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Forum
-> Hobbies, Crafts, and Collections
-> Pets
sequoia
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 Mon, Dec 20 2010, 12:49 pm
I was in the elevator of my building yesterday, it was very crowded and then a young woman came in with an enormous dog. It sniffed everyone, pushed its nose against us, put its paws on us and generally investigated everyone. I loved it, no one else seemed to mind either.
I guess if it were frum people they might freak out being in such close proximity with a huge assertive doggy...
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Isramom8
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Mon, Dec 20 2010, 1:56 pm
Animals get a bad rep.
A former adult neighbor was terrified of dogs because that's what he learned from his parents who were actually terrorized with dogs by the Nazis.
Animals are also tamei, so people aren't excited to have them around, when it means they will have to make sure they/their kids wash negel vasser after every hand to animal contact.
They also get hairs in food, scratch and snarl at and jump on and sometimes bite.
And you have to have traif food around your home to feed them, which your kids can end up eating, and my young dd in fact did eat cat food, and got a horrendous oozing rash on her inner thigh.
They also go missing, such as the hamster I had to capture under a pot just hours before my daughter's wedding, when it was running through the house. A hamster is basically a rat, but since it's called a hamster and a pet, we tolerate it in our homes.
When neighbors are irresponsible and allow their dogs to spring up on high fences suddenly barking loudly and startling people into the busy streets, or jump on toddlers on the sidewalk, then pets get a bad name. I'm sure the guy in our kollel who broke both his legs and for weeks his brothers had to take care of all his physical needs because a dog who escaped from a shiva house he was visiting chased him into oncoming traffic isn't thrilled with animals.
And they die. We have had to deal with the disposal of a number of our kids animals who just died and left us to take care of that. This includes a beloved cat who ran into oncoming traffic because she got scared of the Chanukah candles, a maggot-infested cat found in a corner of our garden, kittens who were attacked by a dog, kittens I bottle fed at midnight and then arose at 6 AM to feed again and they scrambled in attempts to nurse from my body, an expensive parrot who flew out the window and died a slow painful death, hamsters found bloody and with protruding body parts, and an adopted porcupine. Yes, a porcupine who appeared on our street. We were told that they are aound but show themselves to humans only if they are sick. That one sure was sick; it died 15 minutes after making its debut.
Should I get into allergies and asthma?
I grew up with a German Shepard, but now B"H I have human children in my home. I'm just not that talented at multi-tasking to enjoy caring for both children and animals. When a cat in labor tries to give birth in my child's closet, and we can't have any privacy from meandring cats and lost hamsters in the bedroom, it gets to be trying. I don't even have plants.
Just my personal vendetta. My mother said I hate animals. Really, I don't. I hope for some understanding. Sigh.
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detroitmom
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Mon, Dec 20 2010, 4:50 pm
You know a lot of you are bringing up the Holocaust as a reason but it doesn't quite make sense. I can understand that making people afraid of large or medium sized dogs. But not kittens or chihuahuas.
To Isramom
It's sad when animals die. I was the pariah of the neighborhood for feeding stray cats. But I did it anyway. Then I started noticing many of the kittens starting to die or disappear. A while later I found out people were giving them rat poison.
I had a friend who rescued most of the stray cats in my area and I adopted two myself.
The result of getting rid of the cats was that now the area is infested with rats and mice! Smart.
So the city came up with a great solution: huge buzzards to go eat the rats! Fantastic. We now have these ginormous beasts I mean birds swooping around.
The solution would have been to simply neuter and return the cats. 
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Amital
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Mon, Dec 20 2010, 5:37 pm
I understand fear of the big dogs, too. Especially very enthusiastic big dogs.
However, I have a 9 pound bichon, and there have been several people scared enough to shriek at her. She's friendly and nice, and if she jumps, can maybe reach mid thigh on a person. Maybe.
Kids, though, I understand. If a dog can put it's paws on my shoulders and look me in the eye, I might be wary, too.
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louche
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Mon, Dec 20 2010, 6:07 pm
Why are so many frum people scared of animals?
Because most frum people are 1. urban dwellers and therefore 2. have never had any contact with animals outside of a zoo.
back in the day when frum people were shepherds, farmers, hunters and balegolahs, IOW lived and dealt with animals on a daily basis, things had to have been different.
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sequoia
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Mon, Dec 20 2010, 6:13 pm
Huh?
Most urban dwellers adore animals!
I have no idea why frum people are scared of pets, I have no idea why anyone would be, but it isn't because they're city folk. I'm smack in the middle of Manhattan, as urban as it gets, and sometimes I think there are more dogs than people in my building.
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flowerpower
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Mon, Dec 20 2010, 6:15 pm
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Because of the lack of exposure.
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5S5Sr7z3
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Mon, Dec 20 2010, 6:24 pm
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Me, personally, I am scared of animals because my mother instilled in us this unnatural, crazy fear of them. Wish I knew why. I can handle cutesy small animals, but stay as far away from dogs as I could.
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sequoia
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Mon, Dec 20 2010, 6:26 pm
| IYamWhoIYam wrote: | | Me, personally, I am scared of animals because my mother instilled in us this unnatural, crazy fear of them. Wish I knew why. I can handle cutesy small animals, but stay as far away from dogs as I could. |
Right. THAT'S why!
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amother
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Mon, Dec 20 2010, 8:41 pm
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as frum as it could get and I love animals ! the problem is that they die and I cry. My 18 yo dog passed away last year and I still cry today.
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detroitmom
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Tue, Dec 21 2010, 4:54 am
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So basically it's completely cultural. I wondered if there was a halachic component to it at all. To the amother who is sad over her dog. I'm sorry. It's so painful to lose a pet. Have you considered getting another?
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Ruchel
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Tue, Dec 21 2010, 5:05 am
My dad, who is a war survivor, had several German shepherds. He loves this race. He stopped having them because their death was too hard on him.
My grandfather, who survived 5 years of camps, has absolutely no fear of dogs, and owns one.
I'm very afraid of bees, though.
Not everyone rules the tuma of animals is a problem to touch or even to have at home. I got very bashed by "modern Chabad" (ex) friends who said it was "assur" and if really my shitta allowed me then it was "less kadosh" (and concluded Chabad was "the best", funny given they both have North African parents...). They got scolded by a real Chabad woman, btw, who said it's crazy and the reason why Chabad gets bad rep. Interestingly one of these women also held that abortion was fine "if you're really desperate it's not a rav's business", go figure!
Animals who die, that's very hard. I used to cry and cry like crazy, now I'm getting stronger BH.
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ValleyMom
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Tue, Dec 21 2010, 5:15 am
Oh, the other thing that comes to mind is very frum people consider dogs muktza--something to do with shedding?! I don't know...
At any rate, our poodle doesnt have fur--it is technically hair. She doesn't shed.
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saw50st8
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Tue, Dec 21 2010, 5:25 am
I love animals. My mother is terrified of dogs (she avoids them if possible). My sister is crazy afraid and will shreik and run to another universe if she sees one.
I love them.
When DS was 20 months old, I took a walk with him and my newborn. A golden retriever came bounded out at us (I have no idea where the owners were) and were jumping on us. It wouldn't let us move. The dog would circle us and jump. Most likely it was trying to play, but to DS he was terrified. I was wearing the baby in a carrier and trying to carry DS. It took us 20 minutes to get 3 houses.
DS is now terrified of dogs. He loves them in theory - he likes looking at pictures and talking about them, but he HATES dogs of all sizes near him. We keep exposing him to gentle dogs in the hope that he will get better. He slowly is.
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Ruchel
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Tue, Dec 21 2010, 5:58 am
| ValleyMom wrote: | Oh, the other thing that comes to mind is very frum people consider dogs muktza--something to do with shedding?! I don't know...
At any rate, our poodle doesnt have fur--it is technically hair. She doesn't shed. |
My dh learned (from his quite frum rav!) that your own dog is fine.
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Raisin
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Tue, Dec 21 2010, 6:25 am
| saw50st8 wrote: | I love animals. My mother is terrified of dogs (she avoids them if possible). My sister is crazy afraid and will shreik and run to another universe if she sees one.
I love them.
When DS was 20 months old, I took a walk with him and my newborn. A golden retriever came bounded out at us (I have no idea where the owners were) and were jumping on us. It wouldn't let us move. The dog would circle us and jump. Most likely it was trying to play, but to DS he was terrified. I was wearing the baby in a carrier and trying to carry DS. It took us 20 minutes to get 3 houses.
DS is now terrified of dogs. He loves them in theory - he likes looking at pictures and talking about them, but he HATES dogs of all sizes near him. We keep exposing him to gentle dogs in the hope that he will get better. He slowly is. |
a friend of mine (who is not frum btw but is from eastern europe) who is terrified of dogs took my kids for a walk when they were small, and they met a dog. for a while after that they were scared of dogs but now they love all dogs and pets. So iyh your son will grow out of it.
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amother
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Tue, Dec 21 2010, 7:00 am
| detroitmom wrote: | | So basically it's completely cultural. I wondered if there was a halachic component to it at all. To the amother who is sad over her dog. I'm sorry. It's so painful to lose a pet. Have you considered getting another? |
I really would love another dog, iy'h when I have a bigger house with a backyard/garden. I got this pet as a birthday gift from my father ( who also grew up with dogs)when I turned 7. the dog made my childhood even happier. I wanna offer the same to my children.
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koalamum
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Tue, Dec 21 2010, 11:43 am
I'm from OOT originally, and although I was very exposed to loose dogs, I was terrified of them! Even to the point that I hesitated to leave the house and bump into a loose dog.
My mother told me that when I was a toddler in the stroller, a dog jumped on me, traumatizing me. The phobia must have stayed in me subconsciously, because I don't remember that incident.
Now I live in NY, and my kids are not so exposed to pets, but most of them actually adore animals and are not afraid of handling them! Thankfully, I didn't pass on my fears to them. Also BH for NY leash laws!! 
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sequoia
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Tue, Dec 21 2010, 3:05 pm
| Ruchel wrote: | | ValleyMom wrote: | Oh, the other thing that comes to mind is very frum people consider dogs muktza--something to do with shedding?! I don't know...
At any rate, our poodle doesnt have fur--it is technically hair. She doesn't shed. |
My dh learned (from his quite frum rav!) that your own dog is fine. |
I learned the same.
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joy613
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Wed, Dec 22 2010, 1:45 am
I'm not scared of animals (sounds like all you're talking about are cats and dogs so that's what I mean too) at all. I never had a pet or anything but they just don't scare me. I will say however, that I'm not really fond of them. I don't have any desire to pet a cat or a dog or to have one as a pet, but it's more because I just plain don't like them. Not from fear. A huge dog can walk right past me and I don't think I'd budge.
I don't know how my parents are with animals, but I know that my sister will walk a mile out of her way to avoid walking past a cat.
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