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We had dogs and cats, usually at the same time, over the years. Our last pet, a Siberian Husky, died over ten years ago. We decided at that time we would not have anymore pets. We agreed that she was the best dog we ever had and we wanted to leave our pet ownership days on that high note.
We do not miss having pets at all. Nothing will change our minds. I cannot imagine living with animals in our house ever again. It was nice while we did it, but now I enjoy not having pets for various reasons.
Gee babe, what a role you carried. I thank you for reaching that fork in the road and relinquishing that role for others to attend. How humbling it is to read your story in being a pet owner and being pet free. My pet is nearing his time..and gosh has it been a journey. One that when it's time to pat those paws for the last time...I too will pass the pet light onto someone else.
My family has always owned many pets all our lives.
I've always owned at least a dog or a cat, but most of the time, there have been a few of both sharing my life.
Nowadays, I just have a single 6-year old dog, and he's a superb companion. I don't think I'll need another for quite a while, though I do miss the company of a good cat sometimes. For me, finding the right cat has always been much harder than finding the right dog.
I don't enjoy buying pet food, cleaning up their feces, or finding care takers when traveling, therefore I'm against having them. You may not agree, but that should be fairly easy to understand.
This /\ ..... I have been to a few homes where at the front door I could tell a dog(s) lives there. I guess there were accidents and it was hard to get it out of the carpet and furniture. Just don't need my house trash by an animal. Plus the daily costs of maintaining a pet seems like a waste of good money IMHO. Ha, I see shoppers at Costco with 50 lb sacks or larger of dog food. I feel blessed not having that expense.
Like you, I travel and am sometimes gone 15 to 23 days on a cruise. There is no way that I would spend boarding fees on a dog. Furthermore, I would think it extremely unkind to expect a neighbor or family member to keep my pet.
My ex FIL had a dog that was a shedder. I always ended covered in dog hair from just sitting on the sofa. That was a real turnoff.
I would confess that when I go walking at the park in the evening, I enjoy seeing the interactions between owners and pets: dogs insisting on smelling spots on the grass or the base of light poles and a percentage of responsible owners who carry plastic bags to pick up the feces.
To each his own.
Last edited by Rastafellow; 08-10-2019 at 06:20 PM..
Reason: delete word
As retirees, there seem to be pet-friendly people and people who are against having pets. I never understood the latter. Today we see pets (sometimes service animals or emotional support animals) in public places where they were uncommon or not allowed before. Do you think the popular image of the parrot on the Pirate's shoulder was for emotional support? Some pets are actually workers that do a job. I think cats might be more common among retirees -- at least among people I know.
Anyway...I have become a cat person in my advanced years when I was always a dog person when younger. I can go away for a couple of days and the cat hardly notices as long as he has food, water, and his litter box. He puts on a brief show when I come back as if he is happy to see me. Dogs are a different story and need somebody around every day -- but I love them anyway; I just don't have one. (My wife was a cat person so when our last dog went to dog heaven we got a cat.) As a kid, I had three Collie dogs, occasional stray cats, several turtles, fish, a snake, two salamanders, three ducks, and a parakeet...not all at once. The ducks were (admittedly) odd but not exotic. We had a Carolina Rail, a wild bird, that my brother shot with his BB-gun, and we nursed it back to health for a few weeks and then turned it loose. My parents were obviously pretty tolerant of livestock around the house. Today my yard is teeming with wildlife but these are not really pets although I occasionally toss out lettuce or carrot scraps that quickly disappear. I have a 1500 gallon goldfish pond with about 40 goldfish (they spawned) that serves as a watering hole in the desert so every time I go out something flies or runs away.
What are your current and past experiences with pets?
We almost always had a cat or 3, growing up. My parents both grew up on farms and dogs were working animals- never indoors. So we never had dogs, ever. My last cat ( actually my son’s) had to be put down at 7, about 10 years ago. I’ve not had any pets since and have no desire to. I don’t like having to deal with cleaning out litter boxes, or taking dogs out to potty or walk… I simply don’t like to be tethered to animal care. I have very long days, and I am out of the house for most of the day until late at night Many times. There simply is no way that it would make sense for me to have a pet. Plus I simply am over pet hair in my home, and I would lose my *** if a dog peed on my carpet or floor. Plus, I just can’t stand that doggie smell. I don’t know how people can travel with dogs in their car, to me it is just awful - Obviously you can bathe your dog frequently and keep them relatively odor free… But again, that’s a lot of work. And to me it’s just not worth it. I like to pick up and go, And plan to travel as much as I can after I retire. Makes no sense to have a pet. I do love puppies, and kittens to for that matter… I rarely pass by a dog without stopping to pet it, I just don’t want one of my own.
I really just don’t have the patience for them, although I would bend over backwards and go to the ends of the earth for a child.
We have three dogs: 14, 14 and 10 years old. We are both 60. I'd like to adopt another kitty, our last one died a few years ago, but my better half says no because cats live to be around 17 years old and we are too old now to make that long term commitment. I agree....sadly.
We will continue to foster animals for the shelter and give them a loving temporary home, but when our three, very loved, geriatric dogs die we won't have pets of our own.
Last edited by texan2yankee; 08-10-2019 at 09:12 PM..
Nothing like having a dog. We always had a dog in our 40 years of marriage...mostly Pugs or Bostons. Our present dog is an 80 pound rescue dog...1/2 Flat Coated Retriever, 1/4 Golden, 1/8 Border and 1/8 Cur. When he was about 6 months old, my daughter dropped him off for the weekend. She didn’t come back to get him. That was eight years ago
I'd blow my own brains out before I'd get another pet. I don't want more responsibility in my life, I want less.
LOL! Yeah that is me, pretty much.
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