apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

"loose" or "lose" - ? Hmm.

It's "lose". You can set something "loose" or have shoelaces that are "loose" as opposed to tight or tied but, to have something go missing is to "lose" it.

Yep I had a cat that my stepmother was watching and let outside. Flyers were put up and shelters were checked. The cat was never found.

*hijack* I love that this rabbit's name is Twitchey.

Hey guys. Maybe you shouldn't post their phone number.

Run Twitchey, run.
Don't look back until you reach Watership Down, where Hazel, Fiver and the others are waiting.
Be well, and have courage.

Pajaro- Don't worry, the phone number has been photoshopped.

I am really getting sick of people who keep correcting the spelling of people's posts. Give it a rest who cares? Usually we are typing fast and press submit before looking at it closely. I am even more sick of people who write back with their correction.

It would have to be corrected sooner than later anyway, the posts look kind of stupid, but how will people who don't know learn?

I can't find Twitchey unfortunately, I'm in the US. I see lost cat signs around the block from time to time, and it's kind of sad. Last time I saw a cat outside it was run over at the corner in the morning and unrecognizable as a cat by the time I got home, and scraped up before the next morning. I didn't see a sign for that particular one in the ensuing days. My cat stays inside, but if she got outside, she probably couldn't cope too well. My ex-neighbors used to let their cat out on the balcony and it had jumped down 3 stories, and they posted a sign - it came back to them soon after, maybe the same day, kind of screwed up from the jump, but alive and well enough. I don't know enough about birds, I see signs for parrots and macaws often enough, but I don't see them as being perceptive to their home, just flying and getting more and more lost. Cats and dogs probably know their way home eventually unless intercepted by someone who thinks they're lost.

How about the tip where you tag and chip your pet, so people know who they belong to right away and call you. That makes more sense than having your child compose a sad drawing.

Make sure you always have an up to date picture of your pet!
I know this post isn't for NY, but the ACC here has rabbits, so make sure you check the local pounds and rescues in case someone couldn't take care of your pet and brought it over there.

Also, I'm confused as to what suggests the picture was drawn by a kid? It's a million times better than I could have done.

Wow! No more help from me. If you don't know, apparently, "Don't Ask"

LabChick, precise spelling & grammar is extremely important. If you're offended by those of us who are offended by bad grammar ... too bad. I'm offended by the fact inaccurate grammar & spelling get posted in the first place. It's is sloppy and detracts from the credibility of this and any other website. Anyone making a post should take the time to insure it's accurate.

I should have said "precise spelling & grammar ARE extremely important." Also take out that IS following it's in the next-to-last sentence. Didn't follow my own rules!

I think you should have posted their phone number - what if Twitchey high-tailed it to LA?

And I'm with LabChick - I'm not against the odd typo in a post, just people like madampince who lose their mind with their loose grammar in their snooty corrections.

modernguy - you did nothing wrong, you have a nice day.

I'm with Madampince. Spell, so that I may see thee.

I live in Pasadena, CA and the other day I was walking my dog and saw a hand-scrawled sign that said "LOST: BLACK BIRD. WEARING LEATHER ANKLETS." With a phone #. Wow.

I too, think careful use of the language is justified and extremely important. I also believe in exercising balance in everything we do, so... If needed be, and if the need is great, by all means teach... if not, leave it to the casual air these posts infuse and go your way. And always laugh a little about yourself if the teaching was directed at you. We've all been students and teachers at some point. ;-)

jejeje, love

maroha

LOL!
really i don't care if anyone here bothers to spell anything correctly. it's ridiculous. it's sooo GRADE SCHOOL. but for you nitpickers out there, i'm surprised that none of you pointed out that "rabbit" was spelled incorrectly in the notice... you're too busy correcting people to "insure" good grammar and spelling.
whatever
anyway, how does anyone know for sure that a child even wrote it....it seems to resemble the typical scrawl of an adult, not a child.

funny, nonetheless

(re: typos) good to note the difference between high- and low-stakes writing.

i take the forum posts as low-stakes writing... done by non-professionals out to share an opinion. in this case, writing is a diversion, not an occupation.

i take the editorial posts (by professional bloggers/writers) as high-stakes writing and i second the "credibility" note above. these entries must be correct. it's your job.

but for the sign... priceless. for one of my graphic design classes, i ask the students to find several signs just like this... then -- using their design acumen, but using the same materials as the original artist -- interject hierarchy, balance, flow, type-magic, etc. to the piece... some amazing results...

needless to say, this sign has now gone into the hopper for inclusion in the class... thanks AT.

Yeah, you mean ensure, not insure, madampince. I'm all for rolling my eyes and dying a little inside at people who really should know the difference between lose and loose, and stuff like that, but I don't think it does any good to point these things out and contribute nothing else to the topic. We assume the word rabbit was spelled with one b because it's either written by a child, could be an Australian variant, or plain ignorant, but it wasn't written for this post, it was found in the mailbox and put on the fridge with a weird chicken magnet to be photographed for this post.

I think it's weird that the word loose was changed to lose before I saw any of the comments come up, which just makes a loss to the topic (or a loose depending on your vernacular, I suppose), which could have been made better by suggesting putting a tag and a chip on your pet so they would be returned to you by the person who finds them wandering around, and not have to hunt them down at every freaking shelter and post notices to your neighbors about it. How about ignore the extra o and add some suggestions for responsibility for your animals. Just because your Twitchey is an indoor pet doesn't mean they'll adhere to your law given the chance, and you want them to come back, right? How are they going to do that after you leave the front door open a crack for 2 seconds to answer the phone or the screen breaks wide, etc.?

I know we tend to minimize bloggers (i.e., they're not really writers), but the fact of the matter is, in this context, AT bloggers are getting paid to produce a piece of written work to be viewed by the public, and it should be grammatically correct. For those who think proper spelling and grammar are "so grade school," good luck in the real professional world where submitting written work with spelling and grammar errors will tank your credibility. I realize that everyone makes typos and errors, but this is why you should have someone else give your work the once-over to catch those things your eyes simply skip over when you've been staring at your own writing for too long!

My cat was inserted with a chip by the shelter I adopted him from. It gives me a little comfort to know there may be a chance of getting him back should I ever lose him.

And I too feel posts should be grammatically correct. But such is the sad state of writing these days... most people never learned how to write correctly in school. And that's not their fault. But shouldn't such folks strive to learn to write well on their own at some point? Especially if they find themselves in jobs which require an accomplished literary skill set? Poor writing skills should never get a pass.

I've read that you should never offer a reward for the return of your pet. Honest/upstanding people are not motivated by a reward, they just want to do the right thing and get your animal back to you. The reward, if offered, will mainly only entice hucksters and waste your time on bad leads.

Also, any posters should have a minimum of text - a large "Missing" works fine, a large/visible photo of the lost pet, date lost and a way to contact you.

I agree with labchick. It's not like I'm writing a thesis plus half the people on here curse and can't make a point. Should everyone correct them? Everyone on here is entitled to make mistakes and state opinions but the grammer police needs to get laid and worry about what the blog is about not the persons grammer. I'm first generation American. If anyone ever corrected my grandmother trust me they never would again. ; )

I'm just excited (?) to see Chickenfeed make an appearance on AT.