[speaker001:] Okay, do you have any pets?
[speaker002:] Yeah, I have three cats and a dog.
[speaker001:] Oh, boy. Sound like us, we have,
[speaker002:] Um,
[speaker001:] go ahead.
[speaker002:] Um, we just got the, the dog less than a year ago so, he's still a puppy.
[speaker001:] Oh, what kind is it?
[speaker002:] He's a mixed breed, he's part Collie, part Shepherd, and part Chow.
[speaker001:] Oh, so you,
[speaker002:] More Collie and Shepherd than Chow, the only Chow he's got is, is his tongue.
[speaker001:] Oh, he's got a blue tongue?
[speaker002:] Yeah.
[speaker001:] Oh.
[speaker002:] He's got little spots on them.
[speaker001:] We have two Chows and, [throat clearing], a miniature Schnauzer, and recently added, a guinea pig, [LAUGHTER], which wasn't by my choice, but I was out ruled, so, [throat clearing], but the dogs are mainly mine and my husb-, but I just love them to death.
[speaker002:] Was the guinea pig for your,
[speaker001:] Daughter, yes.
[speaker002:] for your child?
[speaker001:] Yes, as if the dogs weren't enough, had to have, [throat clearing] a guinea pig, so, anyway she's, she enjoys her though, so that's, that's what matters. But, um, our Chows, we've had them, I'd say, right around six maybe seven years and,
[speaker002:] Really?
[speaker001:] they're, um, registered and we've been breeding them. She's had about four or five litters.
[speaker002:] Oh, my, my husband's always wanted a Chow but I'm kind of concerned about, um, with having cats,
[speaker001:] Oh.
[speaker002:] and how, how they socialize with cats. Um, which is one of the reasons why we got a mixed breed.
[speaker001:] Right.
[speaker002:] Um, because we thought they would socialize easier,
[speaker001:] Uh-huh.
[speaker002:] um, my husband had originally wanted an and his brother has an and he, so far he's bitten ten people.
[speaker001:] Oh, man.
[speaker002:] So,
[speaker001:] Goodness.
[speaker002:] And the people that he got the from, used to have cats and they no longer have any other cats.
[speaker001:] [LAUGHTER].
[speaker002:] So,
[speaker001:] It's telling, um, you know when we had, um, we had a cat when we first married, no, took, yeah, we had the cat first, and then we got, uh, the Chow. And, [throat clearing], bring, um, bringing them in as puppies they got along just fabulous with her.
[speaker002:] Uh-huh.
[speaker001:] And, uh, you would think, you know, that they were all dogs the way she would prance around them and, and paw at their face and they'd just play and they were never, they never harmed her. So, uh, they got along great, now I don't know how, how it would be bringing in, uh, like cat to a full, full grown dog.
[speaker002:] Yeah, I wouldn't want to bring a cat into a full grown dog,
[speaker001:] Yeah.
[speaker002:] but I, I wouldn't feel, um, hesitant about bringing a puppy in,
[speaker001:] Right.
[speaker002:] to adult cats, I think they would socialize easier.
[speaker001:] I think, so, too.
[speaker002:] Um, how, how old is your child?
[speaker001:] Five [very faint].
[speaker002:] Five?
[speaker001:] She's a real.
[speaker002:] So, you had the dogs before you had the baby?
[speaker001:] Right. And I was, [throat clearing], not really concerned about, um, them harming her, uh, I think, I think a lot of that, that, that we hear all the time is how you bring them up.
[speaker002:] Uh-huh.
[speaker001:] And ours are real friendly, they're protective, but they're very friendly, and lovable,
[speaker002:] Uh-huh.
[speaker001:] I mean, you think they're lapdogs. You know, they'll just come jump on your lap and want to be, have their bellies rubbed and everything [throat clearing] and,
[speaker002:] What color are they?
[speaker001:] Uh, the female's red and the male is black.
[speaker002:] Oh, I bet the black one's pretty.
[speaker001:] Yeah, he is, he's a big old thing. And, um, I was concerned about the female mainly, and as luck had it, uh, she had puppies the same week my daughter was born, so, it was kind of like, she had her babies and understood about, you know,
[speaker002:] About your baby.
[speaker001:] yeah, and that, yeah, I think that really helped and, um, my daughter, you know, since, since she's little has been playing with them and they let her tug their hair and, and get on their back or whatever and she's, she's grown up with them and loves them to death and they love her, so.
[speaker002:] Yeah, I think it's good for kids to grow up around pets,
[speaker001:] I do, too.
[speaker002:] as, as long as they don't have any allergies to them or anything.
[speaker001:] Yeah.
[speaker002:] But I think it really helps them to understand when, when they go to other people's houses and they have pets, I see so many times kids just, you know, they, mean to animals not really understanding that the animals have feelings.
[speaker001:] Yeah, exactly, that or, or, uh, the other extreme, they're, they're terrified of them and I hate that,
[speaker002:] Yeah, Yeah.
[speaker001:] and they shouldn't be, I mean, some maybe but, but, um, like our miniature Schnauzer, she's just, she's just like, um, a little hyper thing and just prances around and jumps all over everybody acting silly, and a lot of kids are scared of that. And which I understand because she is, you know, a lot of movement and everything but when she calms down they're so scared of her it's,
[speaker002:] Huh.
[speaker001:] it, that bothers me because she's the friendliest thing, she wouldn't hi-, you know, harm them at all and, and, and that's mainly people that have never had pets around their children, so, I think, I think it's a good idea to have them. We've had, um, in the past, we've had birds, too, uh, like Cockatoos.
[speaker002:] Uh-huh.
[speaker001:] And parrots and,
[speaker002:] Now, ar-, the, the Cockatoos, are those the big ones?
[speaker001:] The big white,
[speaker002:] Yeah.
[speaker001:] birds with the, the orange crest on top.
[speaker002:] Yeah.
[speaker001:] We've had those, and those are neat, they're messy, very messy,
[speaker002:] Are they?
[speaker001:] yeah, [LAUGHTER], and loud. Oh, a lot louder than a dog, you know, a dog you can tell, stop barking, you know, or whatever.
[speaker002:] Yeah.
[speaker001:] But the birds, you, it's hard to keep them from squawking or whatever but, but they were neat, enjoyable animals to have.
[speaker002:] Well, we've thought about getting an aquarium,
[speaker001:] Uh-huh.
[speaker002:] partly, be-, partly for the cats, I think the cats would really enjoy it, um,
[speaker001:] Yeah, with a lid, [LAUGHTER].
[speaker002:] yeah, yeah, of course, [LAUGHTER], um, but so far we just and starting up an aqu-, an aquarium, we, we're, thinking about getting a saltwater,
[speaker001:] Oh, yeah they,
[speaker002:] and they're so, expensive to start up.
[speaker001:] Yes, yes, they are, and in your, the luck of keeping them alive,
[speaker002:] Yeah.
[speaker001:] through those first,
[speaker002:] Yeah.
[speaker001:] you know, few days.
[speaker002:] The, the saltwater fish have so much more color and they're so, much more beautiful,
[speaker001:] I know they are.
[speaker002:] Um, the freshwater tank's just, really to me they'll, there's, most of them really aren't that pretty,
[speaker001:] [Throat clearing] no.
[speaker002:] you know, I really do-, I really don't care much for them.
[speaker001:] Right, I don't blame you there, I think the saltwater are a lot more attractive than, I don't know, those fish are just beautiful. Just so, like you have a little bit of ocean with you or something [LAUGHTER].
[speaker002:] Yeah, Yeah.
[speaker001:] Rather than just little fish. But I don't mind having, Wren my daughter had a, like a little goldfish,
[speaker002:] Uh-huh.
[speaker001:] a about a year or two ago and it finally died and that was neat, but the-, and they're, you know, she can't play with it, you can just look at it.
[speaker002:] Yeah, yeah.
[speaker001:] You know, you can't roll around and tussle around with it like you can a dog or a cat and,
[speaker002:] Yeah, I wouldn't, I wouldn't dare have a, a goldfish here because,
[speaker001:] [LAUGHTER].
[speaker002:] it would probably be in a small bowl and then my cats would knock it over.
[speaker001:] Yeah.
[speaker002:] I have to be real careful about where I put things,
[speaker001:] Uh-huh.
[speaker002:] if the cats will, will jump up on things and knock things over all the time,
[speaker001:] Oh, no. Oh, no.
[speaker002:] They're always up where they don't, where they're not supposed to be.
[speaker001:] [Throat clearing] Yes, yeah, and that's hard.
[speaker002:] that's just like kids, you know, yo-, they know that they're not supposed to do it, but they're going to do it anyway because they know they're not supposed to.
[speaker001:] That's right and they're so, independent. I love having them for that reason.
[speaker002:] Yeah, yeah, and until we got the dog, um, it was real easy to, to go to town for three d-, three day weekend or whatever,
[speaker001:] Sure.
[speaker002:] and now,
[speaker001:] Uh-huh.
[speaker002:] it's like a major production,
[speaker001:] Uh-huh.
[speaker002:] trying to find somebody to take care of the dog while you're gone.
[speaker001:] That's right, that is hard.
[speaker002:] And, I, we knew it, but we never even thought that about when we got the dog we just saw him, oh, he's so, cute,
[speaker001:] Oh.
[speaker002:] let's take him home.
[speaker001:] Yes.
[speaker002:] You know, and then the first weekend we had him we had, we were in a apartment, in a two bedroom apartment,
[speaker001:] Uh-huh.
[speaker002:] and my husband went out of town, and left me with, with the brand new puppy,
[speaker001:] Oh, fun.
[speaker002:] and I had to work twelve hours that day,
[speaker001:] Oh, no.
[speaker002:] and so, I left the dog locked in the bedroom and I put paper all over the floor. Well, when I came home, I opened the door and there were chunks of carpet,
[speaker001:] Oh.
[speaker002:] padding everything,
[speaker001:] Oh, no.
[speaker002:] all over the place and he had tried to dig his way out from underneath the door,
[speaker001:] Oh, no. I guess you didn't get your deposit back, did you?
[speaker002:] Well, I had the carpet fixed,
[speaker001:] Oh, good.
[speaker002:] um, I, yeah, I didn't even tell the apartment manager,
[speaker001:] Oh, okay.
[speaker002:] who got it.
[speaker001:] [Throat clearing] Oh, no. Bless your heart.
[speaker002:] But that, that was my first real experience with, with a puppy when, when we had our family dog growing up I was eleven or twelve, I think, when we first got him,
[speaker001:] Uh-huh.
[speaker002:] and I wasn't really involved in the, the paper training,
[speaker001:] Sure. Yeah.
[speaker002:] and, you know, teaching him commands and stuff so, this was, and to me, a whole new experience.
[speaker001:] Yes it is.
[speaker002:] Only it wasn't like cats at all.
[speaker001:] No, no. I wish it was. I wish they were in that instinct. But they don't.
[speaker002:] So,
[speaker001:] Our only problem with our Schnauzer, she's an indoor dog [throat clearing],
[speaker002:] Uh-huh.
[speaker001:] most of the time [LAUGHTER], and, uh, we found, she's right at a year and we finally got her, you know, house trained and everything, uh, her only problem is trash. If you do not pick the trash up, you know, the container,
[speaker002:] Uh-huh.
[speaker001:] and put it on a table or chair or something, she'll knock it over, I don't care how fu-, full she is, so, it's not like she's hungry, it's just she wants to get into trouble.
[speaker002:] My cats do that it. If I through anything away that's any kind of meat or anything,
[speaker001:] Uh-huh.
[speaker002:] like that, anything that, that they think is good, they'll get into the trash,
[speaker001:] Yeah.
[speaker002:] and then it doesn't matter where you put it and where you hide it,
[speaker001:] Yeah.
[speaker002:] and how, how tight you have the lid down on it,
[speaker001:] [LAUGHTER].
[speaker002:] they'll get into it. I've come home many a days from work to find trash all over the kitchen floor.
[speaker001:] Oh, I hate that.
[speaker002:] And the cat's just looking at me like, sorry.
[speaker001:] Yeah, you shouldn't have left it there.
[speaker002:] I couldn't help myself.
[speaker001:] [LAUGHTER] I just hate that when she does that, I just, oh, and she knows it's wrong, you'll walk in the door and she'll cower and go hide under the table.
[speaker002:] Uh-huh.
[speaker001:] So, you, she knows she does wrong. But she, uh, she continues to do it, so.
[speaker002:] Yeah, the problem that we're having with our puppy right now he's not he's actually not really a puppy anymore he's like sixteen months old,
[speaker001:] Uh-huh.
[speaker002:] um, but he's still chewing.
[speaker001:] Oh, is he?
[speaker002:] Um, the last thing he chewed up was, uh, when we...