Animals

[SorryIsGoodEnough]

I don't like pets.

I don't want domestic animals. I don't like dogs, I don't like cats. I can't stand people who say that their pets are like 'family'. They're not. I don't believe that a dog deserves rights. I think that if an animal can feel physical pain, it should be treated well. That doesn't mean spoiled and given the same rights as a human being. They're not on the same level.

I don't like it when a man tells me I'm 'weird' for not liking animals.

Just like some women don't want to have children, some women don't like freaking kitty cats and puppy dogs and parakeets and ferrets and lizards and goldfish and whatever. Doesn't make me less of a sweetheart. I treat human beings very well.

Love your pets. That's not my issue. I understand pet therapy and all that, I signed up for it in the hospital. I just don't think pets should be treated like people. I loved my kittens before they were given away, sure. I fed them and played with them and bathed them. I did love them. I just didn't get stupid over them.


Short version: Just because I don't swoon over fuzzy animals, it doesn't mean I'm not a good, sweet, loving woman.

[Dreamstalker]

I do believe that domestic animals have a right to food, shelter, medical care and proper treatment. However, PETA's version of "animal rights" annoys me greatly. A lot of domestic animals would be utterly defenseless without people.

Now, I love animals and do call McGriff "family", because he's been with us longer than any other cat and we've agonized over medical decisions the same as for a person. But he still has dishes on the floor and is strongly discouraged from having human food.

I think the people that dress their dogs up in designer clothes are odd. Granted, some breeds need paw protection and coats in the winter and I don't have any problem with bandanas or funky collars. I'm talking about little tutus, sunglasses and other costumes when it's not Halloween.

That said, I also don't have a problem with people who don't want pets or don't get stupid over them. Everyone has their reasons for liking/not liking X, and people who feel the need to judge someone simply because of that need a clue-by-four.

[Boozy]

I understand pet therapy and all that, I signed up for it in the hospital.

I'm not sure what benefits you would have gotten from it, given that you don't like animals. Pet therapy is very relaxing for people that get "warm fuzzies" from petting a dog or cat, but it won't do much good for people who don't particularly enjoy animals.

As far as treating animals like humans: I completely agree that people shouldn't treat their dogs or cats like people. It does no service to an animal to pretend they want or need the same things you do. It's important to recognize the difference between an animal and a person in order for you to care for your pets properly.

I'm most definitely a "dog person", but I recognize the difference between dogs and children. For example, when I take my pugs and my nephews for a walk along the pond behind my home, it ain't my nephews who are eating the goose shit. :rolleyes:

But I most certainly don't begrudge anyone who wants to call their pets "family". If you have people in your life that are always there for you when you're sad, that are always supportive of you no matter what, that will always be by your side when you need them...good for you. You're lucky. I'm lucky that way, too. But I also recognize that there are people who are not so lucky. For them, their dog or cat may be all they have waiting for them at home. And if those people want to call their pets family, I won't argue.

[pile of monkeys]

I do believe that domestic animals have a right to food, shelter, medical care and proper treatment. However, PETA's version of "animal rights" annoys me greatly. A lot of domestic animals would be utterly defenseless without people.


PETA is a bunch of wackjobs and extremists. They are not in any way animal lovers. They'd be perfectly happy if there were no more domestic pets. That's actually part of their mission statement.

On topic, I love my dogs. I support other people's opinions to not feel the same way. I try not to impose my dogs on other people, because you never know who likes them and who is scared of/doesn't like/has had bad experiences with animals.

[SorryIsGoodEnough]

I'm not sure what benefits you would have gotten from it, given that you don't like animals. Pet therapy is very relaxing for people that get "warm fuzzies" from petting a dog or cat, but it won't do much good for people who don't particularly enjoy animals.



I see the benefit in having something that will give you attention no matter what, that won't judge you for your past. That's why the pet therapy helped.

On the other side of that, while dog or cat won't judge me for my past, it won't love me for who I am either. Some people seem to not understand that.


EDIT: I received pet therapy while I was recovering from physical trauma in a ward of the hospital not intended for treating physical pain. So it was psychological aid.

[tabbyblack13]

I was under the impression that pet therapy was to distract a person from their pain.

I will agree that I have seen the horrors of what can happen to an animal that was spoiled. I worked at a dog and cat boarding place and some of the most spoiled animals where there. If these spoiled animals didn't get there way a person could have been bitten. There is also the fact that certain human foods are bad for animals. I have seen animals painted on ( I feel sooo sorry for them) to look like butterflies. Dogs with there nails painted. It's stupid. I can understand the clothing if it doesn't look like people clothing. I grew up in Minnesota and if you didn't have a coat on a short coated dog it would freeze outside. You also needed boots for the thing too. Even big dogs needed jackets.

As for PETA... what else can I add. I don't like them and I personally believe that they will try almost anything to get there ideals shoved on others.

I personally love animals. But I know they are animals. That and I hate certain animals. The best cow is the one in a bun and on my plate. If I ever end up hitting one with my car I'm going to have to pay the farmer but I get the meat. I do care deeply for my cats mostly due to the fact that my family is in Minnesota and I live in Arizona. I know I can call them whenever but I can't hold them or visually see them. My cats are an artificial family and a form of entertainment for me.

[Lace Neil Singer]

I could say the same thing, but in a different way. My cat was put down recently; I felt, and still do feel, very badly about her death however I felt much, much, MUCH worse when I lost a good friend of mine. I don't understand really how people can say when they lose a pet that they feel as tho they just lost a member of the family; it's nowhere near the same thing. I loved my kitty, but she was a cat; and when my mum and I get our new kitten, we'll treat that one like a cat, too.

I don't agree with dressing up dogs in stupid outfits, taking them about in handbags, giving them people food and using makeup, hair dye etc on them. Dogs are dogs. Take Paris Hilton's dog, show it a pile of horse shit and I guarentee you, it will be happily rolling about in the shit and possibly even eating it. Dogs are dogs and should be treated as dogs; in any case, they'd be happier that way than being treated as either accessories, or furry children.

[blas87]

I used to paint my dog Bear's claws when I was still living at home. I didn't see any harm in it.

[Nyoibo]

I treat my animals as animals, that being said, I have more love for them than most people I know and care about them more than I do about most people, I spend more time with my animals than I do with people so I'm closer to them than people.

[Boozy]

I think that some people find that their attachments with animals are easier and more comforting than their attachments with people.

Personally, I think they're missing out on more rewarding relationships. But again, I'm not going to judge or presume to know what's best for someone else.

[kiwi]

I can't stand people who say that their pets are like 'family'. They're not.

To me, they are part of my family. I have trusted my dogs much more than most of my so called family or friends. My dogs have never betrayed me, lied to me, stolen from me or broken a promise. All they have given me is love and loyalty.

I don't like people treating animals like humans because it isn't fair to the dog. A dog should be treated like a dog, not a dress up doll.

[Greenday]

I agree. My dog is a party of the family. I have no doubts about that. But I also have no doubts that he is a dog and not a human. That won't stop me from singing dog-songs though.

[Dreamstalker]

I will agree that I have seen the horrors of what can happen to an animal that was spoiled. I worked at a dog and cat boarding place and some of the most spoiled animals where there. If these spoiled animals didn't get there way a person could have been bitten.

I dogsat for a six-month-old labradoodle...the most spoiled animal I've seen. She couldn't stand to be left alone for any period of time, and responded to walk time with "ooh, a leash! Chase game!" (I was almost bitten once while trying to get her leash on). She is poorly socialized and impossible during walks; she tends to shriek like she's being abused and anyone within earshot gave me the stinkeye. She would lunge at other dogs and people and act like she was going to bite. I hate being harsh with any animal, but at times the only way I could get her to obey me on the lead was to be rough. The one time I took her to the dog park, she would not come when called and I actually had to enlist another owner and their herding dog to get her under control. Basically, the only human that the dog will actually listen to is the wife; her husband and kids can't control her either.

Another dog I sit for (literally lives around the corner) is an angel. His owner's mother raised, trained and bred champion dachshunds so she knows how to work with dogs while not being harsh or spoiling them rotten. Yes, he sleeps on the bed with me, but he's used to that and is the best-behaved dog I've met (even around our cat; his owner has brought him to our house a couple times).

[Cat]

My cat are my "kids," and I am purrfectly (sp error intended) aware they are cats. I have gone above and beyond for Riley with his medical issues, because I love that lil trouble maker. When they pass, I will be extremely upset, and yes, I will mourn them more than some humans in my life (ie my borther, random coworkers, neighbors). There are humans I love more them my kittehs, (parents, bf, close friends).

I can understand why some people don;t like animals (trust me, I was getting annoyed at Ri-ster after a few of his vet bills), but I'm the type who wants no human children, so I have my kitty-kids. Animals can be a pain in the rear!!

To each their own.... :)

[guywithashovel]

When I worked at Wal-Mart, I worked in the pet department. I thought some of the pet accessories we had were kind of silly, like the clothing. We carried these little raincoats for dogs, and I think we even had black leather jackets for dogs, too. Someone once asked if we carried boots for dogs, which we didn't. If I had a pet, I probably wouldn't dress it up like that, though I don't see much harm in doing so.

I sometimes think it's funny when people refer to their pets as their "kids," but again, I see no harm in that. Granted, it probably seems crazy to some people, but who knows? Maybe those people are unable to have real kids of their own, and that's why they call their pets their kids.

And really, I guess if you get a pet when it's a puppy/kitten/etc., and you raise it and keep it for all of its life, then it probably would start to feel like a member of the family---in its own unique way. When I was a kid, we got our dog Tina when she was about a year old, and we had her until she died at around age fourteen. When she died, it kinda/sorta felt like losing a family member, though it wouldn't have been the same as having my mom, dad, or sister die.

[Cats]

You have a very valid point in that pets shouldn't be treated as if they were human when they are not. You are also not "weird" for not liking animals, that is your preferences. I love cats but am not fond of dogs. However, whats wrong with giving respect, love and care to a pet as IF it was family? Owners have a responsibility to their pets to fulfill those needs. A pet isn't for showing off, so if you're not going to respect it as even a quasi-member of the household, why have it in the first place?

You can still treat an animal as family while still recognizing that yes, they are a completely different species with their own needs. Isn't part of the bond of family (and friendship too) fulfilling the needs of others sometimes? Humans are not the only creatues who have beneficial relationships with each other. Happens in nature all the time! Just because they come from a different branch of biology doesn't mean it can't be made to work.


I have 2 cats, but one is older and I share sort of a spiritual connection with her, so to speak. To me, she is family. I talk to her as if she were human (my whole family does that with our pets), but I do realize, that yes, she is a cat. She has different needs, wants, and attention spans than humans. However, in my mind, she is no less a family member to me. I know she's a cat, she knows I'm a human. That doesn't get in our way of having a healthy relationship with each other.

[Flyndaran]

Weird is usually used to mean not like the average.
Since most people like pets, I would say that not liking them at all is a bit unusual.. Then again I understand how labels of an absolute nature, such as weird, can be hurtful and rarely convey what the speaker means.
I would consider the opposite extreme often attributed to Peta as unusual more for its internal inconsistancies than its rarity anyway.

I may be an atheist but I feel wonder at the sheer variety of feelings, thoughts, and life itself.
Treating any lifeform as something other than what they are is a gross disservice and often comes dangerously close to animal abuse.

As to family, my cat Cerberus was family. I would feel strong anger at anyone that claimed to dictate who I am allowed to call my family.
When he went blind, I would have literally given up one of my own eyes to let him see again. Many of my human relatives I would tell to go take a flying leap instead.

[pile of monkeys]

When I worked at Wal-Mart, I worked in the pet department. I thought some of the pet accessories we had were kind of silly, like the clothing. We carried these little raincoats for dogs, and I think we even had black leather jackets for dogs, too. Someone once asked if we carried boots for dogs, which we didn't.

Boots are actually kind of useful. Especially in the wintertime, animals can get all sorts of stuff caught in their paws, like salt, and they're pretty sensitive to the cold ground, which can lead to pretty nasty injuries. So boots are pretty functional. Leather jackets? Not so much, unless you have a small dog in a very cold climate. Sometimes it does get too cold to go outside to do their business without a little extra protection from the elements.