Dogs that steal tools!!!
 

Never noticed that before, but I had to respond: My dog won't steal tools, but he will take tools, parts, anything he thinks I might want to throw for him to fetch from the shop and drag it to the front porch. Just in case I might need it. He drug a 50lb. drag link from a 1 ton truck about 100 yrds, around the shop and house, up the steps, and right in front of the front door of the house. The dog only weighs 70 lbs, must have been quite a sight. Maybe I need to take him to my buddies houses so he can "fetch" their tools for me? I left a shovel in the creek behind the house the other day and he drug it up to the porch. He's brought me several old knobbies I left behind the shop. If I could just teach him to use the shovel...

Pitbull by chance? They love carrying heavy stuff! I have two now. My female will fetch small logs and firewood, nevermind sticks. Male prefers tennis balls. They have some epic "tug o' wars" that scare the unfamiliar.

If only we had that power to weight ratio!

Not a Pit, although I know Pits love to play fetch. Mine is a Lab/somekindofshepard mix. He is as stubborn as a Pit though. Actually he's very easy to train, but stubborn in a good way. I can rub any object with my hands to transfer my scent, throw it over the house or hide it and say "Fetch", and as long as he has smelled the item he'll find it. If he doesn't find it in about 10minutes, he comes back to me and paces and whines hoping I'll look for it with him. Then if I really scold him and send him to fetch again, he won't quit until he finds it, about 90% of the time. The other 10% he'll come slinking back to me and give me a look of complete apology for coming back with an empty mouth. You can tell he really tried as hard as he could and feels terrible that he failed. I can bury something rubbed with my scent that he has got a good smell/look at, put rocks on top, and he'll sniff until he finds the rocks with my smell and start digging until he finds whatever I hid. You should see try to fetch the cat! I can pet the cat to transfer my scent, then tell him to fetch the kitty. It's hilarious! First he looks at me and whines cause he knows it's gonna hurt. Then he starts easing up on her, all friendly like. If I keep saying "fetch the cat, get that cat", he goes nuts trying. He's a very gentle dog, so he tries to find a way to get close enough to get her in his mouth to bring her without hurting her. Of course the cat claws his nose. After a couple of tries he just stands there looking at the cat and barking, then looking at me and barking more. She puffs herself up and does that cat warning meow, he's barking and jumping around frustrated, and I'm laughing.

As for the drag link, he must of worked at it awhile, because it was almost as heavy as him, and long and awkward. I left a shovel in the yard the other day and when I went outside the next day it was laying on the front steps. I had driven it into the ground pretty deep but he pulled it up and delivered it. I had to quit throwing sticks or firewood and scold him for picking up anything wood because he'd keep bringing me firewood. One day I was working under a car for an hour, and when I crawled out there were 6-7 pieces of firewood laying behind me. If I was unloading firewood onto the porch he'd stand there patiently with a piece in his mouth. If I ignored him, he would sneak up behind me and quietly lay it near me so I would turn around and trip on it.

Come to think of it, when I used to let him into my he would pick up any tool I had dropped and hit me with it by shoving his nose into my leg. He'd be standing there with a pair of Vise Grips in his mouth. But he's a good dog, cause he didn't steal, he just reminded me that I had left a tool on the ground.

Maybe I should teach him to steal others tools? Follow the Snap On delivery guy until he walked into a business and tell the dog to fetch? I'll have a complete set of good tools quick. But there is no telling WHAT tool he'd steal. I'd have a bunch of random tools, but never a complete set.

Ok, enough from me about tools stealing dogs.

We had a tire guy that came to our shop in a large box van,, would install tires on our flatbed at our shop or trucks, cars whatever.. He always had a large german Shepard with him. That dog would run around with a full sized cinderblock in its mouth.. and would play with 6' long 4x4's and other big blocks of wood and logs.. Me and the other guys in the shop would take lunch outside just to watch that dog drag stuff around..

This photo was posted on Marks Vintage Swapmeet. Is this a cool dog or what? He is all ready to ride!

http://i1185.photobucket.com/albums/...an/MotoDog.jpg

Tools and anything else he can get his paws on , when the mrs is putting the washing on the line he tries to pull it back off .... When she is sweeping up he is biting the brush and trying to get it off her
http://i164.photobucket.com/albums/u...716A3005CD.jpghttp://i164.photobucket.com/albums/u...7148DFE853.jpghttp://i164.photobucket.com/albums/u...732C552ADB.jpg

Came home yesterday to find my two had shreaded two sleeping bags and a blanket I had removed from my camper.:mad:

Mine love the woods and would probably go out with me on a short ride, they hike all the time. Biggest dangers are bears, LOTS of bear here. Most run but a mom with cubs will kill a dog in short order. They get real pissed off when bears are around, don't know why but it really aggrevates them. Easy to tell so I only let them off leash in the woods when things are calm. Plus they scare the crap out of people that don't know them.

Cats that steal steaks:
 

My ex wife brought home a skinny little approx. 9 month old kitten several yrs ago. About the 3rd night we had it, I was cooking a huge steak on the stove. Went back to check on it, and it was gone! The skillet was sizzling, grease popping. The dog was outside. The wife was in the shower. I actually thought I was losing my mind and hadn't put it on, even though I remembered seasoning it and starting to cook it. I let the dog in to see if he looked guilty, nope. But he never looks guilty, but I knew he didn't do it. I went back to accuse the wife of playing a prank, but she was re-doing her fake blonde hair, and I knew that took awhile so she couldn't have done it.

Then I heard the cat pitch a fit, yowling like crazy. The dog had smelled the steak and was sitting at the bottom of the laundry closet staring at the cat. The damn cat was sitting way up high on the top shelf, guarding that big steak! The steak had a fork sticking out of it which I had left in it, and it was still too hot to eat, but that poor old half starved cat had the prize of her life! I wanted to shoot the cat, but it was too darn funny so I cut it up (the steak, not the cat), and gave her some and the dog some for finding her and the steak for me. I was pretty impressed that the skinny cat had managed to get on the top shelf with a steak that weighed as much as she did.

But here's the really funny part: Late that night, after tossing out the scraps in the trash, I heard a crash. The cat managed to open the cabinet door where the trash can was, pull out the can, and was eating the left overs. The dang cat actually attacked me and scratched me as she ran by, this after I had given her a big peice of steak earlier! Ungrateful and unacceptable.

I put some steak scraps and the cat inside one of those super-heavy-duty contractors trash bags and tied the top, then spun the bag and popped it with a big spoon to make alot of noise. I really gave the poor can hell. After about 30 minutes of spinning, turning, and popping the cat in the bag, (well maybe just a couple of minutes), with the dog looking on with great pleasure, I let the cat out. You ever spin a cat on a slick floor until they are dizzy and let them go? They run sideways, into stuff, hollar like crazy, it's hilarious! Try putting them in a bag and spin them all directions for 2 minutes and bang on the bag! Make sure no one gets video, or animal control will surely arrest you. But: Problem solved! That was many years ago, the cat just died, but for all those years that cat would not even go into the kitchen, near a trash bag, near any table scraps, and if you made any noise similar to a plastic bag being wrinkled that cat was gone for an hour! Even when you opened a bag of cat food, close enough. The cat was vamoosed. And she wouldn't eat table scraps. Cat food was plenty good for her.

I've discovered dogs(for whatever reason) DO NOT like the smell of bears. I've owned hunting dogs my entire life. Every one of them would hackle up, when catching the scent of a nearby bear.

Dogs have it in their DNA to be very afraid of any predator that could kill them. Most domestic dogs will do similar behavior when smelling or seeing a wolf as a bear. If the wolf acts friendly they'll calm down but still be on edge. They will absolutely go nuts if they smell a Panther. Most dogs, even tough hunting dogs or Pits and Rotts will get really nervous if a big cat is around. Even when in a pack they don't like big cats. Somehow they know without even seeing the cat it's a bad matchup.

Kinda like if Frankie Edgar of the UFC was called out by Brock Lesnar. Although I think Frankie Edgar would take the fight! Even without his pet Tiger for backup.

If your dogs smell bears often enough and aren't threatened by them they'll eventually act more normal although they'll still be on guard until all smell/sight/hearing of the bear is gone away. Then if a bear ever runs from the dog, the dog will not be as nervous next time.

Off subject a little, but I was headed back to camp after dark yesterday and treed 2coons. with my bike. They both climbed the same small tree, and when I shut off my bike and started taking off my helmet one jumped into another tree, but the other one climbed to the very top on some small limbs that I thought wouldn't hold it. It almost fell out when I was standing right below it. When it got that scared and looked like it might fall I just moved on.