It's Lassie . . . No, it's Tosca!

[Boemy]

I was going through some stuff from Value Village, including a little bag of toys. I dug out a dog figure and thought, "It's Lassie." Then I got a better look at it . . .

"No, it's Tosca!"

 

[ToscasMom]

How cute! How long have you had him, you closet Collie lover!

Do you see tosca with her bobblehead Collie in my siggie?

 

[Boemy]

Yes, I love the bobblehead . . . Tosca's looking at it as if to say, "But MY head's not that big."

I've actually been thinking about a collie for my next dog (not that that will happen for a while), but a smooth one. And I shall call her "Eissal, the Nega-Lassie, Destroyer of Worlds."

 

[ToscasMom]

I've actually been thinking about a collie for my next dog

I am not surprised. Love the name too!

 

[Boemy]

I asked Booster how he'd like a doggy brother or sister just now . . . He looked at me with his eyes half closed and said, "Mmmm" unenthusiastically.

At least he's honest.

 

[ToscasMom]

They are great with cats, Boemy. I mean, amazing.

 

[Boemy]

Yeah, that's one of my main criteria . . . Good with cats, low or no prey drive!

 

[ToscasMom]

Well I could ship you Dora Desmond for a trial. I mean, she doesn't require much. Her own room and entrance, big screen TV tuned to AP, good food and treats, her own couch, being fawned over 24/7, stuff like that.

 

[Boemy]

Well, of course!

As long as she doesn't mind endless DVDs of birds and small furry critters running back and forth, or there may be a fight over the remote.

 

[ToscasMom]

Oh those cats look at though they could easily rule Tosca like she's used to!

 

[Xerxes]

Yeah, that's one of my main criteria . . . Good with cats, low or no prey drive!

I've got a high prey drive dog and he's excellent with the cat. Though Dodo does know (hehe that rhymes!) Cat-Fu and she's not afraid to show off.

 

[Boemy]

Yeah, I know a lot of people who have typically high prey breeds who do great with cats. But for my peace of mind, I want a low-prey-drive breed.

 

[ToscasMom]

Well you do need to remember that a Collie's instinct is to herd though. Took awhile and some serious threats from the cats to make Tosca understand that they weren't up for being placed in a pile in a spot of her choice. After that, smooth sailing.

 

[Boemy]

TM, were any of your cats shy? Booster is too curious to be worried by anything except closed doors and cupboards and Shadow is extremely calm, but my tabby boy can be very cautious. (On the other hand, he was the friendliest towards my dog before she died and he has the scariest claws.)

 

[ToscasMom]

Yes, I had five in the house when tosca arrived. My cat Roni was a bit shy about her at first, but he hadn't been around dogs ever. To him it was like an alien thing. He just lurked and stayed Up High and watched for awhile. The good thing was my cat Mojo and Vinny (RIP) hopped right in and "trained" her for everybody else, like a tag team. At least that's how I saw it. I didn't just throw her in with them though. First few days she was separate but they could see her thru glass. When I saw that Mojo was curious, I let him be with her for increasing times. I made it so the cats didn't HAVE to be with her. After that, it got easier.