D*g Calls 911

"jmcquown" wrote in message
...
Jeanne Hedge wrote:
I wish there were kitty service animals who could do things like
this... Are there? Or are felines too independent to make good
service animals?

Yes, because they are selfish. They are interested mostly in their own
comfort.
Dogs are different. They can be trained to do almost anything just for a
word of praise.
I am always amazed when I see a guide dog working when it takes it's owner
aside from something that might bump their head. It's nowhere near a threat
to the dog. They have learnt how high their owners are, and must protect
them from injury. Some years ago, going to meet my visually impaired friend
there was a lorry as she approached me. The dog knew me and she began to
wag her tail when she saw me, and not concentrate. However, she suddenly
noticed that the lorry had an open sort of top stable door, which could have
caused my friend to bang her head on it.
So, she stopped, and she sat down. This made it impossible for my friend to
move and get injured.
This was Jess, a labrador and one of the whitest ones I've ever seen.
She is long gone to RB, but..her life was spent in service to her hoomin,
and she actually enjoyed having a job to do.

Tweed

On 2004-10-29, Jeanne Hedge wrote:
I wish there were kitty service animals who could do things like
this... Are there? Or are felines too independent to make good
service animals? (though the Power of Purr is a pretty good service in
and of itself)

Cats are too small. How many small dogs do you see trained as
service animals?

On 2004-10-29, Jeanne Hedge wrote:
I wish there were kitty service animals who could do things like
this... Are there? Or are felines too independent to make good
service animals? (though the Power of Purr is a pretty good service in
and of itself)

Cats are too small. How many small dogs do you see trained as
service animals?

On 2004-10-29, Jeanne Hedge wrote:
I wish there were kitty service animals who could do things like
this... Are there? Or are felines too independent to make good
service animals? (though the Power of Purr is a pretty good service in
and of itself)

Cats are too small. How many small dogs do you see trained as
service animals?

William Hamblen wrote:

Cats are too small. How many small dogs do you see trained as
service animals?

It depends on the service. Maybe a cat wouldn't be a good *guide* animal,
as in guiding a blind person. But there's no reason a cat couldn't be
trained to do all sorts of things. Look at Bridget's cats.

It's true that it is much more in the nature of dogs to want to please
their pack alpha, so it's easier to train them to do stuff. But I've
read and seen tv shows about people training cats, and it can be done.
If you can train a cat to use and flush a toilet, you can train it to
be an emotional-therapy cat!

Joyce

William Hamblen wrote:

Cats are too small. How many small dogs do you see trained as
service animals?

It depends on the service. Maybe a cat wouldn't be a good *guide* animal,
as in guiding a blind person. But there's no reason a cat couldn't be
trained to do all sorts of things. Look at Bridget's cats.

It's true that it is much more in the nature of dogs to want to please
their pack alpha, so it's easier to train them to do stuff. But I've
read and seen tv shows about people training cats, and it can be done.
If you can train a cat to use and flush a toilet, you can train it to
be an emotional-therapy cat!

Joyce

William Hamblen wrote:

Cats are too small. How many small dogs do you see trained as
service animals?

It depends on the service. Maybe a cat wouldn't be a good *guide* animal,
as in guiding a blind person. But there's no reason a cat couldn't be
trained to do all sorts of things. Look at Bridget's cats.

It's true that it is much more in the nature of dogs to want to please
their pack alpha, so it's easier to train them to do stuff. But I've
read and seen tv shows about people training cats, and it can be done.
If you can train a cat to use and flush a toilet, you can train it to
be an emotional-therapy cat!

Joyce

Jeanne Hedge wrote:

On Fri, 29 Oct 2004 18:25:05 GMT, Bridget
wrote:

(a very interesting description of her work with service cats, much of
which is snipped for length)


Cats may not be able to be trained to dial 911 in an emergency, but they
can definitely be trained as service animals. I have two that are
trained as emotional assist service animals and one that I am training.


From what you describe, it sounds like they're being trained to
provide a service on command (power of purr, curling up with you when
you don't feel well, etc) that so many of us have seen them do when
*they* want to in our own lives. I guess what I'm asking is if I'm
correct in thinking that you're training them to do a (usually)
instinctive action on command?

It sounds like really interesting and useful work, though. I'm seen
the studies about how beneficial it is when animals visit people in
the hospital or other facilities. I'd just blanked on cats doing such
work too. You are all providing a real service to society!


None of the cats I've ever had could do this work (whether or not they
see it as work) without a lot of training! They've always been either
shy around strangers or have had bad cases of the wiggles.

I know there are some homes for thew elderly with resident cats here in
Finland. In an article I read, it said dogs are not so good as resident
animals, because they get too attached to one person, and if that person
passes on, it is too distressing for a dog. The right kind of cat dishes
out equal amounts of love and purring to anyone who needs it. This was
what they claimed in the article, but a cat like Frank, who is such a
Mama's boy, I think would mourn me if I went. Nikki is pretty happy with
anyone.

--
Marina, Frank and Nikki
marina (dot) kurten (at) pp (dot) inet (dot) fi
Pics at http://uk.pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/frankiennikki/
and http://community.webshots.com/user/frankiennikki

Jeanne Hedge wrote:

On Fri, 29 Oct 2004 18:25:05 GMT, Bridget
wrote:

(a very interesting description of her work with service cats, much of
which is snipped for length)


Cats may not be able to be trained to dial 911 in an emergency, but they
can definitely be trained as service animals. I have two that are
trained as emotional assist service animals and one that I am training.


From what you describe, it sounds like they're being trained to
provide a service on command (power of purr, curling up with you when
you don't feel well, etc) that so many of us have seen them do when
*they* want to in our own lives. I guess what I'm asking is if I'm
correct in thinking that you're training them to do a (usually)
instinctive action on command?

It sounds like really interesting and useful work, though. I'm seen
the studies about how beneficial it is when animals visit people in
the hospital or other facilities. I'd just blanked on cats doing such
work too. You are all providing a real service to society!


None of the cats I've ever had could do this work (whether or not they
see it as work) without a lot of training! They've always been either
shy around strangers or have had bad cases of the wiggles.

I know there are some homes for thew elderly with resident cats here in
Finland. In an article I read, it said dogs are not so good as resident
animals, because they get too attached to one person, and if that person
passes on, it is too distressing for a dog. The right kind of cat dishes
out equal amounts of love and purring to anyone who needs it. This was
what they claimed in the article, but a cat like Frank, who is such a
Mama's boy, I think would mourn me if I went. Nikki is pretty happy with
anyone.

--
Marina, Frank and Nikki
marina (dot) kurten (at) pp (dot) inet (dot) fi
Pics at http://uk.pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/frankiennikki/
and http://community.webshots.com/user/frankiennikki

Jeanne Hedge wrote:

On Fri, 29 Oct 2004 18:25:05 GMT, Bridget
wrote:

(a very interesting description of her work with service cats, much of
which is snipped for length)


Cats may not be able to be trained to dial 911 in an emergency, but they
can definitely be trained as service animals. I have two that are
trained as emotional assist service animals and one that I am training.


From what you describe, it sounds like they're being trained to
provide a service on command (power of purr, curling up with you when
you don't feel well, etc) that so many of us have seen them do when
*they* want to in our own lives. I guess what I'm asking is if I'm
correct in thinking that you're training them to do a (usually)
instinctive action on command?

It sounds like really interesting and useful work, though. I'm seen
the studies about how beneficial it is when animals visit people in
the hospital or other facilities. I'd just blanked on cats doing such
work too. You are all providing a real service to society!


None of the cats I've ever had could do this work (whether or not they
see it as work) without a lot of training! They've always been either
shy around strangers or have had bad cases of the wiggles.

I know there are some homes for thew elderly with resident cats here in
Finland. In an article I read, it said dogs are not so good as resident
animals, because they get too attached to one person, and if that person
passes on, it is too distressing for a dog. The right kind of cat dishes
out equal amounts of love and purring to anyone who needs it. This was
what they claimed in the article, but a cat like Frank, who is such a
Mama's boy, I think would mourn me if I went. Nikki is pretty happy with
anyone.

--
Marina, Frank and Nikki
marina (dot) kurten (at) pp (dot) inet (dot) fi
Pics at http://uk.pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/frankiennikki/
and http://community.webshots.com/user/frankiennikki