Your pets and reading

[Kookamoor]

This is inspired by abecedarian's post about her cat sitting on her books. One of my favourite things to do when I visit my parents for a weekend is to get up on the Sunday morning and sit in a sunbeam or on the central heating, depending upon the season, with the broadsheet newspaper spread out on the floor in front of me. But my parents' cat will inevitably find me and spread himself out on the newspaper, making it necessary for me to either move him onto the page I'm not reading (he always knows which one I'm reading and sits on that one) or pull him onto my lap, which he usually likes more, but he's rather large and gets very heavy after a while!

What about you? How do your pets interfere with your reading time?

 

[SFG75]

Our dog is very old, she sleeps on the couch for hours on end and hardly moves-though she will get up from time to time and play with the boys. Can't say that she interfers with reading time. Though if I'm outside reading and smoking a cigar, she will sit outside with me. If I forget her, she whines and howls as if godzilla himself is attacking her.

 

[mehastings]

My mother's cat and his predecessor have both been newspaper sitters. I think it's got to do with the fact that you're paying attention to something other than them. The current one also sits on the keyboard if he can be bothered.

My dog is not too bad. She's really into "helping" when you're on the computer, but we put a doggie bed on the desk and she falls asleep. She doesn't climb up on books or anything like that, however, she always needs to go out, be fed or be played with when I'm nice and bundled up on the couch in the middle of a good part.

 

[Stewart]

Not any more since we put the bitch down a few weeks ago.

 

[mehastings]

Not any more since we put the bitch down a few weeks ago.

So sentimental isn't he?

 

[Kookamoor]

My dog is not too bad. She's really into "helping" when you're on the computer, but we put a doggie bed on the desk and she falls asleep.

My rats are like that. If you try and play with them they'll scamper away from you, but once you stop playing with them, they either come back to you and start wanting attention, or get into trouble (Henry fell off the bookshelf twice tonight, and I rescued Potatoes from a leap of fate onto a cowboy hat precariously balanced on a guitar head).

They frequently like to "help" me on the computer, and I discovered what the function keys on our new iBook do because of them . They also like to investigate the PlayStation controller *while* you're using it! They like to chew the page of the book I'm reading too, but it's pretty easy to distract them from that by giving them something they can actually run away with. They *love* to steal my highlighters.

 

[angerball]

My dog is very affectionate, and wants a lot of attention, so often when I'm sprawled out on the couch reading, he'll jump up and curl up in front of me. Or when I'm sitting up, he'll sit next to me, and put his forelegs on my lap, and lean his weight on me. I don't mind though; it's a welcome distraction.....sometimes.

 

[abecedarian]

When our hammock was still safe, I liked to go out and read there. As soon as I got settled, here would come Daisy the Mutt, followed by Goliath and Sploosh the cats. Daisy would try to "encourage" me to lavish attention on her by bumping me and trying to put her cold nose on my face(yuck!), while the cats circled like sharks waiting for their shot at jumping in the hammock with me. The key to getting rid of Daisy is to blow air into her face-she can't stand it and will leave. With her out of the way, the cats would jump up on my stomach and try to get into a comfy postition (for them that is), and usually I'd get a face full of cat. Not always the pretty end of the cat either Finally, after much effort, they might settle down for a few minutes so I could read a few pages before the kids discovered what I was doing...

 

[clueless]

Jack is getting better. He doesn't chew my books very often now and never touches them when I am not reading them.

 

[abecedarian]

Jack is getting better. He doesn't chew my books very often now and never touches them when I am not reading them.

What sort of critter is Jack? I used to have chihuhuas and they never chewed books, even when they were puppies. Chaka was bad to get into my mom's eucalyptus drops though. She loved them better than chocolate Mom would leave a few on her table next to her chair in the living room, and the silly dog would reach over and grab one and unwrap it and snarf it down. She never had a cough though

 

[clueless]

Jack is a labrador and according to him, the centre of my world. If I pay attention to anything else, the object must be destroyed. I don't know if getting better is got to do with growing up or with finding new friends - a couple of foxes who visit our garden now and then.

 

[G4G]

I used to have a cat but it got run over by a lorry. Cost to much to feed anyway.

 

[ions]

I have a four month old German Shepherd named Kimi. She is quite vocal and "full of beans", as her energy level is referred to around here. Unfortunately I need quiet to properly focus on intellectual tasks such as reading. Kimi is not so understanding of that. I have hope though. We did recently spend a nice morning in bed reading with her sleeping belly up between my legs.

 

[Isabell]

The second my ass touches the sofa or any chair, both of my beastly Italian greyhounds are on top of me, which makes it difficult to read. However, I find a way to manuver myself into a position that will make it easy to hold my book while maintaining their position on top of me....

 

[abecedarian]

The second my ass touches the sofa or any chair, both of my beastly Italian greyhounds are on top of me, which makes it difficult to read. However, I find a way to manuver myself into a position that will make it easy to hold my book while maintaining their position on top of me....

Don't you just LOVE over-sized dogs that think they're lap babies

 

[Isabell]

Don't you just LOVE over-sized dogs that think they're lap babies

HAHA, Actually, Italian greyhounds aren't big dogs at all. I call them beastly because one of them is actually bigger for his breed standard.

Normally they are supposed to be 10 to 14 pounds and the one that loves to sit on me is 22 pounds

 

[abecedarian]

HAHA, Actually, Italian greyhounds aren't big dogs at all. I call them beastly because one of them is actually bigger for his breed standard.

Normally they are supposed to be 10 to 14 pounds and the one that loves to sit on me is 22 pounds

Oh, so basically the really big one is like four average chihuahuas Fun!
I've heard they make lovely pets though..

 

[Kookamoor]

HAHA, Actually, Italian greyhounds aren't big dogs at all. I call them beastly because one of them is actually bigger for his breed standard.

Normally they are supposed to be 10 to 14 pounds and the one that loves to sit on me is 22 pounds

Is that your dogs over on the 'what we look like' thread? I'm not normally a fan of greyhounds, but these fellas are gorgeous! Btw, your photo over there doesn't look like the picture in your signature!

 

[Isabell]

Is that your dogs over on the 'what we look like' thread? I'm not normally a fan of greyhounds, but these fellas are gorgeous! Btw, your photo over there doesn't look like the picture in your signature!

Thanks, they are beautiful creatures. the photo on my site is a little out dated, but I'm working on getting a new one put up.

 

[Isabell]

Oh, so basically the really big one is like four average chihuahuas Fun!
I've heard they make lovely pets though..

They are great dogs to have.....they are so loving, but if you don't want a dog underfoot all the time or want a pair of eyes watching your every move, these are not the type of breed you want in the house....not to mention that they are hard to potty train and hate the cold and have more accidents in the winter months.....oh joy