Pets are a finicky lot. They have complete and well-established personalities, a sense and approach to life that, despite not speaking, we know all about.
Of course, a cat, dog, rabbit, bird, etc. has a general demeanor that becomes obvious by their walk, attitude towards other animals and people, and the spots they love to sit and sleep in the house.
But there is another, far more particular realm that fleshes out the finer elements of an animal personality. Through freak-outs and nitpicky behaviors, a pet's whole self is made clear. These pet pet peeves somehow manage to be both the reason we know and love them, and often why they make us routinely pull our hair out.
One Reddit thread was a haven for the furthest corners of obsessive, impulsive pet maneuvers.
didnthinkabouthat asked, "If your pet had a pet peeve, what would it be?"
"HIM AGAIN?"
"The mailman still showing up everyday, after clearly telling him that he is not welcome here" -- whipwhip2
"The audacity" -- saltygipsy
"My one dog hates the mailman so much he gets mad at other letter carriers on different streets, if he sees them." -- justfortoday2017
Reverse ASMR
"My dog hates that raspberry sound people make with their lips. He will charge across the room, jump in my lap, pretend he's going to bite me then lick my face. Then glare at me."
"If I do it again he will leave the room. Somehow he leaves the impression he has gone to call someone and complain."
Posh
"My dog has a sensitive butthole and refuses to poop on a lawn unless it is cut to the correct length and has a proper grass consistency." -- mahelke
"Oh god, ours does too. He won't let other dogs sniff his butt, he only does the sniffing. I feel like I have to apologize to other dog owners for it. It stems from an unfortunate vet trip he had to make as a puppy after he ate a sock."
"They had to 'extract' it (and get sprayed by a waterfall of dookoo in the process)" -- SravBlu
Very Good to Know
"My friend's cockatiel gets mad when you don't let him play with your feet. Cockatiels have a weird foot fetish.....no, seriously, Google it." -- eF240uKX52hp
"Cockatiels are sooo much personality stuffed in a tiny fragile body. I had one growing up that loved seafood and landed on the table during dinner, grabbed a lobster claw/leg/thing, and tried to run off with it. Of course, her run was more like an awkward waddle because the lobster claw was almost 2x her body length" -- naps_and_cake
More Complex Than We Thought
"Seeing any of the bottom of the food bowl" -- mattreyu
"Yes. Seeing the bottom of the food bowl is apparently a dire kitty emergency. Especially at 2 am." -- FrostyBeav
"I read once that cats don't like seeing the bottom of the food bowl because of their whiskers. It's not that they hate the bottom of the food bowl, they hate eating out of the edges, because it touches their whiskers and squigs them out.
"Cats (at least non chonk cats) can fit through any opening their head fits through, and they determine this with their whiskers. So eating out of the corner of the bowl makes their whiskers touch, and this makes them uneasy." -- SavvySillybug
Not a Chicken Leg Fan
"My dog lies down with his legs pointing backwards making his rear look like a cooked chicken so I grab his legs and yell CHICKEN LEGS!!!! Let me tell you, he does not like that" -- iicow_dudii
"Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens,
Your dog's legs look like rotisserie chicken." -- MissHillary
Temptation
"She does. It's when I touch her toes." -- ooglecat
"It's not fair. They look so touchable." -- EssentialHeart
"I love to stick my finger between my cats toe beans because he has these adorable tufts of hair sticking out between them and he hates it when I do this." -- writingwithmovement
"No human can resist the allure of toebeans!" -- naps_and_cake
Fashionista
"My doggo hates crocs... will try and take them and bury them. Essentially doing a public service" -- opportunistic_trex
"We had a lab that moved in, immediately hid my red garden Crocs in his blankets, and took them out to hump them every night. He was bucket-list age so we let him. My wife was not sad to see them go." -- Catsrecliner1
"Your dog is cultured AF." -- thespotts
Cats Against Drum Nerds
"She does, actually. My cat does not like when I play air drums. When I do, she comes over and sits on my feet, or gently places her paw on my hand. 'Please stop, human. I'm trying to sleep.' " -- InternetKidsAreMean
"When I play air guitar, my dog hears every mistake." -- elee0228
"Opposite, my cat actively thinks it's play time When I'm playing real drums. Just wants to hit the skins too. I have to lock her out. (It's an electronic kit so it doesn't blast anyone's ear drums)" -- ghoulsmashrr
Fickle Creatures
"Not getting enough attention and then getting attention. Yes, it's a cat." -- Merry_Pippins
"Pet me, pet me, pet me! NOM Stop petting me! NOM Why did you stop petting me?!" -- Malzun
"In our household we call this 'pet me with your eyes' " -- milkymoocowmoo
"I am convinced that my dachshund is a cat in a dog-shaped trenchcoat for this very reason." -- LeMoomin
Steady Now
"A moving lap. Any sign of movement not contributing to stroking is a sign of an imminent catastrophe, prompting immediate execution of emergency procedures."
"Emergency procedures involve evacuating to the arm of the sofa until the lap has stabilised. After assessment, it may be recolonised."
Anti-Shredding
"My dog has a ton of pet peeves... She can't stand the guitar, dislikes being hugged and touched in general, and dislikes being in water."
"Even with all her dislikes, she's adorable, puts up with hugging even though she walks away as soon as possible, and looks so sad during bath time but stays still and let's it happen. She's a good girl."
-- totaln00b
Triggered
"Anybody being in the pool. He fell in when he was a puppy and since then he has barked and growled at people who get into the pool. If you go under water he jumps in and tries to 'help' you, but ends up scratching you with his claws. (He is a pure breed German shepherd, and a big one at that)"
-- darkhub4
Like Clockwork
"Cat- being picked up or getting her belly touched. Also, me singing at her."
"On the plus side though, whenever I want to play with her, all I have to do is lay on my belly and hum the Jurassic Park theme song. She'll crouch into hunting position, and slowly creep her wait to me until she pounces, and batts my face (with her claws in so I know she's playing) and I laugh and we then break out bouncy balls and play a game of soccer."
-- CoulsonsMay
Posh Taste
"Mr. Kitty loves his jeweled collar, with its faux jewels of different colors gleaming in the light. He wears it proudly."
"However, he refuses to wear any other type of color. It's got to have multicolored jewels, or he 'MROW's' in protest to anything else."
-- Back2Bach
The Wrong Kind of Talking
"My cat LOATHES when my wife reads aloud. The cat loves when she talks to him."
"But heaven forbid that my wife attempt to read aloud! It does not matter if it is the instruction manual to the TV remote, a wedding invitation, or a section from a Harry Potter book, the cat will charge at my wife and bite her in the face until she stops reading."
-- Geemanneff
3 Strike Policy
"Having his tail touched."
"You generally get two warnings, three if he's feeling patient with you. The first warning is a growl. The second is a hiss."
"After that, out come the claws and fangs. Best not to have exposed eyes at that point, because that's what he's going for. Other than that, he's a perfectly well-adjusted and lovable Siamese."
-- shugerbooger
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Buying gifts for others can be hard.
So we can be forgiving when others' presents aren't quite what we wanted.
Sometimes, though, they get it exactly right and you get a present that you will cherish for the rest of your life.
Reddit user FaceplantStu asked:
"What's the best present you ever received?"
When I was really young, I thought I might want to be a scientist. My grandmother didn't really understand what scientists do and gave me a stethoscope.
Some clinical scientists use stethoscopes but for the most part, not really useful. I pretended to like it and the stethoscope sat in my closet for years.
I'm graduating from med school now and have used the same stethoscope across all these years. It's my good luck charm.
-manlikerealities
A cookbook that my mom made. She handwritten out each recipe of my favorite dishes growing up. The day that I moved out of the house, she gifted this to me.
-HeAintGonnaEmailU
A jar of Nutella.
I had quit a job I was going nowhere in, applying and interviewing like crazy while supporting my then-gf while she was getting through college. I had burned through most of my savings...
I was throwing parties every weekend so I could take the empty beer bottles that friends left at home to the grocery store (there's refundable fees where I live) and buy food with the little amount I would get...
I would barely eat breakfast, then feign interest in dinner so my gf could eat and succeed at school.
One night, we went to the restaurant with my parents and one of their friends, who thought I had lost some weight...
My dad slipped me some money before leaving, and when I called later that week, to borrow some more money for rent, he asked me if I was ok. I told him that things were tight, but that we managed. He told me "I don't want you to sell your guitar..."
I didn't answer.
Parents called back a few days later, saying that they would stop by, since they would be in town. I was in for a surprise.
When I got the door, my mom was standing there with a box filled with groceries...
"Go help your dad, " she said, "there's more..."
They had brought us three big boxes full of food, including homemade meals...
While we were unpacking and putting stuff away, my mom took out a jar of Nutella from one of the boxes.
"Sometimes, all you need is a little bit more than the bare minimum," she said.
My eyes were wet... dad made me promise to never put my health in danger by being proud...
-Bassman1976
A woman I met through work, actually my boss at the time, is one of the most caring and compassionate people I've ever met. Through work we grew a great friendship and to this day, though she isn't my boss anymore, she's my best friend.
Growing up, I've adored the game "The Legend of Zelda Majora's Mask". I've always wanted it on N64 but being a kid I only ever owned a PlayStation and played Nintendo consoles at my family friends house.
Well fast forward and me and that particular girl are chatting about my on going mental health issues (I wasn't in a very good place).
She was always a great supporter of mine and would often pep me up about continuing on through my issues. One day, out of nowhere she comes up to me, and hands me something.
It was a game. It was Majora's Mask for the N64!
She knew I loved that game, and she actually loved it too. She herself has a tattoo of majora and loves everything and anything zelda. She gave me her childhood copy.
It was a sign of the relationship we had built, and it was to show me how much I meant to her, and that if I went anywhere, she'd never be the same.
I recently got an N64 to play it and it's one of, if not my most prized possession. I keep her beaten file on it and never plan on deleting it :) it means the world to me!
-Kyle_Truman
The wife and I built a little lake house a few years back. Did it all ourselves. She was a real trooper during the whole project and I was able to teach her a lot about construction.
The Christmas after we got it done, she used all the progress pictures to make a book through that online thing Wal-Mart has. It was a really special present because of all of the commentary she put with the pictures.
There are a lot of inside jokes and happy memories in that little book.
-snazzytaint
When I was about 12, a steamer trunk full of equipment from a professional magician. It'd probably been sealed up since the mid 40s. Beautiful stuff.
-m3Guitarist
My dog. Husband gave him to me for Christmas the year after we got married. He was a couple years old when we had our daughter.
They grew up together and he was absolutely the best dog I could have hoped for. We lost him a couple years back but the wonderful memories will last a lifetime.
-anitabelle
During my high school graduation party, my mother invited a few family friends I hadn't seen in years. One of whom was my deceased father's best friend, who I had taken to calling 'Uncle' when I was really young.
As a present, he gave me one of my father's old drawings of the astronaut from MTV. Something he drew over thirty years ago and I never knew it existed. It was a real shocker for everybody.
-JoyGirl7
When I turned 16, my first boyfriend stiched a pair of pants for me. He used colored thread to stitch a candle, a heart, a sun, the year, and more.
Pretty darn cool embroidery.
When you turned the jeans inside out, He had written love notes all over the inner fabric. Made me melt.
-bkind2ppl
I had major surgery my second year in college. I was hooked up with the nicest suite in the hospital due to my best friend's dad being a major figure there when all I really wanted was him to make sure I had a private room if one was available.
My best friend was at school out of state and sent flowers, making sure that the florist didn't use anything pink (because I hated pink). Someone sent me a basket of my favorite snacks.
My brother's boss, someone I had never met, stopped by with another coworker of his (another stranger) and gave me a plant. All of these were so thoughtful, but the absolute best gift came from the "funny guy" in our group of friends.
He knew that I would not be able to eat real food, so he made me jello.
A two gallon Tupperware tub of jello with a (sanitized by boiling and new) squeaking dog toy in the middle because it "looked too boring" otherwise and he was still trying to make up for accidentally scaring my dog the year before.
The level of thought he put into that blew me away. The dog never got the toy, I kept it and still have it more than 15 years later.
-knowingburns
Gifts don't have to be expensive to touch our hearts.
Pets make our lives better just by being their fluffy, feathery, or scaly selves. They give us unconditional love and another being to spoil with too many toys and treats.
They are their own beings, however, and have their own idiosyncrasies and weird behaviors.
Sometimes these peculiarities are absolutely adorable, but they can also be a major pain in the butt.
Reddit user u/thoughtcity asked:
Cop Responding To Call About A 'Wounded Dog' Ends Up Finding A Tiny, Frightened Coyote Pup Instead
The Massachusetts State Police are no strangers to calls about wounded animals on the highway, but a call they received on May 5th wasn't quite what they were expecting.
Dispatch received a call about a "wounded dog in the road," and Trooper Carlo Mastromattei responded.
What Mastromattei found when he arrived on-site on Revere Beach Parkway was, in fact, a tiny lone coyote pup.
The poor pup had apparently been separated from its mother, as she was nowhere to be found.
Trooper Mastromattei contacted several local wildlife services after he realized how much danger being on the parkway posed for the pup, but none of the agencies he contacted had personnel available to assist.
He then contacted Ocean View Kennels. The owner, Lisa Cutting, was able to come help him wrangle the pup safely into a crate.
Cutting told CBS Boston about the rescue:
"Put my gloves on. Grabbed a towel and a quarantine cage, and picked him up and brought him to safety."
Mastromattei then took the pup home, where he and his girlfriend AnnBeth cared for it overnight before bringing it to the Tufts Wildlife Clinic for an evaluation.
The coyote pup was given a clean bill of health, and Tufts arranged for him to be taken in by wildlife rehabilitation specialist Dawn Collins, of Berkshire Wildlife Services.
He will spend some time being taught how to survive on his own in the wild, and will eventually be released once he can fend for himself.
You can read Massachusetts State Police's Facebook statement (and see some adorable photos of the pup) below:
The response of Facebook users was overwhelmingly positive and supportive.
Many thanked Trooper Mastromattei for his compassion and quick thinking.
Jamene Murphy/Facebook
Kerry Howeson/Facebook
Cheryl Gaffny Floyd/Facebook
Tracy Ann/Facebook
Samantha Gitschier/Facebook
Some also thanked AnnBeth for her part in caring for the little ball of fur.
Christine Lycus/Facebook
Libbie Pryor Arnold/Facebook
This certainly isn't the only orphaned or injured coyote that Dawn Collins has taken in for rehabilitation. She is the only person licensed in wildlife rehabilitation in Massachusetts that will take coyotes.
According to the Berkshire Eagle, she has already taken in 5 pups this year. This pup will join them after 2 weeks in quarantine to make sure that all is well.
If you want to support the work that Collins does with Berkshire Wildlife Services, you can donate via their website.
Puppers get themselves into all sorts of trouble, but sometimes it's what they don't do that causes the biggest headaches for their humans.
In a story of unexpected interspecies cooperation, and no small amount of bribery, Twitter user @JesseNeon shared the epic tale of his dog's failure to protect his garbage from bears.
The bear has figured out that Jesse's dog, Brickleberry, can be convinced to look, er...bork the other way if he's fairly compensated.
Jesse took to Twitter to share the story of his dog's betrayal with the world.
My idiot furry son has one job at night - bork at things and make them go away. Easy, right? HOWEVER, a bear has… https://t.co/mns4b7r0gr— Jesse 'Writer, Not Writer*' Jordan (@Jesse 'Writer, Not Writer*' Jordan) 1557320042.0
Although I basically handed my dog this position of power, it's become very clear that he has no idea how to actual… https://t.co/Vn3h8xA2Ok— Jesse 'Writer, Not Writer*' Jordan (@Jesse 'Writer, Not Writer*' Jordan) 1557338660.0
He also gave some background on his furry friend.
Just so I don't have to repeat it any more, doggo's name is Brickleberry but he answers to Brick. He's a mastiff/ho… https://t.co/MTX436bRhW— Jesse 'Writer, Not Writer*' Jordan (@Jesse 'Writer, Not Writer*' Jordan) 1557376982.0
People were quick to jump to Brick's defense.
@JesseNeon https://t.co/GsxRoM6CH5— Danielle (@Danielle) 1557339642.0
@Derpatar @JesseNeon @AliceAvizandum "I'll make you an offer you can't refuse for your refuse."— HouseOfGunn (@HouseOfGunn) 1557362856.0
@JesseNeon Your dog is a genius and I admire him greatly. He and the bear worked out a win-win solution. Nobody ge… https://t.co/ADmruEeQoS— heidideckerplays (@heidideckerplays) 1557365280.0
@JesseNeon @JLew100 I ❤️Brick...I don't know him, but i feel like I do!— AmyinAtlanta212 (@AmyinAtlanta212) 1557372732.0
@JesseNeon I dunno, you have a lot of evidence here, but your dog's attorney general, William Barrk, had already su… https://t.co/KhWaymBtlH— Mirel (@Mirel) 1557372467.0
Some insisted he was just being gracious.
THIS PUP IS INNOCENT JESSE IF A BEAR GIVES U A GIFT U ACCEPT IT GRACIOUSLY YOUR PUP IS JUST BEING POLITE https://t.co/tkwT4Q3S6D— darth™ (@darth™) 1557333285.0
Brick's friend is smarter than your av-er-age bear.
@juwailes2 I don't know where the deer bones are coming from, to be honest! There must be a carcass nearby. The bea… https://t.co/4SufQR5skP— Jesse 'Writer, Not Writer*' Jordan (@Jesse 'Writer, Not Writer*' Jordan) 1557338899.0
People really got a kick out of the idea of Brickleberry bartering with the bear.
@JesseNeon 😂😂😂 he is adorable, if only you could get a camera I would love to see the actual interaction. Does he b… https://t.co/s28EMSR57A— Nicole Becker (@Nicole Becker) 1557399509.0
@JesseNeon This just sounds like you're not paying him enough. If the bear is offering a better deal, you can't bl… https://t.co/V4AILIpa22— Erin (@Erin) 1557334378.0
@JesseNeon In fairness, how is any bear supposed to be afraid of any dog that cute?— Ethan Sacks (@Ethan Sacks) 1557412158.0
Don't forget your pic-a-nic basket!
@JesseNeon That is some Honey Heist style diplomacy and I am here for it. Now I want to know what type of hat this criminal bear wears.— CeramicOwlbear (@CeramicOwlbear) 1557327428.0
@CeramicOwlbear @JesseNeon Usually a pork pie hat. https://t.co/X8Fksu9lBf— Peyton- Texas Unionist (@Peyton- Texas Unionist) 1557329976.0
It seems like dogs can make friends with anyone, including bears.
Let's hope that their budding friendship/business relationship doesn't make life any harder for Jesse. Cleaning up garbage off of the porch is never fun.