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At what age did you not own a pet?

Discussion in 'Non-Vegas Chat' started by GrPa, May 19, 2017.

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  1. GrPa

    GrPa Low-Roller

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    Our great little dog is starting to show his age, 11 years old. It makes me sad, but I've thinking about what we'll do when he passes. We've always enjoyed having a pet in the house these last 20+ years. I don't think I'll be ready to make another 10-12 year commitment when the time comes. It's harder for my wife to imagine our household without a pet than it is for me. We're both in our mid 50's.

    Your thoughts/experiences?
     
  2. rayrat

    rayrat Low-Roller

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    You honor your previous pet by sharing love with a new pet.
     
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  3. DaiLun

    DaiLun R.C., L.C., and A.A.N.G.

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    I have NEVER owned a pet. Pets NEVER "grow up" to take care of themselves. I was taught at a very early age to be comfortable being by myself.

    I appreciate that pets give some people comfort, but not for me, thank you.
     
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  4. TrewBrew

    TrewBrew I may be right, I may be Crazy.

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    We are both 52 and have decided that when the time comes for our dog to go there will not be a replacement. Our Standard poodle turns 5 this summer and our others have lived to about 7 years (like most purebreds they have health issues)

    It is not because of the commitment for us we want to travel more and visit family that is scattered across the country a dog requires paying for others to watch it and prohibits the spur of the moment trips we want to take.
     
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  5. ken2v

    ken2v This Space For Rent

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    Love animals but haven't had a pet in my adult life. I grew up in a dog/cat household and my parents (now just my dad) had cats until very recently, and my wife grew up in a bit of an menagerie.

    Our reason is simple -- we do not feel we can give them the attention they deserve given how much we travel. We talk all the time about a yard full of labs, as a concept, but haven't pulled the trigger. I'm not sure we ever will. Anyway, our neighbors' dogs end up in our backyard a good bit of the time. lol

    This is definitely one of those no-single-right-answer questions, and folks' mileage WILL vary.
     
  6. lsiunsuex

    lsiunsuex Low-Roller

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    We never had pets growing up - It was only when I got married that my wife made me get 2 cats. We've had them for 7 years now 1 orange male and 1 black female. We got them from the SPCA.

    Now that we have the cats, I want a dog - (rottweiler) but the wife says I can't get one until the cats pass - it's their house and a dog would upset them. We had to watch her mothers cat while she was in Paris for 2 weeks and our cats were very clearly pissed about it. Hissing at her and stuff - thank god, they've never peed or pooped or anything in retaliation.

    I don't mind them - but I do kinda feel cats aren't very affectionate - the neighbors dog was happier to see me when we got home last night then my cats were, lol... Will probably get a dog next time.

    Was also cool seeing so many dogs in vegas / dog friendly hotels - I would bring one if it could tolerate the flight. Maybe not a rott, but a smaller dog, haha.
     
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  7. C0usineddie

    C0usineddie VIP Whale

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    I love not having pets anymore. Its been about 4 years now and I love the freedom. Pets are ok but really they tie you down and i dont need that anymore. Now I just care for myself and can come and go as I please.
     
  8. Sonya

    Sonya Queen of VMB

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    There are lots of older pets in shelters around the country. Some specialize in placing them and have programs for assistance with veterinary care.

    I grew up with dogs from my very early years. Leaving the house for apartment living meant I had cats. When we bought our house, the deal was that I got to get a dog. Now I can't imagine not having a dog in the house. I may not get another cat once Frankie is gone.

    I guess it depends on what your priorities are. If you enjoy the companionship, are willing to put in the work of caring for them and are around to do so, look into an adoption of a shelter dog. We heard a family member was thinking they would have to put down their 12 yr old Brittney Spaniel so we took him in. We only had him for 2 years, but he left a pretty big impression on our house. I miss that lumpy, old wiggle butt.

    I take Ruby with me on most of my travels, but I haven't stayed with her in a hotel in Vegas. I don't like the idea of leaving her in the room while I go wander or gamble. I've looked at the dog facilities for pets at the Vegas hotels and I'm not that impressed. Instead, I leave her at Doggie District. (Thanks again for the recommendation, @Joe ) She gets the 5-star package there with lots of treats, play time and text message updates for me with photos. She loves it. When I go to pick her up, she says hi and then tries to run back out to their play area to be with her friends. Sheesh! ;) My favorite moment with Doggie District was when I called from pool-day at the cabana with my friends to see how she was doing and they said, "She's out at the pool." Chip off the old block. :haha:
     
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  9. deansrobinson

    deansrobinson VIP Whale

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    That's a tough one.
    I had to beg and plead and cajole and nag to get a dog about twenty years back. She lived sixteen years and was replaced by two dogs. They are, as was the first one , our kids. They live a better life than some two-legged mammals. However, pets can be an issue when traveling - but - they are in fact ONLY animals, so there's a wee bit of anthropomorphizing going on. It's how we are.

    That being said , the projected lifespan of these dogs puts me at about seventy if things progress as the actuarial tables indicate, and honestly, I can't guarantee we'll be replacing them. There comes a point where I think we're going to be less enthusiastic about the effort to maintain them, as we'd like to travel more.

    Remembering back to about five years old, my childhood, we always had at minimum one pet dog and once we moved to the rural route, that multiplied and we had cats and a 'hobby farm' full of animals, so I've been around the fur society for some time. Here's a helpful hint from your old buddy Dean: DO NOT give a hog or a calf a name. About a year down the road you'll fully understand why this is a bad, bad, idea. Just so you know...
     
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  10. luck.ofthe.draw

    luck.ofthe.draw VIP Whale

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    I love animals and don't think I could ever see myself without a pet unless I absolutely had to be. I grew up with cats, had a chocolate lab throughout my youth and into high school (best dog ever - we had to put her down at 13 when she could no longer stand). After that, I have never owned my own dog, but have had cats.

    To answer the OP question, the longest I have been without a cat was my early 20's, stuck in a bad living situation, unable to have pets. I didn't own a cat for 2 years. It was tough though, living alone makes for a quiet existence.

    Currently, my boyfriend and I share a 1-bedroom apartment with his Belgian Malinois (we have a good-sized backyard), and we just adopted a tabby cat about a month ago. His dog is 6 years old, with an expectancy of 6 more years (based on current diet, exercise, and no health issues), and our cat is just a year. I look forward to having a cat into my mid-40's (ha) but wonder how I will cope once he passes.

    @Sonya, I also like your input about adopting a senior animal from a shelter or humane society. Based on life expectancy, some of the "older" advertised animals aren't old at all! A 7-yr old dog could very well have 5 or 7 years left, just as a 7-yr old cat easily has 8 to 10 years of living left to do. :)
     
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  11. ken2v

    ken2v This Space For Rent

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    Oooh, oooh, I know ... you shouldn't eat what you name!!!
     
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  12. ken2v

    ken2v This Space For Rent

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    There is that, too.
     
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  13. makikiboy

    makikiboy VIP Whale

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    When I was a kid our family always had a pet dog or two. I grew up going to sleep with a dog in my bed. It was funny because our dad didn't want the dog in our rooms at night but the toy Fox terriers we had would jump the gate at night and come to our rooms, then when they heard my dad getting up in the morning they would run back to their enclosure and jump back in. Was always funny because after dad went to sleep we would hear the pitter patter of the dogs coming to our rooms as night.

    That was over 35 years ago. After I left home I never had a pet, mostly because I didn't have the time or the places I stayed didn't allow pets. Now that I am going to retire soon I am hoping that I can get a dog or two to keep me company. Unfortunately my condo doesn't allow pets but after my mom passes away I am hoping I can use some of that money to buy a bigger place that will allow pets. But like others I'm not sure what I'm going to do with the dogs when I go travelling. Probably have them stay with my sister.

    But I still get my fix. My sister has 4 dogs so I go over to their place to play with the dogs. She actually had 5 dogs but 2 recently died so they picked another up from the shelter (most are shelter dogs) a few months ago. Yeah, their house isn't the cleanest or healthiest because they are all house dogs so they mess up the place or shed all over.
     
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  14. rcc4au

    rcc4au Low-Roller

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    I've never lived without pets.. Cats, dogs, ferrets, fish, hamsters, gerbils, Guinea pigs, have all been part of my life. It's all I know, but having 3 dogs - all with different ailments, making it very difficult to travel without an in-home sitter made the decision easy to not have any more pets once these pass.

    The oldest, Clyde - a 10 year old rat terrier - is neurotic. I call him a crotchety old man. He's terrified of bad weather, allergic to everything, and had been getting regular doses of steroids until we discovered he had developed diabetes, so we stopped the steroids and added insulin. He's also on two pills for his chronic itching and Prozac.

    The middle dog, Bama (aka Johnny) is a 9 year old miniature pincher with cardiomyopathy and heart failure. He is on 3 different medications - including Lasix 4 times a day. He's super sweet, but high maintenance.

    The baby - Bella - is a 6 year old Yorkie with a sensitive tummy. We call it Yorkie tummy. She takes Zantac occasionally, but is pretty healthy otherwise. She's a treat snob and only eats the ones from her monthly BarkBox subscription - which, if you want to reorder, are $8 on average for an itty-bitty bag. She will literally turn her nose up at anything else.

    I love them dearly and will be sad when they're gone, but the freedom of not having to deal with all the pet issues will be like the day I was able to ditch the diaper bag. It's a freedom like no other. The two boys don't socialize well, so we can't have just anyone stay with them, and boarding is $22/day PER PET, so that's not happening - especially since boarding is being crammed in a small cage and let out a few times to potty. So we hire someone to stay, give them full reign of the house, a detailed schedule of dog meds, a full fridge and some cash just so we can go on vacation.

    I'll miss having pets, but won't miss all the responsibilities that come with owning pets.
     
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  15. makikiboy

    makikiboy VIP Whale

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    Interesting. My sister had 2 Min Pins that passed away from heart failure last year. But they had a hard life, the original owner went to jail and the person who was supposed to take care of the dogs didn't so when the humane society found the dogs they were barely alive and had to go to foster for 6 months to rehab. My sister had them for 5 years before they both passed away last year, they were probably about 9 years old. I just hope that they enjoyed their stay with my sister to make up for their hard life before that.

    I know, we want the companionship of a pet but hard to have the responsibility of owning them.
     
  16. rcc4au

    rcc4au Low-Roller

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    Heart failure is common with Min Pins, unfortunately. My mom inherited her aunt's 2 Min Pins and one ultimately died of heart failure. Her aunt treated them to McDonald's cheeseburgers every Sunday, so when my mom got them, they were terribly obese. She put them on a diet and got them closer to a normal weight.

    It sounds as if your sister may have made up for their rough life!

    My sister was a receptionist at the vet where we've taken our animals for years, which is how I got Bella. Her former owners had brought her in to fix her and decided she wasn't a good fit for their family, so they paid the bill but left her there. She's neurotic in her own way, but she loves me like nothing has ever loved me before!
     
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  17. Sdebruyne

    Sdebruyne Low-Roller

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    We are late 50's, early 60's. We have always had either a dog or cats all of our married life. We always said that after the kids grew up and moved out we would not have anymore animals. We just didn't plan on our cat living so long. He's a very healthy (and spoiled rotten) 18 year old. It's turning out to be almost as long of a commitment as having kids! But he's our last. We don't want to be tied down with a pet in retirement.
     
  18. Jerseyguy

    Jerseyguy MIA

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    Last cat died of old age 4 years ago,thats it no more .
     
  19. Onmyown32

    Onmyown32 Low-Roller

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    Our pug passed away 2 years ago while we were on vacation she was almost 10 yrs old. In 2 years both my kids will be out of the house and in college so I said no more, we like to travel way too much to have pet responsibilities. It kinda hurt us knowing our pug passed away while she was being babysat by a friend so no more pets and leaving them when we travel. It wasn't fair to travel so much and leave her behind :(
     
  20. breanna61

    breanna61 Super Moderator

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    I'm 56 and my husband is 53; we lost our Labradoodle boy Buster a year ago Mother's Day. A year before he passed, we added our mini Labradoodle Jaxon to our family. Jaxon is 2 now, 30 lbs; Buster was 65 lbs. We recently added our 3 month old mini Labradoodle Cosmo to our family; he will run around 30 lbs when full grown. We downsized in size as it is so much easier to travel with smaller dogs....also easier for family or friends to puppy sit. We also thought ahead to possible health problems for our boys. Buster had surgery for a torn ACL 2 years before we lost him and that included us sleeping on an air mattress with him in our living room for months before he could do stairs and he would never want to be carried up and down stairs. If something like that happened to Jaxon or Cosmo, much easier to carry them when we will be in our 60's, even if they resist.

    We honestly can't imagine being without a dog in our family; they bring an unconditional love and joy that we mere mortals can only hope to achieve. I never want to think about losing another of my boys but if that day comes, we would be at an age where we would find a senior dog that some piece of shit person abandoned (sorry, don't get me started) and welcome them to share our golden years.
     
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