You put a rabbit in a hat, cover it with a handkerchief, and wave your hands over it saying some magical words..... you the remove the handkerchief, and pouf! The rabbit has disappeared!!

oh dear...not nice...I wouldn't have dreamt of considering myself a rabbit!!

@ Jeanna: Poufing is disappearing on a significant other who is stricken with a serious illness. It comes from the sound "Pouf" as in what happens when a magician makes something disappear. It happens when a spouse, fiance or girlfriend/boyfriend can't handle sticking around to see someone through their treatment or isn't able to handle the "new normal" that is their loved one's new existence. These people might go "pouf"... never to be seen again. Very sad. You are the polar opposite of a poufer.

I like Brian's rabbit analogy. I have bunnies as pets. I love my little furbabies! Uh oh...I hope there aren't any bunny boilers lurking in the shadows! hee hee

Sandy, I love animals too - they are just so delicious!! JUST KIDDING. When Barkley died last month after being my 24/7 companion and best friend for 12 years, I was crushed. The deal that non dog people don't get, is that dogs give you completely unconditional love. You can't get that from most human beings. I don't trust people that don't have a thing for animals.

I have a friend who taught me to fly small planes in the mountains and Idaho backcountry. He takes people out fly fishing in his plane and lands right on the river sand bars (see my blog if you don't get what a deal this is). He has a flea bitten, Heinz 57 varieties, best friend that rides in the tail cone of the plane when he's out in the backcountry, and that dog has been around since I can remember. One day I asked him if he'd ever been married, and he answered through about a weeks worth of stubble on his face, that he had indeed tried it a couple of times, but he much preferred the company of his dog. He said there is a simple test to determine if you want to spend your life with a woman or a dog, and it goes like this.

You take your wife and your dog, and you lock them both in the trunk of your car for about an hour. Then when you come back and open up the trunk see which one is glad to see you.....

Sorry ladies.... it doesn't' of course reflect my opinions, since I've made a marriage stick now for 25 years. Of course it took some practice... there was number 1, and number two and......

That wife and dog test is so-o-o-o funny! it's true, though, about the unconditional love - and dogs have done some wonderful and heroic things for people. I have noticed that anyone who has pets is usually a very nice, caring person. I had a very nice, very caring male friend when I lived in Canada who had a goat. My two boys would go visit that goat and pet him almost every day. One day, when I went to visit my friend, the goat was nowhere in sight and as I walked in the front door, I asked where the goat was whereupon he led me to his refrigerator, opened the freezer door and pointed to the neatly stacked packages of frozen meat. I guess it depends on your perspective how you feel about certain animals, but I had a tough time that day explaining the goat's disappearance to my boys.

Brian...I liked your advice and tried to put Aly in the trunk of my Buick. I am now recovering from the severe beating I recieved. I think it may have been different if I actually got her into the trunk though and when I'm out of this body cast I'll give it another shot.

I love how this topic has taken on a life of it's own! @ Brian: Hilarious story! @ Anne-Marie: awwww.....and then....eeeewwww!

I completely understand about losing Barkley. It's something you never completely get over. It took me 4 years before I would have another dog after our dog, Hannah, died. She was my first baby and was with us through all those family-growing years. When we brought our dog, Wyatt, home as a puppy, I started crying when we pulled into the driveway. He was sitting on my lap and was just such a sweet little guy. It made me remember the last time we had our Hannah at home. You are right, it's that unconditional love that you don't get from anyone else but a dog. Wyatt made me realize how much I missed it. I'm sorry for your loss.

Now, as for goats...yikes! I hope Paul knows the real story about the goat. If not, I hope he doesn't read Anne-Marie's post!

@Brian: Loved the pictures on FB! Barkley--Apricot Standard Poodle, right? What a sweet face!

You are still green! Are you still nauseated from last week's forum escapades? haha...:)

Brian, I am so sorry to hear about Barkley!

I would have never made it through Tx without Edwin and Max Jr., my 2 Bichons Frises (well I guess my wife helped a little too). Max Jr. died last year, of OC, of all things. I got a Maltese (Chase) last year before Max died and that helped the transistion a lot but I still miss Max very much.

I love my dogs - they're better than children. I have pictures of them on my Facebook page.