Miranda

I have a lovely 4-year-old rescued spaniel who spends her day gated in my bedroom while I work outside the home. She has access to a super-sized crate in my room during the day, with water, a bed on one side and a padded "toybox" in the other side.

Although she is responsive to treats and attention and has a repertoire of over two dozen tricks, I have not been able to teach her to put her toys away. Every morning I place her toys and kongs in her box, and by the time I get home, they are distributed precisely all over my bedroom floor - literally spaced 12" apart or so, like a giant cookie tray.

I have heard of other clever pets, such as labs and shepherds, learning to put their toys back in a box or basket. The usual method of rewarding behavior with treats or special scratches until it becomes habitual isn't getting me anywhere, though. Juliet can heel, beg, spin, pray, 'talk,' and dance the hula. Someone help me teach her to clean up! My back is killing me!

Get those creative juices flowing and make the most creative, historically accurate (or hilariously inaccurate) comparison of the opposite side's policies and the Führer.

... take one look at their aquarium, and just want to kidnap the poor fish?

I was invited to the home of a guy who owns a shark tank. He thought it would be cool to have one, as he is a lawyer ("shark=shark"). GROAN. He has a three foot blacktip reef shark in a six foot tank. There is a powerhead, keeping the shark in motion and barely alive - it can't even turn around. This was our conversation...

Q: "Wow, I bet you can't wait to move him to something bigger so you can really see him move..."

A: "Nah, he's fine in there, see the powerhead?"

Q. "Can he even turn around in there?"

A. "No, he doesn't need to."

Q. "So what are you feeding this guy?"

A. "I get some pellets from the store. He eats them when he's hungry."

Q. "I see he's got a red nose. Is he having trouble bumping into the tank sides?"

A. "Yeah, sometimes he bumps into stuff. Sharks aren't that smart."

I bet you can picture my look of stunned, disgusted disbelief..... Anyone know whether I can legitimately call animal control on this guy? My jaw must have been on the floor.

I've got a 90g FOWLR tank+fuge with a pair of green mandarins, a scooter blenny, and a small school of nine blue reef chromis (not the blue greens). One year in, everyone's getting along great, fat and frolicking.

I'd love to add some Banggai Cardinals but am embarassed to admit I'm having trouble finding straight answers on the best sized school to keep them in. I'm reading reports of them being so territorial they chase each other right OUT of the tank (not a problem with a clamped cover) and conflicting answers that say you can throw 30 in a big enough tank without problems.

So.... anyone who's kept these gorgeous creatures, please chime in. What's your experience with Banggais? How many could I keep in this sized tank, and more importantly - are these guys going to start pairing off and going nuts on me after a few months?

(Don't direct me to the LFS - my favorite indie store has TERRIFIC, healthy fish but awful employees)