What are the things you do with your pet?

[Thalia]

Let's talk about pets that are close to your heart, tell us something about your pet. How do you take good care of them, how do you train them? What good memories do you have with your pet?

[WhiteHawk_UK]

My wife and I would love a dog, but all I have is one goldfish in a relatively large aquarium (about 250 litres, or 66 US gallons).

She's about nine years old, big and heavy, and seven inches long (visitors mistake her for Koi).

And she basically bullied the last of her companions to death. She's extremely bossy.

I'm going to seek a new home for her soon as we won't have room for her tank in our new home, and I don't want to buy any more fish.

She has been depressed since she became the last, and hovers behind a decorative plant most of her time, facing the corner and only stirring for food. She used to interact with me if I sat at the glass, but not any more.

Sometimes I leave a small television on for her, and if I leave for a while, I can catch her watching it. But she'll soon return to the corner if I enter the room.

I've been sitting with her whenever I get the chance, trying to encourage her to interact outside of feeding times, and I started putting my phone against the glass and playing music to her a few weeks ago. I've mostly discovered what songs she doesn't like, or at least, doesn't stir for.

Only about a fortnight ago I finally got to the classical section of my library, and it turns out that she loves a bit of Beethoven! Specifically, Für Elise.

When I get home now, I play her a little classical, and she doesn't just hide in the corner any more. In fact, tonight she came out to gawp at me as soon as I arrived home rather than waiting for food to appear.

She stayed out and watched me while I pottered about making dinner. I waggled my fingers at her and she did what she used to do before she was all alone, following my fingers and nibbling at them through the glass.

I think we were both a little happier for it, and she was still out of her corner when I turned the lights out for the night.

Yep, I DJ for my fish.

[Thalia]

I do have a mischievous dog, and I'm thinking of getting him one of these dog training collars for my dog. I need to train him because he's been out of control lately. It is said to be the primarily used to correct bad habits such as barking, digging, and chewing. This training collar can transform a misbehave dog into a well obedient dog. What do you think about training your dog by using such a training collar?

[Thalia]

48 minutes ago, WhiteHawk_UK said:

My wife and I would love a dog, but all I have is one goldfish in a relatively large aquarium (about 250 litres, or 66 US gallons).

She's about nine years old, big and heavy, and seven inches long (visitors mistake her for Koi).

And she basically bullied the last of her companions to death. She's extremely bossy.

I'm going to seek a new home for her soon as we won't have room for her tank in our new home, and I don't want to buy any more fish.

She has been depressed since she became the last, and hovers behind a decorative plant most of her time, facing the corner and only stirring for food. She used to interact with me if I sat at the glass, but not any more.

Sometimes I leave a small television on for her, and if I leave for a while, I can catch her watching it. But she'll soon return to the corner if I enter the room.

I've been sitting with her whenever I get the chance, trying to encourage her to interact outside of feeding times, and I started putting my phone against the glass and playing music to her a few weeks ago. I've mostly discovered what songs she doesn't like, or at least, doesn't stir for.

Only about a fortnight ago I finally got to the classical section of my library, and it turns out that she loves a bit of Beethoven! Specifically, Für Elise.

When I get home now, I play her a little classical, and she doesn't just hide in the corner any more. In fact, tonight she came out to gawp at me as soon as I arrived home rather than waiting for food to appear.

She stayed out and watched me while I pottered about making dinner. I waggled my fingers at her and she did what she used to do before she was all alone, following my fingers and nibbling at them through the glass.

I think we were both a little happier for it, and she was still out of her corner when I turned the lights out for the night.

Yep, I DJ for my fish.

I didn't know that goldfish can live up to a decade. Wow! you should take care of your pet because It might bring you luck.

Edited September 13, 2018 by Thalia

[WhiteHawk_UK]

Indeed, their life expectancy is about 5-10 years in captivity, but they can live to about 25 in the wild.

A goldfish won at a funfair holds the longest-lived record: 43 years! O.O

[WhiteHawk_UK]

And to the collar? Don't even consider the electric type.

[DHGreeny]

12 hours ago, WhiteHawk_UK said:

Indeed, their life expectancy is about 5-10 years in captivity, but they can live to about 25 in the wild.

A goldfish won at a funfair holds the longest-lived record: 43 years! O.O

Well I think that people don't realise that gold fish need a lot of space and if they don't have that space to grow then they won't live as long. I suspect they could live a full and fruitful life if looked after properly and in the right environment. Fish are small from the funfair or from the fish store and people don't realise how big they can actually grow.

[WhiteHawk_UK]

Connecting pets to memories/events...

I've had this girl since she was just fry, no bigger than a flake of fish food. She quickly outgrew the older fish in the tank including my beloved comet, Dash. I was the one who purchased her, and I worried at first because Dash could have literally inhaled her, she was that tiny.

I needn't have worried. Dash took to her immediately. They were almost invariably side-by-side from day one.

It was my father who loved fish, really. I moved him in with me when his health had rapidly started to fail. Encouraging him to keep fish seemed like a good idea. He got a lot of enjoyment from keeping fish when I was a kid; one tropical tank, one 'cold'. The thing is that fish are, quite frankly, a pain in the 'arris. Especially tropical fish who can't be trusted not to die en masse at the drop of a hat. They're a lot more work than many realise!

My father lasted about ten years in my care, passing away at home in 2015. He was two weeks shy of his 58th birthday.

"No religion, no funeral," he'd demanded, "and no bloody moping!"

He had no regard for his mortal remains and forbade any fate for them but quick and cheap incineration. He insisted that I have a proper party instead, like the ones he used to throw, and drink to his name while blasting Ace of Spades.

S'funny Lemme Kilmister didn't wait long to follow him out. I have my father's bike denim on the wall- his back patch was the classic Motörhead graphic, and everyone who knew my Dad associated him with their music. He did love a to head-bang.

From the night of my Dad's death, Dash fell ill and stopped feeding. I suspect he might finally have swallowed one too many lumps of gravel, and blocked himself up. Ultimately, he didn't recover, and I said goodbye to my favourite fish.

The big girl didn't really seem to notice either of them were gone, and has never lost her appetite. She never got a name other than Big Girl, for some reason, but big she is - about 1-2 inches longer than Dash was when she first arrived - and in very rude health. Unfortunately, she wasn't particularly friendly to any fish but Dash, and without him around she got more aggressive with her two remaining companions, which caused them a lot of stress. Despite my best efforts, they both passed away too, with her finding herself alone at last earlier this year.

I'm ashamed to admit that I was never particularly fond of her. She's actually pretty, and while she's lost a little of her colour over the years, she wears those years well, and her growth rate and robust physicality are impressive... but I wish she'd just been nicer to the other fish. That doesn't stop me trying to make her happier though- life in a glass box must be quite dull, and she hasn't handled being completely alone very well.

Discovering that she likes Beethoven, though. Girl's got taste. I can't help but see her a little differently.

My Dad absolutely loved Beethoven.