on the other hand, doesn't really notice your absence until feeding time. In the cat world , a Siamese is as close to a dog as you will get. Besides,they are very pretty,( and a bit nuts ).

Edited September 16, 2012 by blackstrap

[urroner]

Years ago, I got a kitten from a friend whose cat had a litter of them. It was a blue seal Siamese. It was a case of either take the kitten or have it killed, so i took the kitten. I didn't like cats, never had. I was a dog person.

My three sons and I sat around and talked about what we were going to name it. I suggested a good Italian name, Diogi, and the boys thought it was great until they realized Diogi spelt D O G. Then I suggested the name Pig. They said that we couldn't name him that because he would never come when we called him. I said that cat, no matter what their name was or what we called them, would never come. THEY'RE CATS!!!!

We finally decided on the name "Not Me." This was, when I came home from work and there was a big mess in the house, the boys could always put the blame on him. "Who made this mess?" "Not Me dad."

Not Me was an awesome cat, as far as cats go. Yes, with three sons, he was "tortured" when he was young, but as he got older, he stopped reacting to the boys antics and the boys quickly stopped pestering him, except for having him do the "cat dance." The cat dance is where tape is applied to the bottom of the cat's paws and then letting him walk around the house.

I got two other cats later, Harry and Quasar. Harry was a female, Not Me and Quasar were males, all had been fixed, but Harry ruled the roost. There was no question to that. In fact, she ruled the neighborhood. If another cat came into the yard, Harry would let them know, beyond question, that they were not suppose to even get near the yard. And Harry loved laying gifts of respect at our feet, dead meeses and birds.

Quasar would be lying in the family room relaxing, now Quasar is no small cat, and Harry would walk into the room and stand right over Quasar. Usually Quasar would leave the room and go somewhere else, but if he was fast enough in doing so, Harry would start giving him quick jabs to the head with her paw. It was sooooo funny to see this happening. My second wife, the first time she saw this, said that that was how a good marriage should be, the husband meekly submitting himself the the wife's will. That was one of the few times I thought she had a sense of humor, but, in this case, I was wrong. Silly me.

Harry didn't care about Not Me. Not Me was a great cat, but never challenged Harry in anyway, only when she would lie under the bench at the table. There was a board under the sitting part of the bench for support and Harry or Quasar would lie under the board, but Not Me would lie on the board and whack which ever cat was under on the head. It always turned into a game. It was so fun to watch that interaction. Every once in a while, Not Me would surprise the other cat and the cat would occasionally try to spring up and hit the board over them. We would all bust out laughing.

Not Me died several years ago, he was 15. A neighbor knocked on the door in the middle of a stormy night and handed us Not Me. He said that Not Me was running in circles out in the street. We took him, Not Me, not the neighbor, to the vet next day and never came home with him. He was very sick and his kidneys had failed. I still miss Not Me.

Harry disappeared a few years later. She was still very healthy and young. I like to think some family found her and took her in. She was a great mouser and nobody messed with her, except us. We could tease her and she wouldn't kill us, but then we got attacked plenty of times when we weren't expecting it. Payback I guess.

Quasar is still hanging around. He's the typical cat, very aloft and just wants to be left alone. He only demands food and to be left along. Silly cat. Oh, and since he's an indoor/outdoor cat, mostly outdoor, that's where his food is, when he wants to go outside, he'll follow me around the house making all sorts of noises, then when I do open the door to let him out, he'll occasionally bite my ankle on the way out, letting me know I wasn't fast enough.

I also inherited a dog from a surrogate daughter who use to live here, but now lives in Colorado. The dog has always hated me, ever since she was a pup. She was scared of all adults at the time, so we figured that she was tortured before she was given to the SPCA. She never let me near her when she lived with my "daughter" Alisha and always barked whenever I was around her house. I've had her for almost 18 months, I feed her, make sure she is flea, lice, and tick free, feed her, provide her shelter, feed her, and feed her, but she still won't come near me. She go up to everybody else and be friendly, but noooooo, not me. Sometimes I feel like giving her away, several people have asked for her, I'll explain later, but Alisha has informed me that she's moving back here when she's out of school and she wants Bailey back.

Bailey is a very protective dog. A man attempted to assault my neighbor one day and Bailey placed herself between my neighbor and the man, growling and showing teeth the whole time. She also protects the neighbors' kids, when they are outside, No stranger is allowed close to the yard without the her hackles being raised. People have offered to buy her because she is such a good watchdog, but no, I have to keep this ungrateful dog around because my daughter wants me to. Some people's kids!!!

Edited September 16, 2012 by urroner