Pet edition in honor of 2chatter’s recent additions
1. Did you have pets as a child? If so, is there one that sticks out as the best or a favorite? 2. Any pets now? 3. Any plans to add a pet to your family?
1. Yes, tons. We had Brittanies for most of my childhood. Plus we lived in the country when I was really little so we had a ton of outdoor cats to take care of mice. After we moved to the suburbs out of the country, I had a cat who was my first indoor pet. She lived from when I was in 4th grade until my second year of law school. She was this awesome, very friendly and sociable cat who didn’t hide from company. She would curl up with anyone and make them her temporary human. 2. No. DH is seriously opposed while the kids are young. 3. Yes. I want to move someplace with a bigger yard so we can get a dog and a cat. Our yard now is really just a gigantic pool with a small strip of land on the other side of the house. It doesn’t seem fair to have a dog here.
Post by judyblume14 on Aug 14, 2018 7:30:14 GMT -5
1. Had a dog as a little kid. My only "real" (ie - not photo-induced) memory of him was when he died. How sad! We also had goldfish and gerbils. In highschool, we got a cat.
2. We have two black cats.
3. When DD2 can successfully wipe her own butt clean, we'll get a dog. When do kids wipe their own butts? DD1 has been potty trained for over a year and we still wipe her butt. She'll be 4 next month.
1. Yes I had a dog and a cat. Loved them both my my dog was amazing. We got him when I was 4 and put him down when I was 18. He was in a dog fight protecting my mom and he almost died then. He would also "rescue" my cousin and I in the river. We would pretend to need help and he would come out get us and give us a ride to shore.
2. No pets. DH doesn't want any and we have small children. I am also allergic to dogs now.
3. No plans. 2/4 kids have asthma and I am allergic. Maybe when kids move out and I am only inconveniencing myself
1. Had a dog as a little kid. My only "real" (ie - not photo-induced) memory of him was when he died. How sad! We also had goldfish and gerbils. In highschool, we got a cat.
2. We have two black cats.
3. When DD2 can successfully wipe her own butt clean, we'll get a dog. When do kids wipe their own butts? DD1 has been potty trained for over a year and we still wipe her butt. She'll be 4 next month.
My 3 year old wipes his own butt. He only asks for help if it is really messy. I think daycare taught him. In the beginning he was not good. Now he is great at it. He can also reach the sink and soap by himself. Once again daycare is awesome and taught him how to wash my himself too. I take zero credit in this
Post by HeartofCheese on Aug 14, 2018 7:47:47 GMT -5
1. My family had a few dogs. The first I don't remember, the second was a cockerspaniel who got sent to "the farm" after he bit my friend, and the love of my life - Bear. We had him for about 15 years. Huge, fuzzy, cuddly, kind, wonderful dog. God I loved that dog.
2. Nope. Too much work right now and need to make a few mods to the yard before we could accommodate one.
Post by ilovelucyvv on Aug 14, 2018 7:50:28 GMT -5
1. My childhood pet was my border collie Barney. Can you tell we got her when I was a toddler in the 80's?
2. No pets now. We are never home and I didn't want to have to clean up someone else's poop or have someone else wanting to sleep in my bed when my kids were already occupying that role. Even with my kids potty trained and more independent, I recognize that pets are a lot of work and would feel bad leaving them at home by themselves all day.
3. I think a cat would be a better fit for our family than a dog but my H is very allergic. Maybe someday if we move somewhere where we have less of a commute I will reconsider.
1. Had a dog as a little kid. My only "real" (ie - not photo-induced) memory of him was when he died. How sad! We also had goldfish and gerbils. In highschool, we got a cat.
2. We have two black cats.
3. When DD2 can successfully wipe her own butt clean, we'll get a dog. When do kids wipe their own butts? DD1 has been potty trained for over a year and we still wipe her butt. She'll be 4 next month.
My 3 year old wipes his own butt. He only asks for help if it is really messy. I think daycare taught him. In the beginning he was not good. Now he is great at it. He can also reach the sink and soap by himself. Once again daycare is awesome and taught him how to wash my himself too. I take zero credit in this
My son (3) wipes his butt at daycare but prefers that I do it at home because he likes to be babied a little and probably realizes that I do a better job. My daughter was the same way, but I don't wipe her butt anymore at 5 and she does a mostly good job.
Post by covergirl82 on Aug 14, 2018 7:57:14 GMT -5
1. No pets. My mom is allergic to pet hair and dander.
2. We have a 12 year old German Shepherd. While we were engaged, DH and I talked about getting a dog after we got married. I had always wanted a German Shepherd because my grandparents on my dad' side had them all the time I was growing up (and DH just wanted an intelligent, large breed dog). My family especially bonded with the dog they had when I was a teenager, and every time we went to their house, she would do her fierce bark until she saw it was us, and then wiggled and squealed because she was so excited to see us. I just loved that - protective, yet very loving toward her "pack." My dog does the same thing when my parents come over.
3. I'm sure we'll get another GSD at some point after our current dog passes away. It will be all black. DH and I want a scary-looking, protective dog when the kids start staying home alone.
1. We have a wide variety of random dogs as a child. My favorite was a lab looking dog named JJ. He disappeared one day. I never really got a straight answer on that one, I was around 7. I think he probably got hit by a car, and they just didn't tell us.
2. We have a chocolate lab named Niki. She is a big baby and she thinks she is a dainty poodle. She likes to crawl in DS's lap and gets stuck in tight places - she's almost 100 lbs. She's pretty smart to where you can't say certain things around her. If you say walk, you better be prepared to go. She is my running buddy, so she can distinguish my running clothes and as soon as she spots them, she starts jumping and running in circles. She also knows squirrel and treat.
3. I'd like to get Niki a friend. A rescue from the shelter. DH won't hear of it. In his mind, no dog is as smart as a lab, and any other dog will teach her bad habits. She doesn't leave the yard now, and he thinks she will run off with another dog. We have 6 acres, so no fence, but we don't need one right now. She resides between the back porch, the back yard, and our outbuilding, not venturing any farther.
1. Yup, the standard hamsters and fish when we were little, then a dog as we got older. 2. We have two rats. They are a very recent addition and working out well as a low key, easy pet for the kids. They love them. 3. No plans to ever get anything else. Our lifestyle does not really seem fair to a dog. And I can't get cats due to allergies.
Post by supertrooper1 on Aug 14, 2018 9:36:17 GMT -5
1. I grew up on a farm, so we had a lots of pets and animals. We always had at least 1 dog, sometimes 2. We had a house cat and a bunch of barn cats. I had goldfish, birds, horses, pigs, chickens and Jersey cows. My favorite was a dog that was half red healer and half Australian shepherd. Great family dog and a great cow dog.
2. No pets now. After we lost out dog to old age, we have enjoyed the freedom of going on trips without getting a pet sitter. Also hearing the sadness of people losing pets on here recently reminds me of how hard it was to let go of our dog.
3. No current plans to get any pets. I would like to get a cat because I miss having cats.
Post by justcheckingin73 on Aug 14, 2018 10:16:52 GMT -5
1. We had cats but they were both strays so it wasn’t an actual decision to go out and get them. It was more, hey this cat is hanging around us, maybe we should keep it?
Our cat Buddie was very protective of my sister and I. We got her when I was about 4 (living in FL) and she would stay on the perimeter of our yard when we played outside. Also, kind of an amazing story involving her. We would always bring her with us when we went to visit my grandparents in WI. She would be allowed outside and would wander for hours and always come back. When we moved to OH, we moved into a townhouse and the landlord didn’t allow pets so we gave her to my grandparents in WI to put on a farm. I have no idea where she was placed or how far away she was from my grandparents house but one day they woke up and Buddie was in their yard! It was a few months after we gave her up. At that time, we had a new landlord and they let us have pets so we took her back and she lived until I graduated from HS.
2. We have 3 cats now which is too many! I think 2 is the perfect number but DHs uncle lives in the country and has some outdoor cats. One had a litter of ginger kittens and and we fell in love with them. We took one home about 2 years ago and she is the sweetest.
After our trip to NC, I bought DS 2 hermit crabs. They don’t do much but otherwise they’re easy to take care of.
3. Heck no! Although the kids keep asking for a dog but with DHs busy season during the winter, I just know I’d get stuck with walking the dog and taking care of it so I’m a firm no on that.
Post by greenmonkey1 on Aug 14, 2018 10:23:10 GMT -5
1. Did you have pets as a child? If so, is there one that sticks out as the best or a favorite? We had one or two dwarf hamsters that were acquired from school and a fish that was acquired from a girl scout camp-in. My Dad had a decent size fish tank on and off. None of them really stick out all that much.
2. Any pets now? Nope. Three kids and a husband is enough responsibility for me at the moment.
3. Any plans to add a pet to your family? DH wants to get a dog, but I really have no desire. All the responsibility would fall to me and I really do not need/want anything else on my plate.
1. Did you have pets as a child? If so, is there one that sticks out as the best or a favorite? no pets as a child. I begged for a dog but never got one. 2. Any pets now? We have 2 border collies (both rescues). They are 8 and 10. 3. Any plans to add a pet to your family? No. hoping our pups live several more years.
2. Yes, Rylee a black lab border collie mix. She has the mentality and markings of a border collie but the rest of her is all lab including the lounge around sleep all day. We take her to agility classes once a week to work her brain. As a puppy she jump a 4 foot horse fence to get to me which is why we decided on agility. She now only jumps on command which is really lovely.
3. Not now, Rylee is 9 so has a number of years left in her. DH keeps hinting but I really don't want to deal with a puppy. It did take us over a year to find Rylee as she is a rescue. I'm guessing I might start looking in the spring of 2020 after tax season.
1. We had a Beagle named Annie when I was very young (she died when I was probably 4 or 5), then when my sister and I were 10 and 12 we lobbied for a dog and our family got Max, a Border Terrier, who lived to be 16.
2. We now have a 12-year-old Scottish Terrier named Burns (the Border Collie/Black Lab mix I adopted in college - Josie - passed away a couple years ago). Burns is the easiest dog in the world. He doesn't bark, doesn't shed, doesn't require much exercise, and he's great with kids, which I guess is unusual for a Scottie.
3. I'm hoping Burns lives another few years. Then maybe we'll consider a dog that the kids can help with as their pet. We may get some kind of smaller pet like a guinea pig or something for them sooner.
186momx I also did agility classes with my border collie/black lab mix - it's such a great mix. She was such a smart dog. My mother-in-law used to say that she could see into your soul
Post by sandandsea on Aug 14, 2018 11:40:11 GMT -5
1. We (not really our family but the farm we lived on) had farm dogs. They weren’t part of our family and just ran around the 8000 acres of farmland my dad managed.
Dh and I got a shelter puppy (she was probably only 5 weeks old when we adopted her at 4.5 pounds and later grew to be 55-60 pounds - the shelter thought she was 8 weeks but didn’t know obviously) just after our first wedding anniversary. We trained her and she was the best lab mix family dog ever. She was 100% our fur baby and part of our family and we loved her so much. Sadly she passed the day DS2 was born when she was 12. We still talk about her and miss her
We had several labs growing up and lots of cats. There was a gray and white one I used to play stalk her in the yard and she would do the same. Our other cat was so sweet but she was hit by a car and didn’t live long.
My first cat after I move out was my best friend. She was a calico and they can be one person cats and I was her person.
We have an orange cat now. He’s really good with the kids. DH of course said he would help with the litter box and now doesn’t so it’s all on me. So I will definitely not be a dog anytime soon since I know it will be me doing all the work also what to do with them when we travel.
sdlaura, I swear Rylee knows me better than anyone. She has really been my comfort and rock the last couple years and seems to know when my emotions/pain level get too much as she just sits and snuggles or rests her head on my back as a heating pad. My chiro says she is the best therapy dog he has seen that isn't trained as one. I've taken her with me a couple times to chiro and my chiro loves her and said when the time comes he will give her adjustments for free.
1. I had a hamster when I was 7. His name was PeeWee (I have no idea why we chose that name). He used to keep me up at night because his wheel was so loud when he ran in it. So my parents used to put him and his cage in the bathroom at night. He died because my dad was using chemicals to unclog our drain in the bathroom and PeeWee was put in there for the night. I guess the chemical fumes hadn't cleared as much as we though because he was dead the next day. I also had an anole lizard that my dad found in our driveway on Christmas Eve. We have no idea how he got there, but we rescued him. He was around for a few years. DH and I got a dog from a pet store when we were in our mid 20s. His name was Quozzy and he was a bichon poo mix. He was very smart and knew a lot of tricks and went to obedience school. He was very sweet to DH, DD, and me, but hated everyone else. He tried to attack everyone who came to our house. We would have to send him to doggy day care or board him overnight if we had guests. He was good at the vet, groomer, and day care, but if those people came to our house, he would try to attack them. We had to give Quozzy away because he went after DD one night after DS1 was born. He was 9 at the time. We were able to find a pet rescue that was able to retrain him. Last I heard, he went to live with another family with older kids. I still miss that asshole sometimes...
2. No pets now.
3. As much as miss having a dog, we are enjoying our freedom without one. Plus, I don't think we could handle another crazy dog.
1. We got a cat when I was 3 and we had her until I was 10. She got very sick and was unable to eat. I don’t know what it was, but we had to put her down. We were all terribly allergic to her, so it was kind of silly. We never got another pet, but we took care of our elderly neighbor’s cats like they were our own. She was in the hospital for months at a time.
2. No pets now
3. We will probably get a dog when our kids are responsible enough to help. I will have to go the designer/breeder route to try and find something I’m not allergic to.
Post by honeydew1894 on Aug 14, 2018 13:33:52 GMT -5
1. Did you have pets as a child? If so, is there one that sticks out as the best or a favorite? No, never! I was desperate for a dog, and my parents finally got one my senior year of college. 2. Any pets now? I have an 11-year old Cavachon named Mattie and a 4-year old Maltipoo named Toby. 3. Any plans to add a pet to your family? Nope! Toby is a new addition as we lost Fenway in April.
Post by mustardseed2007 on Aug 14, 2018 15:03:15 GMT -5
1. Did you have pets as a child? If so, is there one that sticks out as the best or a favorite? We had 3 dogs at 3 different times growing up. The first, a poodle, as super sweet. Then a crazy shitzu then I got my first pest as an adult, another poodle.
2. Any pets now? We have 4 cats. DH is a real cat person, although he loves dogs too. Animals really love him in general.
3. Any plans to add a pet to your family? We're good with the 4. That's really too many. I think I'd consider a dog at the point that we only have 1 cat. So that's well into the future.
1. Various gerbils and a parakeet for a short while. We had a cocker spaniel for about a year. He was so sweet but absolutely the dumbest dog on the planet. I begged and begged to get him when I was about 10 and then of course didn’t help take care of him at all. My poor mom was stuck taking care of this dog she didn’t want at all. We gave him away to a couple post-college students when my mom went back to work p/t.
2. 2 cats. One ancient 19yo named Harper that I’ve had since 2002. He’s in great health and pees on the floor when he gets mad so he’ll probably live forever and my house will smell like cat pee till I die. One 11yo scaredy-cat names Lili.
3. Nope this is good. I think I’d be happy with no pets for awhile. DH wants a dog but I don’t.
Post by freezorburn on Aug 14, 2018 22:57:27 GMT -5
1. Did you have pets as a child? If so, is there one that sticks out as the best or a favorite? Fish, and parakeets. I think I liked fish the best. It was always fun to add things to their habitat, find new fish that got along with the ones I had, and just fun to watch. Parakeets were fun to train but after a while there was only so much I could do with them
2. Any pets now? DS got a 10 gallon tank for his birthday, so I've helped him a lot with setting it up and getting it going.
3. Any plans to add a pet to your family? No, I think we have enough for now.