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Potters And Pets


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The AC in our house is being replaced so our 3 dogs have been spending a lot of time in my studio, sprawled on the concrete floor. We also have 3 cats, 1 hedgehog, 8 chickens and 10 guinea fowl, who like to hang out in front of the door and watch me! If I leave the door open, the chickens will try to come in for a visit but I won't let them.

 

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Our Puggle is named Chloe. She's the sweetest dog I've ever had. She follows me around the house and keeps me company till the youngest kid gets home. At 7 she is really slowing down. For exercise she moves from the sofa to the foot of the bed. Her internal clock has her on the porch every afternoon as the kids get home. Every day she makes us laugh. And her best job is keeping my feet warm in the winter.

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Life without animals is unthinkable, at least for me! We are owned by three cats and 24 chickens (5 roosters and 19 hens) and up until last May, one great mutt. Jasper passed away at the ripe old age of 14 and a half and I miss him every day. We're hoping to add a puppy next spring. We'd do it now, but winter just isn't the best time to be house training a puppy! ;)  

 

I'm still too new to this playing in the mud business to have my animals influence my work. But just having them around to remind me that  taking a break from time to time is a good thing. I love throwing in the warm summer months when the chickens are out free ranging. A number of my girls like to come into the studio to check up on me, as well as looking for a bit of cuddle time.

 

It might be hard for those who have never had chickens to understand just how much personality is packed into those fluffy feathered little bodies, but trust me: they're ever bit as personable as any dog or cat, as well as immensely entertaining. I'd just as soon sit on the porch and watch my chickens as watch anything on the idiot box! :wub:  

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I have two cats, one mine and one the wife's, both rescues.  I've had cats for years, but I was raised with dogs.  Still love them, but hey are too much trouble.

 

Haven't made many cat pots, but I make a lot of dragons.  I've found they are even more trouble to keep as pets than dogs, so I'm sticking cats.

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Hey,

I'm a dog person, though the rental house I lived in near Cullman

came with two real cats and one poltercat. The poltercat would jump on the bed,

walk across it but nothing was there when I looked. My Maincoon cat

did the same but was in the flesh. It took me months to figure this out.

As for dogs I have a Boxer (11 or 12 yrs) and a stray mutt Rottweiler

mix. Both think they are sisters. They used to go to the "farmers market

craft show" every Saturday back when they had it. Now they go to

the pottery demonstrations whenever I get the chance to go. They are

ambassadors of the pottery pet association! I teach all my dogs American

sign language so when they go deaf, there is less an issue. Boxer Heidi

is starting to deaf. Anyway, I'm a dog person and plan to engrave images of my dogs on the side of a vessel soon.

 

See ya,

Alabama

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I can't remember not having some sort of animals in my life. Always some stray wandering into the yard or a wild thing in need of love. Three cats all rescues share my home, three grandcats and a beautiful grand dog complete the family right now. My work is a reflection of my connection to the natural world , plants animals, wind ,water,earth and fire.

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I like a lot of different types of animals. Growing up, we always had dogs and cats. Later on, my sibblings and I got our own individual pets. I had a couple turtles and iguanas. While I find them interesting, they aren't exactly an exciting pet to have, and are just too prone to illnesses.

 

Currently, my family has a minature dacschund and a cat. The dog we paid good money for. He's a stubborn idiot. Smart enough to do what he wants, and get into things, stubborn/ dumb enough to think that he won't get in trouble for it.

The cat was from a shelter, and is one of the best cats I've been around. She is very social, and not bratty like many cats tend to be. She also listens better than the dog.

 

The cat will hang out in the studio a bit, and is the reason I have to keep my sponges hidden. If it leave a sponge in a water bucket, it will be gone within a couple hours, with a trail of water leading away.

The dog is getting older, so can't do the stairs to the basement studio. And he doesn't really like it down there anyway, as he usually only gets put there, when he is in trouble, or when it's bath time.

 

I can't say either influence my work.

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Love my critters, have a studio cat that sneaks in just to be with me, 2 other cats that come in and out of the studio, a cat in the house (had to put down the dog last November, not ready for another one yet) have had fish, birds, and a white rat  for pets in the past.  My biggest pet is my cow, Itch, I love her to death.  I am a firm believer that being around animals makes us better humans, and animals have inspired art since humans carved their images in bone/stone and painted them on cave walls.

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when i lived on the mountain, i had many animals, a jersey steer, 7 sheep, 2 nubian goats, 2 ponies, and a pot bellied pig.  

 

one day i picked up a single flower, a bright pink Gerbera daisy, at the supermarket because i expected company.  i brought  it home in a tiny bud vase and raced inside to get to the john leaving the outside door open behind me.  returning to the empty kitchen i saw the bud vase and a single green stalk.

 

stars and stripes, the nubian goats had jumped their fence again.

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Personally, I don't think it is a good idea to have pets in the studio. Heck, it's bad enough we potter's breathe in all those chemicals, but think how much more an animal would be getting. Especially dogs. They have noses like a vacuum. I love my dogs and they stay in the house or out in the yard on nice days. I have Boston Terriers. I should have named them Hoover and Electra. So pets? Please don't. 

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I do love animals, but I haven't used them much in my work yet. I have plans for an under-the-sea mug with whales, and I've made quite a few slugs and snails (I hate what snails do but they are so stinking CUTE). My drawing skill is really not refined enough to truly capture animals the way I would want. 

Cats are bratty little selfish monsters and yet I adore them all. I don't think I've ever met a cat that I didn't thoroughly like and connect with. I even find their naughtiness charming. My sister's cat Tucker is one year old and he's not especially friendly but when I come over he always comes to say hello and has even slept on my lap a few precious times. Fred is our cat and he is very sweet and tolerant of my little boy, keeps me from feeling lonely in the bathroom, and sits guard outside my studio every night with his paws tucked up under him. We had dogs when I was a little girl, but as an adult I've only owned cats. They have such an elegant shape and dainty steps, poor sense of humor, and odd quirks of pickiness (like Fred, who cries for wet food when he has dry and dry food when he has wet). I do genuinely like dogs, but more in a general I-like-most-animals way. It takes me longer to LOVE dogs, so I can think of only three. My neighbor has a Chihuahua named Gilligan. He's the first dog of that breed that I've ever even liked, and I LOVE that little dog. Whenever he sees me he races over like a fat furry bullet, and if I don't bend down so he can leap joyously into my arms with his tiny stubby legs, he scrabbles desperately at my knees until I lean down to give him some attention. My friends have a Boston terrier/Chow mix who I want to just take home with me forever, and my sister has a German Shepherd mix puppy who is the sweetest, most mellow and friendly puppy I've ever seen. 

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Okay, people are posting furbaby pics! My turn! ^_^

 

This is my wheeky princess, precious Coconut. She is the loudest, most emphatically opinionated lil' pig in the WORLD. :D

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These are my sweet boys, Lolo (bottom) and Falkor (top). They are brothers out of a litter of six that were found in a garden (mom sadly got caught by a hawk--she was likely an Easter dump :( ). Falkor is a brave boy! Lolo's a big scaredy-bun. ♥

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Here is Paco, my demon cat. He hates the whole world...except his mama. ♥

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And my princess Squishy!! She's my sweet little old lady...but she's crankypants, hehe!

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I have two more HUGE bunners and Lolo and Falkor's other brother,, but there's no more data room left, lol. :D

These babies are my whole life and inspiration. They bring me joy, no matter how rainy the days get. I love to put them all on my pottery. I'd be one lost guinea pig without them. ♥♥♥♥

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At present I have 4 dogs. One Labrador, one Aussie, and two Irish Jacks.  One of the Jacks belongs to my youngest son but she stays with us during the week.  The dogs have a huge influence on all aspects of my life.  I named my pottery business Naughty Dog Pottery as it seems someone here is always being naughty, including me.

 I am forever finding someone's hair in the reclaim bucket, including my own, and my dogs are the very best company.  For the most part they seem to have grown out of the stage where I have to nail everything down or put it up out of reach, well except for the Aussie and he is well, an Aussie.  We have matching attention spans.

I have to keep reminding myself, no more puppies.  The dogs move around the shop and in and out of the house when the weather is good, always keeping me company.  I love my dogs.

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