Comments on: Open thread 10/22/2025

By: Chases Eagles

Chases Eagles — Thu, 23 Oct 2025 18:08:52 +0000

With my late Weimaraner, the W word could not be used. So I would spell W A L K to my wife but he learned what that ment too. So it became a hand gesture (palm up with walking fingers from the opposite hand. Yep, he learned that too.

By: Molly Brown

Molly Brown — Thu, 23 Oct 2025 07:21:39 +0000

My husband and I have to spell our son’s dog’s name in front of our dog – or she gets crazy excited. AND she knows the route to his house and melts down if we turn left to go to Trader Joe’s instead.
Also, the words ‘truck’ and ‘ride’ are off limits unless it’s actually time to reach for the car keys…
Physicsguy,
I looked up Icelandic Sheepdog since I had never heard of them before. Nice looking dogs, and of course, herding dogs are the best – people forget that the GSD is a herding dog first. But that coat – in Florida!?

By: SCOTTtheBADGER

SCOTTtheBADGER — Thu, 23 Oct 2025 00:28:02 +0000

Cats understand every single word in the English language, so they can know what they are ignoring.

By: physicsguy

physicsguy — Wed, 22 Oct 2025 19:13:00 +0000

Our 3 Icelandic Sheepdogs are way too smart. When they learned the word “out” we switched to spelling it. Now they apparently can spell also. 🙂

Lot of data saying average dog can recognize about 100 words, and some dogs even more.

By: Sharon W

Sharon W — Wed, 22 Oct 2025 18:24:30 +0000

I was just thinking about why Bernie was one of the great blessings. One very significant thing is that I learned how to suffer better by knowing him and watching him age. He was about 2 years old when we adopted him. Early on, it became very clear that he had been terribly abused–his response to a sneeze, a stapler, seeing us pick up a dishtowel. We believe he was a Basenji/Lab–he had the appearance of a pit bull but with shepherd ears. It always amazed me how much he loved and trusted people, despite his experiences. The last couple years, infirmity slowly crept in, but he rose to the occasion, even on his last day–facing life, enjoying what he could and as always, without complaint. There are other things too, but that was a big one.

By: Snow on Pine

Snow on Pine — Wed, 22 Oct 2025 18:16:56 +0000

You see a lot of talk, these days, about a possible new Civil War on the horizon, here in the U.S.

A lot of things could possibly act as precipitating factors, and here might be one–the Legislative branch–in essence–at war with the Executive branch, as Democrats say that they intend to set up a tracking website to track all ICE agents, presumably to be able to interfere with their operations against illegals, to doxx them, putting them and their families in danger, etc.

Pam Bondi is, of course, not too happy with this idea.*

* See https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2025/10/house-democrats-announce-plans-launch-master-ice-tracker/

By: J.J.

J.J. — Wed, 22 Oct 2025 17:57:04 +0000

“I consider him one of the great blessings of our life.”
Sharon W.

Have had four dogs at one time or another. All mixed breed and as lovable as could be. The tragedy of their short lives meant we had to say goodbye much too soon. We loved them all and miss them still.

We now have two cats. Not as personable or affectionate as dogs, they are still interesting companions. Very soothing sitting in front of the fireplace with a cat curled peacefully at your feet.

By: TommyJay

TommyJay — Wed, 22 Oct 2025 17:35:06 +0000

It would seem that there is a somewhat curious new buzzword cropping up among the right-wing TV punditry. “It’s performative.” Meaning, I guess, people on the left are engaging in a performance that’s not substantive. Well, duh… Now you are figuring this out??

I would prefer a more pointed reference such as KTB, Kabuki Theater Bullsh_t.

By: Gringo

Gringo — Wed, 22 Oct 2025 15:25:00 +0000

I walked a friend’s dog for years. He associated my visits with being walked. Soon after I would arrive, the dog would look up at me, wagging his tail. “You KNOW what you came for.”

By: IrishOtter49

IrishOtter49 — Wed, 22 Oct 2025 14:23:41 +0000

I ask my border collie if she wants to herd sheep and she starts trembling* and continues trembling until we arrive at the farm where we train and she’s out on the field doing what she was born to do.

*In the border collie/herding community we call that the “sheep shakes.”