I have three dogs. The silence in my house when they are getting their hair done is beyond what I can describe in words.
As a motherfucker with wife/two kids/two dogs/cat… this is the fucking way, bro. I love my family and all that blah blah whatever et cetera but man if I could do it all over…
You are missing out on opportunities to have poop in interesting locations of your house.
Are you talking about kids or animals?
Yes
And vomit!
You mean poop in interesting unknown locations I, an adult, can poop in locations way more interesting than any animal or child.
Really? Can you fit in the AC vents to poop in there?
If they’re the type that sit on the floor, that’s amateur hour. Hard mode is the ones in the ceiling.
And hair on every surface your pet can conceivably reach
And some it can’t.
And think of the vomit!
Have a friend who is depressed and lives in a closet. No I’m not joking, the closet is a walk in and fits a small bed/desk/pc. That’s it, no windows. Skylight in the ceiling but it has a garbage bag taped over it. The mattress goes part way up the wall because room is small but it provides something to lean against. I gave him my cat a few years ago when I had to move and couldn’t take him. The cat still loves there 3 years later and my friend is happier than he was without Freddy
Look I don’t mean to be a jerk, but giving a guy who lives in a literal closet a cat to take care feels enormously cruel to both your friend and the cat. Like I’m glad it worked out for both of them in this specific case, but holy shit would I discourage it in literally any other.
Yeah trust me I wouldn’t have done it with anyone else. I’ve known the guy since elementary school. There is more to the apartment than the closet but my friend doesn’t use it as it’s shared space with his father (who isn’t nice). So my friend sticks to the closet and Freddy spends most his time in there too. His litter box is in the hallway outside
Who’s Freddy?
The cat lol
Not being functional enough to take care of a pet 👍
The fucking worst is when I tell someone that and they’re like “I’ll bet you’d rise to the occasion and it would fix you 😄” and like, fuck no. I tried, and all that resulted was a rehomed cat and a whole lot more self hatred and having to convince you that I suck as much as I do is making things so much worse.
I mean, taking a cat in and trying to take care of it, is a good thing.
The fact that you admitted you could not offer it the life you deemed good it’s really responsible of you.
I have seen animals that would be better off in the streets due to owner negligence…
You could always something that needs less maintenance, like fish where the process is pretty much automated after the initial set up…
Or a hard to kill plant. :)
This is the way.
Pets are a lot for sure, and you shouldn’t have them if you don’t have the capacity or bandwidth to care for them. That being said, my pets have drastically helped my mental health. I can’t imagine what going through the quarantine would have been like without them.
I have 2 dogs and 2 cats and althougb they are indeed work I can not live without them. That being said I used to be a dog person until I got a cat! I LOOOOVE dogs but man cats are so so much easier! They are chill, fun, loving and just overall easy!
Having cats is like having teens and dogs are like toddlers.
As much as my dogs can be a nuisance, I wouldn’t have it any other way.
I was only 19 when I got my cat, I severely underestimated the care and cost involved. I wouldn’t have it any other way, but damn a rash decision based on cuteness changed my life drastically. Vet bills come out of nowhere, it has limited what kind of jobs I have taken, and more. Cats are low maintenance too comparatively. Love this lil demon, may we have many more years together.
pets have drastically helped my mental health
Same here! They give me some purpose in life, in the form of chasing them down when they don’t want to snuggle. 😼 /j
not feeling obligated to clean up someone else’s poo is a really enjoyable life quality.
Look, I can barely take care of myself some days.
Honestly, the cat helps me on that front. And unlike a child, I can ethically just give her some drugs and turn the TV when I don’t feel like dealing with her right that minute.
Loneliness is my pet. Low maintenance, no noise or weird smells in my house.
100% recommendedSome weird smells tho
I’d say some rather familiar smells
Had a cat that I was somehow allergic(?) to. Just constant itchy red eyes. Eventually coughing and wheezing. Never been allergic to a damn thing in my life, including other cats. Never understood it. Shed go all around my face and I would be fine, then suddenly she’d just be about the place and my eyes would get so bloody I swear blood was actually leaking out of them. Had to return her. Loved her to bits in those few weeks. 😭
I’m allergic to cats, but I developed an immunity to my own for the most part. When brush them I do it outside because that could trigger symptoms if it’s done indoors. but for the most part after I adopt a new cat it settles down after a while. It sucks though in the mean time, I don’t blame anyone for not being able to put up with the exposure period. Also some cats trigger worse symptoms and some don’t! I go to different friend’s homes and their cats don’t make me break out in hives but a a few other friend’s cats cause issues right always, I have to take an antihistamine when I go over.
I likely think there was something she would emit, some sort of fur particulate or something else because she loved sitting on my lap and just being right in my face and I was fine. Only literally being in the house with her would mess me up, and after like half an hour outside I’d be okay again.
This lack of direct correlation made me think I was just sick for the longest time until I connected the dots that time outside made me feel immediately better.
She was an odd cat. Fur was unreal silky, extremely impressive even for a cat, and also quite long, and the previous owner said how they’ve never really had to trim it or do anything to her coat at all because she maintained it herself really well. I’ve a gut feeling it’s connected to that.
Most people are allergic to cat saliva, not the hair (some are allergic to the hair too though). If the cat was maintaining herself well, she was likely licking herself a lot, which could have contributed to your allergic reaction. There are sprays/washes you can buy to reduce the affect, and I think maybe even a specialized food (probably very expensive). But, I mean, that’s a lot for effort. If you had the cat for a few weeks and it was unbearable, it’s not worth you suffering. Allergies can be hell, they make you miserable. But in the future if you feel the pull to adopt or get a cat, the stuff I mentioned might help. Or even fostering, you might come upon a cat you get along with well allergy wise and can adopt it once living with it for a while and find a match. But there are other pets which are equally nice, rabbits, rats, mice, hamsters, guinea pigs, chinchillas, dogs, ferrets. Or others alternatives like snakes iguanas tarantulas and so on.
It’s actually easy to tell whether you’ll have a reaction by going to the store or humane society and asking to hold them for 5 to 10 minutes.
It’s actually easy to tell whether you’ll have a reaction by going to the store or humane society and asking to hold them for 5 to 10 minutes.
Well I’ve been around cats all my life, pretty much since very early childhood and I’ve never had any reaction really. I’ve not been allergic to anything in my life period.
A few months before I adopted the cat, I was at my gf’s friend’s house and she had a cat there that I held and played with and petted.
Just before I adopted the cat I did end up adopting I went to see and converse with the folks I was adopting from and I def was around the cat for over half an hour.
While I had the cat she’d lick me all the time, never any issues. The effects would start maybe a day or two after we got her. It didn’t even fully stop until at least a day later.
So in my case I guess not. Thanks for the advice though. I was thinking of looking into adopting a Siamese cat at some point. Ofc I’d try to do a lot more due diligence allergy wise, but I really don’t know what I could’ve even done realistically. I don’t think I could stand having to give a pet back because of any health issues on my behalf again. Thanks
Have a cat, was planned. Feel obligated cause i rescued her ass 8 years ago, and she’s really easy and low maintenance.
The big dog i have was rescued after an elderly family member passed away and there was no one else to take her in.
I love her to pieces but i definitely wont be getting another 60 pound+ dog in a 3 floor walk up! 😩
That’s hard, since they need to go outside every few hours. It’s keeping you fit though!
We currently take care of several cats (including some stays) and I’m sure this is not even a fraction of the effort of keeping a big dog.
She was a lot of getting used to. Luckily she was old when I got her so she eats twice a day, pottys three or four times, and sleeps the rest of the day away.
Still, a lot when two litter boxes and an autofeeder is all my cat needs! Weirdest part is the dog likes to lick and has actually had a few hairballs?? And my cat doesn’t?? 😂
I like to plant trees I will never stand under.
What does that mean?
You plant a tree not for yourself but for future generations to enjoy their shade
It means he likes to have lots of NSA sex without a condom.
I dont know how babies are made
“Darling, do you remember when we said, before we have kids we should have a pet and before that a plant to see if we can handle the responsibility?”
“Yes, sure! Why do you bring that up?”
“Well, the basile withered again.”I have a kid and want a dog
I am overwhelmed constantly by responsibilities
And yet
Get a high energy dog like a Doberman Pinscher or a border collie, and you’ll never have a moment to yourself ever again!
Source: have no moments to myself
Damn, I actually did want a Dobie for a minute, but my favorite is a standard poodle. Good mix of brains and personality.
We considered a standard poodle. They’re amazing dogs. But we decided we want a dog with a little more brawn, since we live in a rural area and there are coyotes and stuff. So, we got a dobie. He’s still a puppy, so he’s got that puppy energy going on, and it’s hard to wear him out.
He’s incredibly sweet and intelligent, but he always wants to be doing something. Plus he’s like a toddler. He won’t go to sleep when he’s tired, he just gets restless, ornery, and bitey. We have to put him to bed and make him take naps. The biting has almost completely stopped now that he’s nearly finished teething, so that has been nice.
But he requires a lot of attention and exercise. He spends a good chunk of the day outside just kind of exploring around, and attacking his huge plushie toys. He will relax in my office if I lock him in there with me, so there’s that, but we go outside several times during the day. During my lunch break I sometimes take him for a 1 mile walk. Then after work I take him for a 1.5-2.5 mile hike depending on the difficulty and his energy levels. Then he eats. Afterwards he has to chew on stuff for like 2 hours! lol. Then we do some training, and sometimes scent work. He finally starts winding down around bedtime assuming he got enough exercise that day. From what I understand, they will need less exercise as they get older, but right now he has a nearly bottomless supply of energy.
This is our first Doberman, first large breed dog, and first working dog. It’s been an adventure. That said, we love him to pieces. He is a total character, full of personality and quirks, and he’s the sweetest, gentlest boy, when he’s not in zoomie mode. If he’s got the zoomies then all bets are off. I highly recommend this breed, assuming you know what you’re getting into, and you have the fitness level and time to meet their needs.
Let me know if you want to know anything else about them. I’ve done a million hours of research on them, plus I live with one. I’m happy to answer any questions you may have.
Thanks for the write-up! That tracks everything I’ve read about them. Unless my life changes to accommodate that level of involvement - fewer work hours and getting my kid’s ADHD under control, namely - I’m pretty sure I wouldn’t be able to be the right human for a dobie any time soon.
Hopefully you are able to get your kid’s condition under control for everyone’s sake, especially for theirs. And hopefully you find the right doggie for you someday!
One thing you probably haven’t read about Dobermans is how much attention they attract. We’ve always had dogs, but we’ve never been mobbed by people wanting to meet our dog until we got our Doberman. I guess because they’re fairly rare, and they look really cool, that people really want to come say hi and pet him. Everywhere we take him (which is pretty much everywhere) he attracts attention, and people come over to talk to us.
They do have a great style. Do you have opinions on the ears? I’ve got concerns about the welfare of the animal sure, but I also just like the floppy ear look.
We were thinking that we wouldn’t crop our puppy when we got one, but when we finally found a puppy he was already cropped and docked. He actually just finished his posts a couple weeks ago. After going through the process, I’ll tell you that it was more of an issue for us than for him. He really didn’t care at all. He scratched at the posts periodically on the first day for around 4 hours and that was it. After that he didn’t care about them at all. He was super well behaved changing them, and really enjoyed getting his ears cleaned. They’re less likely to get ear infections with their ears up, and their sound localization is much better too. It helps us see what he’s listening too as well. He’ll move his ears around, and when he figures out where the sound is, he puts them both forward and looks in that direction. That’s pretty cool. So, I’d probably do it again if we were given the choice. Plus, they look so very handsome with their ears done.
