<p>There is nothing like the love of a dog. That said, puppies are indeed a lot of work.</p>
<p>Consider a toy-size dog. They like to sit in your lap like a cat and are easy to wash often, so u don’t have to deal w doggy smells. </p>
<p>I’ve had big & small dogs. And while the small dog is every bit a dog in behavior, the interaction dynamic between people & dog is very different w a tiny dog.</p>
<p>Fish. They have a tendency to stay where you put them…although I have seen a good size cichlid jump out of a tank.</p>
<p>I like goats. They’re smart, friendly and they do landscaping. (Ba-dum). </p>
<p>I believe in any rescue animal, dog or cat or both. One of my kids found a German shepherd on the street, took him to a shelter, found he was going to be killed and now they’re a loving family. All of our animals are walk-ins and strays. There’s something cool about being chosen by an animal and something cool about saving one from either the end or a life lived in a series of cages.</p>
<p>We had two cats who lived till they were 21 & 19 yrs old ( died within a few years of each other) the oldest cat appeared at our house when the oldest was one.
We got a lab when the oldest was 12, our lab lived till she was 16, which was just a few years ago.
I am a dog person. i loved our cats, but I am really looking forward to the affection that a dog dispenses indiscriminately.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>I am pretty sure it is the piggy itself… we used Carefresh bedding, which is made from wood pulp. I absolutely love them – I always stop and chat for a moment with the piggies on display when I go to the pet store for dog food. I happened to be at the Arizona State Fair when visiting the state several years ago, and one of their exhibit buildings had hundreds of guinea pigs on display! I admit, I went around and talked to every one of them. Quietly, of course. :)</p>
<p>
[quote]
I am really looking forward to the affection that a dog dispenses indiscriminately. <a href=“I%20know!%20They’re%20such%20whores!%20(JK)”>/quote</a>
True enough, but when a cat decides to sit on your lap, as opposed to anyone else’s lap, you feel incredibly flattered.</p>
<p>Why do you want any pets? I think the dog/cat decision really comes down to what YOU want and why. I love having my poodles, and I can give you a long list of reasons why I decided on one dog, then a poodle, then a second poodle, after years of having cats.</p>
<p>The biggest reason was the incentive to go for a walk twice a day. Since getting my first poodle (when the kids left for college) I’ve lost about 50 pounds, and pretty much enjoyed every minute of it; I love the companionship my dogs provide. I’m an introvert (I really value being alone with my thoughts), but a poodle is along for the walk and doesn’t want to talk.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>This thread reminds me of a joke…</p>
<p>so they asked a priest, a minister, and a rabbi “when does life begin?”</p>
<p>The priest answered, “life begins at conception, of course.”</p>
<p>The minister said, “Well, life might begin at conception, but it’s not all that clear.”</p>
<p>Then the rabbi responded, “Well, I’m pretty sure that life begins when the kids go off to college and the dog dies.”</p>
<p>Ba-dump.</p>
<p>We have two cats and a dog. Got the dog because DW and DDs wanted a dog. I’m a cat person and could have lived without the dog. So who do you think walks the dog in the rain, etc? You guessed it. Dog is only 5 y.o. and a small mutt rescued from local shelter. Cute but a pain in the a$$. It will probably live to 15. So now I’m stuck with this responsibility for the next 10 years. Never again!</p>
<p>Dogs are full of surprises. One time my mom phoned me, telling me in a panic to come home immediately, she said our dog was under one of the beds and he was dead. Driving home my mind was spinning wondering things like…I hope I can find our shovel, and where will I be able to bury dog in backyard the easiest without hitting a lot of tree roots digging hole. When I got home, I sucked it up, reached under bed to drag “dead” dog out. When I got him out from under bed, he stood up and walked away after his nice nap under the bed. He lived several more years.</p>
<p>Our minipoodle died this Feb at 17 1/2 years old. He was such a worry when we were traveling, especially as he got older and really did not take to boarding or going to some else’s house to stay. We always had someone come and stay at the house since even a dog sitter could not be counted on to be there when he needed to go out. WE are now empty nesters and pet free and plan to stay that way for years. </p>
<p>I agree about getting a small dog. We dog sit my daughter’s tiny 10 lb terrier over the summer when she is at music festivals. That dog is very cat like, loves sitting on laps and is easy to keep clean.</p>
<p>We got a dog the year before my youngest started college. I never wanted one before, but DS1 had a girlfriend who got a yorkie puppy and we loved her! They broke up and we were surprised how we missed her visits. She also proved to me that there really are dogs that don’t shed and don’t stink.</p>
<p>Next thing you know we brought home Maggie the yorkiepoo puppy. She is amazingly lovable. She is 10 pounds so she’s big enough not to be fragile and small enough not to be messy. She potties outside (only–the idea of indoor pee pads is as appealing to me as litter box smells- I bather her 7-10 days when she starts to smell of the outdoors, that same dirty dog smell my boys used to get…SHe never chewed a thing. She doesn’t shed either, really! I shed more than she does. Yorkies and poodles have “hair” that just keeps groeng like people, not “fur” like most dogs. I think its the training and providing them with toys and interaction that kept her from chewing things. Walking her several times a day gets me exercise and I’ve met a lot of new people. She is also a shared interest and activity for me and hubby.</p>
<p>She LOVES us when we come home. It’s like she has missed us for days and we are the best thing that ever happened to her. My brother and his wife are “Cat” people, but they confess to missing that their cats don’t react like that, and cats just don’t play the same way either, and you usually don’t walk a car or take it for hike in the woods or on the beach. She does climb on the back ouf our soft chair and lay up there, catlike.</p>
<p>Downside…having to get someone to let her out. I haven’t been away with hubby for a couple of years now, but that is really due more to not wanting to leave my 18-20 year olds home alone! We are planning to fly to Myrtle Beach this fall and she will come with us because she loves the beach. Yes, we want HER to be happy and so we will take her so we can enjoy her loving the beach. She really is our baby, but she if like having a forever toddler as far as taking care of her.</p>
<p>Obviously I vote dog…but if you can’t take care of them by walking, grooming etc, get a cat, or fish.</p>
<p>One more thing…I think my boys growing up made me needy for someone to love me…the boys didn’t need me anymore so Maggie is my buddy…if you know what I mean.</p>
<p>Adopting a rescue dog/older dog rather than a puppy is no guarantee. We got our beagle from rescue 9+ years ago when she was 3. I was a SAHM then which she loved. Ever since I returned to the workforce, she has been acting out. Destroys things in the house and wets on the carpet sometimes. I love her and will never give her up, but as she is aging am really thinking that we may not get another when the time comes. H and and I will be empty nesters a year from now and I would really like the freedom.</p>
<p>Oh my goodness, lizard ! Your story made me laugh !!</p>
<p>We had 2 (sibling) cats from the time they were kittens. Both were really nice - until they weren’t. We moved when they were about 5 years old and they decided that was a good time to start marking. It was horrible. We tried everything to deal with this issue, but it never resolved. Both have since died, but because of that experience I will never get cats again. We have a poodle mix dog that I adore. He’s very easy and low-maintenance. I’m home during the day alone a lot (both kids away at school) and I really like the company of having him around. The only negative is that I don’t have total freedom to do what I’d like, travel, etc without making arrangements for his care. So that is something to consider. But I still think the pros outweigh the cons. In fact, we’re considering getting a second dog to keep the first one company!</p>
<p>I had one male cat who decided to start marking after a move and a new baby. It was horrible, I agree. But he is the only cat I’ve had who ever did that. My current cat is female and has never done anything to complain about.</p>
<p>I also have a poodle mix dog. He is generally sweet and has a good personality. Unfortunately, he barks and barks and barks and barks. His bark is shrill, like a scream which raises the hair on your neck and makes your heart pound, when he is alarmed by the doorbell, by another dog passing by, by a mom walking her baby in a stroller, by a squirrel, by a blowing leaf…He is 10 times the annoyance of any cat I’ve ever head, or any dog either. We’ve tried all the usual remedies, with no relief.</p>
<p>Sometimes you just get unlucky when you pick a pet. This dog will probably live another 7-9 years. I’ll probably be on Xanax by then.</p>
<p>^ One of my rescue is very difficult - she is a biter and bites the hand that feeds her. You cannot do anything to her - trim her nails, brush her, etc., without her biting and she resource guards, also. </p>
<p>She is now quite sick and has to be sedated just for the vet to examine her. It cost me $400+ just to have blood taken the other day and xrays, but all were inconclusive. I just can’t do more tests and who knows what kind of treatment on a dog who doesn’t let anyone touch her. We are now trying prednisone as a hail mary, but if it doesn’t work we will have to put her to sleep. She is in pain - shaking, can’t jump anymore and I can barely get her to go outside. Supposedly we should know if there is improvement by tomorrow. She seems to have stopped shaking but that is the only sign I see so far that is an improvement.</p>
<p>OP here…thanks so much for all your comments and suggestions. I’m sorry to hear some of you are experiencing difficult times with your pets. I understand completely. Every time we lose a pet I tell my hubby to never let me get another one because I can’t take the heartache. It’s not long, though, before I once again want a fur-baby in the house. </p>
<p>You’ve given me a lot to think about. Not really sure what the right answer is for us. Definitely not going to jump into anything now…so thank you for that.</p>
<p>We have it all: cats, a dog, goats and much more! </p>
<p>I was raised with cats, but I prefer dogs. We’re down to one older dog and he’s a love. I can’t imagine the house without him. We have one inside/outside cat, who is well behaved and loves the dog so we have the best of both worlds. We have an ever growing population of barn cats, garage cats and porch cats. People just dump house cats off and they always seem to find their way here. DH is a cat lover and they know it.</p>
<p>We also have a dog door that opens up on his backyard which is about 1/4 of acre, so we never have to rush home to feed or walk him. When we’re home he can have run of the property, but we have to watch him as he likes to chase chickens.</p>
<p>For travel, we have a house & critter sitter. It’s far cheaper and he’s not lonely.</p>
<p>We have about a 1/2 acre backyard, so I think if we did get a dog we would 1) put up a fence and 2) add a doggy door to the outside. I suppose that would alleviate some of my concerns about being away for the day. I work from home so I would be here most of the time, and could definitely be here during puppyhood - if we went that route. So I do think it’s feasible. </p>
<p>I’m OK with getting a sitter or boarding a dog when we travel and hubby will still be working another 8-10 years so we won’t be wanting to do any major traveling (for long periods of time) for another decade or so.</p>
<p>
Maybe save the Xanax for the dog instead?
Our dear departed Lab almost never barked. It was problematic, because when she went outside and was ready to come back in, she would just stand at the patio door, staring, until someone noticed and let her in. (Sometimes it was one of the cats, who had a unique meow just for that purpose, as if to say, “that dumb dog needs to come in”.) A bark would have been helpful. The only things that ever got her really barking up a storm were a black sedan that once parked across the street and a paper ghost that I hung from a tree branch one Halloween. No idea why they were unacceptable, but she felt very strongly about them! Hard to imagine what goes in in those doggie brains.</p>