For Fun: Pets - Yea, Nay, Meh?

[HIU8]

I voted allergy b/c my mother is highly allergic. However, I simply am not a pet person. I like other people's pets, but honestly do not want one of my own. For me it just means money we don't have being spent on pet food, vet bills etc... I know I'm going to be flamed for this most likely. Plus, I do not want to walk a dog and my kids are not old enough. Add to that I cannot keep up with pet hair around the house. Also, I'm currently in a situation where my MIL's house smells horrendous from 40+ years of pets (different dogs and multiple cats at the same time). That alone is a huge turnoff to having pets. What it comes down to is that I simply do not want to care for a pet. Not saying having pets is bad. It's just not for me (and yes, I grew up with a dog).

[Meatball Mommie]

Originally Posted by ABO Mama

We have 2 chickens, Happy and Clucky (great names, DS!). They aren't too much trouble, and they give us fresh eggs. We also have fish, but DH is in charge of their care.

Basically the same situation - except we have 4 chickens (Punchy, Jumpy, Gertie and Obama - guess which ones the kids named and which one DH named!) We have 2 fishtanks - one with 2 goldfish and one 80 gal with large freshwater fish. I do all the care for both.

I'd LOVE to have a cat again but DH is allergic He's also opposed to anything with fur living in the house So chickens and fish it is for us...

[mommylamb]

We have two wonderful, sweet cats. Really, my cats are the nicest cats I've ever known. They love people, even kids. I like dogs too (mostly) but I'm much more a cat person than a dog person, and cats are just easier in many ways.

Cats are actually the best thing for my allergies. I always had them growing up. Then I went to college. When I would visit my parents, I suddenly had terrible allergies to the cats. I also developed seasonal allergies. It was awful. It lasted all 4 years of college and made visiting my parents a misery. When I graduated college, I moved in with one of my best friends and we both really wanted to get cats, and I was resolved to get allergy shots if necessary. We got two cats. Within 3 weeks of constant exposure to the cats, my allergies totally disappeared. My seasonal allergies totally disappeared too. It's like my body just builds up a resistance if I'm around them for long enough. Whenever I don't have cats, my allergies come back. So, in my mind, they're good for my health.

Growing up, we had all kinds of animals. Lizards, frogs, cats, a dog, fish, birds, hamsters, gerbils, rabbits... my parents were into the whole pet thing. In fact, my parents currently have a TARANTULA (and two cats)!!!! DS thinks it's really cool to look at. And, while I'm not squeamish about the spider, personally, I'll keep to the 4 legged pets.

[infomama]

I can't imagine life without dogs at home. We have three..two Boxers and a German Shepherd. All amazing.

[carolinamama]

Love pets and can't imagine not having atleast one dog in the house. We have one big dog that we rescued last year. We had our previous dog 12.5 years and when he died it was so empty in our house without a dog. It's alot of work and training, at the beginning especially, but I feel like we get so much back from him.

If DH would agree, I would get another dog - probably another big one. But we will never have a cat - the thought of a litter box in the house creeps me out. Give me muddy paw prints on the floor anyday over a cat and their box. We do have an African dwarf frog in a cage that was a gift for DS1 but I don't really consider it a pet since I can't say we interact with it on a daily basis.

[elliput]

We are currently at one lone cat. When DD was born we had 2 cats and a dog. One cat and the dog passed away before DS was born.

Growing up we had dogs, cats, hamsters, and fish. My parents were pets people too, though they don't have any now.

[DietCokeLover]

I love pets and have always had cats. I have a 16 year old Calico that I've had since she was 6 weeks old that I got at a shelter.

My other cat, died 3 weeks ago at age 14. She was also a rescue cat.

[SnuggleBuggles]

We had our cat for 11y and she died of cancer a little over a year ago. The last 6 months of her life she used many parts of the house as her bathroom. I am extremely off the idea of a furry pet that I would have to really take care of. Sometimes I miss having a pet and want one but the memory of a senior animal is too fresh.

We have a betta fish- perfect for now.

Beth

[g-mama]

I love dogs. We had a dog and he died six years ago. Now that my kids are getting older, I am now at the point where I am ready to take on another dog.

Problem is, we have a nephew, age 6, who lives about 1/2 hour away and they come to visit often. He is unbelievably allergic to dogs (and eggs, milk, peanuts, shellfish, and about a hundred other environmental allergens) and so we really can't get one. This makes my kids really, really sad because they would love a dog so much. Yet, they love their cousin and sort of understand. We've talked about a hypoallergenic breed but SIL says that's not foolproof and he could very well be allergic anyway.

My oldest ds said to me recently, "Mom, everyone has a dog but us. Blind people have them. Rich ladies carry them around in their purses. EVERYONE!"

[MoJo]

We're down to one mixed-breed dog, but we had three dogs and four cats before we had kids.

I'm a total dog lover and wouldn't want to go very long without one. DH is more of a cat person, but he was responsible for adopting every one of the pets we used to have. I've had to get really serious about no more pets several times. . . . I'm the one who does all the care.

I see another dog, possibly a cat, and maybe even chickens (DH grew up with them) in our future. And that's before the girls start asking for pets of their own.