Pets? | Pad Patter 2.24.16

Sounds like my house. Dog is skittish. Yet they try to play. Cats don't know how to play I've decided. They are friends from a far. During the day the cat rules. Although it's not really a big deal just if they get in each other's way. But at night my dog has started laying in front of the bedroom door so the cat can't come in and she acts scared of the dog. Some night the cat decides to tease the dog however and then it's running everywhere.
The cat has been indoors with occasional exploring outside. just on the cement. Today she ventured out of the yard and into the neighbor's front yard. So I not sure what we are going to do with her. We have a neighbor who poisons cats.

 

We have one dog, so we don't have any "playing nice" issues. She is sooooooo anxious. I need to look into getting her anxiety meds. She loves the kids, but is afraid to play with them. She needs constant reassuring that she's safe and any loud noise or change in our routine leaves her shaking. Terrified of balls, too. :/

Husband wants a cat. I'm not a huge fan of cats. If we get a cat, it's going to be an inside cat, because I cannot stand cats being outside. I don't know why it bothers me so much, but I cringe when I see them out and about.

 

I live on 5 acres and yes we always seem to be taking in animals that other people can't have anymore for some reason.

Currently we have 2 alpacas, 5 goats, 2 ducks, 2 geese, 17 chickens, 2 dogs, 1 sheep and 3 birds. Apart from the birds, all the animals get along and can be in the same yard together at times.

 

We have one dog and one cat, both are rescues. I'd have more if I could, I just know it's not the best idea with space, work schedules, etc. We've been very fortunate as far as them getting along. We've had the cat longer and he was the best of friends with the lab we had who passed away. He would seek her out and roll over in front of her. She would give him a belly rub by "biting" on him. And she would look for him outside and bring him toward the house when she thought he needed to come in. I think he really mourned for her when she passed. When we got the new dog, the cat was a little apprehensive at first, but now they are the best of friends and sometimes a little too playful.

 

We don't have any pets, and I'm fine with that. DH is allergic to cats and I don't want a dog. To me, as the SAH spouse, I'd be the one doing 99% of the dog care, just as I do 99% of the childcare. Since (1) I didn't grow up with a dog and (2) I have no idea how to train one, having a dog seems like much more work for me than it's worth right now and (3) we think DD might be allergic. I could go into more, but this post is already long lol.

DD and DS want a guinea pig. I'd be OK with that but DH said "I don't want a rodent in our house." *sigh* So we'll probably end up with a fish lol. I want a hedgehog, but there are some really weird laws where I live, so IDK how easy it'd be to get one. And I'm sure DH would yet again say "No rodents."

 

The last time I had a pet was a cat my husband and I adopted in 1997. In 2004, in the midst of trying to figure out my second daughter's health issues (eczema, allergies, etc), one thing we decided to try is give up our cat. She went to live with our pet sitter.

A few years later we discovered that my older daughter is allergic to fur. She never had a reaction in the 3 years she lived with our cat, but years later she started reacting to friends' cats and dogs and a couple of times when we visited horses.

So that, along with my husband not wanting pets, is why we have none. I'm 98% fine with that. When they were young, I felt like my 3 kids were enough to handle without adding a pet into our life, though we considered fur-less options. Now that my kids are all teen/pre-teen I think I could handle it just fine, but we're trying to spend less money so I wouldn't want the added expense.

I grew up with cats though, so sometimes I think I'd like to have another one or two someday.

 

We don't have any pets, currently. We are looking to rescue a dog that needs a new home. We would prefer non-puppy stage. Maybe 2-6 years old, we are open. My son really wants a dog, and since we are down the shore a lot, he/she will have to have to get along with people, lol! Hopefully, this year. Yay!

I'm not usually one to call myself a cat person, but a part of me wants one, lol! I think I would like a cat, but I would want a people cat, cuddler, silly cat.

 

@michelepixels I could have written your post--except for the teen/pre-teen ages, we've had similar experiences and feelings. DD had a horrible reaction to a few different dogs (but not to ALL dogs), and she has allergies and eczema. If for some weird reason we were left a dog in a will or something, we'd take in the dog. But I'm most definitely not going out of my way to get a pet. Except a goldfish. I think my family could all handle the monetary and time commitments of a pet that lives in a bowl and lives for like 5 months max. That could be a good introduction to pet ownership for my young kids.

 

No pets for us right now. We used to have a cat, but we had to put her to sleep about 6 years ago. My hubby and boys want a dog, but I'm not a dog person, so we don't have a dog. I want another cat, but my hubby doesn't. So... we don't have any pets. My oldest son wants a pet so bad he can't stand it. We got him fish and he didn't take care of them after the first few months, so that became my job until they all died. Then he inherited the class pets two years ago... african dwarf frogs. They lived over a year, but I had to remind him every day to feed them, so again... my problem. I get it though. Fish and frogs aren't very exciting for a little boy to play with. I know I should cave and let him get a dog. But....

 

We have three dogs and two cats. I'm the type who can't go to the animal shelter because I'll end up in tears and want to take them all home!

All of ours are rescues. The oldest dog is a 13 year old (and grouchy!) basset/lab mix. The other two are recent additions to the family.

My husband had been browsing PetFinder (such a dangerous hobby) looking for a large-breed to have as company when I'm not with him in Mobile. While looking, he came across a Boston Terrier/Jack Russell mix at the shelter and decided to show him to me (in the pictures he was acting all crazy, which Darren knew I would find adorable). Holmes came to live with us that day. At the shelter we learned that he had been there for over 200 days and had been adopted and brought back twice- once because they said he had too much energy and the other time because he was not good with kids. I was expecting a handful- what I got was the snooziest, snuggliest dog ever. He curled up on my feet the first night while I was watching TV, then crawled into bed with us that night and has slept with me ever since. He has his cray cray moments, but he's really pretty much the best dog ever. Oh, and the not good with kids thing? He's totally fine with my 2 year old nephew pulling on his ears and will sleep with my 5 year old niece. Those other people must have been crazy.

Darren did finally eventually find a large breed- Watson is a mix of English bulldog and we think Boxer, but we're not sure. We've had him for about a month, and he's totally laid back, playful, and awesome. When he and Holmes play, it's absolutely hilarious.

The two cats have the run of the front of the house (living room, dining room), while the dogs more or less stay in the back (bedroom, offices). They get along fine, but Holmes tends to want to bounce on the cats like they're trampolines, so it's just less chaotic to have them separated.

So, yeah, it's a bit of a zoo, but we love it.

 

Sometimes I wish we had a dog, because I just love dogs. But I'm a firm believer that if the kids want a dog, they are the ones that need to take care of it, not me. Between my DD's figure skating (about 20+ hours a week, not counting traveling to competitions) and my DS in Boy Scouts (almost to his Eagle Scout!), they don't have the time. And that's why we don't have one. Oh well.

 

yay Bostons!!! We have a 12 year old (13 in May) Boston and she is the queen and there is no one else. LOL She is stubborn and self centered and aloof but demands attention when she wants it. She rules the house. Even her name is a big name for a little dog - Babette. Though she was named because she looks like a French Maid. LOL I don't think I could handle another one financially. She's had quite a few medical issues - eyes and tumors.

 

We have a border collie - who requires a lot of exercise...so each day the kiddos take turns running him for about 30 mins. The girls also have a couple beta fish and my son has a bearded dragon...first reptile in the home...we've had him since November, and so far, things are going well...fingers crossed!

 

This I agree with. We've been preparing our kids. They've been doing extra yucky chores and other things so the time is carved out already if we do decide to get a pet. I've even asked them to go pick up all the acorns in our yard (there are like nine million, lol!) and tell them it will be bigger and smellier when the poop has to be cleaned up. They are on board, and we have talked about popper scoopers. For the longest time, they weren't on board to do extra things, or even comprehend the picking up of poop, but they have changed over time. (We've been pondering this for just under a year!)

 

One dog. I'm a total animal person though so it's good I don't live on acreage, because I'd be the safe haven.

Our dog is pretty great. It's my absolute favorite breed (Alaskan Malamute) and I researched all about the breed for years before we bought our house. The summer we moved in, we by chance met a breeder of Malamutes that had another breeder friend that just had a litter and was looking for fur-ever families. It was fate. He's 100% our fur-kid and fits right in with our kids as his siblings.

 

I would have 100+ pets if I could! I love all animals. I mean I would have a zoo---lions, tigers, giraffes, you name it. Love them all! But alas, I only have my sweet little Cupcake---a little Shih Tzu mix. My landlord has a no pet rule but after being here a year and seeing I am responsible, he allowed one pet, under 15 pounds. And so Cupcake came to live with me from my friend's farm. He got new chicks and Cupcake and the chicks didn't get along, so she came to live with me. She has been such a blessing. I had pets all my life and made sure my children always had pets. Now today, they all have their own pets. Cupcake is 5 years old and very quiet and laid back; not the run around and play type which is perfect for me. I am also quiet and laid back so we really enjoy each other.

 

One cat. She is my precious furry baby. Love her so much. She follows me, sits with me, entertains me. Seriously, I was gone all day yesterday and she was freaking out when I got home. She missed all the loves she gets during the day. And um, I scrap about her a lot. This is Holly Belle. We got her for a Christmas present, and that's why she has the name she does. Although we changed bell to Belle, you know, 'cause she's a Southern cat. LOL But seriously, isn't she the cutest? Hee hee

 

I am the neighborhood TNR lady. Hubby and I have been catching all the feral cats in the neighborhood and been getting them spayed/neutered on our dime. We do get a discount, it winds up being twenty five dollars a cat. There are currently fifteen cats in the colony that we feed. There are four left that we need to catch to fix. Of said cats, two are super friendly and it breaks my heart every single time I see them. I wish I could bring them in but we are maxed out at four inside cats.

 

We have had one cat for the past 14 years. She was there before our kids, was around them from babies to now and adores them. She sleeps by them every night. She actually has a pretty nice personality. Never mean to the kids. Cuddly and friendly. I honestly think she was a dog in her past life because she doesn't act like most cats. LOL We are happy with just her.