An Animal Contest Closed Winner Announced

Posts: 1825 · Posted: 05.03.2008, 08:44

LOL Valeria since you went to all of this work and after your heartwrenching horse story, how about we end this contest 3/31 and give away 1 x $30 prize and the winner will be determined by you. Ok? hehee Wink

Thank you Valeria!!

To liven things up around here till our dear PokerGuru can return I decided to run a contest.

The prize is nothing LOL since I don't have authority but thought it would be fun. Join for the fun and to know our members better.

This is one of those "Get to know you better" Contest. Do one or all of the listed ideas.

1. How many animals do you have and what are they?

2. Best experience or profound experience you ever had with an animal(s) that made an everlasting impression on you.

3.What animals do you wish you could have someday and why?

4. Of all the animals you have had since your were born till now, is there one that stood above all the rest. What was it and why was it so special?

Let's all tell our animal love stories now Smile

Posts: 1825 · Posted: 05.03.2008, 09:28

Ok I will start... this is going to sound like a TV show but it really happened to me.

The most profound experience and heart wrenching one happened when I was about 12 I think.

I was visiting some people for a week vacation in their mountain cabin. It was actually about 5 cabins in a small clearing toward the bottom of the mountain. There were some other families there with kids also.

Up above the cabins was a huge grassy plain that I had climbed up to. In the golden grassy area I saw a horse. He was absolutely gorgeous! I think they call them Roans (not sure maybe someone can clarify that). He was a deep reddish brown with black mane and tail. He was like a perfect stallion with his muscles quivering in the sun like you see on TV.

I was absolutely enthralled by him. I tried to entice him over to me by grabbing some golden stalks and offering it to him. He just stood an watched me and didn't come closer. I just kept talking softly to him. After watching him and talking to him for hours I left to go back to the cabin.

For the next 2 or 3 days I went up there to look for him and each day I tried to get him closer. On the 4th or 5th day he cautiously came to me and ate out of my hand. I was thrilled he was sooo beautiful. I constantly talked to him. I was so excited that he ate out of my hand I couldn't wait to go tell everyone. I actually had stroked his neck. He had the most beautiful brown eyes. I was totally in love with this horse.

When I told everyone about my stallion they had a FIT!!! They told me to stay away from him that he was a wild stallion and mean and dangerous. I couldn't believe they were talking about the same horse and they were mistaken. He seemed so gentle and we had developed a bond I could feel in my heart and soul.

I had gone up there everyday since I had come there. The next day I was dying to go see my horse but they wouldn't let me out of the yard.
They got some of their horses out and us kids were riding around the yard. I couldn't get the stallion out of my mind.

Then suddenly there he was on top of the hill looking down at us. He came looking for me because I hadn't shown up.

Then all hell broke loose.

Just like in the movies he reared up on his hind legs and gave a loud whinney. He was absolutely beautiful and I was spell bound by him as he came charging down the hill straight for me! Everyone in the yard scattered like mad. I was still sitting on my horse wondering what he was going to do or if he was going to attack the horse I was sitting on.

Out of one of the cabins came someone with a gun and starting shooting in the air. I don't know if they aimed at him or just aimed in the air to scare him but it worked and he ran off. I prayed all that night that he wasn't hurt.

The next day I had to go home. I cried and pleaded to go see if he was alright but they wouldn't let me.

My mom came and picked me up and I begged and pleaded with her for MONTHS to find out what happened to the stallion, if anyone owned it, and if I could somehow someway get this horse. (Getting the horse was out of the question of course) but I would have been happy to just have been able to see him again and know that he was still wild and running free.

I drove my mother crazy all that year. She finally told me no one knew where he had gone (or if he was dead, I hope not because of me). I don't know if she really knew or if she just wanted to shut me up.

Anyway, that was my most profound experience with an animal. I still think of that horse now and then.

Posts: 1253 · Posted: 06.03.2008, 00:36

Great Job Valeria!! I would like to tell everyone about my GrandPug Missy. We (actually Kristy because Barry and I wanted a real dog lol) adopted Missy a year and a half ago, she was an abused dog.

I've raised Shepards before and had a few other Heinz 57's in my life but Missy is without a doubt the sweetest most loving dog I've ever had, heard of or seen before!! Pugs have such cute expressions (for being dogs that really aren't that cute lol). She is the love of our lifes and I don't know what we would do without her.

Wait ... I take that back lol ... Barry went back to Mass to see his family and friends and to surprise his brother for his birthday and the reason I didn't go is because of Missy (Kristy works part time and goes to school full time) ... soooooo lol after Barry had left I checked the airlines and found out that Missy can fly in the plane with us so next time we'll take Missy. lol

I've been a cat lover since I was 5 years old and ALWAYS had at least 1 cat if not 26 Shocked

at one time, until last June when my Chubetta was attacked by 2 dogs and we had to put him down. Sad

I hope that soon we'll be able to get a younger cat to maybe occupy some of Missy's time instead of me. lol

Thanks for the great contest Valeria and Good Luck Poker Crushers!!!

Orangie wink

Here's my GrandPug Missy back when we got her (I'll have to get some newer pictures of her since she's doubled her weight lol) Oh and the other animals dressed up for halloween are my kids, Jason and Kristy. lol

Here's a newer picture of Missy, taken December, 2007. She doesn't look very happy cuz Kristy was calling her a plus size model lol

And this clip is my Chubetta walking with his slippers on (the person in the background laughing is Barry. I was calling bingo when Barry put the slippers on Chubetta and Kristy took the video. When I turned around to see what was going on Barry was on the floor rolling laughing so hard) lmaoo

http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v167/kr0ss0utmyeyes/?action=view&current=bootz.flv

Chubetta weighed 31 pounds and drank out of the toliet like a dog. lol The reason for the slippers is he'd been in a fight and wouldn't quit scratching his wounds. He wouldn't wear the slippers very long but he quit scratching too, I guess he knew if he didn't, he'd be wearing the slippers lol

Posts: 846 · Posted: 06.03.2008, 01:52

Used to love cats, always had a couple, but my present residence doesn't allow pets....so sad. No real gut wrenching animal stories to tell....a friend of mine (Jeanette) found a stray cat in a parking lot and while driving it home was having trouble giving him a name, but as soon as she did get home the cat rolled over on his back and spread eagled over her living room floor and Jeanette instantly said, "That's Al....I'll name this cat Al!" So I have had the honor of a cat named after me.

I love dogs, always wanted one, but don't have the time or energy to properly take care of one. Scotty's mother had dogs and one of them (Payote) was her favorite, but he liked me more than her and this annoyed her greatly. When we broke up Payote would run away to my house. He had never been there but it was only a few blocks away....he must've smelled his way to me.

Anyway, these are my simple, but true animal stories.

Posts: 1825 · Posted: 06.03.2008, 06:37

Very cool stories guys n gals... mroe more more!!!

Posts: 379 · Posted: 07.03.2008, 21:33

gotta go to work, but will tell ya mine when i get back...............cool contest indeed

Posts: 526 · Posted: 08.03.2008, 14:15

Well I love cats. I used to have alot of cats but 2 of them were very special to me. They are Midnight and shadow. They grew up with my choldren and were some of the best animals I had ever had. When they passed away I had been wanting to get another cat but we had moved and alot was going on. Now I have another cat and he is great. His name is george. Nono over at CC gave him to us. He is so great. Very loving and really good with the kids. I am very happy to have him as part of the family now.

Posts: 209 · Posted: 08.03.2008, 19:02

I am a CAT Person Myself
I had one very special Cat whose name was Pretty Kitten
She was so smart that she learned to get on tub and turn handle
of Bathroom door to let herself out. Drove me crazy for days
thinking I had forgot to close bathroom door when I went to work.
And if she was hungry would knock things off my dresser to wake me up
I definitely miss her

Posts: 36 · Posted: 08.03.2008, 19:42

Val, what a great story!! sounds like the black stallion, cept urs was brown!

OC, LOVE the picture of your pug in the sweater, and the cat movie so funny! BTW, is that Barry? SEXY!! when I first saw him, he reminded me of Bruce Willis!

Thanks for the contest, and these are the types of questions that really help people get to know one another!! What a great idea, WOOHOO Val!

Ok, on with the show,
1. How many animals do you have and what are they?

Right now, we have 3 dogs, Itty Bitty Little Baby Girl (we call her Iggy Biggy) a purebred Chow Chow, she is 12 years old... Spark Plug (we call him Sparky) he is a standard Schnauzer and I think around 6 years old... then, there's The Beeaytch, LOL!! Princess ( and yes, she answers to beyatch when you call her!) , a chow-rottie mix, and she is 5 years old

2. Best experience or profound experience you ever had with an animal(s) that made an everlasting impression on you.

Ever since I can remember, I have had a very fond place in my heart for dogs and all animals really. My mom tells me, when I was a toddler, I used to hug on our family dog, a crazy terrier mix, named Beauty, and I loved that dog so much, I would even sit next to her and eat out of the dogs dish with her!! LOL!! I don't remember this, but, my mom says it happened. I have always loved dogs, and, of course with life being what it is, Beauty got very sick and passed on...after that, my dad said he didn't want any more dogs for a long time, if ever!! I of course, did not want to hear that, so I kept on bugging him, finally after a year of pestering, he said alright, lets go to the pet store... I was like WOOHOO! I was all excited, and started looking at the dogs, and he goes, ooooh no, come over here, we are going to get a parakeet. A PARAKEET oh geez! But, I was just happy to be getting a pet. So, I picked out the prettiest turquoise budgie out of all the birds, and the guy had such a hard time catching him, IT WAS SO FUNNY!! after a few minutes, he was like, are you sure you want that one? I was like yea! thats the one...so, my dad and I started looking around the store, picked out all the stuff, and about 10 minutes later, THE GUY WAS STILL TRYING TO CATCH MY NEW LITTLE feathered friend!!! LMAOOO So, I said, can I try? he was using like a thing it looked like one of those nets you get the fish with, but bigger, so, he handed me the net, and I started whistling and talking to him and one feldswoop, netted him and put him in the little cage we were buying. On the ride home, my dad was like, so what's his name gonna be, and I looked at him and said, Fred! He was such a good little bird, and I always tried to teach him to talk, but, no luck, he would wolf whistle and click his little tongue back at you, and come over if you made the kissing noise to kiss you. He was a crazy bird!! One time, my dad was like lets see if fred likes spaghetti.. so he hung a noodle on his cage, and I think Fred thought it was a long worm, because he walked right over to it, and started nibbling, then grabbed it and started shaking it and was twirling it around, it was the funniest thing! I could go on and on, but, I have rambled long enough.

3.What animals do you wish you could have someday and why?

I would love to have a Bengal Tiger, just for the shock value, I would love to be able to put him on a leash and walk around with him, or like if someone broke in the house, what a shock it would be if they were searching through the house and then all of a sudden they turn around and see this huge tiger staring at them!!! OMG that would be so funkin awesome! lol
Ok, back to reality, I really want a little yorkshire terrier one that I can carry around with me, and sneak into the casino when I go! lol

4. Of all the animals you have had since your were born till now, is there one that stood above all the rest. What was it and why was it so special?

Every single animal that I have had the pleasure of having in my life holds a special place in my heart, but, one little dog has really been like my adopted baby boy. That is Sparky. From the moment I saw him crossing the street on one of the busiest intersections in Phoenix during rush hour, he has always had that certain something that you only see in the movies or on TV. When I saw him running across the street I was like OH MY GOD! Hubby was using the pay phone and I was sitting in the hot car at the corner gas station, I jumped out of the car, and whistled, and said, commere baby.. come here! he looked at me, and ran right over, I saw he was coming over, and sat back down in the car, held the door open, and said, come on, hop in baby. And he hopped right in the back seat and sat there like a little person!! It was so cute! From that moment on, I have been in love. I checked the paper and looked for signs to make sure no one was looking for a lost schnauzer, (hoping and praying that no one was looking!!) That was about 6 years ago, and everyday he makes me laugh, is always there to calm my nerves, always there to cheer me up, and is never too busy or disinterested in what I have to say. I say to him I need a hug and he jumps up on my lap and puts his little paws on my shoulders and I hug him and saw awww, and he growls and its funny, because it sounds like he is saying aww too!! Such a character! I say daddy's home, and all the dogs run over to greet hubby, its so funny!

I'll take some pics and post later on, hope I wasn't too long-winded!

Posts: 526 · Posted: 08.03.2008, 19:54

I would love to have the money and space to own a horse or a few horses. As a matter of fact my 12 year old has gone and taken riding lessons already. She wants to be a vet when she gets older.

Posts: 2787 · Posted: 08.03.2008, 20:14

we adopted a 2 year old labrador retreiver named Bentley. He bonded to us very quickly and became a great protector of the family. Once, my now e-xbrother in law came to the house and attempted to come in without knocking. Even though he had been to the house before, Bentley would not let him come in any farther than the outside porch...lol.... I was busy in the kitchen in the rear of the house and heard the commotiion of the dog barking and quickly went to investigate. I found my ex-brother in law standing on the sidewalk ....shaking.....so much for a fearless man...LOL Bentley died of old age and cancer. I really miss that dog!!!

Posts: 505 · Posted: 08.03.2008, 20:18

I have one kitty and his name is Leo. I adopted him from a girl at work about a year and a half ago. Her mother rescues animals and a litter of kittens were found in the dumpster at a store. She took all 7 of them in and had family memebers help take care of them as they needed to be hand fed. Well..my friend at work took on Leo..she brought him to the office for awhile and I even got to feed him and baby sit a few times LOL...about 6 months later..she got pregnant and was worried about having an animal around the baby so she was looking for somoene to take him and I did... he is the best kitty...he will only drink from our upstairs bathroom sink...he lets the water run on his head...cutest thing!!

I would love to have a salt water fish tank someday...but...I am thinking Leo will think that is lunch LOL

nice contest Val!!! Smile

Posts: 2913 · Posted: 08.03.2008, 21:13

Please forgive this side of my nature, my PCers.

But whoever tossed those babies into a trash dumpster to starve to death, in my opinion, needs a bit of a taste of their own medicine.....and I would be happy to administer it!

Your little "Lucky" is a winner and sounds adorable, Beckie. Thank God for people like you. Unfortunately, there are far too many of that other type, who have forgotten His eye is on the sparrow and they are all His creatures, great and small.

Forgive my anger, but this is my #1 pet peeve! (No pun intended.) If I ever have a web site that I start from scratch (again, no pun intended), it will be a site to help abused and neglected animals!

If I were not so basically nonviolent by nature, it might also deal with "helping" their abusers.

This topic is a passion in me!

Thank all of you who are the "good guys". Ever notice how many "good guys" are poker players?

Your Guru

Posts: 1825 · Posted: 08.03.2008, 22:43

ohhhh I love reading these stories!!!! What a blast and how fascinating.

Funk.. I must say.. I laughed out loud reading the names of your animals. ROFL LOVE IT!!!

I really like unusual names for animals.. haven't you noticed how they just sort of pick their own names?

Everytime I get a new pet or animal I give it a day or so of watching them and suddenly their name just springs into my mind... sometimes it hits me as soon as I pick them up and hold them.

Gotta love our animal friends.

Oh and LOVE that Bengal Tiger - my ALL TIME TOP OF THE LIST MOST BEAUTIFUL ANIMAL!!!

Posts: 505 · Posted: 09.03.2008, 18:29

Thank you for posting my kitty Leo OC!!