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Pet Owners Share Which Rules Their Animals Have Forced On The Family

Sit. Stay. Roll over.... oh just forget it.

Oh the fur babies. They are our best buds. They are always there when we need them. They are the pieces that complete the home puzzle. But sometimes no matter how much training you put them through or no matter the gaggles of treats and toys you give them, there always seems to be that one or two behaviors they refuse to cease. There is always going to be some rule they insist on bending just cause. Just like any strong willed teenager, they will find a way to drive you crazy at least once and awhile.

Redditor u/dlordjr wanted animal families out there to discuss some behavior issues by asking.... What 'rule' has your pet instituted in your house that you now follow?What 'rule' has your pet instituted in your house that you now follow?


Polly wants an answer. NOW!

Giphy

If my parrot asks "what are you doing?" Anyone in the immediate vicinity must respond with what they're doing. He will throw a tantrum he doesn't get an answer. _texas_redd_

It's just a sneeze.... 

If I sneeze my cat will meow softly and walk over to me and pat me on my face until I pick him up and tell him don't worry it was only a sneeze. VelocityRAPTOR33

I've told this story before. I sneezed and noticed my cat made a weird meow sound and turned her head sideways and looked at me. A week or so later, it happened again. I thought it was pretty weird but ignored it. Then a couple of weeks later she was hacking up a hairball. I instinctively said, "Are you okay? Are you okay?" I then realized that her meow when I sneezed was in the same tone as my question had been. She was repeating the worried query. She was about 15 years old by this time and I'd had her since a kitten, so we'd had plenty of time to learn each other habits. TotalBS_1973

I hear you whispering!!

No whispering... ever. My pyr/berner mix will make a growling "woooo" sound from the other room if you whisper to someone else, or to yourself. If you continue to whisper..he will come out to admonish you in person. No secrets in my house. Xerowz

Look at ME! 

When she [my 14yr old grandma kitty] is constipated, she needs me to watch her poop. She'll do these real deep meows and won't stop til I follow her to the litter box where she sits in the middle and tries to poop. We keep eye contact the entire time. If I look away, she stops trying to poop and does the deep meows again. Her normal meows are very high pitched, so it's easy to tell when she's constipated. FloatfulClouds

Are you comfy?

Giphy

When I was a kid, my dog slept in the middle of my bed and I slept on the trundle. For four years. EfficientAirport

Rise and Shine! 

One of our cats likes to be the one to wake my stepdaughter up for school every morning. We have a routine, I get up and go to the bathroom, brush my teeth and hair and then go let Kiki into my SD room. She runs to her bed and lays down on top of her, nuzzles around for her face and nibbles on her eyebrows to wake her up. We have to do this every morning.

TrendyKiddy

Let me check my calendar....

My brother and mother wanted a dog. My father did not. So we got a dog. A wonderful rescue pup that is parts red heeler, kelpie and dingo.

Naturally there is no truer love than that of a grumpy man and the dog he said he didn't want. So everyday, at exactly 4pm, my dog lets my dad know that it's time for walkies. So off they trundle to the local dog park, where my dog has her little doggie play dates.

I have to wait to be picked up after my dog has her walk and play date with her other dog friends. My dog has a better social life than I do. PanzerBiscuit

It's Quiet Time! 

My BF and I have to pretty much shut up after 9pm or else my dog (who is trying to sleep) will groan really loud. We could be mid conversation or laughing and she will do it really loud. ohjeegolly

It's funny how seriously they take bedtime - my housemate's dog used to take himself to bed at 9pm sharp and deeply resented being carried back out to spend time with the family. aroyb

The Petting Space.... 

My cat has a Petting Space that is strangely close to her food. Oftentimes, if you try to pet her, she'll lead you to the Petting Space where she'll roll around, act all cute, ask to be combed, until she decides she's done. She'll then promptly go to her bowl and have a snack.

She'll also go over to the Petting Space on her own accord and meow quite loudly. That's her demanding to be petted so she can eat. tuba4lunch

You may lay now....

Giphy

My beagle must go to bed by 1030 and will stand at the stairs trying to tell us she's tired. If we don't listen, she goes to a room and lays on a bed and goes to sleep.

Also, my beagle understands about 80% of what I say. When it's time to go to bed, she waits until after I lay down, she stays off the bed and won't get on until she has permission. I literally have to say "you can lay down now." I didn't teach her this stuff. She just does it naturally. wyatteffnearp

Going in Phases.... 

My girlfriends dog has to be let out in the morning to go, and then again 45 minutes later to take a poop. She is incapable of doing them at the same time. AdeptAlfalfa

The Squawkers!

I must not put the light on in the middle of the night if I get up to use the toilet, the seagull sleeps in a basket, and gets annoyed if the light wakes him up, and he'll then squawk loudly until the light goes off thus risking waking the neighbors.

The upside of this is that unlike the wild seagulls who get up squawking as soon as the sun rises in the early morning, my seagull has also implemented his own rule that he does not get out of his basket or make a noise until i get up after the sun rises, which means that even if i stay in bed till noon, there is not a peep out of the seagull until then. BECKYISHERE

All Hail the Doxie!

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My dogs let me know when they want something. The dachshund started doing it and the others learned from him. When they're hungry or want to go outside for a wee, they'll come to my room and a) stare intensely (beagle), b) paw at my legs (mutt) or c) all of the above and also whine threateningly (doxie). The other two will give up if I ignore them, but the doxie will escalate until I do his bidding because that is how the dachshund do. burymeinpink

Mash Him! 

Our idiot cat, Potato, is a spoiled princess who won't eat her food unless someone picks her up and gently sets her in front of her bowl. My boyfriend encourages and enables this behavior to the point where now if you put food in her dish she won't even look at it unless she's carried over. whiskey_riverss

The Laws of Feline Love.... 

My mother's cat was having some health issues(all good now), so I usually stop in to her place nowadays in the afternoon if I have time, to check on her when my mom is working and feed her. The cat rules appear to be as follows:

  1. I must never go to the bathroom alone. The door must be open so she can anxiously watch and ascertain that I won't be swept away by that flushy toilet thing.
  2. My husband is the most wonderful of humans, and she must be given amble time to stare at him adoringly.
  3. When I feed her, I must move her dish and feed her by the front door. Everyone else may feed her where she usually eats, but not me, or she will go on a hunger strike. (I have no idea how this actually happened, it's just the way it is now!)
  4. This is not strictly enforced, but she'd prefer I wear the winter coat with the long strings with it so she can bat them around, even if it is springtime and much warmer now.

If I'm a good human I get the best of rewards... kitty kisses, which consist of pressing her nose up against mine, which IS the most adorable thing I may have ever experienced. Believe it or not, usually I'm a dog person, but this cat is pretty alright. :D lilyvale

No Pass Zone....

We call it "paying the toll." Our doxie will instantly steal your spot if you get up to go to the bathroom or something, and she won't move until you've sufficiently rubbed the belly. So to get your seat back you have to pay the toll! wishingthebathwater

His way or the Highway! 

If he doesn't get a drive in the car everyday - that's right a drive, not a walk - he sulks. If he knows he is definitely going for a drive he runs up and down like crazy and body slams you with all of his 55kg. It hurts but his excitement is also so unbelievably cute that you can't stop him.

If he gives you the 'sparkly eyes' you must chase him, call his name and clap loudly so he can run around like a speed demon. The clapping is mandatory. If there is cheese in the fridge and you open the fridge door he magically appears and you must give him some. There is a 'right' toy to play with that changes every day. You must try all 20 toys until you get the right one.

I'm not quite sure how I manage to have time to do anything else apart from following his rules but I wouldn't have it any other way. FabulousPainting

Bedtime Tetris... 

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I have to sleep with my back to my BF so the cat can snuggle into my hair while smelling BFs breath. colesnap

WAKE UP!!!!!!!

My cat kicks me out of my bed by 9 AM whenever I try to sleep in. On weekdays he prompts me to leave my bed by 7 AM so he can sleep in the bed. carbonthepolarbear

Mine does this too, except instead of purring he stays just out of reach while meowing incessantly. The moment I'm up they're either at the food dish or in the spot I just vacated. Ex_professo

Giphy

One time I made scrambled eggs and I gave my dog a quarter of an egg worth of it (it was just pure egg, no salt or pepper or anything else). Now every time I make scrambled eggs my dog just assumes he's getting some and guilts me if I don't. And I usually give in. chloe2120

REDDIT

People Who Actually Died And Were Revived Share Their Experiences

"Reddit user AlaskaStiletto asked: 'Redditors who have 'died' and come back to life, what did you see?'"

Close up face of a woman in bed, staring into the camera
Photo by Jen Theodore

Experiencing death is a fascinating and frightening idea.

Who doesn't want to know what is waiting for us on the other side?

But so many of us want to know and then come back and live a little longer.

It would be so great to be sure there is something else.

But the whole dying part is not that great, so we'll have to rely on other people's accounts.

Redditor AlaskaStiletto wanted to hear from everyone who has returned to life, so they asked:

"Redditors who have 'died' and come back to life, what did you see?"

Sensations

Happy Good Vibes GIF by Major League SoccerGiphy

"My dad's heart stopped when he had a heart attack and he had to be brought back to life. He kept the paper copy of the heart monitor which shows he flatlined. He said he felt an overwhelming sensation of peace, like nothing he had felt before."

PeachesnPain

Recovery

"I had surgical complications in 2010 that caused a great deal of blood loss. As a result, I had extremely low blood pressure and could barely stay awake. I remember feeling like I was surrounded by loved ones who had passed. They were in a circle around me and I knew they were there to guide me onwards. I told them I was not ready to go because my kids needed me and I came back."

"My nurse later said she was afraid she’d find me dead every time she came into the room."

"It took months, and blood transfusions, but I recovered."

good_golly99

Take Me Back

"Overwhelming peace and happiness. A bright airy and floating feeling. I live a very stressful life. Imagine finding out the person you have had a crush on reveals they have the same feelings for you and then you win the lotto later that day - that was the feeling I had."

"I never feared death afterward and am relieved when I hear of people dying after suffering from an illness."

rayrayrayray

Free

The Light Minnie GIF by (G)I-DLEGiphy

"I had a heart surgery with near-death experience, for me at least (well the possibility that those effects are caused by morphine is also there) I just saw black and nothing else but it was warm and I had such inner peace, its weird as I sometimes still think about it and wish this feeling of being so light and free again."

TooReDTooHigh

This is why I hate surgery.

You just never know.

Shocked

Giphy

"More of a near-death experience. I was electrocuted. I felt like I was in a deep hole looking straight up in the sky. My life flashed before me. Felt sad for my family, but I had a deep sense of peace."

Admirable_Buyer6528

The SOB

"Nursing in the ICU, we’ve had people try to die on us many times during the years, some successfully. One guy stood out to me. His heart stopped. We called a code, are working on him, and suddenly he comes to. We hadn’t vented him yet, so he was able to talk, and he started screaming, 'Don’t let them take me, don’t let them take me, they are coming,' he was scared and yelling."

"Then he yelled a little more, as we tried to calm him down, he screamed, 'No, No,' and gestured towards the end of the bed, and died again. We didn’t get him back. It was seriously creepy. We called his son to tell him the news, and the son said basically, 'Good, he was an SOB.'”

1-cupcake-at-a-time

Colors

"My sister died and said it was extremely peaceful. She said it was very loud like a train station and lots of talking and she was stuck in this area that was like a curtain with lots of beautiful colors (colors that you don’t see in real life according to her) a man told her 'He was sorry, but she had to go back as it wasn’t her time.'"

Hannah_LL7

"I had a really similar experience except I was in an endless garden with flowers that were colors I had never seen before. It was quiet and peaceful and a woman in a dress looked at me, shook her head, and just said 'Not yet.' As I was coming back, it was extremely loud, like everyone in the world was trying to talk all at once. It was all very disorienting but it changed my perspective on life!"

huntokarrr

The Fog

"I was in a gray fog with a girl who looked a lot like a young version of my grandmother (who was still alive) but dressed like a pioneer in the 1800s she didn't say anything but kept pulling me towards an opening in the wall. I kept refusing to go because I was so tired."

"I finally got tired of her nagging and went and that's when I came to. I had bled out during a c-section and my heart could not beat without blood. They had to deliver the baby and sew up the bleeders. refill me with blood before they could restart my heart so, like, at least 12 minutes gone."

Fluffy-Hotel-5184

Through the Walls

"My spouse was dead for a couple of minutes one miserable night. She maintains that she saw nothing, but only heard people talking about her like through a wall. The only thing she remembers for absolute certain was begging an ER nurse that she didn't want to die."

"She's quite alive and well today."

Hot-Refrigerator6583

Well let's all be happy to be alive.

It seems to be all we have.

Man's waist line
Santhosh Vaithiyanathan/Unsplash

Trying to lose weight is a struggle understood by many people regardless of size.

The goal of reaching a healthy weight may seem unattainable, but with diet and exercise, it can pay off through persistence and discipline.

Seeing the pounds gradually drop off can also be a great motivator and incentivize people to stay the course.

Those who've achieved their respective weight goals shared their experiences when Redditor apprenti8455 asked:

"People who lost a lot of weight, what surprises you the most now?"

Redditors didn't see these coming.

Shiver Me Timbers

"I’m always cold now!"

– Telrom_1

"I had a coworker lose over 130 pounds five or six years ago. I’ve never seen him without a jacket on since."

– r7ndom

"140 lbs lost here starting just before COVID, I feel like that little old lady that's always cold, damn this top comment was on point lmao."

– mr_remy

Drawing Concern

"I lost 100 pounds over a year and a half but since I’m old(70’s) it seems few people comment on it because (I think) they think I’m wasting away from some terminal illness."

– dee-fondy

"Congrats on the weight loss! It’s honestly a real accomplishment 🙂"

"Working in oncology, I can never comment on someone’s weight loss unless I specifically know it was on purpose, regardless of their age. I think it kind of ruffles feathers at times, but like I don’t want to congratulate someone for having cancer or something. It’s a weird place to be in."

– LizardofDeath

Unleashing Insults

"I remember when I lost the first big chunk of weight (around 50 lbs) it was like it gave some people license to talk sh*t about the 'old' me. Old coworkers, friends, made a lot of not just negative, but harsh comments about what I used to look like. One person I met after the big loss saw a picture of me prior and said, 'Wow, we wouldn’t even be friends!'”

"It wasn’t extremely common, but I was a little alarmed by some of the attention. My weight has been up and down since then, but every time I gain a little it gets me a little down thinking about those things people said."

– alanamablamaspama

Not Everything Goes After Losing Weight

"The loose skin is a bit unexpected."

– KeltarCentauri

"I haven’t experienced it myself, but surgery to remove skin takes a long time to recover. Longer than bariatric surgery and usually isn’t covered by insurance unless you have both."

– KatMagic1977

"It definitely does take a long time to recover. My Dad dropped a little over 200 pounds a few years back and decided to go through with skin removal surgery to deal with the excess. His procedure was extensive, as in he had skin taken from just about every part of his body excluding his head, and he went through hell for weeks in recovery, and he was bedridden for a lot of it."

– Jaew96

These Redditors shared their pleasantly surprising experiences.

Shopping

"I can buy clothes in any store I want."

– WaySavvyD

"When I lost weight I was dying to go find cute, smaller clothes and I really struggled. As someone who had always been restricted to one or two stores that catered to plus-sized clothing, a full mall of shops with items in my size was daunting. Too many options and not enough knowledge of brands that were good vs cheap. I usually went home pretty frustrated."

– ganache98012

No More Symptoms

"Lost about 80 pounds in the past year and a half, biggest thing that I’ve noticed that I haven’t seen mentioned on here yet is my acid reflux and heartburn are basically gone. I used to be popping tums every couple hours and now they just sit in the medicine cabinet collecting dust."

– colleennicole93

Expanding Capabilities

"I'm all for not judging people by their appearance and I recognise that there are unhealthy, unachievable beauty standards, but one thing that is undeniable is that I can just do stuff now. Just stamina and flexibility alone are worth it, appearance is tertiary at best."

– Ramblonius

People Change Their Tune

"How much nicer people are to you."

"My feet weren't 'wide' they were 'fat.'"

– LiZZygsu

"Have to agree. Lost 220 lbs, people make eye contact and hold open doors and stuff"

"And on the foot thing, I also lost a full shoe size numerically and also wear regular width now 😅"

– awholedamngarden

It's gonna take some getting used to.

Bones Everywhere

"Having bones. Collarbones, wrist bones, knee bones, hip bones, ribs. I have so many bones sticking out everywhere and it’s weird as hell."

– Princess-Pancake-97

"I noticed the shadow of my ribs the other day and it threw me, there’s a whole skeleton in here."

– bekastrange

Knee Pillow

"Right?! And they’re so … pointy! Now I get why people sleep with pillows between their legs - the knee bones laying on top of each other (side sleeper here) is weird and jarring."

– snic2030

"I lost only 40 pounds within the last year or so. I’m struggling to relate to most of these comments as I feel like I just 'slimmed down' rather than dropped a ton. But wow, the pillow between the knees at night. YES! I can relate to this. I think a lot of my weight was in my thighs. I never needed to do this up until recently."

– Strongbad23

More Mobility

"I’ve lost 100 lbs since 2020. It’s a collection of little things that surprise me. For at least 10 years I couldn’t put on socks, or tie my shoes. I couldn’t bend over and pick something up. I couldn’t climb a ladder to fix something. Simple things like that I can do now that fascinate me."

"Edit: Some additional little things are sitting in a chair with arms, sitting in a booth in a restaurant, being able to shop in a normal store AND not needing to buy the biggest size there, being able to easily wipe my butt, and looking down and being able to see my penis."

– dma1965

People making significant changes, whether for mental or physical health, can surely find a newfound perspective on life.

But they can also discover different issues they never saw coming.

That being said, overcoming any challenge in life is laudable, especially if it leads to gaining confidence and ditching insecurities.

In 2017, I returned to my office after my lunch break to hear my supervisors discussing Tom Petty. This seemed like a random topic to me until one of my supervisors told me Tom Petty had passed away. He was a huge fan of Petty and spent the next hour or so combing through the internet to get more information.

He came back into the room my other supervisor and I were working in and announced that Tom Petty wasn't dead after all. News outlets had jumped the gun to announce his death, but he was actually still alive.

The next day, I came in to find out that Tom Petty was dead; the news may have been premature, but true.

This is a classic example of the rumor being started on the internet. Sometimes, like with the news of Tom Petty's death, the rumor can run wild and appear everywhere. Other times, the rumor can be seen by just a few people and dismissed. However, a lot of times, these rumors turn out to be true.

Redditors know a lot of internet rumors that turned out to be true, and are eager to share.

It all started when Redditor strakerak asked:

"What started out as an internet rumor that ended up being infamously true?"

The King Of Pop

"Michael Jackson writing the music for Sonic 3."

"He actually did, but was never credited on the game because it would breach his contract with his record label."

– -WigglyLine-

"He did the same when he appeared on The Simpsons. He appeared under a pseudonym, and the Producers said it was an impersonator."

"Only years later they confirmed it really was Michael."

"His singing voice was actually done by an impersonator, though."

– given2fly_

The Truth Comes Out

"In 1998, US Men’s National Team captain John Harkes was shockingly cut from the team right before the World Cup. The coach claimed it was because Harkes wouldn’t fit into his new preferred formation, but rumors flew on the early internet that it was actually because he had slept with his teammate Eric Wynalda’s wife. The rumor was so well-known in soccer circles that Harkes expressly denied it in his autobiography the next year."

"Fast forward 12 years to 2010 and Wynalda admits it’s true. The coach then came out and admitted it was why he dropped Harkes, but that he’d planned to keep the secret as long as Wynalda did."

– guyfromsoccer

Video Evidence

"The Tim Burton Hansel and Gretel that aired once on halloween in the 80's."

"I heard for years that it was fake but I knew it was real because my dad recorded everything in the 80s and he recorded that. We let a good friend of ours borrow it and switch it over from VHS to DVD and soon after that it made its way on to the internet , and there it is now. I know it's our copy because the tracking in the beginning is screwed up. Still have the VHS."

– Frozenthickness

"There was a similar story with a Nickelodeon movie called Cry Baby Lane. It was supposed to be so scary that Nickelodeon got complaints and denied its existence for years. Someone uploaded a taped copy to youtube about a decade ago."

– PattiAllen

The Movie Business

"That North Korea hacked Sony Pictures because of The Interview movie."

"I worked in the movie business at the time and the account managers at Sony all basically needed to get new identities as all of their personal information got leaked online."

OldMastodon5363

"My partner worked on that movie and the production bought all the crew 1 year of an identity theft tracking service."

CMV_Viremia

Keep Away From The Ears Of Kids

"Some banned episodes or scenes of cartoons."

"For example, I remember there was a Dexter’s Lab cartoon where he clones evil versions of DeDe and himself and they swear like every other word (censored of course), and people debated whether it even existed cause they only aired it like once. Now it’s pretty accessible online."

– Spledidlife

Yes, It's True

"Echelon, a massive electronic espionage system by the US and allies to intercept all electronic messages, especially emails."

"In the mid-nineties it was a topic on conspiracy BBS boards. A lot of people in my bubble at the time (mainly uni students in Europe) were including fake threats to the US in the their email signatures as a way to "protest" and "fill the system with false alarms" (obviously useless)."

"Then, in 1999-2000 came out to be true and a lot of security service agencies from UK and other US allies started to admit they were part of the espionage network."

– latflickr

How The Mighty Fell

"John Edward’s love child."

– ACam574

"A reminder that he was cheating on his wife while she was hospitalized for cancer treatment."

– Fanclock314

Ugh...

"Carrie Fisher's heart attack. Some a**hole who was on the same flight was livetweeting the whole medical emergency and justified it by insisting she was just making sure the family was informed."

– everylastlight

It Actually Happened

"Every year around her birthday there was a rumor that Betty White died. When I heard she died, I scoffed, saying that dumb rumor is back.... then saw it on the news. I was in shock."

– Known-Committee8679

"The fact that Betty died literally right before she turned 100 is such a Betty White way to go out."

– Paganigsegg

Big Actor, Small Roles

"I distinctly remember some rumors about the reason why Bruce Willis was taking so many roles in sh*tty movies before it was announced he has dementia."

– KampferMann

"RedLetterMedia did a deep dive on his recent movie activity to try and work out why exactly he was taking part in basically scam-movies. They noticed he had an earpiece in one of the scenes and joked that the director was feeding him lines. I remember they even disclaimed over the rumours at the time, and possible made a follow-up vid when it was revealed to the public."

– CardinalCreepia

What To Do Next?

"That the writer of LOST were making it up as they went."

"Turned out to be absolutely true."

– homarjr

That last one was kind of obvious!

Do you have any to add? Let us know in the comment below.