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People Explain What They Think Has Aged Well

People Explain What They Think Has Aged Well
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Think back to the thing you grew up with that makes you cringe now. Chances are there's plenty: My memories of the early 2000s are filled with awful oversized hoodies, Rocawear, and crappy Lifetime movies. We're not even going to mention the music or that Dungeons and Dragons film.

"What has aged well?" –– This was today's burning question from Redditor meganthekitten, who reminded us that there's actually a lot more out there that we can look back on with fondness.


"I feel like..."

I feel like the only thing in the movie Office Space that hasn't aged well is their use of floppy disk drives. Aside from that, it's still an accurate microcosm of life on a cubicle farm.

sopsign7

"Many pretenders..."

The word "Cool."

Many pretenders to the throne have tried to replace it such as rad, groovy, awesome, wicked, aces, tubular, lit, etc but none have passed the test of time.

Nuffsaid98

"The practical effects..."

Giphy

The practical effects in the first Jurassic Park still look great.

Remreererer

"If he does age that is."

Giphy

Paul Rudd. If he does age that is.

snods5

"As such..."

Astronomer here! Many extremely sensitive particle experiments looking for neutrinos or dark matter will use lead ingots from Roman shipwrecks over 2,000 years ago. Why? The reason is lead has a very slight radioactivity to it that takes a few hundred years to decay. It basically never matters unless you're looking for very sensitive particles and want to cut down on false positives.

As such, the going rate for ancient lead is about 40 times that of normal lead. I always thought this was an interesting mix of old and new.

Andromeda321

"The comics..."

Calvin & Hobbes.

The comics are still timely and relevant today.

Back2Bach

"A lot of games..."

Super Nintendo games. A lot of games from the N64 and PS1 era have aged very poorly because of the wonky controls and low polygon graphics but SNES was the peak of side scrollers. The games still look great and the controls are tight.

R600a

"The movie was funny..."

Idiocracy is more and more becoming a reality at a shockingly fast rate. The movie was funny in 2006, it's hauntingly familiar in 2019.

Dragon_Small_Z

"Its format..."

Deep Space Nine. Its format, plot and themes were well ahead of its time, and the show is better now than it was when it originally aired.

jimmystack

"She turned 98..."

My grandmother. She turned 98 this weekend. She lives alone, has never been ill or had any health problems, the only med she takes is for high blood pressure. No hearing aides or anything. I went over last week to find her on a ladder cleaning the gutters on her roof.

litemeuphoe

There are bad kings, there are horrible kings...and then there's Henry VIII. Famous for his many wives and their various chilling ends, Henry nearly tore England apart in his quest for a son. He executed more people than any other English monarch in history, made his own church on a whim, and eventually betrayed basically anyone who had ever helped him. No, "horrible" doesn't even begin to describe Henry. If you want to learn all the dirty details about this ruthless king's rise to power, his reign of terror, and his gruesome end, dive in and discover Henry VIII's twisted history.

1. His Father Was A Warrior

File:King Henry VII.png - Wikimedia Commonscommons.wikimedia.org

Henry VIII was born on June 28, 1491, with big shoes to fill. His father was the triumphant Henry VII, who had won the Wars of the Roses, and his maternal grandfather was the fearsome King Edward IV. However, despite how his life turned out, Henry wasn't supposed to step into those shoes. In fact, as far as royals go, Henry was kind of a nobody at first.

2. He Wasn't Going To Be King

File:Daniel Mytens (c. 1590-1647) - Margaret Tudor, Queen of ...commons.wikimedia.org

See, Henry was his parents' third child and second son. His sister, Margaret Tudor, was the eldest, and his brother Arthur was the heir to the throne. As the next king, Big Artie got all of his parents' attention, and Henry was mostly forgotten. But, the Tudors had a way of dropping like flies—something Henry's parents would learn all too soon.

3. His Childhood Was Mysterious

File:Arthur Prince of Wales c 1500.jpg - Wikimedia Commonscommons.wikimedia.org

Since Henry wasn't supposed to become king, no one really cared much about him when he was young. No writers, at least. We have almost no record of what he was up to during his childhood because no one bothered to write any of it down. One of the few things we know is that he played a pretty noticeable role at the wedding of his brother Arthur and Catherine of Aragon.

He was probably mostly there to look cute and support his brother. I doubt anyone realized that Catherine would be marrying that cute little boy soon enough.

4. He Lost His Brother As A Boy

Less than a year after Arthur and Catherine tied the knot, tragedy suddenly struck. In what seemed like the blink of an eye, the strapping, 15-year-old Arthur went from healthy to dead. Out of nowhere, Henry, the forgotten prince, was now the heir to the throne of England. Pretty quickly, people around the court started to realize that was not a good thing.

5. He Barely Knew His Father

Henry VII was a good warrior and a capable king, but his fatherly instincts left a lot to be desired. He was far more concerned with running his country than with preparing his boy to do the same. Even though Henry VIII was now the heir, he still had basically nothing to do. He almost never appeared in public, and received very little training in how to be a good king.

That makes sense, because he would end up being maybe the worst king in the entire history of England.

6. He Was A Lazy Teenager

If you had known Henry back then, you probably wouldn't have thought he'd make a good king. He liked to sleep in, he hated work and school, and he only ever wanted to go hunting or hawking. Even in his youth, he spent his nights gambling, drinking, dancing, and playing cards. Maybe people hoped that when he became king, he'd finally learn some responsibility. If anything, he only got worse.

7. He Married His Brother's Widow

File:Catherine of Aragon (1485-1536).jpg - Wikimedia Commonscommons.wikimedia.org

On April 21, 1509, the day everyone had been dreading arrived. Henry Tudor succumbed to tuberculosis, and his son succeeded him. The 17-year-old Prince Henry became King Henry VIII. Awkwardly, one of his first acts was to marry his brother's widow, Catherine of Aragon. It's fitting that the first thing he did as king was get married—because the twisted history of Henry VIII's many wives would be the thing he'd eventually become the most infamous for.

8. He Got Chopping Immediately

File:The White Tower at the Tower of London as seen from the ...commons.wikimedia.org

Actually, we're getting ahead of ourselves. Marrying Catherine of Aragon wasn't the first thing Henry did as king. Two days after his coronation, he had two of his father's ministers thrown in the Tower of London, charged with high treason, and beheaded. Henry learned very quickly that 'off with their heads' was an easy way to solve his problems—and a lot more people would get the chop in the years to come.

9. He Was Utterly Sadistic

Henry VIII came to love executing hisenemies. He loved it so much that he had to invent new and exciting ways to do it.

It turns out, the new king could be incredibly cruel—something his many wives had to learn the hard way.

10. He Lost His First Child

Immediately after their wedding, Henry and Catherine conceived a child. The couple was ecstatic, but nine months later, grief replaced their joy. The child was stillborn. They were inconsolable, but this was just a dark omen of things to come. A few months after the miscarriage, Catherine became pregnant again. This time, she gave birth to a boy. Gracefully, this child survived—but even worse heartbreak was on the horizon.

11. His Woes Were Only Beginning

Henry and Catherine's first son, Henry, passed seven weeks after his birth. Next came two more stillbirths. A dark cloud started growing over the royal household, and Henry and Catherine's relationship grew more and more strained. Not even the birth of a healthy child, Mary, in 1516 could save them now. Henry blamed Catherine for his lack of an heir—and it would drive him to dark places.

12. He Slept Around

It didn't take long for Henry to start taking mistresses. He bedded all kinds of wealthy and important women, but his most infamous mistress was a complete nobody. Bessie Blount was the daughter of a small-time politician, but she caught the king's eye and the rest was history. Sure, Blount wasn't particularly rich or powerful, but she gave Henry something that none of his other mistresses—or his wife, for that matter—could.

13. Even The Men Who Wiped His Butt Were Powerful

File:Hampton privy 9740.jpg - Wikimedia Commonscommons.wikimedia.org

One of the most prestigious positions in Henry VIII's court was as one of his “Grooms of the Stool." These men attended to the king's every whim, including wiping his royal butt after using the bathroom. It sounds awful, but being in such close proximity with the king made the Grooms of the stool remarkably powerful. However, such intimacy with the king was a double-edged sword.

When looking for scapegoats to accuse of adultery with Anne Boleyn, one of the king's Grooms, Sir Henry Norris, got unlucky. Out of nowhere, Henry accused Norris and executed him for treason.

14. He Had A Son—But Not With His Wife

File:Elizabeth blount, Lady Thomas Pope.png - Wikimedia Commonscommons.wikimedia.org

In 1519, Bessie Blount gave birth to Henry's son. She named him after his father, and young Henry FitzRoy became a scandal at the English Court. Most times, if a king gave birth to an illegitimate child, they would never admit it. But not Henry. In a move that shocked the country, Henry proudly acknowledged the boy as his own. People were baffled—but Henry had his reasons...

15. He Was Insecure About His Manhood

File:Lucas Horenbout - Henry Fitzroy, Duke of Richmond and ...commons.wikimedia.org

Before Henry FitzRoy came around, people were starting to talk about the king. He'd been married for a decade and still had no male heir. In medieval thinking, maybe that meant there was something wrong with Henry's manhood. In his mind, this illegitimate son was proof that he was a real man, and that his lack of an heir was entirely his wife's fault.

But even if the boy made Henry feel better, little Henry FitzRoy did nothing to solve Henry's marital problems—and the king was starting to get desperate.

16. He Wanted An Heir—And Bad

File:Henry VIII playing harp.jpg - Wikimedia Commonscommons.wikimedia.org

At this point, the English court was completely absorbed with what became known as "The King's Great Matter:" Henry's lack of a son. The way he saw it, he had three options: Somehow legitimize Henry FitzRoy, marry his daughter Mary off ASAP and pray for a grandson, or blame it all on Catherine, ditch her, and find someone new.

The third option was probably the most complicated and definitely the cruelest—but it involved Henry getting a hot, young, new wife. Which do you think he chose?

17. He Liked Sisters

How did Henry pick his future wife? Easy. He was already sleeping with the beautiful Mary Boleyn—most people assumed that Henry was the real father to Mary's two young children—so Henry made the obvious choice: Mary's younger sister, Anne! But, he would soon learn, Anne Boleyn was no easy target...

18. He Picked A Heck Of A Woman

By 1525, Henry was completely fed up with Catherine and falling head over heels for Anne Boleyn. However, he didn't count on one thing: Anne wasn't into it. At all. Anne was young, intelligent, charismatic, and entirely uninterested in becoming yet another of Henry's floozies. She resisted for as long as she could—but this is Henry VIII we're talking about. He almost always ended up getting what he wanted—and Anne was no exception.

19. He Was A Babe

Henry VIII was undoubtedly an absolutely brutal man, but keep in mind: He was actually pretty hot. Despite the rotund portraits from his later life, Henry was actually a complete stud in his youth. He was tall, athletic, and incredibly charismatic. Women tended to love him—until he turned on them, at least. So while Anne Boleyn resisted at first, soon enough she fell right into Henry's arms.

She didn't know it yet, but she'd made a terrible mistake.

20. He Decided To Abandon His Wife

File:AnneBoleynHever.jpg - Wikimedia Commonscommons.wikimedia.org

Henry finally came up with a solution to "The King's Great Matter." He chose the cruelest, riskiest, and most complicated option: He was going to leave Catherine of Aragon and marry Anne Boleyn. It sounds like a pretty simple matter, but in the 16th century, it was anything but. Henry's blind desire would end up tearing his country apart.

21. He Disobeyed The Church

File:El papa Clemente VII, por Sebastiano del Piombo.jpg ...commons.wikimedia.org

Henry really wanted to leave Catherine, but there was just one problem: The Church. See, the Pope wasn't too keen on the idea of divorce. Henry tried to convince Pope Clement VII that their marriage was invalid, to begin with, but the pontiff wasn't buying it. If the king was going to get a divorce, he was going to do it without the Church's permission.

And that's just what Henry did. He was going to make Anne Boleyn his wife, no matter the cost—and the cost was incalculable.

22. So He Made His Own Church

Flying Buttresses of Westminster Abbey | Westminster Abbey, … | Flickrwww.flickr.com

All because he thought marrying Anne Boleyn would give him a son, Henry VIII set off the English Reformation. This massive schism would set off a vicious religious conflict that continued for centuries, but Henry didn't care. He got what he wanted, and that was that.

23. He Abandoned His Religion

Weirdly enough, Henry had spent his life to this point as an incredibly devout Catholic. He'd done a lot for the Church, and they loved him for it—but nothing was going to stop him from getting what he wanted. When it came time to choose between the Church and a new wife, Henry didn't hesitate.

24. He Kicked His Wife Out

Henry and Catherine had been married for 24 years, but in the end, not one second of it mattered to Henry. Before their divorce was even official (if you can even call it that), he unceremoniously banished her from the court and gave her rooms to Anne Boleyn. The king rejoiced, convinced that his problems were finally over—but in reality, he had only taken the first step down an incredibly twisted path.

25. He Was Technically A Bigamist

Henry actually married Anne Boleyn and knocked her up before his split from Catherine of Aragon was official. He'd spent a quarter of a century waiting for a son, and he was done wasting time. Finally, several months after his wedding to Anne Boleyn, Henry had his marriage to Catherine declared null and void. Basically, Henry claimed that since Catherine had married his brother (for five months), their marriage was "unnatural."

Was it a good reason? No. Did Henry care? Not one bit.

26. He Wanted To Send A Message

If this whole affair seems pretty darn shady to you, you're not the only one. In 1532, Elizabeth Barton, a Catholic nun known as “The Nun of Kent” and “The Holy Maid of London,” began prophesying that Henry’s marriage to Anne Boleyn would result in his brutal downfall. She said what many were thinking—and she paid a horrific price for it.

In 1533, authorities apprehended her and forced her to admit that she’d made everything up. Henry quickly had her executed for treason. He then had his men place her head on a spike on London Bridge; the only woman to ever receive that “honor.”

27. His Problems Were Far From Solved

File:Elizabeth-I-Allegorical-Po.jpg - Wikimedia Commonscommons.wikimedia.org

Less than nine months after their "official" marriage, Henry and Anne welcomed...a daughter. Henry named her Elizabeth after his mother, Elizabeth of York, but he couldn't hide his disappointment. After all that work to finally get a son, he was stuck with yet another daughter. What he didn't realize is that this unwanted daughter would go on to become ten times the monarch he'd ever be.

But for the time being, Henry couldn't pout too much.

28. He Made An Enemy Of The Church

File:Henry VIII and the Barber Surgeons, by Hans Holbein the ...commons.wikimedia.org

Maybe if Henry had just ignored the Pope, divorced Catherine, married Anne, and left it at that, things would have been awkward for a bit, then ended up fine. But that's not what Henry did—he took it so much further. First, he formed the Church of England and put himself in charge. Then, he signed the Act in Restraint of Appeals, which essentially said that Rome had zero say in English religious matters.

The pope could no longer ignore what Henry was doing. He officially excommunicated Henry, and the break between the Catholic Church and the Church of England was complete. Oh well, at least his new marriage was going great, right? Well, about that...

29. He Started Having Second Thoughts

Henry VIII found the gorgeous Anne Boleyn irresistible...when he couldn't have her. Turns out, married life was a different story. Anne was stubborn, independent, and had a temper—a far cry from the demure, submissive trophy wife he wanted. And if things got off to a rocky start, they only got worse from there.

30. He Blamed His New Wife

The birth of Princess Elizabeth was a huge disappointment for Henry. Anne got pregnant again soon after—but if Elizabeth was disappointing, this next pregnancy was a disaster. Anne had a miscarriage in 1534, and Henry was not pleased. He'd left his wife of 24 years just so Anne could give him a son, and now she couldn't even do that! Was it her fault? Of course not, but there was no telling Henry that.

Anne's miscarriage cast a shadow over the entire English court—but dark rumors suggested things were even more twisted than they seemed.

31. Anne Might Have Had A Secret

Anne Boleyn wasn't exactly happy with her marriage, but she was smart enough to know that angering Henry wasn't in her best interest. She was desperate to give him a son—and some people believe she was willing to do anything to make it happen. Many in England didn't believe that Anne had had a miscarriage at all. Rather, they claimed she lied about the whole pregnancy.

And, if Anne's baby problems weren't enough, her sister was still out there making things a whole lot more difficult.

32. His Old Mistress Embarrassed Him

File:Mary Boleyn.jpg - Wikimedia Commonscommons.wikimedia.org

Mary Boleyn didn't just disappear after Henry cast her aside. Awkward as it may have been, she was still the Queen's sister and an important part of the royal household. But Mary played by her own rules, to the fury of both Henry and her sister. She was difficult at the best of times—but when the king and queen discovered the secret she'd been hiding from them, they had finally had enough.

Mary Boleyn had fallen in love with a lowborn soldier and secretly married him. This erased any chance of Henry using her in a political match. Both he and Anne were livid, and they made Mary pay for it.

33. He Nearly Erased Her From History

Henry Carey, Husband of Mary Boleyn, Brother in law of Ann… | Flickrwww.flickr.com

If there's a reason most people don't know much about Mary Boleyn, it's probably because of her dark end. When Henry and Anne found out that Mary had married a commoner, they banished her from court forever. Mary went from a life of luxury to utter obscurity overnight. She never saw her sister again, and she passed a few years later, completely forgotten.

34. He Kept Sleeping Around

VIII. Henrik angol király – Wikipédiahu.wikipedia.org

How did Henry VIII cope with his miserable marriage to Anne Boleyn? The same way he'd coped with his miserable marriage to Catherine of Aragon: Mistresses. As his union with Anne started falling apart, he fell into the arms of a minor lady named Madge Shelton. However, some historians differ and claim it was Madge's sister Mary. Maybe it was both—we know that Henry had a thing for sisters...

35. An Accident Made Everything Go Wrong

The tension in Henry VIII's court came to a boiling point around the New Year in 1536. Anne Boleyn was pregnant yet again, totally aware that if the child was not a son, her days were numbered. Things were tense enough as it is, then one day, news of a terrible accident reached the palace. During a jousting tournament, a rival had knocked Henry off his horse, leaving him horribly injured.

That accident would change Henry forever. If he'd been cruel before, he was about to take things to a whole new level.

36. He Lost Another Son

When Anne heard about Henry's accident, it shocked her so much that she suffered another miscarriage. And, to put salt in the wound, doctors revealed that the child had been a boy who potentially could have ended the Queen's woes. In a strange twist of fate, the miscarriage happened on the exact same day that Catherine of Aragon, Henry's forgotten first wife, passed of a mysterious illness.

Not only did Anne mourn the loss of her child, she knew that she probably wouldn't get another chance. Still, no one expected Henry's response to be as disturbing as it was.

37. He Let His New Mistress Move In

File:Mauritshuis Hans Holbein II Jane Seymour 14022016 1.jpg ...commons.wikimedia.org

Even though his wife recovered from her miscarriage, Henry was clearly done with her. First, he began refusing to grant political offices to her family. Then, in an unprecedented move, he moved his latest mistress, the 28-year-old Jane Seymour, into swanky new rooms in his palace. It was basically a slap in the face for Anne—but if that had been the end of it, she should have considered herself lucky.

38. He Accused His Wife

File:Anne Boleyn London Tower.jpg - Wikimedia Commonscommons.wikimedia.org

Henry finally did what his wife so feared in the spring of 1536. He had Anne, her brother, and four other men thrown in the Tower of London. The courts accused each of the men (including her own brother) of sleeping with the queen, an act of treason. Henry accused Anne of adultery as well, along with witchcraft for good measure.

39. He Beheaded His Own Queen

The execution of Anne Boleyn, German engraving circa 1630 | Flickrwww.flickr.com

There was essentially no evidence for any of these accusations, but since when had Henry ever needed evidence? The headsman claimed the five men on May 17, 1536, and Anne followed suit two days later. A crowd gathered to watch this never-before-seen spectacle: The Queen of England herself, beheaded.

40. He Moved On Quick

In a move that surprised no one, the 45-year-old Henry VIII became engaged to the almost 20-years-younger Jane Seymour the day after Anne Boleyn's passing. Their marriage took place 10 days later. For any other king, this would have been a scandal beyond measure—but for Henry, this was pretty much just business as usual.

So, after two catastrophic marriages, this would finally be the one that would work out, right? What do you think...

41. He Finally Had A Son

Henry VIII's marriage to Jane Seymour got off to the best possible start. On October 12, 1537, Seymour gave birth to a...wait for it...boy! The entire nation breathed a sigh of relief as Prince Edward finally meant an end to the chaos that had lasted nearly a decade at this point. But it took less than two weeks for tragedy to strike, throwing Henry's court into upheaval once again.

42. But He Paid A Terrible Price

Jane Seymour had access to the best doctors in England—but unfortunately, the best doctors in 1537 weren't worth that much. Edward's birth was agonizing, and the queen suffered a terrible infection. The doctors proved helpless, and Henry had to watch as his beloved wife—the first to give him a healthy son—withered away.

Jane Seymour succumbed to her infection on October 24. Unfortunately, that meant yet another poor woman would end up calling Henry VIII her husband.

43. Not That He Cared

File:Anonymous - Henry VIII, Elizabeth I, and Edward VI - 1938.311 ...commons.wikimedia.org

Jane Seymour passed from this life with her head still intact, but don't go thinking that Henry actually cared for her. During her agonizing labor, doctors told the king that it may come down to saving either the child or the queen. Henry's reply was utterly heartless: "If you cannot save both, at least let the child live,” he said. Twisting the knife in, he then added, “For other wives are easily found.”

Henry got what he wanted, and the child lived instead of the mother—but karma would come for him soon enough.

44. He Grew Darker By The Day

File:King Henry VIII from NPG.jpg - Wikimedia Commonscommons.wikimedia.org

Jane Seymour's demise marked a change in Henry VIII. A divorce and a fatal childbirth had finally made their mark on him.

He began growing morbidly obese and started suffering from diabetes and gout. His mood somehow grew even darker, and he became paranoid and irrational. He'd never been a ray of sunshine, but this is the point where Henry became truly deranged.

45. He Had A Really Crafty Ally

File:Cromwell,Thomas(1EEssex)01.jpg - Wikimedia Commonscommons.wikimedia.org

There weren't many people left whom Henry trusted, but one of them was his shifty spymaster, Thomas Cromwell. Cromwell had been scheming behind the scenes all this time, engineering the biggest moments of Henry's reign. He arranged the annulment of Henry's marriage to Catherine of Aragon, he masterminded the Reformation, and he helped poison Henry's mind against Anne Boleyn.

Cromwell was as ambitious as he was ruthless—and he was maybe the worst person to have around when Henry took a turn for the worse.

46. He Became Paranoid

As Henry VIII was growing fat, ill, and paranoid, Thomas Cromwell was right next to him, whispering into his ear and fueling the king's suspicions. Henry started perceiving threats to his crown around every corner—and this was a guy who executed people at the drop of a hat at the best of times. England became a terrifying place to be.

Maybe the nation hoped if the king found a new wife he would go back to his regular amount of crazy. Nope.

47. His Advisor Made A Horrible Mistake

Thomas Cromwell was one of the most powerful men in England—until he suggested Henry marry the 25-year-old German Duchess Anne of Cleves. It seemed like a perfect match, and Anne's father could prove a vital ally if a religious war happened to break out. There was only one problem:

Political marriages were all well and good, but Henry wasn't about to marry someone he'd never even seen! What if she was ugly?! But don't worry, Cromwell had the perfect solution...

48. He Agreed To A Marriage Without Meeting Her

If a picture's worth a thousand words, a portrait's gotta be worth, I don't know, at least 300? Henry sent one of the best portrait artists in the world to paint Anne so he could judge her for himself. When the painting finally made it back to him—along with Thomas Cromwell's assurances that Anne was basically his dream gal—Henry was finally convinced.

Little did he know, he was in for a rude awakening.

49. He Regretted The Decision Instantly

File:Anne of Cleves, by Hans Holbein the Younger.jpg - Wikimedia ...commons.wikimedia.org

Reportedly, when they finally met, Henry VIII took one look at Anne of Cleves and realized he'd made a horrible mistake. Whether it was her looks or her personality, Henry was already looking for an exit before they'd even tied the knot. They lasted a whopping six months, and if we're to believe Henry's word, they didn't even consummate the union.

The whole affair left a sour taste in Henry's mouth—and he was looking for someone to blame. Maybe the guy who suggested Anne in the first place?

50. He Made His Wife His Sister

Anne of Cleves, Queen of England | Rosenback Museum portrait… | Flickrwww.flickr.com

In one of the most awkward titles in history, after Henry annulled his marriage to Anne of Cleves, he dubbed her "The King's Sister." As far as consolation prizes go, that's about as bad as they get. But don't worry—in the end, Anne would end up getting the last laugh. She was one of the rare wives who actually managed to outlive Henry VIII.

51. His Next Wife Was The Youngest Yet

File:Holbein, Hans (II) - Portrait of a lady, probably of the ...commons.wikimedia.org

Whatever it was, Anne of Cleves just didn't do it for the now-46-year-old Henry. But you know who did? The 17-year-old Catherine Howard. Apparently, Henry realized that political marriages weren't for him and went back to marrying whoever he had the hots for. But not everyone was happy about this latest match.

52. His Advisor Made One Too Many Mistakes

Thomas Cromwell made the Anne of Cleves match happen, only to watch as it went up in flames almost immediately. Then, to make things worse, Henry started chasing Catherine Howard. What's so bad about that? Howard happened to be the Duke of Norfolk's niece, and the Duke of Norfolk happened to be one of Cromwell's biggest political rivals.

Suddenly, Cromwell started to feel the walls closing in around him—but he didn't yet realize how bad things had gotten.

53. He Sent Cromwell A Message

First, Henry ditched the wife Cromwell chose for him. Next, he started eyeing a girl related to one of Cromwell's biggest enemies. If Cromwell didn't see the writing on the wall, Henry's next chilling act certainly made it clear: Henry had three of Cromwell's cronies ended for heresy. No one knows exactly why Henry turned on his biggest ally so abruptly—but this is the insane Henry VIII we're talking about, did he really need a reason?

When he finally betrayed Thomas Cromwell for good, it was absolutely brutal.

54. He Betrayed His Closest Ally

Thomas Cromwell spent his final days looking over his shoulder wherever he went. He'd made a lot of enemies during Henry's reign of terror, and the tides had finally turned. The Duke of Norfolk and Cromwell's other rivals finally convinced Henry that his one-time advisor had to go. The king, still sore about Anne of Cleves, didn't take much convincing. Henry charged Cromwell with treason and a pile of other trumped-up accusations.

In the end, despite everything he'd done for Henry, Cromwell met the same fate as everyone else who got in the murderous king's way.

55. He Got Two Birds With One Stone

Six Wives of Henry VIII, Postcard, Hever Castle, Kent, Eng… | Flickrwww.flickr.com

Henry didn't even bother to show up at his friend's end—he was busy getting married for the fifth time! He tied the knot with Catherine Howard the very same day. Not only was she less than half his age, she was also Anne Boleyn's cousin and former lady-in-waiting. Awkward...

The timing of the nuptials even allowed Henry to give his wife a particularly nice wedding gift: He gave his new queen all of Thomas Cromwell's lands! Not like he using them anymore.

56. His Latest Wife Turned The Tables

Catherine Howard, Countess of Nottingham, Daughter of Henr… | Flickrwww.flickr.com

Catherine Howard ended up meeting a similarly dark fate to Henry VIII's other wives, but at least she gave him a taste of his own medicine. See, while Catherine hadn't yet turned 20, she still managed to get around. She had several notorious affairs even before she married Henry, and putting a ring on it didn't slow her down one bit.

But, as she would learn, crossing Henry VIII rarely ended well.

57. He Didn't Believe His Wife Would Cheat

File:Thomas, Lord Culpepper, Colonial Governor of Va. (Virginia ...commons.wikimedia.org

Almost as soon as she wed Henry, Catherine Howard began an affair with one of his courtiers, a man by the name of Thomas Culpeper. Since there are no secrets in a royal palace, news of the tryst soon got back to the king. This time though, it seems as though Henry was head-over-heels in a way he hadn't been in years. He refused to believe the rumors and stood by his queen.

Soon enough though, a man from Catherine's past would seal her fate for good.

58. He Couldn't Deny The Truth

Before she was a queen, Catherine Howard had had an affair with another Tudor courtier, Francis Dereham. They'd actually been engaged at one point before Catherine caught the king's eye. Strangely, Howard hired Dereham to work for her when she married Henry—and it turned out to be the last mistake she'd ever make.

Dereham confessed to having an affair with Catherine in the past—but even worse, he outed her relationship with Culpeper. Finally, Henry had to admit the truth: After years of cheating on his wives, this time, he was the one wearing the horns.

59. His Wife Tried To Save Herself

Give her credit, Catherine Howard didn't go down without a fight. When officials questioned her about Dereham's claims, she came back at him twice as hard. She claimed she never cared for him, and in fact that he'd forced her into an adulterous relationship against her will. We'll never know the whole truth of what went on between them. All we know is what happened next.

Henry charged Catherine, Dereham, and Culpeper with treason and off with their heads.

60. She Begged For Mercy

Allegedly, Catherine Howard did not take the news that she was going to lose her head well. The now-19-year-old queen allegedly broke free from her guards and ran through the halls, screaming for Henry to show her mercy. She never made it to him, however—in fact, she would never see the king again.

According to legend, her ghost remains in those same halls to this day, and people have often claimed to have heard her screams for mercy in the infamous Haunted Gallery.

61. He Beheaded Yet Another Queen

brown brick building under blue sky during daytimePhoto by Paul Rigby on Unsplash

No amount of screaming could save Catherine or her two lovers from their fate. On February 13, 1542, Henry had all three of them beheaded. That makes five wives down, two of them by Henry's own hand. You'd think he'd finally call it quits at this point. After all, he had an heir, he was growing old, fat, and infirm, and fate didn't seem to be on his side.

But when it came to women, Henry VIII couldn't help himself. He just had to have one last go at it—and finally, this time, Henry would be the one who didn't make it out of the marriage alive.

62. He Actually Did Some Stuff Other Than Get Married

File:Scottish castle walls (Unsplash).jpg - Wikimedia Commonscommons.wikimedia.org

It might be hard to believe at this point, but Henry was actually, you know, a king while all of this wife-swapping was going on. That means in between beheading innocent women, Henry also had a country to run. Surprisingly, Henry actually found time to be something of a capable military leader—which came in handy in 1542, when decades of tension finally boiled over into outright conflict with Scotland.

For once, Henry set his mind to something other than a woman, and sought to take Scotland for his own—but of course, with Henry VIII, things were never that easy.

63. He Wanted Scotland

File:François Clouet - Mary, Queen of Scots (1542-87) - Google Art ...commons.wikimedia.org

After defeating the Scots at the Battle of Solway Moss, Henry tried to take the Scottish crown the easy way. He suggested a marriage between Mary, Queen of Scots, and his son Edward. Wouldn't you know it, that would make Edward King of both England and Scotland. It would have put an end to the ceaseless fighting between England and Scotland—but the Scots weren't going to give up that easy.

The Scottish Parliament rejected the marriage. In Henry's mind, that meant they opted for "the hard way." The two countries broke out into open war—and the fighting would go on for the rest of Henry's life.

64. He Juggled Wars

Getting the Scottish crown would be nice, but it still wasn't enough for a man of Henry's appetite. While the conflict with Scotland raged on, Henry also decided to team up with Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor, and invade France. Remarkably, for a man of his age, size, and lack of experience with martial matters, Henry personally led his men to a remarkable victory at Boulogne.

Henry had won the single biggest victory of his entire life—but like with everything else in his life, he still managed to screw it up for himself.

65. He Actually Won Something

Henry and Charles had a falling out, which led to Charles making peace with France and abandoning the English king in enemy territory. The French tried to turn the tide and invade England while Henry was away, but the English forces turned them back. Finally, the French king had to concede defeat and sign the Treaty of Camp. This officially made Boulogne an English territory...for about a second.

66. It Was All For Nothing

As soon as the French gave Henry Boulogne, he sold it right back to him. See, turns out, wars are expensive, and even though Henry won, he went flat-broke doing it. In the end, the whole business, including who knows how many dead soldiers, ended up accomplishing basically nothing.

Speaking of a bunch of deaths accomplishing basically nothing, let's get back to Henry's love life, because there's still one more wife to go.

67. His Last Marriage Was The Least Dramatic

File:Catherine Parr from NPG cropped.jpg - Wikimedia Commonscommons.wikimedia.org

In July 1543, Heny VIII wed for the last time. His latest bride was Catherine Parr, and she couldn't have been more different from Henry's previous wives. First of all, she was almost age-appropriate, at 31 years old. She was also remarkably stable, compared to his previous wives. There were no wild cheating scandals or swirling rumors.

In fact, Catherine Parr managed to do something none of Henry's other wives ever did: She made a somewhat decent man out of him.

68. He Made Up With His Kids

Queen Mary I, daughter of Henry VIII and Catherine of Arag… | Flickrwww.flickr.com

Years earlier, as a way of sticking it to his various hated wives, Henry had cut his two daughters, Mary and Elizabeth, out of the line of succession. They spent the subsequent years in a tense limbo, unsure if their father would turn on them. Parr made Henry bury the hatchet with his two daughters, and he finally brought them back into the line of succession.

So basically, without Catherine Parr, England would have missed out on Queen Elizabeth, one of its greatest monarchs ever.

69. He Became Grotesque In His Old Age

King Henry VIII in old age | after Hans Holbein the Younger,… | Flickrwww.flickr.com

While the young Henry VIII had been quite the piece of meat, the old Henry VIII was a different story entirely. By this point, his waist had ballooned to 54 inches, and he could barely even walk. He needed attendants to wheel him around wherever he went. The weight was just the beginning of his problems, though: The worst part was the gout, which left him covered in excruciating, pus-filled boils.

Finally, Henry VIII looked as bad on the outside as he was on the inside.

70. His End Wasn't Pretty

Anyone who knew Henry VIII near the end could tell that the grim reaper wouldn't be long. He passed of an illness related to his obesity at age 55. With that, Catherine Parr and Anne of Cleves could at least claim they were the only wives to outlive the murderous king. In a surprising request, Henry asked his attendants to bury him right next to Jane Seymour, the only wife he didn't abandon.

Goes to show, after all of his wives, there was only one thing Henry actually cared about: He wanted lay next to the one wife who gave him a son.

71. His Last Words Were Mysterious

Historians have no official record of Henry's final words, but rumors persisted that he cryptically cried “Monks! Monks! Monks!” before his final breath left him.

72. His First Son Almost Became A Prince

Ever wonder what happened to Henry FitzRoy, the illegitimate son who caused such a stir in Henry's younger days? Turns out, he lived through more scandals than just his birth. Back before Henry had a legitimate heir, he strongly considered acknowledging FitzRoy. He wanted a male heir—and he was willing to go to utterly disturbing lengths to make sure it happened.

73. He Almost Married His Son And Daughter

File:Queen Mary I from NPG.jpg - Wikipediaen.wikipedia.org

Even though FitzRoy was born out of wedlock, Henry spoiled him rotten—something that infuriated his then-wife, Catherine of Aragon. This is when a cardinal suggesting a twisted solution to all of the couple's problems: Marry FitzRoy to his half-sister, Henry and Catherine's daughter Mary. This would strengthen FitzRoy's claim to the throne, making Henry happy. It would also ensure Mary ended up on the throne herself, making Catherine happy.

In the end, they didn't go through with it. Henry VIII did a lot of seriously messed up things, but thankfully, forcing his son and daughter to get married was not one of them.

74. He Cast Aside His Most Famous Mistress

Memorial brass of Elizabeth Blount, mistress of Henry VIII… | Flickrwww.flickr.com

Speaking of Henry FitzRoy, there's also the sad fate of his mother, Bessie Blount. At one time, Blount was Henry's most infamous mistress—and that made her an incredibly powerful woman. She had the king's ear at a time when he listened to no one else. But, as much as Henry liked women, he grew tired of them incredibly quickly. Though he cared for her once, Blount's fall from grace was total.

Henry unceremoniously tossed Blount aside when he was done with her, and she passed in utter obscurity. Her story has nearly been wiped from history, and even her burial place is unknown.

75. There Might Be More To Anne Of Cleves' Story

Portrait of Anne of Cleves (1648) | Fourth wife of King Henr… | Flickrwww.flickr.com

Anne of Cleves is now infamous as Henry’s rejected queen, but was it really so simple as "Henry found her ugly and cast her aside?" Modern historians suggest a more disturbing reason for his disgust. Anne’s first meeting with Henry was a diplomatic blunder:

Making their way to London, Anne’s party stopped on New Year’s Day 1540 at Rochester, where she took time to look at bull-baiting from the window. Suddenly, an old burly stranger entered the room—and everything went horribly wrong.

76. He Disguised Himself

You see, this stranger was really Henry VIII in disguise. He had wanted to creep in and get a sneak peek of his new bride-to-be. He also expected that she would see through his costume via the power of “true love”…or something. Spoiler: This was not a good idea. When he approached Anne, her response made his blood run cold.

77. She Shut Him Down

Depending on the account, either Henry tried to get Anne’s attention and she politely ignored him, or he outright tried to kiss, which understandably horrified the young woman. Either way, it was a disaster, and Henry left the encounter angry, embarrassed, and possibly ready to take revenge…

78. He Never Forgave Her

Some modern historians believe that this ill-fated early encounter between Anne of Cleves and Henry VIII sealed her fate. According to them, Anne’s lack of enthusiasm for Henry (even in disguise) made the king put up his defenses. If he didn't impress her, he may have decided she didn't impress him either, no matter what. And the rest, as they say, is history.

80. His First Wife Met A Gruesome End

File:Trial of Catherine of Aragon.jpg - Wikimedia Commonscommons.wikimedia.org

Catherine of Aragon got out of her marriage to Henry VIII alive, but she didn't last too long afterward. She passed just a few years later, and her demise was utterly mysterious in its time. While preparing her body for burial, her embalmer noticed the body looked in perfect health—save for her heart, which had turned black.

The ghastly and seemingly fatal condition, coupled with Catherine’s premonitions of her own end, led people to some dark rumors about her end…

81. People Thought It Wasn't An Accident

clear glass bottle on brown wicker basketPhoto by v2osk on Unsplash

After witnessing her strange condition, those loyal to Catherine and disloyal to Henry and Anne Boleyn started whispering that the Royal Couple 2.0 had poisoned Catherine in a chilling act of self-service, leading the “Dowager” to die poetically of a broken heart. Modern historians, however, believe a much different story.

82. He Destroyed Her Heart

Most experts today believe that rather than foul play, Catherine passed of cancer of the heart; sometimes it can turn the heart black. If nothing else, that would be an incredibly poetic end for a wife of Henry VIII.

83. Catherine Howard's Final Words Cut Deep

One of the most persistent legends about Henry VIII's wives is the final words of Catherine Howard. According to popular folklore, her last words were, "I die a Queen, but I would rather have died the wife of Culpeper". However, no eyewitness accounts support this, instead reporting that her last utterance was a whole lot more heartbreaking.

Instead of that defiant cry, Howard spent her final moments asking for forgiveness for her sins and acknowledging that she deserved to die "a thousand deaths" for betraying the king, who had always treated her so graciously.

84. Anne Boleyn Made A Final Plea At The End

At the end of the day, the most infamous of Henry's spurned wives has to be Anne Boleyn—but her end was even worse than people realize. After four days in the Tower of London, Boleyn bundled up a package and gave it to her guard to deliver to the king. It was a letter, and her very last to Henry. In it, she plead for mercy, writing that “never prince had wife more loyal in all duty, and in all true affection, than you have ever found in Anne Boleyn.” She also made one final heartbreaking request.

85. She Begged For Mercy

Anne Boleyn, Queen of England, French Hood Template | Flickrwww.flickr.com

In her final letter to King Henry, Boleyn begged him to think of their daughter Elizabeth, and then she humbly asked that Henry, if he went through with it, would still spare the lives of her brother and the other men accused of being her lovers. It’s a gut-wrenching revelation: At her core, until the very end, Boleyn was truly selfless. But it didn’t go her way. The men met the axe the same as her.

Unfortunately, she married Henry VIII, England's murderous king. She never stood a chance.

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But when life circumstances change and a baby is all of a sudden presented in front of a skeptic, there could be the possibility of a 180. Did anyone watch Waitress?

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Unbelievable Pets
Photo by Chewy on Unsplash

We love our furry and feathered friends for their personalities, whether they’re being sweet, misbehaving, or just being weird. Here, people have shared the most unbelievable stories about their beloved pets.

1. The Warning

black and white cat lying on brown bamboo chair inside roomPhoto by Manja Vitolic on Unsplash

About 12 years ago, my cat saved my life.

I'd just gone to bed and my cat raced into my bedroom, meowing and racing around the room. I thought he wanted food, though I'd never seen him this frantic about food before.

I followed him down to the kitchen to fill his food bowl so he'd calm down and I could get some sleep, except that he didn't stop at his food bowl. He raced down to my office, looking back occasionally to make sure I was following him. When I got down there, I couldn't believe my eyes.

I saw that the circuit breaker panel was sparking and then suddenly ignited. Because I was there when it ignited, I was able to turn off the main breaker and put the fire out before it spread.

Chandler Scarborough

2. He Knew Something Was Wrong

short-coated black dog sittingPhoto by Alexander Grey on Unsplash

We had a Black Lab/Weimaraner mix named Moses. He was a big dog, about 100 pounds, but very calm and well-mannered. We had a routine for bedtime; before bed, Moses would go out and do the business, but occasionally during the night he would come and sit on my side of the bed.

Just his presence alone would wake me up and I would take him out and then go back to sleep. He was only allowed one trip out during bedtime. One night, we did our normal routine. My 15-year-old son was in his bedroom playing video games and I let the dog out and then we went to bed.

Around 1 am, he wanted to go out again, so we went. I crawled back into bed with five hours until the alarm went off. Around 3 am, Moses was sitting by my bed, whimpering. I mumbled, “No way, boy, go back to bed, I’m sleeping”. He didn’t move; in fact, he started pawing at my arm.

I was starting to get annoyed and said, “GO AWAY," but he didn’t move and he kept pulling at my arm. He was insistent, whimpering, grabbing at me. As I started to come fully awake, I heard a strange sound as I was trying to focus and figure out what was going on.

I can’t really describe the sound but it was a kind of low growl-moaning and it was coming from my son’s room. I jumped out of bed, fully awake now, and with the adrenaline that only a mom fearing the worst can have, I sprinted to my son’s room to find him in a full-on, grand mal seizure in his bedroom.

Had Moses not awakened me at that particular moment, we may never have known this seizure occurred, because it was summer and my son was staying up late and sleeping until noon most days. So my good boy, Moses, blew my mind when he made sure to let me know that my son was having a seizure in the other room.

Diana Sarabia Gallagher

3. A Dog’s Senses

black and tan german shepherd on green grass field during daytimePhoto by Anna Dudkova on Unsplash

One day, while I was working upstairs in my office, my German Shepherd came upstairs and stood in my office doorway barking at me. Then he walked over to the top of the staircase, barking as he looked down the stairs. He lifted his head, looked toward me, and continued barking.

He walked back and stood in the office doorway again—looking at me, barking. He did this repeatedly for a few minutes while I worked. It became obvious he wanted me to follow him downstairs. I got up and asked him, “What’s the matter?" As soon as I asked this, our house began to shake.

Everything on my walls and shelves were rattling. I did not understand exactly what was happening, but we both ran down the stairs while I yelled, “Let’s get out of here!" We got outside and I felt the ground moving. Then it stopped. We had just experienced an earthquake. They are practically nonexistent in our region.

Somehow, my boy knew it was coming and came upstairs to warn me.

Marie Lawrence

4. One Way To Get Your Attention

russian blue cat lying on brown textilePhoto by Milada Vigerova on Unsplash

For 20 years I was a long-haul truck driver. For the last seven years of that, my orphaned cat, Sooty, was on the truck with me. Sooty, a large Russian Blue mix, was only about a year old when he discovered how to get me to return to the cab and keep him company.

I was in the office of a truck shop making the payment for truck repairs when I heard a horn blaring. A worker came rushing in and said, “Lady, there's a cat in your truck doing that on purpose”. I went to the truck. Sooty stopped, sat in my seat, and looked at me like, “It's about time you showed up”.

After that, I soon learned to cover my steering wheel with a large box to keep him from honking the horn.

C Woodrome

5. Changing Minds And Hearts

dog holding flowerPhoto by Celine Sayuri Tagami on Unsplash

My boyfriend came home one afternoon with a story about a dog he had seen at someone’s house. The poor thing was chained outside and very skinny. He told me the owner had gotten him because he wanted to train him to scare people, but the guy said he was “dumb as a bag of rocks”. He was a pit bull.

The next day I was sitting on the couch when my boyfriend walked through the door…with the dog. I was furious. He didn't listen to me at all! I told him to find the dog another home. No more talk about it! The dog crouched by the door. My boyfriend left to get him some food and stuff in the meantime.

The dog stayed by the door, holding his head down and looking up at me every so often. He wouldn't lift his head. He would strain his eyes to look up at me, but would not lift his head up. The ice on my heart cracked a little.

I found a comfy blanket and put it down on the floor for him. I tried to coax him over but he just sat at the door and stared timidly at me. Nothing. I had to physically push this dog, while he stayed mostly in a sitting position, to the bed beside the couch. He reeked.

Oh no, if this mutt was going to stay in my house he was getting a bath. I was scared as heck. What if he didn't like water? What if he hurt me? I ran the bath and pushed the sitting dog down the hallway. Took a deep breath, and pulled him into the tub. He loved it!

That was the first time I saw any joy in that dog’s eyes. He didn't magically break out of his depressive state, but he really enjoyed the bath. I realized it was probably the first time he had ever felt clean, had ever had a bath, and had ever been touched lovingly by a human. The ice started dripping.

When he was clean and towel-dried, he actually walked down the hall with me. I sat on the couch patting his head and talking to him. My boyfriend came storming through the door with bags in his arms. He made a big racket and the dog jumped up and ran down the hall. I got up and followed him.

I found him crouching in the corner of the hall and he had peed. He had peed most of the way down the hall while running from my boyfriend. I think he thought the man had come to get him. The ice shattered.

He was our dog.

From that moment on, he was showered with love and affection. He was loved more than any dog could dream of being loved and I don't think he took a second of it for granted. What did he do that I couldn't believe?

He changed my mind about wanting him. Corrected my judgment about his breed and showed me I cannot judge a book by its cover.

Meagan Ireland

6. Lassie Eat Your Heart Out

white and brown dog on roadPhoto by Maud Slaats on Unsplash

This story is about our Australian Shepherd, Freddie. My daughter and her family were visiting for a week a few summers ago. Our grandsons were four and seven at the time. We lived in a cottage in the woods, on a private road—literally no traffic except us.

One morning, I was in the kitchen fixing breakfast when my husband walked past and down the hall towards the front of the house, with Max, our youngest grandson, following behind. I heard the front door open and shut, and assumed they had both gone outside.

A few minutes later, I heard Freddie barking…and barking…and barking. It struck me as a bit out of character for Freddie, but I didn't think much more of it. Then my husband came back through the kitchen, at which point I realized that only Max had gone outside, alone, while my husband had gone into the bathroom!

I ran towards the front door in a panic, knowing Max could have disappeared far into the woods by now. But I still heard Freddie barking. When I got outside, I saw that Max was standing in the road and Freddie was standing directly in front of him, barking. If Max turned, Freddie shifted in front of him again, still barking.

It wasn't typical for him to behave like that—and that's when it hit me. I realized then that Freddie was 'herding' Max, making sure he couldn't go anywhere he could get hurt or lost! I was so proud of Freddie, and so grateful that he understood that Max shouldn't be wandering around outside alone.

Karla Chorny

7. Smart Pup

grey dog running on mud during daytimePhoto by Nathalie SPEHNER on Unsplash

It was raining. I put my dog outside while I went shopping. I came home, put some groceries on the kitchen counter, then went to the back door to let my dog in. She was there, covered in mud. Not just a little dirty, but literally drenched in mud. I slid the back door open and told her she can't come in until she was cleaned off.

I put away the shopping, changed into some old clothes, and was ready to go outside and give her a bath…when there she was in front of the door…CLEAN. I dried her off and let her in. I told her she was so good that she could sleep on the bed tonight. The next morning I found the kiddie pool full of mud.

She “understood" and must have bathed herself. She was always a smart dog.

Douglas Scott

8. Why Is It Raining On My Face

brown horsePhoto by Daniel Bonilla on Unsplash

My ex-wife had horses. She was one of the best in the country at rescuing and rehabbing blind horses. We had several on the farm. A new one showed up that we paid $500 for: a Belgian, which is usually a giant horse. This one had a large head and looked like a skeleton with skin stretched over it.

Bull came to us from a horse auction on an Amish farm. If we did not buy him he was literally going to the glue factory. My ex was not having it and asked me for the money; I, as always, could not say no.

We got the horse to the farm and had the vet come out and she gave him one to two weeks tops. Well, he made it. He was a fighter. We named him Wullvye. We loved the movie The 13th Warrior and named him after the lead viking. We called him Bull for short.

Bull got much better and put on a lot of weight. Despite being blind, he still became the alpha of the herd. The sighted horses even bowed to this mighty horse. But he was a gentle giant. My ex would ride him bareback up the mountain behind our property. But that's not the end of the story.

Bull started to have problems and would not sweat. We had the vet out again. She recommended giving him beer. This is an old race track method. You have not lived till you see a 2,000-pound horse sloshed and swaying back and forth like an intoxicated human while walking.

I know there are many jokes to be made. I know I made them as I laughed my butt off many times. But he endured and was back each night with his herd, his family. But then he became sick again. This time he needed to go to the State Vet school. We got him there. The cost was over $2,000.

As the vets went to put a scope down his throat, he ate it, yes ate it. They did not charge us for it, thankfully, as it cost over $20,000. I do not remember the exact diagnosis, but it was not good and they gave him only months to live. His previous life had taken its toll on his organs.

We did what we could for the guy. He did well for a while and then started to show signs. The day finally came to call the vet and say goodbye. We pulled him out of the pasture and I dug a huge hole with the backhoe as he should always stay with us.

We brought him back in and laid him down. But first, he called out to his herd several times to say goodbye and they responded. The whole herd was on the other side of the fence, everyone; blind and sighted, miniatures and the donkey. The vet did her job and we stayed with him until the end and for a while after.

We covered him as it started to rain. I would bury him when it stopped, but it did not. The rain kept on and on and was a monsoon by feeding time for the horses. Here is where the amazing part begins. The horses never left the fence, not even to eat.

If you know horses, they never pass up a meal, never. They did this night. I checked on them throughout the night and they all stayed on the fence. In the morning, I moved Wullvye into the hole with my ex holding the tarp so the horses could not see. We said our prayers and I filled in the hole.

The ex opened the gate between the pasture and the horses all walked around Bull’s hole one by one and then walked out of the pasture. It was like watching a human funeral procession. I stood in awe and shock along with my ex-wife. The horses went and ate and Cowboy took over the herd; he was second to Bull.

I miss Wullvye even now. I know he is in a better place, running through heaven free of pain and enjoying his just rewards.

Jay Gainer

9. The Rescue

black kittenPhoto by The Lucky Neko on Unsplash

My dog, Dakota, snuck out while I was bringing groceries into the house. I saw her at the creek a few houses down so I finished bringing the groceries in and then grabbed her leash.

I saw that she was on her way home and that she had something in her mouth. She walked by me and into the house then onto her bed. Now I was thinking she’d caught a rabbit and hoped she was not eating it.

I walked in and realized it was a black kitten, and it was getting a bath from her. Dakota and her kitten were together for several years right up to the day Dakota passed.

Debbie Harrington

10. Breakups Are Hard

short-coated tan dogPhoto by Daniel Lincoln on Unsplash

Our family dog was always protective of our daughter. We have three kids, our daughter being the youngest. She was 16-ish and a boy that she was seeing at the time came over. He walked past Jessie, our dog, patted her on the head, and went into my daughter’s room.

About 15 or 20 minutes later he walked out, said bye to the family, and again walked past Jessie. As his foot swung past her, she snapped at his heel. She missed him, thank goodness, and he never even knew what happened or noticed me grabbing her by the collar real quick.

Shocked, as soon as he was outside, I told my daughter, “Jessie just tried to bite Blake!" She said “Good. He just broke up with me!"

Rhonda Conda

11. She’s An Adult

brown short coated dog lying on brown wooden floorPhoto by Aady on Unsplash

I left my Great Dane at the vet to have a cyst removed from between her toes and was to pick her up after work. When I came back, the vet said, “You talk to her as an adult, don’t you?"

I said, “Yes, but how do you know”?

The vet replied, “When I tried to get her into the surgery room, she splayed all four feet and wouldn’t move. I tried coaxing, and calling her sweet names in baby talk—no luck. I finally said, ‘The sooner you come in, the sooner it’ll be over,' and she walked right in”.

Beau Holland

12. Her Little Friend

a small white dog laying on top of a bedPhoto by noelle on Unsplash

Years ago, I lived in a high-rise condo in Chicago. We lived on the 41st floor and there were 10 condo units per floor. At the time, I had two Maltese dogs, Johnny and Edgar. Although they weighed under 15 pounds, I had no idea how big Edgar’s heart really was.

One very cold mid-winter evening, I answered a knock on my door to see my elderly Hungarian neighbor lady standing there, holding a pot in her outstretched arms. She was crying and through her tears and heavy accent she said, “Here. I thought you could use this. I don’t know what to do with this. I don’t need it anymore”.

Then she passed a pot of boiled chicken and rice to me. Upon further discussion, I found out her little Yorkie had passed over the weekend and she always prepared chicken and rice for him nightly. As she turned to walk back to her condo, my little Edgar bolted out of my door and ran ahead of her down the hall.

He sat in front of her door and just looked at the doorknob, completely ignoring my calls for his return. She opened her door and he ran inside, jumped up on the couch, and had made himself comfortable by the time I got there to take him back. “Can he stay for a while?" she asked.

I was unsure what I should do. I did not know her other than in passing on the elevator or in the hall. But I looked at her and then I looked at Edgar, already nestled in on the couch. He was not worried.

So, I finally said yes but only under the condition that she would allow him to come home as soon as he was ready, and she had to leave her door open and I would leave mine open for him to do so. A short time later I heard her door close and when I looked up, Edgar was in my kitchen announcing his return.

The following night at 7 pm Edgar carried on for me to open the kitchen door. I did, and he ran down the hall to her door. He scratched on it until she answered and when she did he pranced inside and jumped on her couch. Again she asked if he could stay and again I agreed.

Throughout the following weeks into the spring, Edgar asked to go. The neighbor opened her door to his scratches and Edgar pranced inside reporting for duty to sit on her couch with her while she worked on her needlepoint and listened to music. An hour or so later he would return.

In the spring she knocked on my door one more time. This time in her extended arms was a plant. “Here," she said. “This plant is my gift to Edgar. I am leaving for the airport now. I am moving back to Hungary. I have family there, but I will surely miss my little friend”.

MD Winner

13. One Way To Stop An Argument

fawn pug in white bathtubPhoto by Heiko Giesberg on Unsplash

I was running a bath and waiting for the water to fill the tub and my dog, Monte, was keeping me company. He basically followed me wherever I went, sleeping at my feet when I had papers to write and sleeping in my bed beside me—with his head on the pillow, just like a person—every night.

My sister came into the bathroom and we got into a huge fight. I don't even remember what it was about. I know we were definitely yelling at each other and each of us was furious with the other. Suddenly, we heard a large splash. Both our heads turned simultaneously to see that Monte was standing in the bathtub.

Monte hated water. He was a huge priss (at 80 pounds) who refused to even put his paws onto damp grass. It took both of us using cheese and more than a little elbow grease to bathe him every month. We were both astonished that Monte was just chilling in a bathtub full of water.

We started laughing so hard that we stopped fighting. After what felt like a few minutes of hysterical laughter, Monte seemed to think his objective was accomplished and jumped back out. We dried him off and he seemed to bask in his success at getting angry siblings to be quiet(er).

Bree P. Strange

14. Where’s Kitty?

a black and white cat sitting in the grassPhoto by Luis van den Bos on Unsplash

I am a veterinarian in a small town. A farmer found Kaycee as a stray and brought her to me after she got hit by a car. She was such a gentle dog. She loved kittens. She liked to put her mouth on them, but she never harmed even the smallest one.

Kaycee was pretty needy, so I took her to work with me nearly every day. We would play a game called “Get the kitty!" If there was a kitten in the building, she’d find it and point it out to me and get all excited. Adult cats were of no interest to her. She tolerated them. They were boring.

We had a black and white kitten as our newest clinic cat. Her name is Cow Spots. We call her Cowy. On this particular day, when Cowy was six months old, and I did not have Kaycee with me like I usually did. Cowy went missing in the morning, but I didn’t know where to look.

When my husband got home from work, I had him bring Kaycee to me at the clinic. I took her around inside the building. I told her, “Get the kitty! Where’s the kitty?" No kitty. I took Kaycee out behind the building. “Get the kitty! Where’s the kitty?"

There’s a house behind the building with an old shed beyond that. Kaycee led me back, sniffing and listening. As we passed the shed, she stopped and looked up at the door. It ran in an overhead track, so the door was loose. I pushed on it and out came Cowy.

She’d slipped out an opening in our back fence, then gone in through that loose shed door to poke about. The door had to be pushed from the outside, so she was stuck. Kaycee saved her life. I would never have found her in there. And that dog knew exactly what I wanted.

Sherrie Hockett

15. The Man Of The House

black smooth-coated dogPhoto by Victor Grabarczyk on Unsplash

Jack is five years old, and a full member of our small family. We don’t treat him like he is the dog—he’s just one of us. And he doesn’t behave like he’s the dog of the family. Our problems are his problems. However trivial they may seem, he tries to understand them and help solve them.

First, he’s the only one in this house dealing with spiders, mice, and other pests. He noticed our reluctance to sort those creatures, so he stepped in. When there’s a spider, we call the only male in the family.

When we can’t find the car keys, the house keys, or other keys, which happens often, he gets off his couch, lets out an annoyed “aaaa—ah," and then proceeds to find the keys for his girls. He never fails.

He’s the one to “answer” when someone knocks at the door, patrols the yard, and makes eye contact with the neighbors. As my previous neighbors put it, “He’s the man of the house”.

He checks on my child several times per night: He gingerly gets off my bed, then goes to check on my daughter, and I can hear a sigh of relief before he cuddles back next to me. Every single night.

He tried to refine his role even more, but living in a dog’s body didn’t help: He broke three keyboards and a mouse before he understood he couldn't use computers.

Teodora Greywoolf

16. Good Dog

black and white short coated dog on green grass fieldPhoto by Conor Brown on Unsplash

When I first got married, we decided to get a dog before our son was born so that he would have a dog companion growing up with him just like I had growing up.

My wife picked out a dog that was eight months old and was, as best as we could tell, a mix between a German Shepherd and a Retriever. She looked more like a Shepherd because of her coat coloring, but Retriever in face shape. My wife decided to name her Samantha (Sammy, for short).

Fast forward a few years and we now have three sons, the youngest of which is about three years old. The two older boys, aged five and seven, went out into our very large backyard to play. There was a strict rule about playing in the backyard which was that nobody was allowed to open the back gate because it led into a drainage ditch.

It only filled with water after a rain and was usually dry, but it had broken concrete lining the bottom. I had to go take care of something in my shed which would only take about 10 minutes. I told my oldest to make sure nothing happened and the three of them were playing in the back corner area where the gate was at.

I remember calling Sammy over to me and telling her to watch the baby (my three-year-old) and make sure he doesn’t get hurt. She jumped up and looked me in the eyes, wagged her tail, and then went off to where the boys were playing. I didn’t really think anything of it until I came back out of the shed to check on them.

I could hear my youngest one whimpering and semi-crying as if something was bothering him, so I looked over to see what was wrong. And that is when I saw something truly amazing.

My three-year-old was trying to pull the latch back on the back fence so he could open it and go out, but Sammy was getting in his face and licking him all while nudging him back away from the gate! I couldn’t believe what I was seeing…he kept smacking her on the back and face, but it didn’t stop her from keeping him away from that fence.

He finally got exasperated and ran away from her crying. As he was running away from her, she looked over at me as if to say, “I got this, hoo-man!" I could go on and on about so many things that Sammy did that surprised us all, but the most amazing thing she did was to come into our lives.

I truly feel that people who own a pet are a better version of themselves.

Sean Smith

17. I’m Satisfied

landscape photography of white box vanPhoto by Joel Moysuh on Unsplash

We adopted a German Shepherd named Rex from our local rescue organization. He was a very sweet dog with an amazingly calm temperament. Except for the mailman. He really, really didn’t like the mailman and seemed to feel that we needed his protection from this daily intruder.

So when the mailman showed up at our front door, Rex would bark ferociously until the mail had been delivered and the mailman was safely on his way. However, one day, to my complete surprise, the mailman came and went with absolutely no reaction from Rex.

So I casually said to him, “Rex, what happened? The mailman came and went and you didn’t even bark”. He stood there, patiently, looking at me while I talked. When I was finished, he walked calmly over to the closed front door, stood there for a moment looking at the door, and then very quietly went, “Woof”.

As in “Satisfied?" If I hadn’t seen him do it, I never would have believed it!

Ginger McKay

18. The Hooligan

person holding gray tabby cat while lying on bedPhoto by Chris Abney on Unsplash

We have a cat named Hooligan—the only cat we’ve not renamed. We adopted him at about six months, knowing he was a Horrible Little Cat. Mostly, he played REALLY rough, so the rescue wanted him to go to a house with experienced cat people AND some older cats to teach him manners…which has mostly worked.

Anyway, after we’d had him for a couple of years, we adopted a pair of kitten siblings—and he immediately ADORED them and took them under his wing, like a combination big brother/uncle.

One morning he came downstairs without the kittens in tow, and when they hadn’t followed in a few minutes, I asked him, “Hooligan! Where are your kittens?" And his eyes went wide, and ears went back, like: “OMG! I forgot the baby on the bus!" and he TORE upstairs—to come down a minute later with the kittens in tow.

Amanda Rene Fisher

19. Cuddly Cat

person holding brown cat on white textilePhoto by Paul Hanaoka on Unsplash

When I was newly pregnant, I was exhausted all the time and needed to rest often. My rescue street tabby, Cazo de Fuerza, who was always affectionate, started a new behavior. As I was lying on my side to nap, Cazo would position himself draped over my hip, so his belly was against my belly—and then he would begin a low satisfied purr.

I've read that cats and dogs can sense an early pregnancy because hormone changes make the mother smell differently; maybe Cazo could also read my physical energy. Whatever it was, he never let me out of his sight from then on and was always purring to my belly whenever I was down.

During the third trimester, I was so huge he had to really stretch to make it across me but he made it!

Susan Spande

20. The Electric Window

golden retriever inside carPhoto by Ja San Miguel on Unsplash

I have three dogs: a Labradoodle, a Standard Poodle, and a Great Dane/Poodle/Lab mix. Driving home one day, my Labradoodle figured out how to open the electric window on my car. The first time may have been an accident but the second time wasn’t and she blocked my hand from the switch.

I have to turn off the windows when she is in my car.

James Barnhart

21. Timeout

dog lying on bedPhoto by Vanessa Serpas on Unsplash

We used to have a brindle mastiff called Zed. He wasn’t the brightest brick in the wall. He was 50 kilograms of lovable dummy.

One of the things that he wasn’t allowed to do was eat the cat’s food but that didn’t stop him from sneakily hoovering it when we weren’t in the room. Zed subscribed to the theory that he only had to do what he’d been told when were around to enforce it.

He had a big blanket-covered basket in the corner where he hung out and slept most of the time but if he misbehaved he went out on the deck for a timeout, which was apparently the most horrifying, cruel, and heartless punishment there was.

He’d cry continuously until he was forgiven and allowed back in whereupon he acted penitent in his corner for a period to demonstrate that he’d learned his lesson and was a better and more moral dog. One time, we left him napping in his basket. My partner and I came in a minute later to find him nose-deep in the cat’s dish.

He looked at us for half a second, stuck his rapacious maw back in the dish, and gulped the scraps down before bailing out the door onto the deck whereupon he sat next to the open door and began to cry and whine as if he was undergoing his timeout punishment.

It was hilarious.

Michelle - MAD PIRATE QUEEN

22. The Medical Alert Dog

a black and white dog laying in the leavesPhoto by Rafaëlla Waasdorp on Unsplash

I suffer from chronic cluster headaches. In a typical 24-hour day I can suffer up to 12 attacks, each lasting between 10 minutes to three hours. The severity of my pain is largely dependent on the speed of self-administered treatments, starting with high-flow oxygen.

My dog, Amber, is an English Springer Spaniel, a breed commonly known for their superior ‘sniffability’. From the age of four and without any encouragement she started sleeping in my bed.

Whilst I loved having her with me—she was of great comfort whilst I cried and screamed—I blamed her tapping of my head and waking me as the cause and start of a cluster attack...that is, until I had a stunning revelation.

I realized her tapping was to warn me of an imminent cluster headache. How clever is she, knowing this some 60–90 seconds before me! Critically, however, her warnings allow me valuable seconds to start treatments, especially oxygen, which on its own can abort an attack in as little as 10 minutes.

Even now, aged ten, she still sleeps curled into my stomach and whilst she no longer wakes me before every attack, she still does so for the more painful ones.

Paul Bowdrey

23. The Proud Pony

brown horse with silver round pendant necklacePhoto by Luisa Peter on Unsplash

My family owns horses. One horse we used to have was an old Morab that my sister and I literally learned how to ride on. His name was Buddy, and he was one of the most amazing animals ever.

When we got him, he was already rather old, and we owned him for the rest of his life. However, he soon got too old to ride. This came to me getting a new horse since I needed one to ride. I got the sweetest little mare ever, whose name was Misty.

The story of how I got her is another story, but after about a year of riding her, I was riding bridleless in our arena to work on our connection. Buddy was in the neighboring pasture with the other horses.

Here’s one thing about Buddy, if he ever saw someone outside and it was within five hours of his dinner time, he’d start pacing. It was the reason we could never keep weight on him, he always walked it off!

As I was riding, Misty and I going through our paces, he came up to the fence. Now, I’m not one to think animals have the same emotions as us, but this is an exception. Usually, Buddy would pace and whine and cause a ruckus, but not this time, no, he literally just stood and watched us, and if I do dare to say, looked…proud.

It shook me to my core, never, in my entire life had I seen any animal with such a human expression. He watched us for half an hour, riding around that arena, and that instance has stuck with me for years, and probably always will.

Kit Anand

24. Silly Kitty

selective focus photography of orange and white cat on brown tablePhoto by Amber Kipp on Unsplash

As wonderful as my cat, Nebula, is…she's kinda dumb. Like, she should wear a helmet for her own safety dumb. She'll starve not realizing there's food in her bowl (that she's sniffing) unless she actually sees you put the food in.

One time she was laying on the floor between my pillows while I was making the bed. I looked at her and thought she was adorable and had to take a picture. So, naturally, I took fifty of them. Well, in the middle of them, she got the scare of a lifetime. Supplied entirely by herself.

In her lying position, she arched her back, flung her tail up like the basic Halloween black cat image, and crossed her eyes just to see a pink, textured horror as it landed on her nose. She ran away meowing bloody murder.

She was spooked by her own tongue.

William Goble

25. She Understood

adult yellow Labrador retrieverPhoto by Noémi Macavei-Katócz on Unsplash

I need to comment quickly on my dog Eliza's walking behavior. She was…an exuberant walker. Sometimes hard to control, high energy. I worked hard to give her enough exercise, even tried to rollerblade with her (not good).

One day, I decided to jog with her. We were about a mile from the house, running on an asphalt path. Suddenly my right foot stops in mid-stride. I had one of those slo-mo moments—I looked down and saw it had caught in the loop of my left shoelace.

I knew I was going to fall and I didn't want to get tangled up in the dog leash so I tossed it, fell to the right of the path where it was grassy, hit hard, and rolled. I was absolutely STUNNED by the fall. I had to lay there a few moments before I could get my wits about me. And then I thought, where's the dog?

She had run off about 20 yards and was standing there with her dopey Lab smile. All I could do was raise my left hand and say, “Eliza, come here”. While I was hurt, I wanted to make sure my dog didn't go out in the street. I needed her by me before I could see to my injuries.

But then I worried about when she got there! Eliza had proximity issues. She loved being CLOSE. I used to say if she could crawl inside my skin, it still wouldn't be close enough. Her big dopey Lab smile suddenly became a furrowed brow. She knew something was wrong.

She came to where I was sitting and stood over me, perpendicular to me, about at my knees. And then just looked at me. I thought, okay, this is weird as I fully expected her to be all over me. But I was able to take an inventory of what hurt, bumps, bruises, etc.

I decided to stand so I could check my hip (I hit really hard) and used Eliza to help support me. She just stood there. When I decided to walk, I thought, ugh, she's going to pull. Nope. Eliza took little baby steps, constantly looking up to check me, matching my slow pace. I finally decided to pick up the pace a little, maybe a slow jog.

She actually held back some, being concerned for me, but then she realized I was mostly okay so she did what she did best—became my exuberant walker out for a good time.

Luis Canedo

26. Holding It In

long-coated black and white dog during daytimePhoto by Baptist Standaert on Unsplash

Hoss, a Border Collie. He had been bred and trained to herd cattle, sold to a rancher, failed to herd cattle, returned, retrained, resold, re-returned, and was going to be put down until the lady who had him before us took him in as a pet.

He had four great years with her before she got into bad health and had to move in with her family across the country in California, so we got Hoss. Then my father passed.

There was nowhere for Hoss to stay while we were at the funeral, so we loaded his food bowl and his three-gallon water jug and apologized to him, but he was going to be on his own from one morning to the next night. We ended up having to stay an additional night.

We got home that third night and accepted that this poor dog had to have pooped and peed somewhere in the house. NOPE! This dog held it for THREE DAYS!

We came home and opened the door, he came out, said hi to us, and ran into the woods to poop and pee his brains out! I don’t know how he did it, but I am so grateful that during a stressful time, he didn’t give me one more unpleasant duty.

David Alan Melson Junior

27. Protecting The Neighbor’s Puppy

brown and black yorkshire terrier puppy playing green tennis ball on green grass field during daytimePhoto by Chris Smith on Unsplash

I had a little Yorkshire Terrier, Freddie. He’s gone now, but several years ago when he was quite elderly, about 15 years old, we were returning from our evening walk as usual when suddenly he stopped, appeared to be listening, and turned back the way we had come, looking at me. Since this had never happened before I went along with it.

Fred retraced his route up around the corner of the crescent we live on. A neighbor was standing on his front step. He said, “There's a puppy running around on the street. He must have got out and he won’t come over to me”. I looked over and saw a neighbor's new puppy, a tiny four-pound Yorkshire terrier, gleefully running about like a demented mosquito.

In the dusk, he was hard to see and could easily be hit by a car. Fred and I crossed the street and the puppy ran over to greet my Fred. Together we walked to the puppy’s house and knocked on the door. He scooted in as soon as the neighbor opened his door. Then Fred turned around and trotted back home. Mission accomplished.

Lynn Sherwood

28. The Tiny Defender

short-coated white and brown puppyPhoto by Alec Favale on Unsplash

My dog and cat are not friends. They share the house and a water bowl in a state of quiet tolerance. You will never find them playing or cuddling, but like most tenuous alliances they proved more than willing to unite against a common enemy.

A few weeks ago, my sister went on a week-long trip to visit her kids and left her two dogs here. My poor cat, who barely tolerates my dog on a good day, was absolutely terrified of these new intruders and spent the entire week hiding in my bedroom.

He did not leave that room for any reason. Even the basic food, water, and litter box reasons. All three of those items were unceremoniously placed in my bedroom and that was that. Unfortunately, my bedroom door happens to be broken.

So about the third or fourth day of dog sitting, I happened to be sitting on my bed with my dog and cat, who had decided to emerge from his hiding place under the bed just for the occasion. Everything was peaceful until Roxy, my sister's absolutely enormous German Shepherd, decided to find out what I was up to.

She pushed open the door and barreled her way into the room. The few times I've seen my cat absolutely terrified, I've noticed that instead of running away he freezes in terror and will not move unless someone or something moves him.

My dog has never before displayed any sign of affection for her housemate. But at this moment, she leaped into action. She jumped right over the pathetic, stricken creature and confronted the intruder. My dog is a teacup Chihuahua and weighs all of four pounds. She is about eight inches tall at her highest point.

But the David and Goliath situation didn't seem to bother her at all. She stood her ground between a now thoroughly interested Roxy and an even more thoroughly petrified cat. She barked and nipped at poor Roxy's face, backing up as her opponent advanced. She ended up standing right over my frozen cat's head in an effort to defend him.

After about 30 seconds of barking, growling, and nipping, Roxy retreated to the safety of the couch. My dog, swollen with pride at having driven off the invader, gave her frightened housemate a triumphant sort of whimper and laid back down.

The cat, his paralysis having left with Roxy, threw a scandalized look around the room, stood up, and retreated back under the bed without so much as a meow of thanks for his tiny defender.

Kate Devlin

29. Knows The Difference

black and white dalmatian puppyPhoto by Balmer Rosario on Unsplash

My wife’s Dalmatian was 92 pounds of solid muscle. One day a door-to-door salesman came to the house with a product my wife was willing to buy. He stepped inside and Sebastian sat at his feet, leaned up against him, and treated him like a family member.

A couple of weeks later he came back but with a product in which my wife was uninterested. But he was a bit pushy and started to come inside. My wife said that he suddenly froze. Following his gaze, she saw Sebastian with saliva dripping off his fangs and a growl so low she said she could only feel it in her stomach and never really heard.

Neither one of us had ever seen him do that, but he obviously knew the difference between friendly and unwanted.

Rick Roberts

30. The Couch

a black and brown dog sitting on top of a lush green fieldPhoto by Sabīne Jaunzeme on Unsplash

Emma, a Rottweiler/Bull Mastiff cross. She ate our couch. She was fine until my wife went back to work; she suffered from separation anxiety and took it out on the couch (the dog, not my wife). But what really amazed me is that I would come home to find the couch in different rooms.

She was a powerful dog and would drag it around the house with her. Still not amazed? The room the couch was in was a sunken living room. She had to pull that sucker up three stairs to get it out of the room. We finally threw out her favorite chew toy when she had it down to the wooden frame.

Mike Neville

31. Sharing Milk Bones

adult golden retriever with cookie bone on nosePhoto by McDobbie Hu on Unsplash

A friend and I were in a hotel room with our two dogs. I pulled out a couple of Milk Bones so they could each have one. My friend reminded me that her dog was allergic to some of the ingredients in Milk Bones, and she said her dog could not have one, but said I should go ahead and give one to my dog.

Her dog went to her kennel, sad that she could not have a Milk Bone. My dog took the Milk Bone I gave her and walked over to the kennel, setting the Milk Bone just inside for the other dog.

Beth Slovick

32. The Loo Cat

brown tabby catPhoto by Jae Park on Unsplash

One of our cats, Neo, a three-year-old rescue, prefers to use the toilet, not kitty litter, when inside. Yep. If he needs to go, he hops up onto the loo seat, faces the door, and does his business. So, before we go to bed, we make sure the lid is up, in case he needs to use the loo.

Ben Longden

33. Simone Says

brown and white duck on gray concrete floorPhoto by Ross Sokolovski on Unsplash

We lived out in the country and had a female duck named Simon. After she laid an egg, we renamed her Simone. She dutifully sat on that unfertilized egg for weeks, only leaving it to eat and drink occasionally.

Well, one day, l was sitting with a friend on the back porch and eyeing Simone under the bush with her egg about 15 yards away from us. l said to my friend, “Poor Simone—she doesn’t know that egg will never hatch”.

No sooner had the words left my mouth than she got up, picked her egg up in her mouth, carried it up to us, and threw it down at our feet! Of course, it just exploded into foul-smelling stuff, and she waddled off in disgust, quacking loudly as if to scold me for not telling her sooner.

She never did lay another egg after that.

Carolyn Rill

34. Jealousy

two brown short-coated dogs laying on bedPhoto by Jared Murray on Unsplash

My dog tried to hide her brother’s new bed. After I adopted my two pit bulls, they slept on my bed every night, Niki by my side and Ringo by my feet…until I got into a serious relationship. My girlfriend moved in with me and my bed just wasn’t big enough to hold two people and two pitties.

I had some old dog beds that the dogs were using, but not at night, so we decided to get some new beds. I went out and got the biggest, softest, most comfortable beds I could find but the pet shop only had one of them. They would get some more the next day. I got the bed home and presented it to Ringo, and he loved it!

He slept on it that night, and Niki had to make do with one of the old beds. The next night, I went into the bedroom and the big, new, ultra-cushioned bed was gone. I looked around the apartment, thinking maybe Ringo dragged it somewhere? I checked everywhere, and didn’t find it…until I went back into the bedroom.

There, on the other side of the bed, was Niki PUSHING Ringo’s new bed UNDER my bed WITH HER PAWS! She took his bed, dragged it over, and was actively hiding it from him. When I stopped laughing, I went and got Niki her bed that night, and never had a problem with this since.

Robin L. Stears

35. Stop Bothering Us

black labrador retriever with red collarPhoto by Samuel Girven on Unsplash

Years ago, we had a female Black Lab. She weighed around 90 pounds—a big dog. We had a JW who wouldn’t take no for an answer. He would come to the door, ring, and knock. I was getting really frustrated that I couldn’t deter him from interrupting my day.

One Sunday, he came to the door. Babe must have sensed how peeved I was about this annoyance. She took off to the front door at a full sprint and went through the screen door barking, with her teeth showing. He fell to the ground. She put her front paws on his chest and stood on him, licking his face as she growled.

I came to the door and told him not to come back again or I would give Babe permission to bite him. We were never visited by JWs again.

Robert Brummett

36. Pajama Parties

litter of dogs fall in line beside wallPhoto by Hannah Lim on Unsplash

Our Bruno loved pajama parties and regularly went on a walkabout at night, collecting all his friends, and bringing them home so that any given morning we would wake up to between six and 12 dogs in the garden! No fighting or barking, just a very civilized gathering of strange dogs who came to have a snack at our house!

Never knew where they came from but in the morning they would leave when the gate was opened, only to return again that evening. Bruno cost us a fortune as we had to raise the height of the wall to keep him in, and them out.

Lesley Smit

37. The Morning Kiss

brown cat across person lying on bedPhoto by Adam Kuylenstierna on Unsplash

My cat, Sweetpea, used to have a habit of kissing me awake in the morning. Not lick; literally sitting on my chest and deliberately putting her really, really ticklish, fuzzy mouth on mine and holding it there. I think she was in that phase of discovering ways to get me out of bed to feed her and her sister.

Erin Wood

38. A Team Effort

black and grey otter animalPhoto by Steve Tsang on Unsplash

Several years ago, I had a group of ferrets: three boys and one tiny girl who was under a pound. One day I came into the kitchen and saw them by the cupboard, so I thought they were wanting a treat. I reached over for the treat bag, just in time to see my little girl poke her nose out of the silverware drawer.

Now, being so tiny, she couldn't reach the cupboard door without a little help. I looked down at the boys, who were all patiently awaiting their treat…and when I pulled their sister out of the drawer…they all looked away as if to disown her.

I placed her on the floor, where everyone sniffed and greeted her. Then within a few moments, I heard scratching at the cupboard. I got up quietly and, peeking around the corner, saw one of my boys getting the cupboard door open just wide enough for his sister to get in.

Within a few seconds, she climbed up the inside of the drawers. Upon reaching the top she poked her head out, looked around, walked up to the treat bag…and pushed it on the floor.

Sandra Lang

39. Separation Anxiety

a german shepherd dog sitting on a dirt roadPhoto by Bella Pisani on Unsplash

I had a Belgian Shepherd named Marley. She was a rescue dog and had separation anxiety. When she was about seven, I had left the house and was driving a two-way main thoroughfare, two blocks from home, when movement caught my eye to my left.

To my surprise, I saw Marley in full sprint in the opposite lane, tongue out, keeping pace with my car and looking at me with a happy glint in her eyes. Just as I was going to react and pull over…suddenly the side of a GMC van blasted by the other way accompanied by a solid THUD! Marley disappeared from sight.

I freaked out, pulled over, and ran back to where she got hit. No sign of her. Then I heard panting behind me. I turned around and there was Marley, wagging her tail, so happy I stopped. I examined her head to tail in my panicked state…and no sign of injury.

Horace Manaford

40. Sweet Stealer

black pug looking at piePhoto by charlesdeluvio on Unsplash

Being a private tutor at home, I put sweets in a bowl on a trolley for pupils to take after each weekly lesson.

One day, I looked out to the back garden from my kitchen window and saw my dog eating something that looked like a sweet. So she must have found one that was dropped on the floor in the hallway! I knew I couldn't get it back from her because by the time I got out there, she would have finished it or run away with it. I was steaming mad.

In no time, she came back through her dog flap, looking pleased, and I could see the wrapper was still on the grass. I turned and yelled at her, “You naughty dog, you stole my sweet! Where is the wrapper? Bring me back the wrapper!" She immediately ran out, took the wrapper, and brought it back to me, again looking pleased with herself.

I was dumbfounded.

Shirley Marr

41. The Singer

a large black dog sitting on top of a tiled floorPhoto by Maiar Shalaby on Unsplash

I had a large dog named Max who I found wandering the neighborhood. One day when he was about six months old, we were relaxing on the couch and I called my sister-in-law to wish her a happy birthday. I knew she was at work so I started singing Happy Birthday to her answering machine.

Suddenly, Max lifted his huge head with a startled look and he started howling with my singing. Startled me so much that I dropped the phone. He stopped howling. I grabbed the phone and finished my song and so did he. So I started testing him. I sang Christmas songs, New Year songs, and everything I could think of. No reaction at all.

He didn’t cover his ears but he was not interested. So I called everyone I knew and sang Happy Birthday and he sang with me. He was strangely in tune.

Dyan Richardson

42. The Weather Cat

white and brown long fur catPhoto by Alvan Nee on Unsplash

Three weeks ago I was at my son’s house getting ready to help him mix and pour concrete for the foundation of a storage shed. He went to the building supply store the night before and got 30 sacks of premix concrete for us to use the next day.

DJ the cat, curious about everything, hopped up into the back of his pickup and was inspecting, sniffing, and patting the sacks of dry mix as we discussed whether to cover them with a tarp.

“Nah, it’s not going to rain,” was our conclusion.

At five in the morning, I was awakened by DJ’s insistent yowls. I lifted the window blind and there she was on the window’s brick ledge carrying on. I thought, “Great. Just when I need some sleep, that cat wakes me up". Then I heard dink…tink…tink-dink…

Tiny raindrops. I hollered for my son and he quickly ran out and covered the concrete sacks with a tarp while I moved his car from under the carport for him to back the truck under. No sooner had he put it under the carport than the heavens opened up and two inches of rain fell in an hour. DJ saved $250 worth of concrete.

Farmall Emta

43. The Persistent Pooper

adultgolden retrieverPhoto by John Price on Unsplash

We have a specific plant in our garden and my dog wouldn't stop pooping on them. Them specifically. So I took some firewood planks and stuck them in the ground as a makeshift fence around them.

It worked for a few days until she crawled past the gap between the plant and the hedge, did a reverse turn, and pooped on my plant again. Persistence at its best!

GoldenAgeComics

44. The Drama Queen

brown rabbit on window during daytimePhoto by Ансплэш Степана on Unsplash

I went out of town for a weekend. I lined up a friend to stay with my rabbit while I was gone. I was just heading back to my house when I suddenly got a call from my friend. She told me to get home NOW. She said the rabbit was acting really weird. Listless, turning down treats—all things that point to the beginnings of GI Stasis which is bad.

I got home and sat with her for about 20 minutes. Yep, she was showing signs. Got her to the emergency vet. $300 for the vet to tell me her diagnosis: drama queen. The rabbit was just upset that I wasn't home.

Decoupagetheworld

45. That’ll Show You

blue parakeet on handPhoto by Alexander Grey on Unsplash

One time, my bird was really mad about bedtime. She flew to the curtain, peeped loudly until I watched, then pooped on the curtain while looking straight at me. She was poop-trained and definitely knew what she was doing.

DaughterEarth

46. The Disrespectful Dog

two golden retriever on floorPhoto by REGINE THOLEN on Unsplash

One of my dogs used the other dog as a stepping stool to climb up on the couch. Straight up, he walked on top of the one laying next to the couch to get up there. Just blatant disrespect.

nhstadt

47. A Cat And His Bell

russian blue cat lying on white textilePhoto by Milada Vigerova on Unsplash

I have a little cat. My neighbor has a colony of feral cats living on her property and she called me one day and said, “Hey, you’ve got to come over and see this kitten”.

So I went over and we were talking on her front verandah and she said, “Here he comes”. This tiny ball of gray fur bounced around the corner of the house and ran straight up to us. He promptly climbed up my jeans and curled up in my hands.

It was so hard putting him down and going home, but I knew I’d be back for him the next day. I needed to get some stuff together for him first: a bed, a litter tray, food and water bowls, and kitten food.

This little kitten literally fell into my lap. He had one toy that was his absolute favorite. It was a little plush, stuffed red bell, with a jingly bell on it, that came in a cat’s Christmas stocking. He would carry it all over the house. You would hear the little bell coming and then he’d trot into the room with it in his mouth.

Then I discovered something that I thought was a fluke the first time, but after a few times, I realized it wasn't a fluke after all. This cat would fetch. I’ve had cats that would chase fluffy things on a string and pounce on balls rolling across the floor, but not actively fetch.

He dropped the little red bell at my feet. I picked it up and threw it across the room for him to chase. And then he brought it back and dropped it at my feet again. I was gobsmacked. I threw it across the room again and he joyfully chased it, picked it up, trotted back to me, and dropped it again.

Sarah Blair

48. But Can He Fit Four

brown and white short coated dog sitting on brown sand during daytimePhoto by Vidhey PV on Unsplash

At the dog park, years back, we were approaching a pond. There was this big dog in the water that looked horribly disfigured—like it must’ve tried fetching a live grenade. Poor thing. Whatever; life goes on. He was happily playing with two other dogs in the water.

As I got closer, trying to discreetly check out his messed up mouth parts, the dog dropped three tennis balls out of his mouth and suddenly went back to being a normal, non-disfigured Boxer!

LetsJerkCircular

49. Maybe She Just Wanted Another Bath

black and grey otter animalPhoto by Steve Tsang on Unsplash

For Christmas, my mom bought me a cute, four-legged, long fuzzy bundle of joy. My ferret Harli Quinn! I had never owned a ferret before so learning the ways of my new fur baby was somewhat challenging.

After reading blog posts, articles, and books on the ways of the ferret I somehow overlooked the part where ferrets were natural-born borrowers.

With that said, when it came time for Harli's first bath, I was 100% prepared! Water a little above lukewarm but not as hot as humans prefer, name-brand ferret deodorizing shampoo, and a pink rubber duck family pack ready for ferret bath fun! All I needed was the weasel.

Luckily she was standing by my feet, curious as to what I was doing in the kitchen sink, so I picked her up and slowly put her in. I could tell this wasn't her first bath. Unfortunately, she didn't seem as excited about it as I thought, so I picked her up and added some cool water just to rule out any temperature issues.

Put her back in and nope! It was the total opposite reaction to the ‘ferrets during bath time' videos I had watched on YouTube. No fun splashing, circle-swimming, rubber-duck-playing, ferret-loving-to-swim for her. She just stood there patiently waiting for me to clean and rinse her.

So, I shampooed her and began rinsing her off. Just when all of the soap suds were out of her fur, ferret poop filled the sink. So, we shampooed one more time and had a successful rinse. I reach over to grab the towel that I thought I put on the right side of the sink, but then I realize it was actually behind me, well over an arm’s length away.

I didn't want to make her even colder by running her to the other side of the kitchen so I left her in the sink as I made the fastest ‘other side of the kitchen dash' I had ever made in my life. I turned to run back to the sink to find that Harli was missing!

My initial thought was “Oh no! My poor baby fell off the counter and is hurt, cold, and…” Before I could finish my thought I heard scraping in the plastic pot of my chili pepper plant on the sink counter by the window.

As I walked closer, Miracle Grow was being flung in every direction, and I have to admit the trajectory in which the dirt flew was pretty impressive for such a small critter. Within the seconds it took for me to grab a towel and run to the pepper plant, Harli had already made her way to the bottom of the little bush and was covered in dirt—again.

Christina Willett

50. Oh, Mandy

shallow focus photo of long-coated black and white puppyPhoto by Andrea Lightfoot on Unsplash

I adopted a five-month-old Border Collie mix puppy from local animal control. They didn’t bring her out to meet me. After I filled out the paperwork and paid the fee, the tech came out and said she’d take me back and let me get her out of the kennel.

I knew this was not their normal policy, but didn’t really think anything about it. I had the slip leash ready, and when the gate was opened, this poor pup nearly went into convulsions. She cowered in the back corner and screeched. They finally told me everything they had failed to say earlier.

She had been owned by a man who mercilessly hit her, kicked her for a potty accident, and screamed at her just because. He’d destroyed her spirit. I did not change my mind about taking her with me. I carried her to my car and settled both of us in. I spent a good amount of time just stroking and talking softly to her.

She was a little calmer so I started towards home but took the very long way. After an extended period of time in the car together we finally arrived. I took her out back to meet our other dog, fed her, and left her alone for a while.

The first few times I went out the sliding door to see her, she jumped in the bushes and stayed hidden until she heard me say her name. Then she would come out and greet me. I was at home another two months before I moved into the house at my dad’s tree farm.

I would let Mandy out early in the morning, and she still continued to hide as my dad would get out of his truck to open the gate into the nursery. When I brought her home, I vowed I would protect her and keep her safe. By the time we’d been living at the tree farm for about two months, she totally became MY protector.

When a stranger would drive up to the house, she was so calm, but stayed about three feet away from them as they got out of the car and walked to my door. The moment the person finished knocking, Mandy would gently clamp onto their ankle, not hurting them but a definite warning.

When I answered the door, she still held on. I’d be asked to call her off, but I told them I had to know who they were and what they wanted. Once I was satisfied all I had to say was, “They’re OK, Mandy”. Not excitedly, but calmly, very matter of fact.

She did this for the rest of her life. And she did not discriminate. She did this to a number of my dad’s customers, utility workers, personal friends, and one time a detective—twice.

Jody Oakes