I only have one.
She’s a rescue Aussie Mini Shepherd, she’s sort of ugly and mean, she only weighs twenty three pounds and she can hit you behind the knee harder than you’d think!
She’s quite a little jerk.
Zero. I wish I could afford to have one. I loved it when my son's dog, Bailey, a chocolate lab, lived with me for about six months while my son was getting settled in his new place and job (250 miles away).
shareZero. I wish I could afford to have one. I loved it when my son's dog, Bailey, a chocolate lab, lived with me for about six months while my son was getting settled in his new place and job (250 miles away).
share250 miles, jeez, that’s got to be tough.
Chocolate labs are real big, hyperactive sweeties, it must keep your son very busy!
Bailey was his buddy and got him through some tough times. He had to give her up when he went back on the road. He knew it wasn't fair to her to be cooped up in his truck's cab so often. Luckily, the wife of my other son knew a family who had recently lost their dog. It's a great match - lots of children, a huge yard, and plenty of attention. I know he misses her, but I'm proud of him for thinking of her rather than himself.
shareSimilar experience from the other side here.
I had to leave my black Lab/Rott mix with my parents for what was supposed to be a few months because I was training for a job in a different state.
Long story short, 6 months turned into a little over a year for reasons out of my control, and by that time my dog had become so accustomed to living with my parents. She had 2 other dogs to play with and a big yard. All I had was my 1BR apartment. Not to mention they were both retired and I was working long hours. Just wouldn't have been good for her.
So I made the absolutely heartbreaking decision to leave her there with them permanently. Luckily I lived about 20 minutes away so I could visit constantly. My girlfriend at the time would joke that I loved my dog more than her(she was right), because of how often I wouldn't be home because I was at my parents so often.
My parents were very skeptical of having a dog that size in their house as they'd only ever owned small dogs. My mom was worried she would knock things over/off of tables.. I just laughed, because she was the absolute most gentle dog you'd ever meet.
After that first year, my parents had become so attached to her that it would have been equally devastating for them if I had taken her back, even though they already had 2 dogs of their own. So I get your sentiment.
She passed a few years ago, and my mom still reminisces about her all the time. Now I have a rambunctious boy who just turned 2 that they get to spoil with treats when I visit.
EDIT - Sorry, I guess that wasn't so short after all.
None to speak of, though I did have one for 16 years - lost him to cancer. Now I have too many cats. They're also jerks at times, but also quite sweet and cuddle bugs.
shareIt’s hard to lose them, I’ve lost a few.
Happy to hear you love your cats, how many do you have?
9. Technically I guess 7 cats and 2 kittens. I'm looking to re-home about half, but no joke there's a pretty weird, widespread cat food shortage in my city, which has contributed to a lot of people actually getting rid of their cats.
It's a lot, but they're all good cats, not a lot of trouble, just a bunch of needy whiners at times haha.
That’s a sizable pride of little lions!
There have been lots of shortages of all sorts of things, I could only guess what’s causing them (fuel prices, the war in Ukraine..?)
Best of luck with the kitties, it’s great you are housing and caring for them. Somewhere out there some jerk is putting their cat on the side of the road and driving away…sad but true
Two at the moment. Both drop offs. We've had a dozen before. We live at the end of a dead end farm road and everybody dumps their unwanted animals out here. They usually stick around, sometimes they wander off.
shareSome people are awful!
Our leaders really should sort out a free national spaying/neutering program to prevent this abuse.
Animal neglect is a pretty serious issue.
My last girl was a sweet Pit found near Yankee Stadium on the side of a busy, polluted street. She was soiled by road grime and whatever trash she had been scavenging. We had many good years together.
My current little girl is a wee slip of a dog; fast, agile, a tad temperamental and overly protective of her hearth and home.
She and her siblings were all at a local rescue center, survivors of some lousy puppy mill down south.
I’m sorry now that I didn’t take two.
When you help an abused animal you’re doing a real good thing👍
YUP...90% OF THE DOGS WE HAVE HAD...WE HAD FOR THAT REASON.
shareJust one. And I've always owned at least one dog (or my family did when I was a kid) for my entire life. Home just isn't home without a dog!
shareAgreed, they are a lot of work but the companionship and security beats the work.
A well treated dog in a decent home behaves like a wolf in its cave…’Don’t come too close unless you are welcomed around here.’
I have a bulldog/boxer/pitbull mix who just turned 2 in late November.
He is the happiest dog I've ever seen. Constantly wagging his tail so hard that his butt shakes back and forth whenever you do as much as make eye contact with him.
He is rowdy and loves to fight(for fun, obviously) and zoom around the house. I have an old couch that became his couch, that he loves to run full speed at and slam/bounce off the back of.
I was in a bit of a rut for a bit before I got him and he has been exactly what I needed to get my ass up and moving around again. Dogs are not only great for companionship, but they are freaking therapeutic. Just having that sense of them depending on you and the responsibility that it brings did a lot for me.
I’m happy you mentioned this, some people do find a companion dog for therapy and a fine relationship to keep busy with therapeutic. Someone dear to me requires a therapy/companion dog and they get along and help each other in the sweetest way.
Good point!
Yeah I had a lot going on during and after the Covid pandemic. Without too many details..wasn't able to work, lot of isolation, which led to some boredom, led to some drinking, led to some depression, etc.
I didn't necessarily go out in search of a therapy dog. That just kinda happened. But it happened at the time I was starting a new job, but still not feeling quite back to being "right", if that makes sense.
The dog just gave me that little extra nudge I needed to get back to being responsible and taking care of myself. I'd have probably still been stuck in that destructive routine without him, to be completely honest.
I think anyone in a rut could use a rowdy puppy in their lives to break up the monotony. They keep you on your toes!
I’m glad things are looking up for you, a good dog sure can make your day!