The Scratchin Post

One of the joys of owning pets is getting to experience the wild and wacky things they sometimes do. I thought it’d be fun and just might put a smile on your face to list some of the ridiculous stories I’ve heard over the years from fellow animal lovers. Enjoy!
A good friend of mine works from home and is constantly receiving faxes. Unfortunately for him, his cat figured out that every time the fax would beep, it would spit out a page. Now we all know how much cats love to destroy paper products. So here’s this poor guy trying to get some work done, but every time the fax spit out a page, his cat would grab it and run. By the time he chased the animal down, she had usually shredded the fax. Yes, he lost a lot of important documents, but Ms. Kitty wasn’t done. She got so addicted to the fax machine, she eventually began standing on it like a sentry. When that didn’t produce a paper treat fast enough, she started pushing buttons and wouldn’t stop ‘til the fax spit out another page for her!
J. Stevens from Atlanta has two Basenjis that work together to steal food from his counters. The bigger Basenji is the only one that can physically move a chair over to the counter. But because he’s so big, he can’t climb. The smaller Basenji isn’t big enough to move the chair, but is lithe enough to climb. So his big boy pushes the chair to the counter, then his little girl climbs the chair to reach the yummies. You would think the little one would just wolf down all the food right there, but Basenjis are known for their loyalty and true to form, instead of taking it all for herself, Stevens says she always knocks some down on the floor for her partner in crime. Awww!
In England a would-be burglar was thwarted by a snowy white cockatoo named Bobby (ironically, that’s what they call their cops over there). The criminal in question had broken a window and was just climbing in when Bobby, perched on his nearby stand, blurted out the only phrase his owner had taught him . . . “Reach for the sky, punk!” The burglar made a hasty retreat, but the whole scene was caught on tape. You see Bobby’s owner had set up a secret video camera. He just knew Bobby was talking when he wasn’t around, which frustrated him because the stubborn cockatoo remained mute if his owner was in the room. Not only did he catch Bobby, er . . .  red clawed, he nabbed a thief in the act! The only quote from the owner who had just avoided a home invasion? “I knew that bird could talk!”
David of Anchorage, Alaska, owns a bull terrier named Thor. David has decided Thor has absolutely no inherent instinct for self-preservation. His first clue came when he and Thor were standing atop Point Waronsoff, a huge cliff overlooking the ocean, and Thor decided to jump! Thank goodness he had his harness on; it’s the only thing that saved him. David just stood there looking down in stunned amazement at Thor as he dangled from his harness over the side of the cliff, wagging his tail and woofing in triumph.
His second clue came when a moose wandered into David’s yard which is overlooked by a big plate glass window. Thor saw the moose and immediately launched himself . . . smack into the window. He continued to do this every time the moose showed up, practically knocking himself out, even though David put up stickers and eventually a couch in front of the window to show Thor it was there. Nothing worked. Well the placement of the couch became a problem. Thor decided he preferred sleeping on the back of that couch. No problem, until Thor fell asleep, at which point he would roll off the back of the couch and become wedged upside down between the couch and the window. There he’d sit for hours until his owners, with a knowing glance to each other, would pull the couch out and set him free. And finally, just a few days ago, while driving at ridiculous speeds down the highway, David discovered Thor knows how to operate the electric windows. Chaos ensued as Thor tried, you guessed it, to jump! Swerve, swerve, swerve again, but they managed to get Thor back inside safe and sound where they promptly engaged the child safety locks.