My cat and I are a lot alike, I don't know if I rubbed off on her or vice a versa (?).She likes to lye around and be lazy, but she has these burst of energy were she can't be still. She is sweet and cuddly but when she's not sweet and cuddly, she’ll scratch your eyes out! She’s playful and a sneaky little devil she is. She sometimes wants to be the center of attention, other times she wants to be left the hell alone. She can be very selfish at times too. We will both chase down a house fly and kill it too. She eats it after she kills it though, I usually don't eat them. Oh yeah and don't mess with her belly!

Yup that’s me in a nut shell, I'm a cat.

I just answered this question a few days ago. Someone named CynShar asked the question.

I see myself as a Human.. it's what I am.

A duckling. I like to have a bunch of ducklings with me and feel safe and secure with a leader. I know that sounds kind of stupid but it's the first thing that came to mind. I'm shy and I'm a follower and find safety and comfort in people who are protective and confident and caring.

Oh! Be creative!

I've known too many people who see themselves as animals and then use that as an excuse to all kinds of bad behavior... I'm happy to be human.

Okee dokee.

I'm relieved that your icon isn't quivering anymore...

It depends on my mood. Sometimes I'm a sloth, sometimes a bird, sometimes a cheetah, sometimes a fish.....

Human

Cats -- I identify with their independence and tendency to prowl around on their own.

I had to change it. It was freaking me out!

Human. Because when I look in the mirror, that is what I see.

A crocodile.
I don't know why.
I don't even like crocodiles.

three toed sloth

A cat, but that's probably just because I like cats. Maybe I am a bit secretive and I would definitely sleep all day if I could.

Homo sapien. I think it's pretty accurate.

Scorpion.

I see myself as a human because I am one.

I see myself as maybe a...oh...I don't know...a squirrel.

Really?

So what traits do you and squirrels have in common?

I told my friend that wolf is my favourite animal and she says that she can see something wolf-life in me. So yeah, I guess, wolf. I really like them. They're so pretty and so noble. Well most of the time. When I went to the Zoo, I just wanted to hug them and pet them.

We can both be cute, and busy busy busy...scampering from here to there, there to here...saving for the future even tho what we save is sometimes lost to us, but not lost to the betterment of the planet.
Boy, that squirrel is really cute...and busy.

> I told my friend that wolf is my favourite animal
> and she says that she can see something wolf-life
> in me. So yeah, I guess, wolf. I really like
> them. They're so pretty and so noble. Well most
> of the time. When I went to the Zoo, I just wanted
> to hug them and pet them.

There is a place down the road from me that takes care of wolves. They had an open house and I got to play with a baby wolf, wow...that was quite the experience. I sat next to this one pair for quite a while staring into their eyes. They were docile, but their eyes told stories of another world.

Well, dogs are domesticated wolves (if I'm not mistaken), and dogs are men's AND women's best friends.

The wolf's bone structure is different. His teeth, skull...very different than a dog's.

Right now a whale. I recently gained alot of weight. I have to get back on track.

I recently lost a bunch of weight. You sure you didn't swipe mine?

I wonder what they'd be like raised as pets.

I have heard stories. They are unpredictable. I believe they travel through time and space, and have countless stories of otherworlds. Sort of like your surveys.

Bird, I would be able to fly and see all the world from up!

I'm sure it was mine cause I lost it before but due to alot of stress within the last year I seem to have misplaced mine, but I found it. It was in the fridge the whole time!!

I am a chipmunk, for all of the obvious reasons.

A hound dog! For obvious reasons.

A peacock because they like to flaunt themselves.

a scorpion......and I don't care to explain.

A bear because I'm all furry and cuddly

now i am disturbed.

But couldn't most wild animals be described as unpredictable?

>
>
> But couldn't most wild animals be described as
> unpredictable?

I would imagine that is how we percieve them, more like untameable. The human race is excellerating in growth and technology. Wild animals rely on instinct and patterns. To a wolf, we would appear as unpredictable and they would need to rely on wht they know to survive. Adapting to the stronger force is docile, making up your own rules to survive is unpredictable and wild.

My mother-in-law had a female half-wolf half-shepherd. But she looked and acted like a wolf. She had puppies, and my MIL gave them to neighbors. About a year later, the female would start to jump the fence, running around the neighborhood and undoing the gates to let her now-grown puppies out. It was strange. The third or fourth time she did this, she attacked another neighbor's little boot dog, and the Humane Society came and took her. My MIL was very upset, but she realized that her 'pet' was not suited for domestic life.

Let's see.... Pennyann once described me as a mother bear.... and I could see that. I'm fat and slow, lumbering around doing what needs to be done.... I like to eat. But if you mess with my baby.... a whole new animal emerges and you better haul ass!

That's pretty wild story. What was the puppies daddy? Do you know?
I had a puppy from a shepard/dingo mix. That mom dog was an awesome dog. She never barked, except for a little 'riff' when someone walked in she didn't like. She was raped by a stupid husky, and I was there when they were born
Long story short, I brought home Smoky, and she was neurotic, spastic, never stopped barking...I was close to putting a bullet in her head a few times. But after she turned 2 years old, that damn dog stole my heart. She was very protective and loved me. I couldn't trust her with other people, she was a biter. But she trusted me with her life, and I trusted her with mine. She had so many bizarre little wierd habits, it had to be that wild dog in her. I kept her on a pretty short leash, except when we would run around the park. It was the kids that would run up to her, and that was scary.

There an animal reserve thing out here that only lets the public in to see the animals a couple of times a year because they are wild and it isn't a zoo. The area these animals have are enormous compared to the zoo. It's out in the middle of nowhere anyway. So they have these African wild dogs (I'm pretty sure that is what they are called). For feeding time they gave them several boxes with meat in there. We were watching the wolves do their heirarchy stuff so they got their dinner in the right order. I looked at the African wild dogs and you know what they were doing? One had an empty box and was running around with it in his mouth. The entire pack was right behind him. They were playing and having a ball!! It was so different from the wolves.

I sure didn't call you a mamma bear because I thought you were slow and fat- which from what I hear they aren't all that slow when they are chasing you. I meant it because your tone changes when you talk about your daughter and I always see on tv bad things happen when you mess with a bear cub.

Don't know what the puppies' daddy was, but he was big. I should ask my MIL. I saw two of the puppies, and one looked like a huge long-haired German Shepherd, and the other looked the same except blonde. I remember when my MIL told me about her wolf going to get her puppies, or her 'pack' out of their yards. On one hand I thought it was kind of sweet, but then I started thinking about the implications.... a pack of part-wolf animals running loose.
I know how you mean about the kids at the park. I'm working on teaching my daughter not to do that. I tell her that it isn't her dog and she shouldn't mess with it. Sometimes if the dog and its owner look friendly I'll let her ask to pet it. I make her ask.... she'll say, "Excuse me.... can I pet your puppy?" People are always surprised to learn she is only three.

They weren't hyena's were they? (nasty things). I had a coyote out back my house a few summers back stealing things from people back yards and leaving them in the middle of the park. I found my gnome and a bowl out there along with someones shoe, a doll, s football...and at night he would come into the park and play with his toys. He'd toss them up in the air and dance around. He was all by himself. He must have been domesticated mix. he was pretty cool.

I know you didn't mean the slow and fat part, Penny. I took what you said as a compliment. I was just thinking about it and talking about other ways that it fit. Sometimes I have dreams about someone trying to kidnap or harm my daughter, and the idiot always ends up dead.

Play by himself, that is sad...

We have a fox in our neighborhood. He thinks he's hot sh*t. He walks down the side walk in a suburban neighborhood in the middle of the roal like he owns the place. There's enough green & whatnot around for him to live in, but some times he decides to go slumming.

They are these. As you may notice they are threatened with extinction so this is probably why they are at that sanctuary.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/African_wild_dog

Most of the kids ask, that is a great. Very smart. I did get offended when parents would scream at their kids to "get away from the dog" at my Puddles tho...she was the best dog... *wipes tear from eye*

My daughter absolutely loves animals. Once a woman brought her teacup Chihuahua to the park, and my daughter picked it up and ran and hid in a crawl space in the play structure so she could hold it and pet it. Another time she asked to pet this large dog, and the dog's owner let her take the leash. My daughter walked this dog around the park three times while the owner and I talked and watched. My little girl would rather walk a dog than go play. Was tough to get her to give up the dog though.

I remember seeing those at a zoo somewhere. Not what I would want to come home to, for sure.
I wouldn't want a fox around either, they like kittys for snacks.

That's so sweet.

And why does she not have a doggie of her own?

We have a huge over 100 lbs German Shepherd, Heidi. She is the most mild mannered animal I have ever met. She loves kids. She doesn't bark or jump or anything, very gentle. She does follow them and looks worried when other people are around. She is very maternal - but not scary like, she just worries a lot. Anyway, of course every parent if freaking out when their kid comes anywhere near her. Her eys light up when she sees kids. Loves Halloween, sits at the door to help give out candy.

I don't see myself as an animal.

A human being, because I am. I don't think I'd want to be any other animal.

Is Heidi a cross-bred or has she always been that unusual color? She looks well-fed. I wish we could find a sweet dog like that. Is she spayed? I'm not a big dog person, but German Shepherds have always been my favorite. A close second would be a Bull Mastiff or an Akita.

My daughter does not have a dog because our landlady doesn't really want us to have one. You've seen the pics of the house I'm living in on Scott's 'This Old House' thread. All that wood would be irreplaceable if a dog were to scratch it up. And we go out of town to visit relatives about every six weeks in the summer, so the poor dog wouldn't have anyone home for a day or two at a time. Dogs also dig, bark, shed ten times worse than a cat, and I'm not going to be the one picking up its crap every other day. So until we have our own place and my daughter is old enough to look after one on her own, we won't be getting one. If I could find a wonderful dog like Heidi, I'd probably adopt her anyway, and pay my landlady a pet deposit. Another problem is our kitty.... he absolutely hates dogs. If he hears one bark, no matter how far away it is, he'll tense up and growl. I know some men think it's funny to toss a cat into a kennel with a dog to 'see what happens', and I wonder if that is what happened to our kitty.

Heidi is all German Shepherd. Her build is of the older German Shepherds. The typical German Shepherd now has a much smaller frame, less build, and the hind quarters slope quite a bit. She also is of darker color. Our vet told us this. She was surprised when we brought Heidi in, pleasantly surprised, like 'you just see Shepherds like this anymore' This picture is in the winter so her coat is thick, that is why she looks 'well fed', also she really is big boned. When she sheds in the summer we take her to the groomer. They do a great job and she's good to go for quite awhile, but she always looks like she's lost weight when she gets back.

Yes she is spayed. We joke that if we had let her have a litter she would lick them bald. She carrie and grooms certain toys like they are babies. She also holds down the other dogs to give them a bath. It's sweet. But then we realized none of us would want to be the one to try and take a puppy from her. If Heidi were inclined to do so she could snap your arm in half easily. I have been on the accidental end of her teeth/jaw (play fetch got my finger in the way) and that wasn't a fraction of what would happen if she meant it. And when she hears some one sneaking around at night she lets out this single bark that sounds like no other bark she makes. It cause any burglar wet his pants and run. I know because sometimes when I tr to be quiet at night she does that bark and I about end up on the ceiling.

Here is part of an article from wikipedia regarding this-
The North American show lines have also been bred primarily for their looks, but have a markedly different appearance from the international dogs, featuring a noticeably sloped back and sharp angulation of the hock joint. There is a current debate over whether the American show lines still represent the original German Shepherd Dog, or whether the line has become distinct enough that it should be considered a separate breed. Critics of the American line argue that the working ability of these dogs has been lost, and that the angled back is detrimental to the health of the animal. Proponents of the line believe that the altered bone structure of their dogs represents an improvement to the herding ability of the animals.

In the erstwhile GDR, the German Shepherds more closely adhered to the old prewar standard marked by straighter back, longer and denser coat and darker color. These dogs are now praised for breeding working dogs as they are less prone to hip dysplasia. Attempts to preserve this distinct line and raise it to the status of an officially recognized breed ("East German Shepherd Dog") are stalled.

Sadly, she does have hip dysplasia.

Oh, that's sad. My aunt had a Mastiff that she had to put down because of that. I've seen surgeries on Emergency Vets in the past where they wire the hip together. I hope she is doing well.

She gets her glucosamine/chondroitin & an NSAID called Rimadyl (which has some down sides). With that she is good except stairs. She stands at the bottom trying to muster up the oomph to do it and gets up in one big burst. Otherwise she'll run after a ball and run & bark with the dog next door.

A big old hippo

Wallabies, Giraffes, River Otters, Eagles/hawks, Hummingbirds.

Some playfulness here, but mostly a sagent window on the world.

I stayed with folks with a wolf mix. I'm not sure what the mix was, husky-shepard maybe. It was cream white and perhaps not nos so shaggy as a wolf, but otherwise it looked fairly wolfish. It was a loner. While it hung out at times with it's owner, it spent most of the time leaping through the ranch hills, silhoetted on the horizon, flipping gophers into the air. It seemed sweet and playful, but there was no mistaking it was a wolf and lived as wolves do.

I just suddenly realized, that fellow was a timber wolf. Looking back, it was wierd how often it was gone. Perhaps the owner couldn't afford to feed it, so letting it hunt all day was his only option.

None, as they are too dissimilar

Moose

You forgot why.

Moose don't recall that sort of thing. I used to be a moose.

I see myself as a fox because I have pretty sneaky at times, and I'm pretty fast when I have to be, and I have adapted to everyplace I have ever been

I identify with them,cat's are very independent,some are very intelligent,they're stubborn and only do something if they particularly feel like it,trying to command a cat just earns you "the look" which I have perfected in human form.They can be graceful acrobats or lazy couch potatoes,another trait we share.And they can either be very quiet or very vocal.And anyone who knows me will know that I am hesitant to open to people but when I do I never stop talking.