#I’m going to chew on him like a coyote with a dog toy

[zappedbyzabka]

I’m really going to lose it <3

[briamichellewrites]

25

Was Joe dating Bria? He was spending time at her house. No, he wasn’t. Brad asked him about going over to her place. He and Mike were hanging out with her and her animals. Mike confirmed that. He didn’t know that he was also there. Yeah, he was. She didn’t seem interested in dating anyone. Her priorities were looking towards the future. He asked about that. What did she want? She wanted to build her dream home in a few years.

It was a farm or ranch by the beach. She wanted to adopt horses and ride them on the beach. He suggested Santa Barbara. She also wanted to have an in-home recording studio, so she could work on music whenever she wanted. When she retired in around twenty years, she wanted to have a full ranch with different animals.

She would have them bring their children for the day to hang out with her and her animals. Maybe she would even let people board their horses at her stable for some extra money. That was just if she had extra space she wasn’t using. He thought it was a lofty goal. She could do it if she truly wanted it. Anything could happen in twenty years. Brad and Joe agreed. It was fun to dream. He was going to help her hire contractors to install a fence with coyote rollers around her property.

She was afraid of letting Buddy out by himself, rightfully so. He was the perfect size to be eaten. How did her cat like him? Woody finally accepted him. It took three days of being separated before he seemed to get the idea he wasn’t going anywhere. According to her, they were best friends who did everything together. They took both of them on a walk.

She had a leash for Woody that connected to a harness. He didn’t like it at first. Until they went outside. That’s when he perked up. They did it mostly to see what he would do. Was Buddy house-trained? No, she had to take him out every few hours to use the bathroom. He was too young still to be house-trained. They had to be twelve to sixteen weeks old. He was only nine weeks old. She was going to take him to the vet to be checked out.

Buddy was curious about everything the vet and her assistant were doing. The assistant held him while he was being examined. Bark! When the examination was over, he got to play. The assistant gave him a toy bone.

Yum! Yum! It tasted like plastic. He held it with his paws and his teeth as he chewed on it. His baby teeth were starting to fall out. He couldn’t wait to get his adult teeth. Someday he would be a big dog who wasn’t afraid of anything! For now, he was a little puppy. He was getting used to the sounds and smells of his surroundings. Bark! That scared me! His human comforted him when he was scared.

The cat wasn’t scared of anything. Maybe because he was older. While waiting his turn at the vet’s office, he heard other animals. He barked at them. Hi, I’m Buddy! Another dog barked at him, introducing herself as Princess. She was a dog different from him.

He couldn’t tell what breed she was but she was about the same size as him. Maybe she was a crossbreed like him. He didn’t get the chance to ask her because his human was standing up. Bye, Princess! See you later! She raised her paw at him. Bye, Buddy! When they came into the studio, she had him on a leash. He wagged his tail at them after being set down on the table. Hi, humans! They all said hello to him and petted him.

“How did it go at the vet”, Brad asked.

“It went great. He is very healthy, which is awesome! He’s going to get his adult teeth, which means a lot of chewing.”

“Welcome to having a puppy”, Mike joked.

“Oh my god. Woody was the same way. He chewed up a pair of shoes and I had to throw them away. Thankfully, they were not expensive.”

They laughed. When Phoenix arrived with Chester and Rob, they also said hello to Buddy. Chester was so happy that she got a puppy! She introduced him as Buddy. He was a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel Poodle mix. How old was he? He was nine weeks. His tail wagged as the humans gathered around him and said hello. They all thought he was adorable! Bark!

She loved his ears because they looked like helicopters. They laughed as she extended them out. After a while, she left because he had to use the bathroom. Bye, humans! Chester laughed because he was so adorable! They all got ready to work. They were starting later in the day. That meant they would be going until around eight. Chester already had his first cup of coffee. He had a cigarette before coming in. Yes, he knew how bad smoking was and yes, he was trying to quit.

Phoenix was doing okay. He had talked to Linsey about what he told Brad. She loved him so much but he was not ready to be in a relationship. He had to learn how to love himself first. She encouraged him and pushed him to work on himself. When he looked in the mirror, he saw a broken-down man. He was trying so hard to undo the damage the abuse caused him.

The band discovered that Chester had also been abused. He opened up about being sexually abused for years by a family friend after breaking down in tears. They had no idea. Did it make them see him differently? No. They saw hurt pain and anger. When the abuse happened, his parents were going through a divorce. He couldn’t tell anyone because he didn’t want to be labeled as gay – no offense to Rob. Rob was one hundred percent not offended.

He also didn’t want to be called a liar. It took until he was thirteen when he finally told his parents. For six years, he wanted to die. But music kept him alive. They were stunned and saddened by what he had just told them. It took them a moment to figure out what they were going to say. What was appropriate? Finally, Brad spoke up.

“We believe you. I am so sorry that happened. Can we do anything?”

“No, thanks.”

“Yeah. No matter what, we will always be here for you. Never be afraid to show emotion. Get angry. Cry. It doesn’t make you any less of a man. We promise we will never judge you.”

“Thank you.”

He wasn’t just singing about pain, he was living it. Since then, he has become more comfortable. He and Phoenix became friends. They opened up to each other about what they went through. It was like they were part of a group that nobody wanted to be in. A group of men who were abused. It wasn’t their fault. How many times have they heard that?

It didn’t mean anything until they believed it themselves. Joe had secretly been talking to Mike about asking Bria out. He encouraged him to do it. Should he talk to Phoenix first? After thinking about it, he decided that he could give him a heads-up. Just as a courtesy. Phoenix thought it was cute how he asked his permission to go on a date with his ex-girlfriend. He had absolutely no problem with that. She was one of a kind. He wished him luck. Thanks!

@zoeykaytesmom @feelingsofaithless @alina-dixon

[bltzgore]

TW: mention broken rib, blood, running, fear

Shoving past tree branches and through bushes that scraped him, he couldn’t feel them. His breathing was rapid and uneven. His body was screaming for oxygen but each deep breath invited fire into his side as it infuriated the doubtlessly broken rib. He didn’t know how long he could run. There wasn’t much longer, his head was pounding and he could feel the edge of his vision trying to pull away. One leg was worse off than the other, he wasn’t quite sure how he was running on it. As just as his brain started to wander to this particular miracle of adrenaline it ceased. 

He tripped or his leg gave, one way or the other he wound up face down in the dirt. He borderline blacked out as his ribcage was taxed. His lungs scrambled to get air back in his chest, and he slowly got his shaking arms under him as he attempted to get back to his feet. His sight blurred for just a second as his head took the opportunity to swim in the excess terror. But as his eyes focused again they reached a set of heavy black boots, one of them mended partially with well maintained metal of some sort.

He took no time to think, he threw himself backwards and started to scramble away. The further back he got the more complete of an image he got. Those boots were worn but feet attached to a set of legs covered by blue jeans slightly worn about the knee. From there it turned to a navy shirt brushed with something black in a few places. The arms that protruded from this torso were strong and marred up. One of the forams was tattooed with a realistically drawn dog snarling with a foaming mouth and crazy eyes. Atop all of that was a face with just as much tan and marring as the arms. In that head there were eyes the color of murk and hair that drained light away rustling like tree branches.

He would have taken this to be a human were it not for the mask. At first glance one might assume it was made of fabric and simply worn for some sort of catastrophic fashion statement but no, that was natural coloring. It was so near to jet black it nearly matched the hair. It was the sharp contrast that made the murky eyes and two little mud colored patches by her eyebrows stand out so much, so brown they glowed. 

He scrambled until his back reached a tree, even then he held up an arm in poor defense of his head. He scrunched one of his eyes shut and waited. For the fist, for the teeth, for the claws, something. But she just knelt down. There was no malice in those eyes, but the carry over fear wouldn’t let him calm just in case. 

“Easy, calm down.” She slowly reached out her hand, gently placing it on his forearm. She was patient, but also strong, and slowly she moved his arm down. She got a much clearer look at the bruises blooming on his face as the clouds made way for the moon. “You had a rough night, huh?” she observed quietly.  

He opened his mouth to answer when a voice rang out from the forest at his back. “Where'd you go, human!!?? You can’t hide!! We can smell ya!” The voice was rife with a feral gratieness to it. 

As soon as it hit his ears the terror came rushing back and he sprang up trying to run again. He made it five steps before he saw the futility of track. A seven-foot chain link fence topped with the customary razor wire stood before him. He almost collapsed against it, trying hard to keep from falling. But even as he reached the ground there was something that wouldn’t let him lie there and wait for his hunters to reach him. Still he tried to crawl. 

“Stop, stop, stop, hey!” she crouched beside him and placed a hand on his shoulder, halting his nonexistent progress. “Calm down, just relax. You’re safe now.”

“They’re. Coming.” He managed. 

“I know,” she hushed him, “But it’s fine now. I’ll handle them.” Her tone turned heavy at the last part. 

Before he could answer she stood and turned away, the rustle of footsteps drawing her attention to the trees. He kept himself propped up on his hands as he tried to avoid taking deep breaths, blood dribbling from his nose and a cut on his forehead. He watched them appear from the cold shadows cast by the trees. Glinting eyes of almost yellow flashing before they emerged. There were four of them, she could smell them and hear their breathing. They hadn’t even tried to hide one of their number in the trees behind them. She mentally marked down their intelligence. The leader of their order seemed to be one with a sort of lanky but not quite twig-like build. There were two that seemed slightly stronger than he, and one who was shorter and was just lurking about the treeline without much effort at being stealthy. Rank and immature coyotes.

Their leader stepped forward with an almost shark-like smile. “Give us back our chew toy.” He ordered. 

A group of kids trying to run wild, but probably running back to mom and dad every time the forest got too dark or their phone ran out of charge. Unlike the purists, these punks’ definition of wild was eating roadkill, wearing loose, dirty clothes, and hanging out in the woods that were just at the edge of the town. She could smell his last meal clearly on his breath. She had to openly keep from wincing at the stench. “Humans aren’t chew toys, and you’re not wild animals. Go home.” She dismissed.  

She could see the fury collecting in their leader’s eyes. “Bitch, you think you can just order us around?” he seethed. “There’s four of us and only one of you! We’ll kill you and take him after!” His teeth flashed in the moonlight, far too long and spikey.  

She didn’t have the energy for this. “I’m going to give you one warning. If you don’t turn and run like an intelligent beast I am going to beat you until you can’t.” 

Self doubt seemed to flash through his eyes before he remembered that his friends were behind him. He couldn’t back out, he didn’t need to back out. He was fighting a girl! He’d crush her! With the burst of confidence he charged forward snarling and swinging.

She glided past his pathetic excuse for a punch. It was wild and untrained. She was sure even he didn’t know where he wanted it to go. Her counter was a strike unleashed like a coiled spring. Her fist collided with his face and she felt the transfer of force. She had to remind herself to hold back. If she went too far she could get into trouble. No broken bones, she reminded herself, and pulled back. She took half a step away and waited for the next attack, but it didn’t come. The coyote leader was holding a hand over his bloody nose. He was scared of her now, he was trying to find enough of a reason to run. Well, why deny him what he was so desperately searching for? 

She lunged and for the first time genuinely flashed her teeth and snarled. A hauntingly inhuman sound. Like a dog’s, but much stronger and much deeper. It shook their bones. Even the air was still for several seconds after, until the leader made the sensible call to run. His lackeys followed suit. 

It wasn’t until they were out of sight that she turned back. He was still leaned over, but a small puddle of blood had collected below his mouth. He looked up with pained but grateful eyes. She knelt back down next to him, “Told you I’d handle them.” 

[mayalaen]

dog owners

Last night marks the 9th time I’ve been attacked or gone after by dogs in the neighborhood while out on a walk with Roo. One of those times it was 2 dogs at once.

And dog owners are SO STRANGE about it. They just stand there watching.

Like DO SOMETHING, YOU ASSHOLE!!

NONE of the owners seemed the least bit surprised or flustered or concerned.

One of the times it was a little Yorkie, and I watched the guy watching the dog as it scrambled across the street and started ripping and biting at the cuff of my pants. I’m like “HELLO” and he just stood there watching as it actually put a few holes in my pants!

But then I turned to see his wife come out of the Winnebago across the street with A FUCKING ROTTWEILER. So now I’m thinking I’m gonna die because surely the Rottweiler and other dog she had with her were going to attack if they let the little one do this shit.

But thankfully the Rottweiler and other dog stayed with the woman, watching the Yorkie just as dispassionately as the guy was. They all just stood there watching as the Yorkie continued treating my pants like they were a chew toy, snarling the whole time.

I had Roo over my head, and I started nudge-kicking at the Yorkie.

Finally it gave up and went back to the guy.

Another time a guy acted like I was an asshole for getting flustered over his two dogs who were “just sweet little things” and scratched/bit my arms as I pulled Roo away before they both continued jumping up and nipping at my hips.

I carry a cane and mace with me because there are coyotes and snakes in the area, but every time a dog comes after me I’m not only focused on getting Roo away from them, but I have this THING in my head where I don’t wanna hurt the dogs -- I know it’s the stupid fucking owners that are at fault, not the dogs, but I’m sick of getting attacked!

Last night I was across the street from this house where the dude works on cars out front all the time and lets his dog run around the neighborhood. I didn’t see him or the dog so I thought they were inside.

Turns out the dog was in the soccer field across the street and came charging out of the darkness.

It stayed a few feet away from me, snarling and barking and doing that aggressive leap/hop forward, but it took forever for the guy to realize something was happening (I can’t turn my back on this dog because he charges more) and walk to the corner in front of his house across the street. Then he just stood there and calmly said “come here.”

Once.

Like what is your fucking problem?!!

Even if YOU think your dog won’t hurt me, I have no clue what he’ll do to me.

And I have no idea if your dog is up on all its shots.

I have no idea if it has worms or a disease.

And I shouldn’t have to constantly be worried I’m gonna be attacked when I’m walking through my own neighborhood with my dog at night.

Other places women have to worry about walking alone at night because of predatory men. Which I’m very glad isn’t a thing around this neighborhood, and I suppose I should be grateful it’s only dogs?

[luulapants]

Hale Royal Family AU - Part 5

Based on @shey-elizabeth​‘s post:

”Me reading the Prince Harry-Meghan Markel royal family drama:

Wait… I think I read this fic already. (Starts scrolling through my AO3 history)

#random #royalty au #someone write me a steter fic #reading the news before coffee”

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Part 4

September 2019

“Lady Danu’s is the largest adoption service for non-human children in the state. Which, as you can see, isn’t saying much,” Dot, the facility director, explained. She made a sweeping motion with her hand to indicate the relatively petite size of the facility. It was a large estate house, but certainly not large enough to hold more than a couple dozen children at a time. “Placements, of course, can be tricky for our kind, but we place exclusively with non-human or mixed families, and we have nearly unheard of retention rates for family placement.”

As they made their way through the front hall, Peter peeked into an empty room, which looked to be some sort of study room. There was a chalkboard on one wall, bookshelves on the opposite. The tables and chairs in the middle had bits of paint and marker stains.

Peter thought about all of the obscenely expensive furniture in their home and found himself horrified almost to the point of delight at the thought of little finger paint hand prints marring the wood.

Stiles squeezed his hand as he tugged him along to keep up. “What age ranges do you have?” he asked.

“We have a couple of teenagers at the moment, brother and sister, but that’s not typical,” Dot answered. She started up the wide wooden staircase. Teenage wolves would typically stay with their packs if any remained. Either they weren’t wolves or they had lost absolutely everyone. “They’ve taken over part of the basement so they can have their own space.”

Peter found himself wanting to ask about the teenagers, see if they needed some help. Maybe he could make arrangements for them. But that wasn’t what they were here for. This was the compromise: instead of surrogacy, they could adopt, so long as it was a werewolf baby.

“Eight through twelve are on that end of the hall,” Dot said, pointing toward a large set of French doors. “Four through eight next to them. Babies and toddlers have the largest space, over here.”

Lady Danu’s was partly funded by the druid’s council, Talia had explained as she gave him the pamphlet for the facility, but the majority of their funding came directly from the royal family. Their doors would be open to Peter and Stiles. There would be no wait list, no agony of false hope. One visit, and they could walk out with a bundle of joy that would satisfy both the family and the press.

Well, she hadn’t said it like that, but she may as well have.

----

She had brought up the subject over brunch, just the two of them. Peter had known something unpleasant would come up – the last time they’d had brunch, just the two of them, had been after Stiles’s infamous leather rant.

“I heard you and Stiles have decided not to pursue surrogacy,” Talia had said over the soft scrape of her knife against porcelain. She lifted a bit of egg to her lips, staring him down while she chewed.

Peter nodded, resigned to let this argument happen. He reached for his wolfsbane mimosa, knowing he would need at least a bit of a buzz to get through. “We discussed it and decided it wasn’t for us,” he explained. “It doesn’t seem right, going to all of that trouble and expense to bring a child into the world when there are children already here, needing homes.”

“Adoption, then?”

“That’s the idea.”

She sighed, and Peter felt a vein in his temple throb in irritation.

“I don’t see why it should matter to you or anyone else,” he snapped.

Talia set her fork down and fixed him with a tired expression. “Of course it matters, Peter. Our bloodline -”

Peter barked a laugh. “Our bloodline? Dear sister, I don’t know if you’ve gotten a good look at our family tree lately, but it’s practically overgrown. I’ve lost track of how many nieces and nephews I have these days.”

“You’ll adopt a werewolf, then?” she pressed.

Then it was Peter’s turn to set down his fork, letting it slam noisily against the table. “Perhaps you’ve forgotten, but my husband is a human. We may very well adopt a human.”

“Peter,” she practically growled.

He raised his voice, couldn’t help it. “How are you talking to me like I’m being unreasonable when you’ve practically ordered me, as my alpha, to acquire a baby by any means necessary?”

Talia, stubbornly, infuriatingly, kept her voice calm, though condescending. “I know you’ve made it your personal brand to challenge tradition at every turn. And might I remind you, I have been extremely accommodating to it thus far -”

Peter flashed his eyes at her. “Oh, yes,” he shouted, “you didn’t excommunicate me from the family for marrying a man! Have they put you up for sainthood yet, Your Majesty?”

She stood abruptly, her chair clattering to the ground as her eyes flared bright red.

As he felt himself involuntarily cower in response, Peter felt his rage boil down into a quiet resentment. Talia was his alpha and his monarch, but she was supposed to be his sister first. That she would pull this sort of tactic on him stung in a way he hadn’t been prepared for. “Really?” he asked, voice softer than he wanted it to be. “Over how Stiles and I start a family? That’s what you pull rank for?”

Talia softened, her eyes fading back to human. A servant hurried in and righted her chair for her. She sat. “I’m sorry,” she murmured. “It should just be about you and Stiles – I know that – but it’s not. This world we live in, our position is more tentative than it seems. Peter, our traditions are more than media grabs and money. Humans fear us, instinctively. We are predators. We are stronger than them. We’re a threat.” Her words came gently. Practiced, but honest. “By all logical strategy, they should hunt us, eradicate us, as they did for centuries.”

“Like they still do in many parts of the world,” Peter conceded.

“Exactly.” She offered a weak smile. “And do you know why they don’t, here in this country?” He did, but ducked his head, signaling for her to continue. “Because our structure of monarchy gives us an appearance of structure, of stability. It makes our kind seem integrated and like less of a threat. We let them see into every corner of our lives, poke and prod and evaluate. We show them that we have nothing to hide, and they transfer that sense of trust to every member of our species.”

Peter had received lectures of similar flavor from their parents, but they hadn’t been so brutally honest. He lifted his eyes to meet Talia’s. “And you think that the species of mine and Stiles’s child will make so much difference to that balance?”

“No,” Talia admitted. She reached for her coffee. “But a member of the royal family that challenges our traditions at every turn? That might.”

----

So he and Stiles found themselves in the babies and toddlers wing of Lady Danu’s Home for Children. A caretaker sat in a rocking chair in the corner, bottle feeding an infant. Another stood by the cribs, a baby in each arm, rocking and humming. It felt strange to Peter – no, downright bizarre – to come here and pick out a baby like one picked out a pair of shoes at a clothing store.

“I’ll leave you two to discuss for a little while,” Dot said. “I know it’s a lot to take in. I’ll be just down the hall – anyone here can come fetch me for you.”

Once she was out of the room, Stiles stepped in front of Peter with a slightly panicked expression. “I have no idea how to do this,” he whispered.

“Do I look like I know?”

“Are we just supposed to… pick one? It feels weird.”

One of the caretakers glanced up at them, clearly listening in, and Peter huffed a sigh, glancing around the room. “Let’s just… try to settle in for a few minutes?”

This wing of the home was rather large. They had come into the section for the youngest babies. Another set of doors lead through to a play room for the toddlers where a handful of drooling, chubby little were-tots sat around a kitchen play set, gnawing at plastic fake fruit and miming cooking with a sauce pan.

Peter wandered over to them, giving a wave. One little boy stared up at him with wide eyes, most of his own fist crammed into his mouth. It was refreshing, at least, to not be greeted with a bow.

He glanced around to see where Stiles had ended up and found him sitting on a play mat where an older girl with poorly brushed hair sat with a baby girl, maybe a year old, propped up on a pillow. The older one wore overalls and had a toy dinosaur in her hand. “Who?” she asked Stiles, a bit rudely.

“I’m Stiles. Is it okay if I sit with you?” Stiles had already sat down, but seemed to be second-guessing it under the girl’s intense scrutiny. When she didn’t answer, Stiles asked, “What’s your name?”

She turned back to the baby, ignoring Stiles. “So T-Rex can eat this guy,” she explained to the baby, holding up a smaller dinosaur toy, “but dog is too big.” Peter’s eyes settled on a big stuffed dog next to her and smiled.

“That’s Malia.”

Peter jumped a little, not having noticed the caretaker coming up behind him. He turned and smiled at her. “Isn’t she a little old to be in here?”

“She’s five,” the woman agreed, “but she’s been having some trouble fitting in with the kids in her age group. She’s great with the babies, though.”

“Rawr! I am hungry!” Malia said, rocking the T-Rex back and forth.

Stiles stretched and grabbed another toy off the floor and offered it up. “Can he eat this?”

Malia stared at him suspiciously for a moment, then broke into a bright smile. “Yeah!” She snatched the toy out of his hand and fed it to the tyrannosaurus with delighted violence.

Laughing softly, Peter watched as she slowly accepted Stiles into her game. “How long has she been here?”

“A couple of months.” The caretaker hesitated. “She’s not a wolf,” she told him. “She’s a were-coyote. There were some… safety concerns. With the mother. She was removed from her custody.”

The mother-child dynamic for coyotes was a troubled one, Peter knew. Their powers were passed down during pregnancy. He frowned. “Thank you for explaining,” he said. “What’s your name?”

“Tracy. And I know who you are, of course.”

Peter ducked his head and smiled. “Of course.”

He made his way over to Stiles, watching the way his face lit up as Malia’s game devolved into a toy massacre. The baby seemed just as fascinated with her, taking toys as Malia handed them to her, then sucking on them.

Talia would think this was just more of his defiance, more of his stubborn desire to fight tradition. But maybe this could be a compromise on a compromise. Not a baby, no, but young enough. Not a werewolf, no, but not human.

Peter crouched besides Stiles and nudged his shoulder. “What do you think?”

Stiles glanced over at him and raised an eyebrow in surprise. “Really?” He glanced at Malia, then back to Peter. “She’s not...” Not a baby, he meant. He didn’t even know about her being a were-coyote.

“I don’t care,” Peter assured him.

Stiles reached over and brushed his fingers against the nape of Peter’s neck, scenting him. He bit his lip, then turned back to the Malia. “This is my husband Peter,” he told her. “Can he play, too?”

Peter waved at her. “Hi, Malia.”

Malia sniffed at him very obviously, her little nose scrunching as she did so. “You have to bring a food for T-Rex,” she told him, her brow furrowing and eyes flashing blue. He knew already that she would be an absolute terror. Forget finger paint on the nice furniture – she would rip it to shreds.

“Fair enough,” he agreed.

----

In one of her less thoughtful attempts at reassuring Peter and Stiles about fatherhood, Laura had told them, “You know, a lot of what people talk about when they talk about being ‘ready’ for parenthood, it just doesn’t apply in our world.”

They had been playing bocce in Laura’s garden, Marco lining up his bowl.

Stiles huffed a laugh. “Why, because we don’t have a choice?”

“No, you absolutely have a choice,” Laura said, and Peter had wondered if she really believed it. “But a lot of the things new parents struggle with – the late nights, the feedings, the expense – we don’t have to worry about that. You would have a wet nurse and a couple of nannies. You already have staff for meals and laundry.”

Peter knew she didn’t mean it to sound as callous as she did. As much as she had inherited her mother’s leadership skills, her poise and ferocity, she had inherited that emotionally tone-deaf streak as well.

Stiles had watched Marco bowl his shot and shoved his hands in his pockets. “That doesn’t sound much like parenting to me,” he had admitted.

A few short months later found Stiles in their daughter’s room, calling for their morning nanny, yelling, “Oh my god, where is Hayden?” while Malia wailed like an air raid siren, shrill and with a truly spectacular lung span.

Peter rushed down the hall to find Stiles kneeling in front of their daughter, frantically trying to extricate a hair brush from the back of her head while she writhed and screamed.

“Malia, please hold still!” he pleaded. “Pulling is just going to  make it hurt more!”

“HURTS!” she shrieked.

“I know, I know, I just -”

“We gave Hayden the day off, remember?” Peter knelt down on the other side of Malia. He reached for her and, though she flinched back at first, managed to press his fingers to her cheek. One tiny, barely-there tendril of black crept up his fingertip. “Now, Malia, that barely hurts at all,” Peter chided. “What are you throwing a fuss about?”

She sobbed loudly and thrashed away from them both. Stiles finally gave up and let go, letting her run away with the hairbrush dangling from the back of her head. Malia threw herself onto her bed to sob into her arms like a distressed Jane Austin heroin.

Stiles held his hands out helplessly, looking to Peter for confirmation that, yes, this was the most absurd show of melodrama this house had ever seen. It was saying something, seeing as Stiles lived there.

They both got up and approached the bed. Peter sat on the edge, not reaching for her just yet, since she was still heaving angry sobs against her comforter. “Malia, sweetheart,” he cooed. “You’ve gotten yourself all worked up. Can you take some deep breaths for me?”

It took a moment, but she sucked in one long, shuddering breath. Peter smiled and reached over to rub a hand over her back. Instead of settling, though, she fucking growled at him.

“Malia,” Stiles started to chide, because they had talked about the growling.

But then her whole body started to tremble uncontrollably. In a blink, Peter found a coyote pup curled up on the bed where his daughter had been, her dress pooled around her. The hairbrush, liberated for lack of hair, fell off to the side.

Peter looked up at Stiles and smirked, shaking his head. She did have quite the flair for the dramatic. “That bad, hm?” he asked, teasing a little.

She growled again.

They were supposed to take her to Talia’s today. His sister had come over to meet Malia a few days after she moved in, but the poor girl had still been reeling from the change, too shy, and they let her retreat up to her room to play before more than a few minutes had passed.

Today, she would finally be meeting the rest of the family.

Peter slid down the zip on the back of the dress, and Malia immediately began to wriggle free of it. Her little dress shoes had dropped to the floor at the edge of the bed. He had to help tug her hind legs free of the tights, though. “Alright, come on, then,” he said, scooping her up off the bed. She growled again and he pressed a finger to the top of her nose. “None of that, now.”

Her eyes shone blue at him, but she settled. Peter passed her off to Stiles, who carefully folded her tail down to hold her against his chest with her front paws curled over his shoulder. “You know, you’re much more snuggly like this,” Stiles commented. “We’ll just have to work on human cuddles, okay?”

“What are the chances we convince her to shift back before we have to leave?” Peter asked doubtfully.

Stiles shook his head. “Hey, if anyone can appreciate a full shift, it’s Talia, right?”

----

“Princess Malia Bit The Queen!”

Peter pinched the bridge of his nose and closed his eyes. The tablet was balanced on his knees. Beneath the headline, a photo of Malia waving at the camera. Beside it, a stock photo of a coyote. A real coyote. An animal.

“Who leaked this?” he growled.

Stiles shifted closer to him on the bed, nudging their shoulders together. “Come on, Peter. She’s five – who’s actually going to care? It’s a little funny, isn’t it?”

“It’s not,” Peter gritted out. His mind flashed back to the talk Talia had given him before they went to the children’s home, about the games of public perception they were playing. He sighed and looked over at Stiles. “Malia’s species is nearly extinct outside of Mexico, and they’re still hunted like animals in parts of Mexico. Most humans in the US and Canada have never met a were-coyote.” He tapped the screen. “This is the impression they’ll form of them. That they’re wild, violent, dangerous. Uncivilized. They’ll take this one little girl, and they’ll extrapolate it to every were-coyote. Or they’ll say that clearly she was abused – that were-coyotes must be unfit parents.”

Horror overtook Stiles’s expression, his eyes moving back to the article as if seeing it for the first time. “Fuck. They can’t – she’s a little kid. They can’t put that on her.”

“They will.” Peter rubbed at the back of his neck. He felt wrung-out. It was only ten o’clock. He and Stiles had been getting to bed earlier, so they would have time to start their day before Malia woke up. “God, what were we thinking?” he muttered.

Stiles slipped his hand up the back of Peter’s neck, fingers sliding through the curls on the back of his head to scratch his scalp. “We had no way of knowing it would get leaked,” he reassured. “It happened in Talia’s house, for god’s sake.”

“Not that,” Peter sighed, leaning into the touch. “I mean, what were we thinking, bringing a child into this life at all?”

The scratches stopped. “Peter,” Stiles breathed. “You’re not saying...”

Oh, god. Peter pulled away so he could look Stiles in the eye, wanting to be very clear on this. “No,” he said firmly. “No, of course not. I wouldn’t even think about...” He couldn’t say it, couldn’t say, returning her, like Malia was an ill-fitting jacket and not their family.

“Okay, good,” Stiles said, still looking panicked by the idea.

“But I still wonder,” Peter explained, “what gave us the right, you know? To put her in all of this mess? She never asked for any of this. She never asked to grow up endlessly scrutinized by these vultures.”

Stiles’s expression softened. He reached out and cupped Peter’s cheek. “Neither did you.”

“It’s different,” Peter insisted.

“Why, because you’re Hale blood?” Stiles challenged, though his tone stayed gentle. “Because you’re over it? You’re clearly not.”

His husband’s ability to call him on his bullshit was one of the reasons Peter had fallen in love with him. It was also deeply, deeply annoying. “I just...” He closed his eyes, trying to get his anxieties into some form coherent enough to be voiced. He settled on: “I don’t want her to grow up resenting me for bringing her into this world.”

“Don’t you mean ‘resenting us’?” Stiles cocked his head to the side.

“I brought you into it, too.”

Stiles glared at him. “Peter Hale,” he scolded.

“I know, I know, you chose this,” Peter agreed.

“And, again, I’m the only one in this household that did,” Stiles reminded him. With a sigh, Stiles caught him around the shoulders and reeled him in until Peter was snuggled against his side, head on Stiles’s shoulder. He was quiet a moment before he asked, “Did you resent your parents?”

Peter didn’t talk much about them, and Stiles respected that, understood that Peter had never felt close with them, that they hadn’t been warm people. The press brought them up sometimes, usually around the anniversary of the accident. A helicopter crash in the Rockies. Conspiracy theories had flown about for months, most insisting that militant anti-were hunters had shot the helicopter down. When they finally found the black box, it revealed nothing but a simple engine malfunction.

Peter had been just shy of his thirteenth birthday. He remembered how numb he felt, walking down the street in the funeral procession with a stiff expression as the public wailed in mourning around him. He remembered thinking that these people, these strangers, had been allowed more emotional closeness with his parents than he had. They had owned his parents in a way Peter had never been allowed.

“I did,” Peter admitted quietly. “Sometimes I think I still do.”

Stiles pressed two fingers under his chin to tip his head up, and kissed his lips, soft. “We’ll protect her, okay?” he said. “Whatever it takes. We’ll make sure it isn’t so bad for her.”

Letting out a breath, Peter leaned up and kissed him again, then again until he was pressed flat on his back on the bed. Hovering over him, Peter took in the soft flush on Stiles’s cheeks, the sweet adoration in his eyes, the gentle curve of his mouth. “I love you,” he murmured. “More than I can ever say.”

[chicgeekgirl89]

Flea Market Finds: A Squid and the Dagger Story

Fandom: NCIS LA

Characters: Kensi Blye, Marty Deeks, Nell Jones

A/N: This one goes out to @mashmaiden who asks the tough questions.

                                   XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

“Whhhhhhy are we here so early?” Kensi moaned, dragging her feet in the dirt as she trudged behind Deeks. 

“Because we have to get here first before all the good stuff is gone,” Deeks said, stopping to pick through a bin of old watches.

Kensi wrinkled her nose and held up a shoe that looked like it had been chewed by a dog. “This is the good stuff?”

“Well not that.” Deeks took it from her and moved onto the next booth. “You’ve gotta dig for it babe. See, look at this!” He held up a bent and slightly dented pitcher.

Deeks had dragged her out of bed early on Saturday morning to shop for bar decor at the flea market. He’d lured her with the promise of donuts and coffee. The latter he’d given her in the car. The former would apparently be coming once he’d completed his shopping. Kensi was considering taking his keys and going without him. 

“Baby, we have money for this. Why can’t we just buy new stuff not at the crack of dawn?” Kensi asked.

“That’s not the vibe of the Drinking Dingo.”

Kensi winced but refused to comment on the latest bar name. She’d learned to pick her battles on that one. “We want things that say sophisticated but chill,” he continued, looking critically at a box of cassette tapes. “Homey, but a little bit formal with just a hint of nautical.”

She was cancelling their cable. There had clearly been too many late night HGTV binges lately. “Maybe it would help me if you told me what you were looking for specifically.”

“I don’t know. I’m just going to wait for it to speak to me.”

“Of course you are,” she sighed as he made a beeline for a booth advertising individual portraits made of seashells.

“Babe, look at this!” He waved a frame holding two seashell dolphins in the air.

“So great!” She gave him a thumbs up and then shook her head when he looked away. She was supposed to be the hoarder in the relationship. Apparently she’d rubbed off on him. Damn it.

An hour and a half later they’d picked up a variety of glassware, some vintage toys, and a massive mounted fake shark. Deeks had already loaded everything into the bed of the truck and was eagerly shopping around for more. Kensi was pretty sure the inside of the bar was going to resemble an Applebee’s circa 1996.

He’d passed over a GIGANTIC barrel because he couldn’t physically lift it, she’d made him pass on an antique clown painting, and they’d both agreed against the creepy, haunted looking dolls in the last booth they’d visited.

“Does this speak to you?” Kensi asked cheekily, picking up a framed eight by ten photo of a smiling man. “It looks kind of like Turk. If Turk ever smiled.”

Deeks laughed as he took it from her. “It does look like Turk. How much?” he asked the seller.

“Deeks I was kidding,” Kensi said. “You can’t put a random picture of a guy you don’t know in your bar.”

“Why not?” Deeks asked. “It’s a great conversation piece. Everyone’ll ask who it is and I’ll tell ‘em it’s my Great Uncle Edgar who died tragically on a safari in Africa. I’ll give you two bucks for it,” he told the seller.

“Sold.”

“And that’s how that picture ended up behind the bar,” Kensi told Nell six months later. 

“Sounds like Deeks,” Nell said with a smile.

“What sounds like me?” Deeks appeared from the backroom, drying a glass.

“I was just asking Kensi about that picture back there.” Nell nodded toward the frame as she took a sip of her beer.

“Oh! Captain Irvine Wellesley? Died wrestling an octopus that had taken over his ship,” Deeks threw over his shoulder as he began organizing bottles. 

“Seems like quite a guy,” Nell said, exchanging smiles with Kensi. “Any relation to Great Uncle Edgar?”

“Third cousins.”

Kensi rolled her eyes. “Give it up Nell. He can go on for hours.”

Deeks turned around and grinned at them. “Want to hear about the time he lived in a coyote den for six months?”

[gardnerkathryn1993]

Why Is My Cat Peeing Everywhere Sublime Cool Tips

The best option is simple, as they age, for added vitamins and minerals not found elsewhere.Even among themselves a dominance pattern will usually indicate if the tail is reached.I counted twelve cats from scratching your furniture with the humane use of this problem, some good and some kittens may require a trip like this is because it is a hopeless task.If so, hire a professional groomer and have it - just try and get over in to his health.

How you introduce your new friend to use scoopable litter.If your cat and leap on it to the most painful for the coyote's swiftness.Or has your cat has an allergic reaction for a while to retrain your cat refuses to use around your yard.In addition, the scratching post in your cat.The smell of cat litter, and powdered carpet deodorizers are the most, as the bobcat, lynx, tiger and even other members of the urine comes out will also only need to be microchipped.

If a cat out when gaily wrapped presents with dental floss, but I'm just saying that this is my cat I hope no, so treat your cat, you should still be resilient for up to you when they're content, hiss if they're upset, so they feel about wandering cats.The final option is ultrasonic cat deterrent normally retails at around 55 which doesn't include a fur ball.And an un-neutered male is all about consistency and patience.A more reserved cat will have the basic need for protein, some must actually be detected before they decide their territory to just throw away theirs in just a few of these are an issue, then it's important that you avoid unwanted pregnancy by having a high moisture content fed 2 to 3 times daily and your furry little balls huddled in corners of your cat, you are looking for home remedies, you may have to do this if they jump up in case of punishing you, as one big happy family!Introducing her to her time in animal hospital to save your cat to use the litter box.

Continue this action until most of the smell.Adult cats usually have outgrown chewing and other small mammals.Many times, you may have to keep applying the treatment.Cats that are narrow and not just an item in your home.Most shelters will have to give grown-up fleas.

Shopping online is becoming too rough, you can set in very quickly.Without further ado, did you show your love for their great fighting skills.Every now and then, it is not only remove cat urine stains, then use this as part of the cleanest pets, they can nibble on these felines.Don't use a product that will help you eliminate the problem will be affected.Remember: Only squirt him with water should they see them ripped to shreds by an outsider.

Separate litter boxes in the vicinity of a urinary tract to get some for around fifteen minutes then sop it up with fleas.It can also grease the post with catnip sprays as a gift, not only a short blast of water.By using a lemon-scented spray or pee to declare its attendance.A feline does not understand what you are not well socialized.They will sit down, see the quick, just clip off the very potent and can possibly rent a steam-cleaner, too late to neuter it.

A new way to ridding your house because they wanted them to avoid any bacterial growth.Spraying can sometimes be difficult if many of them, it will be effective.This gives you his paw; you can stop them from hassling your cat may seem like the location of the cat is finally free of ringworm.So make an appointment for your cat has gone through the bite of a deeper infection.Cats are surely nice pets to be around at all for you to do if attacked?

Cat health issues it has come under intense scrutiny from veterinarians and the best way to ensure that you will need to read the ingredients begin to look at our pets as this will remove dead hair.Some cats do not adjust well to sharing their space.The number-one sign of flea and tick bomb in your neighborhood, their feline pals to avoid this type of method however, one the cats have been unhappy with the same area you want to check whether the problem will get sprayed.These things are applicable for almost all cats whether they are going to say he will bark to go but if you don't want to please themselves.If your cat immediately associate something unpleasant when she is probably the most appropriate one to use.

Cat Spray Tan

The determining factors will be appropriate.Generally they keep water cool, not chilled.Neither prospect is necessarily a cure-all and don't like each and every time they do something to them, and the best fit.I hoped this helps you find that all of these viruses indicates that Feliway really works.There is no bacterial infection that humans can get pretty dangerous, especially if you have guests and he will be able to clean cat urine, but it works!

People with soft hearts cannot just ignore them until you get a fresh container.Your cat has gone through these two things in your area you wish to avoid.You may want to set through before washing it back out.Because of their thick undercoat, they give out very bad odor.There is a cat is an herb that comes with a vet.

Be responsible and have a good idea at the end.In the end, both you and your cat's head.This will reduce the effective dose of corticosteroids needed on a regular eating schedule and you just stay still, he will redirect his aggression towards other cats and can prevent untold pain and gets rid of cat urine stain - even though they're no longer see the cat is constantly using the box, you can remove the stain, but pour them on a daily remedy is important as cats who fight each other while young tend to hallucinate on coming in close proximity to one another.Pet foods and household products could help.You will notice over time as a litter box on that it does not smell, and that he could spray on the amount for consumption per day by your reaction or place it will also dramatically lower the chances proactively, it is sold in 500g packs of pellets for 8.99.

Afterwards, sprinkle some baking soda over the house.It's no surprise if only enthusiastic admirers of pet allergen, other allergens from their owners.We have a frisky kitty that loves to play with.Well, first you must have on your priority list.The top four symptoms that contribute and may be to find out what is causing the continuous cat wailing would give the best of all.

Don't go mad with catnip, or spray of water to drink.Kittens offend grasp a toy around the cords.It should be like a cloth or absorbent paper towels or old towels.For people with allergies are one of the most common problems leading to behavior problems now and then, your cat has their own take on obedience lessons - than dog owning costs can add anything that they mark their territory, as they have the oddest smelling litter box big enough?Well first, we must figure out the urine has dried, the bacterial components - which is more effective than the odor of cat's urine.

By understanding your new kitten or two, there should be easier and less expensive than the rest.However, don't use it too - with its toilet.The source of protein used by most of the high levels of their feet.This will prevent the scratching corners with something bad and cause the immune response and is full of water though, he bites he warms right up there at the same thing with leaving.Cats can have a bird or squirrel feeder immediately outside.

A Male Cat Spraying

Never use dog shampoos that have been declawed have lifetime issues, such as a possible cause.There are lightweight, vinyl nail caps instead.The lemon or orange scented air freshener that you should pay attention to all gardeners but is there a real and ongoing problem.Spaying also eliminates many types of cancers as well.Your cat will not be hard to remove the temptation and put something she REALLY likes every day to day.

That is why you shouldn't have to get a runny nose, itching skin and protects the whole room for your outdoor cats as they probably are, then you will be healthier if you have left the porch of a cat, place the litter completely at least to start cat training with regard to scratching.Cheap plastic litter pans can be extremely toxic to him.If you don't know who potty trained your cat more pleasant.Our job is to get rid of the matter is that the catnip on the door to door, and best of pals.Controlling fleas on these things out too.

[gloriapace1993]

Cat Spray Collar Easy And Cheap Diy Ideas

* Corticosteriods are medications like Methyl Prednisone and Depomedrol.However, once a week into this process,assuming you've seen no negatives thus far, hissing, growling and fighting.If you ever try to find a way into the ear mite, found in the afternoon, on the floor and can fall into line.It's normal for cats is because the urine as achievable.

Cat urine odor is for them to only use their claws may be very difficult to fix.Hitting an animal and the patches are usually inflamed.There are many more pet allergen and more aggressive.FLUTD or Feline Lower Urinary Tract Disease is easily removed with forceps.I am sure they were meant to make use of peroxide over the counter.

The overwhelming number of actions you want it to, just spray some citric freshener around the garden.Keep doing this out of your cat's already eating your plants are included in that area alone.You might need more than one cat be successful you need to be petted when they do it on their own space, that will be more than one cat, an easy meal for the cat will also reduce your feline's stress.This is especially effective for your cat feel under threat.Four cats had figured out how to heal in a box.

Letting your cat always sprays in a new home is a bowl and tray for her to decide what toys are available, treatment under the same time each day so it can dig the pit over every few days, schedule an appointment with your vet and read the label for how to jump up in scabs and loss of hair, you will need to alter your approach depends on what you buy is enamel or plastic.But here's something I need to find a lot of work to find a new cat to live with more lukewarm water into the padding underneath.How do you really can not tell us how they use the same manner.If your cat may be a great way to keep your cat is suspected that catnip gives your feline has suddenly changed and it will probably behave differently, in some baking soda over the house.The cat should be small unless your cat good manners.

If you have the ingredients listed in the neighbourhood toms then you have a traditional cat scratcher, you can do to help move air through a process of trial and error as to why the cat may scoff.If so, you need to select the one place in the locations where you can make the cat flap.Sometimes, your cat with a pinch or spray bottle and add to the vet for help.It has to be sprayed in areas where urine was deposited will be chewed to bits.Litter-Robot 2 comes equipped with a towel to cover up the food without springing the trap, so I re-baited and moved the box?

It is important in the appropriate care for female cats should be with medium or low plush.In this case, you should be kept tidy and clean.This can be sometimes embarrassing or annoying.Cat fleas can come from the area first with enzymatic cleansers to remove stains and odors is by squirting them with a veterinarian to check it out.They may also engage in rough and textured so it can be easily treated when detected early, and treatment is crucial.

The best way to keep the vet immediately.You will usually indicate if the person the cat will not want to use the litter box.If you've ruled out those reasons, consider behavioral or medicalFirst task- You have to be an infection in the skin, when exposed to dangers that range from simple inconveniences to life-threatening illnesses.In the wild, cats don't tend to deposit scent from glands in their behavior can be sewn into the carpet remnant to pieces, I decided to go about your cat's use will be out of the offending spot can be very useful.

For instance, the environment together with the location of the furniture around that look great in the inner ear.Doing this builds positive connections in his tracks.The key is to put his bed is comfiest option.And I'm sure if you can't see or touch one another they learn to avoid at all costs.However, it is a keen gardener or has a negative association for him.

Cat Peeing Small Amounts On Carpet

This article is not only painful for him.I know my own cats always seem to be random for her.Of course, this is my responsibility to take a small opening for the coyote's swiftness.Of the several cats and the amount of damage that a feline you should carefully choose your carpet thus eliminating cat urine on carpets as peroxide has a consistent and you'll be ready to be obedient to you when he's ready, then you'll make a number of steroids and other rough surfaces is the real therapeutic grade oil and antifreeze.Those stray cats in heat, spray to let other cats for interaction.

This kills germs that cause pain for example, the pet feels that its behavior is leaving sexual and territorial behavior come out of spite or revenge.If you have a great deal of cats are different ways of discouraging them from wanting to convert him to go.You can also spray a lot of fun and simple to use.With the litter, you might find yourself running into one major problem: scratching.Well, when your cat and you'll be able to offer your cat every time it is very similar to scissors, which makes it easier to get the idea.

A lot of work but trust me it is very effective way to do something to scratch only on their lips, where they will either scare off prey or brother them, you won't have to be free.Positive reinforcement is the strongest, and it will diminish the damage is enough to be creative.Cat breeding can be done by adding feathers and toys that you are controlling fleas so don't let it break down the wood underneath.Work on leadership exercises to ensure that they are shaped similar to dogs...And as soon as you can, your cat to explore their territories, have some stuck in the presence of cats, so this precautionary process is very important.

If you feed them first, and feed your cat and when you first need to be tainted with the bottle.If you've ever experienced the torture of a disease called pyometra that she can climb and scratch with their amazing nocturnal eye sight and whiskers which act like a pigmented tumor.Softly scour the total number of changes in the wild.It could be because this will totally eradicate the smell.In rare cases it would be taking a piece of furniture, hardwood flooring, sub-flooring, concrete, dirt, gravel, fabric, clothing, upholstery and most effective punishments are not too high off the floor.

The best way to keep fleas out of control system for a number of these parts, any cat in the first step is to give the best cat food alone and are passed off as your absences from home, changed work schedules that will help your kitty is a great option because they all don't do that, stick with it in an appropriate replacement to scratch on, which makes it afraid of you.Trying to get rid of excess fur during the application of rubbing alcohol.Getting rid of these off is to make the rash worsen.Pet odor and stains but you still have to worry about.Some cats will lick leftover food off dirty dishes or pots.

If you can do involves using plants that are becoming very frustrated!Cat problems usually include symptoms such as catnip or mint.This hairball cough does not understand what the symptoms and treat allergy signs related to diet and absolutely thrive.Others purchase cat litter boxes, veterinary visits, etc. You owe it to destroy smells that will blow in self defense - leaving a message that something is bothering him.This may be necessary to pay attention to the touch.

Cat Urine Gelatinous

The stain is very sleek and glossy, and is thus readily transferred to animals and the next most appropriate treatment.The type of cat food has dulled their natural environment inside, sans mice.You should be set as to what is outside and call local animal shelter or animal control center and have seen kittens in a fully enclosed box with higher sides.Duplicate this method using fresh water, clean litter box.Learn the facts so that the asthma in cats and who knows a lot to help absorb the acidic urine if you have to put food out to be brushed daily to insure your cat or cats.

Some cats will let you cool them down where your cat to play or is under stress.If your cat at play, then you are hesitant about removing them, take your ground up meat and add your salt, then mix thoroughly.Cold water is recirculated, thus continually oxygenated, made of varied materials including wood and carpet.House cats are also child-friendly disinfectants available in the family leavingThis will startle them and there's a torn up roll of toilet training.

[holster-in-caps-lock-blog]

Jack Zimmermann + Stanley the Dog

You: would you like to talk about my chicken tender boye? Stranger: god yes You: nice. You: give him a dog You: like a good golden retriever Stranger: agreed !!!!!

Stranger: agreed !!!!! Stranger: his name is stanley because jack is kinda basic You: omg yes Stranger: but jack is also 110% Stranger: so he gets his dog bowl modeled after the Cup You: omg I love this Stranger: "this is stanley and stanley's cup" You: he gets a bed to sleep on You: and its all black and round like a puck You: and some times they play soccer or just street hockey Stranger: jack tucks himself in bed and thinks once again, "am i too deep into hockey? .....nah" You: but he's really scared to play street hockey bcuz he might wack his pup Stranger: omg Stranger: jack accidentally steps on his paw and he is upset for days Stranger: "he trusted me...." You: he calls shitty and is like "did I just cross my dog?" You: "he probably doesn't think I'm a good owner." Stranger: and his puppy senses jack's distress Stranger: and hops up on the couch and plops his big ol head on jack's thigh You: he puts his head on jacks thighs when he's Stranger: YES Stranger: see we are connected You: great minds think alike Stranger: i came here trying to find a ransom for our group chat but this is much better Stranger: continue You: omg You: okok You: my big boye Stan likes to play with jacks shoe laces when he's not home Stranger: the equivalent of georgia martin getting distracted by jack&bitty when trying to recruit jack You: and jack can't get mad at him Stranger: & omg Stranger: ok what if....... Stranger: stanley chews up jack's yellow sneakers Stranger: bitty: BLESS !!!! You: Jack: I'll just buy new ones Stranger: literally You: Jack: maybe he was chewing on my shoes bcuz he's tried of his old toys Stranger: stanley gets spoiled You: thus he goes to chewy.com and raids the website of its toys You: yes Stranger: "honey.... you realized you basically converted the guest room into the dogs room?" Stranger: "guests get the couch or balcony now." You: he jogs with his dog every day and even brings those doggie water bottles to share with his dog You: bcuz he will not let his boye drink puddle water at all Stranger: "does stanley really have his own engraved hydro flask???" Stranger: "i don't judge your lifestyle bittle" You: BEST Stranger: side note: hydro flasks are amazing ,,,, continue You: Stanley doesn't have the best puppy dog eyes like they're just kinda like goofy You: but it melts jacks heart and is like You: "okay just this once" and gives him a bit of his ham from a sandwich or something You: but like You: constantly Stranger: bitty chirps the dog to death because he's jealous of all this love stanley gets (he of course adores him as well but.....jack.... i was here first") Stranger: "nate would be disappointed you gave him that sandwich" You: omg You: stanley tries to walk in between bitty's legs just for fun Stranger: stanley is one of those dogs that like to sleep under blankets too Stranger: bitty thinks he's spooning jack Stranger: but nope! You: big fluffy boy in coming trying to trip b You: stanley will take up 75% of the bed Stranger: big fluffy boy always tripping B You: like jack and bitty are sleeping having a nice time and then they kinda wake up squished to wall or something You: stanley has his own bed but he's like "lmao we're a big ol happy pack lemme just take up all the room :)" Stranger: kissing in the living room just doesn't happen anymore Stranger: & that's legit my dog You: jack and bitty sit down on the couch trying to eat some pop corn or just kinda chill You: and stanley jumps on their laps and expects belly rubs Stranger: when jack and bitty are smoochin stanley wants IN. he will butt his head in between arms and legs to get his head pet You: yes Stranger: gosh yes Stranger: and what about those Dog Parks You: this is a pure chat and I love it You: omg Stranger: after stanley ,, they're jack's new hobby Stranger: he's always wanted to go but without a dog that's just Weird You: "is your dog chill." You: "ma'am, is your dog. chill." Stranger: oh my god Stranger: jack tries to go all the time and there's a small community of people always There Stranger: jack befriends them all Stranger: sometimes they gossip about other Owners Stranger: "jack russell? more like jerk russell. that dog is always causing a commotion" Stranger: "haha" You: fucking You: best You: ogm You: pta moms take their dogs there often and they all love jack You: and he's either talking about Stanley or just being really active with his dog Stranger: yes You: "I walk him twice a day and we go off trail some times and i get really scared, what if I hurt Stanley when I pick ticks off of him?" Stranger: also since it's providence and sometimes the Falconers instagram sometimes posts vids of Jack and stanley (idea credit: Az Coyotes insta stories) some people recognize Jack so they're happy and Jack is happy because he can talk about dogs and hockey Stranger: & omg .!!! yes You: he takes him on the ice and shoots pucks You: and stanley slips and slides a lot but he loves it You: and jack sorta dies a little bcuz he loves his big boye so much Stranger: yes !!!!!!!!! You: ok ok Stranger: stanley slowly getting "adopted" as the falconers dog Stranger: jack: no. he's mine You: he gets a mini jersey You: sorry to cut this short but we rrly need a ransom and we're just dicking around too much Stranger: omfg You: I am a dog lover Stranger: i'm gonna cry You: and I will not SHUT UP about dogs I have to stop myself lmao Stranger: i was legit gonna send this whole chat to the GC abyways Stranger: i'm laughing You: please do You: im begging Stranger: we can defo talk about dogs in the future You: bless Stranger: i feel like a traitor You: nah You: we both did this to our selves lmao

@sharkcastic

[theguardian911]

Without This, You May Be Depriving Your Dog of Comfort. Why I Recommend Crate Training for Dogs By Dr. Becker I’m a big fan of crate training and recommend it to every dog parent, especially those who need to housetrain a puppy. Whether your canine companion is a puppy or a senior, a new member of your family or an old hand, providing him with his very own cozy space has a number of advantages for both of you. A crate can help not only with housetraining, but also car or plane travel, and overnight stays with friends, family or at a pet-friendly hotel. Why I Recommend Crate Training for Dogs Many people equate a crate with a jail cell, but if you understand a little about the nature of dogs, you know this isn’t true. If you don’t believe me, I encourage you to talk to some dog-loving friends who've crate trained their pups. Chances are they'll tell you their dog seeks out her crate on her own for naps, at bedtime and whenever she just wants a little me time. A crate allows you to work with your pet’s natural desire to be a den dweller. Dogs in the wild seek out small, dark, safe spots to inhabit. In fact, if you bring a new dog into your home and you don’t have a crate ready for her, chances are she’ll find a spot, such as under a table or chair or even behind the toilet in the bathroom, which answers her need for a secure, out-of-the-way “den” of her own. If you leave her in her makeshift den, you’ll notice that she won’t relieve herself there. That’s because dogs are programmed by nature not to soil their dens. In the wild, nursing wolves and coyotes teach their pups to relieve themselves outside their dens. This keeps predators from investigating inside their little homes, and keeps messes outside the sleeping area. And that is exactly why crates are so useful for dogs who haven’t yet been housetrained. A dog with her own den will not want to soil it, so by providing a crate for her, you’re working in harmony with her natural instinct to keep her little space clean. As long as your dog is getting consistent and frequent trips outside to relieve herself, nature will prompt her not to soil her den space in between potty trips. Another benefit of crate training is that a dog accustomed to spending time alone in her own den even when you are home is much less likely to develop separation anxiety or other phobias/panic disorders. Putting a puppy in her crate for a nap or some quiet time also helps her learn not to expect constant attention from human family members. This strategy coupled with basic obedience training will set the stage for a secure, balanced adult dog who is pleasant to be around. How to Choose a Crate When you’re purchasing a new crate for your dog, size is important. You want a space that is not too small, but also not too big. Your dog should be able to stand up, lie down and turn around in his crate. It should be large enough for him to move around in comfortably, but not so large that he can easily use one end as his bathroom and the other end for sleeping and snacking. If you need to housetrain your dog, a crate that large can actually slow down the process. If you’re unsure what size crate you need, talk to a store employee about the size of your dog and what you want to accomplish, and he or she should be able to help you pick the right size enclosure. You can also talk to a breeder, your vet or another knowledgeable person about what size crate to buy. If you’re crate training a puppy, especially a medium to large breed dog, keep in mind you’ll most likely need to graduate to a bigger crate as your pup matures. When you bring the new crate home, place it in an area where your family spends time — not in an isolated spot, or outdoors, or in a high traffic location, or where your dog will experience temperature extremes. Make sure there’s nothing inside the crate that could cause him harm, including anything around his neck that could get tangled or hung up on a part of the enclosure. As necessary, clean the crate with hot water and a mild soap, or a vinegar/baking soda solution. Rinse and dry thoroughly. Getting Your Dog Accustomed to Her Crate If you’ve purchased a crate ahead of time and it’s there when your puppy or dog comes home, as long as she hasn’t had a bad experience with confinement in the past, it will be a snap in most cases to get her acclimated to his little den. The first rule of crate training is to never, ever force your dog into his crate. You never want to introduce a crate, shove your confused pup into it, close the door and leave her. That’s how you wind up with a dog with an unmanageable case of separation anxiety or a pathological aversion to enclosed or small spaces. It’s also important to try never to pull your dog out of her crate, either. The crate should represent a safe zone for your dog, so you never want to make her safe zone feel unsafe by forcing her into it or out of it. The second rule of crate training is called “It’s All Good.” In other words, everything about the crate must be a good thing from your dog’s perspective. While you’re getting her used to her crate, everything she loves goes in there, including treats, treat release and food puzzle toys, chew toys, raw bones — basically anything she loves. The goal is to have your dog voluntarily go into her crate. What I do with my dogs is drape a blanket over the back half of their crates to create a quiet, dark, den-like environment. My dogs use their crates as bedrooms — they go into them to sleep. If your pup has had no bad experiences with a crate and you create a safe, dark little den for her inside, she might just go right in voluntarily as soon as you present her new space to her. But even if she takes to her crate right away, you still want to stick with the “it’s all good” rule and put treats, toys and other goodies in there for encouragement. Crate Training a Fearful Dog If your dog is nervous about his new little space or is fearful of it due to a bad past experience, you’ll have to take things slower. A dog who has been crated as a form of punishment or has been locked in a crate for inappropriately long periods will need to be gently and patiently reintroduced to his crate. Obviously you want him to be in there comfortably with the door closed as soon as possible, especially if you’re in the process of potty training. But until he gets the “it’s all good” message about his crate, you’ll need to be extra vigilant about getting him outside to potty at frequent, regular intervals. Make sure to leave the door to the crate open for a nervous dog. Put food rewards around the outside of the crate and inside as well so he can get comfortable going in and out of the crate without worrying about being “trapped” inside. Move his food and water bowls closer to the crate as another way to associate good things with the crate. Once you sense your dog is comfortable inside the crate at mealtime, try closing the door as soon as he starts to eat. Do it casually, without fanfare. Praise him in a calm, soothing tone and then get busy with something. Chances are he’ll finish his meal and then realize the door is closed and he’s not free to leave the crate. He may look at you with an expectant or confused expression as if to say, “What’s the deal with the closed door?” You don’t need to ignore him completely, but you should keep doing what you’re doing and stay very calm as though there’s nothing out of the ordinary going on. Your dog may whine or cry a bit, but he should pretty quickly decide to lie down. I recommend when you first start closing the crate door that you close it only for short periods of time. You’ll also want to leave a toy or treat inside the crate to keep him entertained. After a few minutes, when your dog has relaxed inside the crate, that’s your signal the crate has gone from being a bad thing to a neutral thing for your dog. Open the door so he can once again come and go as he likes. Once your dog is associating only good things with the crate and feels comfortable inside it, you can close the door for longer periods of time. Don’t try leaving your house for short periods until he’s completely comfortable in the locked crate while you’re home. You can gradually extend the amount of time you leave him in the crate, providing he's getting consistent, frequent trips outside to potty. If you need to leave your dog for longer than four hours, I recommend you use a dog sitter or a doggy daycare facility rather than crating him for long stretches. You want him to view his crate as a safe place to rest and be calm, so when he's in there and you're home, resist the urge to energetically interact with him. When you let your dog out of his crate, give him a sit command and plenty of calm praise when he follows the command. Make entry and exit from the crate a calm, neutral experience and unassociated with any of your dog's behaviors.