h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

not quite figgin but hey

Angry is a minor understatement with reguards to my reaction if anyone had ever hurt Jack. Horrific and bloody are the apropriate adjectives for what my response would have been.

Dog napping ... is it in my area?

Yes lots of them. But please note the 'space'.
We have a problem of plenty here. Too many strays. Too many dogs napping all around the place.
Trust there should be soft borders at least for the canine species. Will solve problems on both sides probably.

I thought your dog's name was Shona...

Can I qualify my earlier comments by pointing out that I do actually like pets? I like cats & dogs (some of you will have seen how much I cared for my ex-flatmate's cat 'Harry' last year when he jumped from a seventh floor balcony to land on concrete and end up in a sorry state, from which he recovered - mind you, he should never have been kept in a seventh floor flat in the first place).

Shona's the canine currently residing with us. Jack was a Cardiganshire Corgi. I was 3 when he joined the family. He died 18yrs later. Anyone who says pets don't become part of the family is a retard

'Anyone who says pets don't become part of the family is a retard'

That's a tad harsh.

Pets can be loved as if they were part of a family, but can never be part of a family. Pets are frequently loved more than real family members.

>>Pets are frequently loved more than real family members.

Yup. I was far more upset by Jacks death than either my nana's or my uncle's death

I think some of the trouble here is how you define "possession" and "family". I think it's fair enough to call a pet a part of the family, in the same way you might a close friend.

And yes, I'd say I own a dog (if I did, which I don't), but I would treat a dog with rather more respect than, say, a coffee mug. I can't see what's wrong with owning domesticated animals (I doubt many dogs could fend for themselves, though us cats might be a different matter), though I know that some of the selective breeding can lead to problems and I'd happily choose a mongrel over a pedigree pet. For a start, they're cheaper.

One of my cat's was from the RSPCA, the other from the Cat Protection League.

One is a plain moggy, the light is on, but pretends no-one is in..

The other is a cross breed, this is the one that has had a lot problems with her health, because of what happened when she was a kitten.

Both cats adopted Hubby and I and certainly let us know who is boss!!

Have I told anyone before about my sister's gerbils? They were being given away free by a breeder. Why? One of the cream gerbils had mated with one of the white ones and the mixed offspring weren't worth anything. Who insists on pedigree gerbils.

That's daft!

i didn't know you could get them

Pedigree gerbils? Funny old world.

i wonder if there's a profit in gerbilnapping

Where we lived when I was a kid, dogs were frequently poisoned - so people could steal the sheep or horses in peace. That's why ours were trained in German (in the US) and taught *only* to accept food with a password. They'll turn up their nose at prime steak if they're not told the command to eat it...

Come to think of it, our dog *has* been dognapped - by my mother's ex, who is holding him hostage

The swine!!