S/O What's your pet?

Rappel

Thu, Aug 30 2018, 6:15 am

Someone commented on the angry cat thread that she was surprised how many people have pets.

So... Come on out, pet owners! What's under your roof? (And how many kids do you have? I'm curious if there's an inverse correlation)

I'll start:
I grew up with cats and fish all my life, and used to work at stables and zoos whenever I had the opportunity. I owned one wonderful dog in my adult life. Now I have two young kids, so I've dialed it back to one really friendly cat (she's my sidekick nanny - very caring, alert, and very patient).

When we get a little more room financially, I want to get a pair of horses for trail riding in the region.

Your turn!

amother

Copper

Thu, Aug 30 2018, 7:46 am

I love animals, grew up with pets, but just now started having children and feel like a pet would be too much work for me. I feel guilty about it too because I enjoyed having pets as a child.

The problem I see with a cat is that we live in an apartment so it would have to be an indoors cat which means having a litter box. Then no matter how much you clean they still track some litter throughout the house and it would be bad having babies who would put it in their mouths.

The problem with a dog is that it seems like it would be hard to walk one when you have either a twin stroller to push or one single stroller to push and a very small toddler running around.

I might have to wait to get a dog until my oldest could take most of the responsibility for it. I'm not sure when that will be.

Shoshana37

Thu, Aug 30 2018, 7:52 am

we had fish for very long time while kids were little. about a year ago we got a dog and we love him. he is Shitzu and we are happy we got him. very cheerful and good behaving dog. plus he barks every time someone by the door so it kind of warns us ahead of time.
I think its great to have pets and it teaches kids to be kind not just with friends and family but animals too.

chani8

Thu, Aug 30 2018, 7:56 am

We foster puppies, kitties and children, so we can have a house full at any given time. I currently have one dog, two cats, three outside-only kitties, and... 6 kids in the home.

One time a pediatrician asked, 'Do you have any pets in the home?' We hesitantly admitted to one cat and one dog. The doctor said, "Ok good, that will prevent them from being allergic later in life." Whew! Our kids wont be allergic, that's for sure!!

SuperWify

Thu, Aug 30 2018, 7:56 am

I have most amazing pet ever. Sometimes (rarely) he’s a quiet sleeping mouse. But most times he’s a loud screaming banshee throwing a tantrum, a wailing dolphin who wants another Lilly or a super hyper monkey on crack....

With all the energy my little pet takes I can’t imagine cleaning up after another pet though I’d love a dog.

thunderstorm

Thu, Aug 30 2018, 8:00 am

We've had fish and a guinea pig. Now we have chickens and a bunny and before I turn around there will be a goat or two. I keep hearing it in conversation. It all has to go through my approval first.
I don't like to hace fury pets that live indoors because I have lots of allergies especially to cats and sometimes to dogs as well.
I'm also not a lover of cats and dogs but my kids are and I see how therapeutic it is for my kids to have pets.
My MIL is an animal lover and she is signed up with her local shelter as a foster parent for dogs. So she gets dogs coming through her home constantly until they get adopted. Her own dog was hit by a car and killed two years ago. She also has a knack for attracting stray cats to her door and they become hers and an indoor pet eventually. So my kids sometimes visit her for a few weeks at a time while on vacation just to be with her pets. They get very attached.

Sadie

Thu, Aug 30 2018, 8:03 am

We have three cats and a dog, all of them rescued from the street. We’ve also been fostering a blind kitten for the past couple weeks who just went home today with his new mom. I foster every once in a while but I don’t think we’ll adopt any more in the foreseeable future- my husband reins in my impulses. I also rode horses as a kid and teen and would love to get back into it someday. There’s nothing like it in the world.

amother

Smokey

Thu, Aug 30 2018, 8:40 am

We have two rescue dogs, both Greyhounds. They are adorable although one must've eaten something funny, peed in the house yesterday and just had diarrhea today. Sad

They're ordinarily very well behaved though.

Cheiny

Thu, Aug 30 2018, 9:41 am

Rappel wrote:

One cat, one dog...who don’t get along.

Cheiny

Thu, Aug 30 2018, 9:42 am

amother wrote:

Not if you put a threaded mat right outside the litter box.

Cheiny

Thu, Aug 30 2018, 9:43 am

thunderstorm wrote:

Wow, where do you live that you can do that?

amother

Taupe

Thu, Aug 30 2018, 10:45 am

Growing up I had cats, hamsters, gerbils, fish, and parakeets. As an adult we have had fish, 2 rabbits, and exotic birds. Right now we have a white bellied caique who is a lot of fun. He has a lifespan of about 30 years, and he is 15 now. My kids are pretty much grown up at this point, but having pets was always a good experience and it taught them responsibility as well as halachos of keeping animals.

I hope to have a cat again one day...and maybe a finch aviary

FranticFrummie

Thu, Aug 30 2018, 11:30 am

All of my pets are rescues. I call my home "The Island of Misfit Toy-breeds". LOL

Yuni - female cat, blind in one eye, and almost completely blind in the other. Her mom was feral, but Yuni was hand raised. She still has feral genes though, which make her very muscular, and she can be wild and aggressive at times. We still love her.

Chica - 19yo (we think) Chihuahua. Rescued from a puppy mill, and has multiple birth defects. All of her joints are hyper flexible, her jaw is underdeveloped, and she has a heart murmur.

The new dog is Neis. She's probably a Spaniel/Terrier mix of some kind. Small and skinny, with very silky fur. She is a HUGE lover, and always has to be near one of her people. DD walks her 3 or 4 times a day. When we got her she was covered from head to toe in fleas and ticks. It took a lot of time and effort to get her bug-free, but she was extremely patient even when we were poking and prodding her. I've never seen a dog sit still for an hour and a half while you go over her ears with a fine tooth comb and a pair of tweezers.

amother

Aubergine

Thu, Aug 30 2018, 11:51 am

Two Bantam (dwarf) chickens. I used to have more but gave them away because I felt I couldn't handle their care any more. Too much other stuff going on.
Dh had a big dog until a few years ago.
We had a few fishes but they died and I gave up on it.
3 small kids. Sometimes, I'd like to keep them in a cage for a change. Mr. Green

amother

Jetblack

Thu, Aug 30 2018, 12:10 pm

FranticFrummie wrote:

All of my pets are rescues. I call my home "The Island of Misfit Toy-breeds". LOL

Wow I’m impressed. Doesn’t that become very expensive to foster sickly animals?