I have had several pets, from Siamese cats to feral cats I befriended, to the Doberman Pinscher currently lying beside me on the couch with his “ra-ra ball”. That is a chewball that you stuff with treats that break up and fall through holes as he chews it, making rather loud ra-ra-ra-ra sounds. Sometimes it is annoying, but most of the time it is pretty endearing. All of the pets I have had exhibited their own little quirks, things that sometimes I would expand on and create little tricks they like to perform knowing they would get a treat for doing something that was already a part of their personality.

The formerly feral cat I have currently is going blind, he is pretty old. As a kitten he took a ride in the engine compartment of my truck for 35 miles, then sat there in it for 4 more hours and fell out after it I cranked the truck up to leave for lunch. That is a particularly long story that I’ll save for another time.

Each of my pets have their own unique story, a background that makes them more than just an animal. Their personality, their habits, the little things that I see on a daily basis that make them more like friends than pets. Like right now my Dobe is laying his head on my arm, almost like the memory of pets gone now is weighing on my heart and he is letting me know it is ok.

My spouse knows me and understands me. My pets know what I’m thinking, or at least the feelings those thoughts are invoking.

So to break it down as to what I love about it? Many aspects, unconditional love, companionship as noted by another commentor, the feeling that the animals understand me in ways a human never could. The feeling of friendship and closeness. It might be the semblance of things like that fool me into believing that, but I’ve never had anyone else come out and jump around or weave through my legs if I come home late like my pets do.

What do I hate about having pets? That would be cleaning the litter box or when “accidents” happen that have to be cleaned up. Seeing them sick or injured.

Also it is hard losing a pet. Enough so that you almost never want to experience that heartbreak again. They don’t always have that long a lifespan, but everything that can be packed into it will create memories that can get you through some hard times and bring laughter. It is really hard to put everything into words, but I hope I have conveyed at least some of what is behind my love of animals.

I’ve had some wild animals I considered pets, a raccoon that would tap at my glass door for dog biscuits covered in peanut butter, a gray fox that would lay in my yard and wait for me to come home. She loved hot dogs, her quirk was if you give her a big piece of food she would go hide it and come right back, but small pieces she would take out of your hand more gingerly than my dog or cat would. Each time she had kits she would parade them by to let me see. Even to a beaver that wondered up one year during a pretty bad drought. It would make it’s presence known in the yard until I pulled out the garden hose over to the dry creek bed. It would pick a nice depression and patiently wait for me to put the hose in the depression and fill it as much as possible. This continued off and on for three months almost daily. It would drink some of the water and then pad around in it. It loved it when I pointed the water to its head and let it run over it.

I would not trade having my pets for anything I could think of.

Thank you for your question.

For me, it certainly is. I’ve loved animals from my earliest memories, but I also have horrible early memories as to how my father treated animals.

On the other hand, there’s nothing wrong with being a person who does not want to own, nor care for, pets. It really is a time consuming, and terribly expensive, undertaking.

It’s all about knowing ourselves, and recognizing what we need to make us happy…..or rather, to fulfill our lives.

I have a sister who seems to feel guilty that she doesn't like dogs. She’s never had one, but since just about everyone she knows, including her siblings, dearly loves dogs, she’s questioning herself as to why she doesn’t.

Oh, Hell’s Bells, there’s nothing “wrong” with her. For example, almost everyone I know loves to get a new car. I couldn’t care less about cars. I drive a 23-year-old truck and when it was new, I was bored to tears when friends wanted to see it, to talk about it, and to sit in it. For me, it was only politeness that kept me from walking away as they oooed, and awed, over my new truck. I still drive that same truck.

A couple of years back, my husband convinced me to go and look at new trucks. Within 15-minutes I was bored to tears. No, I couldn’t make myself care about all of the new technology. No, I couldn’t make myself care about any of the “bells and whistles” that came along with new trucks……I was/am just happy with my current workhorse of a truck, and it is just that……..a workhorse that has never been in the shop, in all of these years. My husband gave up in trying to interest me in a new truck. We went home.

Is there something “wrong” with my sister for never wanting a dog? NO. Is there something “wrong” with me for not wanting a new truck even though we can afford one? NO.

As for pets, if you’ve no interest, then please don’t get one. That doesn’t make you a bad person, in any way at all, no more than it makes me a bad person for not wanting a new truck.

What would make you a bad person is if you got a pet, and when that pet needed care/time that you didn’t have to give………or, and especially, should it need high cost veterinary costs, well then………you know the answer.

When my husband and I were a whole lot younger, than we are now, we always had two dogs, two cats, one Netherland Dwarf bunny, (who lived for 15 years), and one horse which we boarded at a self-care barn. When any of these animals even hinted at needing a vet, they got one immediately.

Now, that we’re old, we only have one small rescue dog, and the mare. The mare is now 32-years-old. When she needs a vet, she still gets one, immediately, and for our one small rescue dog, the same is true for him, too. This is so important as too many people take on too many animals that they can’t afford. I believe that we all have to know what, how much, we have to, realistically, give to our pets.

So as for my answer to your question, is absolutely YES as for the trouble of owning a pet. But, that’s only because, we’ve never taken on more than we could emotionally, and especially, financially handle.

Well, people might kill me for this, but I've not exactly been very fond of human kids. So, I had kind of believed that I would never experience motherhood. It was during the time that I fell really sick, underwent a surgery and developed severe depression & anxiety due to incessant chronic pain for a year (the lowest point in my life) that we decided to adopt a dog. I always loved dogs, and also had a couple of them in my teens. This would have been our first pet after marriage. My husband was absolutely inexperienced in handling dogs and I had a lot of restrictions in movement. We didn't know how to deal with it but we knew that this adoption would be a solution to every ordeal that I've been going through.

We looked for a dog that would suit us perfectly. We had to be little choosy because of his inexperience and my inability.

Let me first tell you about him.

This boy decided to rescue us. His name is Drogon. GoT fans can correlate the momma’s boi Drogon who would rescue her from every danger. He was 13 months old when we adopted him. He was obese, filled with skin infection and bleeding and had hip dysplasia. How did he address those?… by smiling.

You scold him, he smiles back. You're upset, he smiles at you. As if he says, “look how beautiful this world is…and you're sulking about a petty issue like this?”

I was already struggling with a lot of pain, his health issues forced me to leave the bed and address those, at least to guide my husband what to do. I started to move. I started to heal. I started to smile.

This boy was not only a happy boy, he was intelligent too. Nobody taught him to pee in the loo, he probably understood that's where humans do their business and he did it in the odd hours of the day and came to me to inform that I need to pour phenyl there.

And then when I shed tears, all alone contemplating about my effed up life, health and career, he climbed upon my bed to lick away those tears and cuddle me.

Yes, sitting cross-legged is his swag!

It has been 3.5 months with him. His skin issues have improved to a great extent. He's on medication for HD after proper check ups and his health and nutritional balance are just right! And me? I resumed work after a long gap. I'm painfree (except for a few bad days that are inevitable) and the monster called depression has quit my mind. I'm back to my happy self, with… a new me! I discovered the mom in me! Of course experiencing your own baby you've kept on your womb for 9 months is different, but the attachment, responsibility and feeling of oneness as a family that both me and my hubby felt because of this darling baby, is inexplicable!

When we're in office, we keep an eye on him through cameras and talk to him through the same. We rush back to reach him as soon as we can once we are done with our work. His food, his care is our priority now. We don't go to movies or outings without him on weekends so that we give him all the time he deserves. I wouldn't sacrifice so much for anybody, I know I'm a selfish human. But this boy, this innocent little boy is special! He feels lonely at times and comes upon our bed to sleep between us, snuggling around. Sometimes we smile together -

He asks for whatever he needs, we get him toys, we play with him…we don't eat until he's fed. We're family.

It feels good to be a mom, it feels good to be rescued. ❤️

Communication.

We seem to expect our new companions to automatically understand us. Aren't we pompous?

Pretty much our dogs become bilingual while living with us. At my house, my dogs understand “bedtime” to mean we are all adjourning to the bedroom for treats. Because every time it is said, that happens. The exclamation of “who wants to kill the lizard” indicates we are all going to answer nature's call in the front yard. (Years ago, the puggle saw a lizard in her yard and she couldn't catch it. Twelve years on and she still looks in exactly the same place.)

I understand certain tones from the attack Chihuahua to mean the new dog is getting too much attention.

As good pet owners, we are engaging in a game of charades. The humans tend to vocalize during the game, the other team usually doesn't.

Be patient, it can take weeks or months to really communicate well with them. The thirteen year old puggle puts me through the paces daily. She's always refining how quickly and how well I do her bidding.

Remember, good communication runs both ways.

I had lived with a family in a suburb of Bangkok for 2+ years but had recently moved into my own apartment much closer to work. Every few weeks, I would visit the family (and their two dogs).

As I was leaving their home and was passing the vacant lot next door, I heard hungry kitten cries.

I had had dogs in my life but never cats. In fact, none of my friends or family had had cats.

But hearing the cries, I just had to investigate.

Someone had placed two kittens in a spirit house, up off of the ground where they could have been easily killed by street dogs or snakes.

I could not leave them there.

And that is how my 40-year love affair of being owned by cats began.

I opened the door.

Just based on you asking this question it shows that you care, and that is such an important thing. Wanting to learn about how to give the best life to your pet. So here’s my best tips for being an upstanding pet owner.

1.) First and foremost, make sure you’re financially stable enough for the pet you plan on getting. Pets cost money, and plenty of it. From their food, supplies, and especially vet visits. Do some research about how much the animal you want will cost you yearly, and determine if you can fit that into your budget.

2.) Of course, take your pet to the veterinarian. This seems like a basic one but many people choose to skip over this step. If you want your pet to have a happy and healthy life with you, make sure you take it to the vet. Getting regular checkups, getting all required vaccines, and getting your pet fixed is so important, and will help prevent you having to spend loads of money on medical issues that could have been avoided by doing these things. The vet is just basic care for a pet parent.

3.) Make sure you know which pet is best for you. Many people rush into getting a pet just “because it’s cute” or just as an impulse. As a result many, many pets end up getting mistreated or rehomed because of their owner not being able to take care of them properly. Again: Do Your Research! Understand which animal will best fit your lifestyle and schedule, and determine if you have the time and the knowledge to care for that animal properly. If not, there are many options for pets and they all require different amounts of time, money, effort. So just make sure to choose what is right for you.

4.) Be patient. Being a pet parent comes with so much joy, but there will always be frustrating moments. There will be times when things go terribly wrong, a medical issue will pop up, your pet will misbehave. But you must remember- these are animals. They do not understand what we can understand. You need to be patient with them, just like a small child. They don’t know any better. It’s all about learning your pet and figuring out what works best for them and you. It will all be worth it in the end, but just please, do not get too upset.

5.) Most importantly, LOVE YOUR ANIMALS! Owning pets is an amazing thing we get to experience as humans, and bring so much happiness to our homes. Be sure to give them tons and tons of love and affection, and provide them the very best life you can until the end of their days. Enjoy!

Hope this helped :)

We adopted a rescue last September. He would be living both indoors and outdoors with two other rescues.

We took the other dogs to the shelter and introduced them individually to be sure there was no major problem. (Sometimes, dogs just don’t like each other.) We then tied each of them in our van — two on seats and one in the back — so they saw each other but could not touch.

When we got home, we immediately put the new dog in a bedroom with the door closed so they could see and smell each other. The new dog was only allowed out on a leash.

After two days, we let the new dog run outside, but under supervision. One of my dogs can get aggressive at times, so my husband stood guard with a taser. It has been used on the aggressive dog once in four years; when it comes out now, the dog immediately stops what she is doing and sits for further instructions.

By doing this slowly, the dogs now get along.

Lovingly, responsibly, they and we hoping for the best of loving relationships to grow and blossom and bear fruit over the long years.

Teach your new pet _patiently_ and GENTLY how to live under your roof as a family member. Correct them, don't punish to break their spirit or heart. They want to fit in; show them how.

Get Vet insurance if you possibly can! If you have a US EBT food card, Concern for Animals will help: google your 2-letter state code ahead of the charity's name, no spaces as always.

With EBT card in hand, call the resulting number for simple, easy instructions on how to get set up with your vet, and take your card with you to the Vet. When you check out, show your card, and you will have a small Copay. What a great kindness!!

Spread the word, and if you don't need food help, then PLEASE CONTRIBUTE to this awesome charity: My Teddy’s eye was saved!

CREDIT: Nikki at Low Income Relief — get the App!

Since I field questions concerning dogs, I am going to answer by substituting ‘pet’ with ‘dog.’

A responsible dog owner registers their dog with the county, and maintains all required inoculations and shots.

They socialize their dog so it will not become a menace should the dog find themselves in an unfamiliar situtation, and out of fear, appear to be aggressive, and challenge people and other dogs.

They will treat their dog with kindness and respect, never punish them or yell at them for misbehaving. They will trust their dog because a trusted dog is a trustworthy dog.

A responsible owner realizes that their dog, and the dogs of others are basically children that have the IQ of a three year old human child that will never learn how to speak, and have poor hygiene. They will also understand that dogs are not furry humans, and have wants and needs that go against popular human norms.

They will allow their dog to behave like a dog, and not train the dogness out of them, because forcing unnatural behaviors and habits into their dogs is a form of mental abuse, and one can not have a well adjusted dog after refusing it the opportunity to sniff butts, eat disgusting things, roll in rotten, putrid dead things, chew your possessions (actually, just pick up your stuff and avoid this part) or any other harmless activity dogs so enjoy.

There are so many more tips to consider, but these will do for now, IMHO

Yes, resemble in the sense of attitude and personality. The same is true for life long partners.

The explanation for this is basically down to life style. For instance, it isn’t uncommon for a fat man to become thin while living with a thin woman or vice versa and it isn’t uncommon either for neither of them to physically change. It all differs from case to case but in general, there are a lot of things that start to resemble between the two over time.

why do this happen? Well, habits are contagious. Not all mind you. So if you ate 3 times a day and your partner of dog lives with you then most likely they will eat 3 times a day too. See what I’m getting at here? If you shower 5 times a day then most likely your partner may shower more frequently than before and skin complexion may improve or be on par with your own and such things. If you’re physically active and own a dog, most likely you bring your dog with you on long walks or jogs. The results with then be pretty obvious, your dog will be healthy just like you are with more muscle mass and with muscle mass proportionate to yours. As far as human to canine muscle mass ratio goes that is.

And so even certain traits likes being lazy or hyper can be contagious. Your fears and desires as well. Dogs are keen on emotions and if at an early age, they learn to fear thunder because you fear thunder then that trait will carry with them forever or unless corrected.

I for instance, sit around all day in front of a computer for work. Guess how that reflects on my own dogs? They just sit and laze around all day. I’m a thin man as well and my dogs are about at the same weight ratio as I am (as far as human to dog weight ratios go).

But just because I’m thin, that doesn’t mean all people who are thin or fat have the same resemblance with their dogs. Life style mostly plays a larger factor. A fat man could have a thin dog simply because he doesn’t have enough income to over feed his dog. Likewise, a fat man could have a thin dog because he’s aware of how much his dog needs in order to prevent overweight.

So, yes. There will always be somethings that will allow other people to say that this dog belongs to this person because the resemblance is strong.

I don’t call her spoiled but she does get under the blankets when it’s time to turn off the lights….

The best way - in my opinion - is always a shelter or a rescue organization. Always. I’d like to say that I’ve never bought a new furry kid, but back years ago, I did. In 1979 I purchased and sweet little Poodle, our Angie, from a pet shop. About 1980, I bought a second puppy from a pet shop, a Chihuahua I named Peaches. Finally, in 1988, I purchased a Pekeapoo, Binky, (my three year old daughter named home), for my daughter. The rest of the furry kids in my life, came from shelters or rescues. While I don’t regret getting those three furry kids, I do sometime think about the pup I could have saved, had I did differently. That’s what bothers me.

Many people have the impression that shelter pets or rescues are there because of behavior problems. Not true. Most have made their way to shelter because of neglect, abuse, or because they were dumped. Are there problems? Sometimes. We adopt from rescues: seniors, the disabled, as well as the ones no one wants, meaning they may have been with the rescue for a long long time. For this reason they generally come to us with a host of medical problems. There have been times when our counter looks like a pharmacy, with all the medication that must be given. And with some of them, at the time of adoption, we are told that their time with us may be short. Several of our furry kids have never had a forever home until we adopted them. Our Chihuahuas (except for two) came to us from a backyard breeder/puppy mill. They had never been outside of a kennel, let alone outside on grass. They had never had enough to eat, even though the females had been used from breeding purposes. However, there are hundreds of health, playful, sweet tempered, furry kids that will live a long life, and desperately need a home.

When my brother lost his Poodle, Smedley, he was at first determined to buy a puppy from a breeder, in particular he wanted a Pug (he and our Pug Rio adore each other). He said he didn’t want any behavior issues that he associated with pups from rescues or shelter. My adopted niece, who fosters rescues, sent me a picture of two Pug mixes: a Puggle, Phillip, and a Pug-Chi, Lillian. They were a bonded pair, one was ““a very young” 8 years old and a “young” 10 years old. I forwarded the picture to my brother. Within ten minutes, my brother became the future “Daddy” of both these babies. After Phil and Lilly had been with him a month, he came over and apologized to me. He said he had been wrong all along, rescue was they way to go. Both pups are very healthy, very happy, very loving. Lilly looks at my brother like she worships him. She runs my brothers home. Phil loves to play. Both are big snuggle bugs.

Try a rescue or visit a shelter. Try a meet and greet at a Pet Smart. I can promise, you will find the right fit.

My wife was taking a cooking class in Korat, Thailand, at a training agency sort of school, and there were street cats living there. One gave birth to kittens, and was killed by a dog soon after. My wife and the other students took up feeding them, and before long moved them to one student’s apartment so that they would be safer, in order to relocate most. One was really outspoken and friendly, and my wife really wanted to adopt her, even though we had two cats, so we did.

My kids and I love that cat an unreasonable amount now. We got her in early 2021, and we were all locked down for covid that year, and having an extra pet in the house made a lot of difference. We would essentially just pass her around; she was never more than a meter from one of us at any time. Later she became an indoor-outdoor cat, and she would come around about once an hour to get some attention. If any of us were outdoors doing something she would play nearby.

All of this is really just an excuse to show her pictures, like a proud Dad. Her real name is Myra, nickname Kidney.

her first apartment, of many

she would climb to my shoulder

as an adult, a young woman

as a unicorn

still pretty small

probably the first time I saw her, in a video call screen capture, not much bigger than a mouse

my son loves Myra the most of any of us, for sure, probably a bit too much, so he should be included in this as well.

Start with looking at your lifestyle, and from there, look at pups that fit into your life, rather than picking on a pup that is ‘popular’ or ‘cute’.

Then research the breeds, or do multiple meets and greets. I say this because we picked a dog with high energy, we knew that. I am more of a chill relaxing person. This pup doesn’t necessarily fit into my lifestyle, but we already have a Chesapeake bay retriever who was ridiculously high energy, and my boyfriend is high energy. She fits in perfectly, with minor adjustments to our lifestyle. We chose a rescue that was older (3 years old). Puppies weren’t an option for us, mostly because we can not be home 24/7.

I’m an aminal lover.

I prefer to live with a cat.
I’m a single guy who likes to go away for several days.
I can leave a sufficient amount of food & water for a cat.
this cannot be done with a dog because of excrement.
A cat uses a litter box while a dog will shit anywhere.

These are the cats with whom I’ve lived;
Fred passed several years ago and Cleocatra, the tuxedo cat

lives with me now

Well my rabbits have their own bedroom which I suppose some would consider spoiling. They are happy healthy bunnies that are only fed high quality food. They love cardboard boxes to destroy and hide in more than the toys I buy them. I love them to the moon and back.

1. Get it desexed, vaccinated and registered - and ensure an annual vet check. Understand the specific needs and health risks of the breed. Learn and abide by the local laws.

2. Learn everything you can about the species. Body language is the most important. Also instincts, behaviours, diet, habitat, range of exercise and territory, anatomy and physiology, signs of health and ill-health, and natural life cycle.

3. Go to a specialist trainer, and learn how to train the animal to understand your cues, and how to be a leader. If you have family, ensure all members learn the same. If it’s a puppy, be sure to take him to puppy school so he gets properly socialised as young as possible.

4. Don’t use commercially prepared foods. Buy whole food ingredients and prepare it yourself. Divide into meal-sized portions, freeze, and defrost in time for serving.

5. Ensure that you take care of all it’s needs every day.

The first stages especially for puppies are critical. You may have a lot of work to do with a rescue or adopted dog. This work also should start from day one in a measured way depending on the dogs temperament and history.
The most important thing about dog ownership especially in urban environments is control of your animal.
The most critical function of control in my opinion is to have perfect recall of your pet every time! Rabbit chaser or not.
Two things usually contribute in sabotaging this process.
One. There is no discernible pack leader as such, as the whole family own and care for the dog.
It is important for everyone to understand what type of behavior is required of them and the dog. Such as not playing; chase the dog around the garden to catch it when it is a puppy.
Two. This is perhaps the biggest mistake everyone makes with their dog. Lack of consistency in applying the pack leaders rules. Such as one person lets the dog jump up at them or get on the sofa with them and another does not or sometimes it's OK for the dog to jump up at you but not when you are wearing tights a tuxedo or evening dress.
If you have a puppy you can start recall training immediately by feeding it all it's meals by hand. Break their nutrition intake down to a little bit lots of times a day and make it the reward for coming to you. Practice this in safe environments indoors and out-doors. Every time the puppy comes when called reward it with praise, love and a treat.
Praising your pet is the most important part, yet many folk skimp on it?
The pack leaders praise and approval is such a strong re-enforcer that it will soon be enough to keep the dog obedient and doing your bidding as and when.
There is no point in getting angry or aggressive with your dog when it behaves contrary to your expectations. Nine times out of ten what ever the dog gets up to and you are not happy about it's your fault and not the dogs. The dog is just being a dog all be it not a very happy one if it has trashed the house because you left it feeling abandoned.

YES!! I'm certain that at least some fish can. I had a Northern Pike in my aquarium that knew ME! Maybe it was because it was an apex predator and therefore it's sense of sight was far better than most fish. Maybe it was because I was the first thing it ever saw that wasn't a fish. Maybe it was because I was it's captor and changed its life drastically.

I'm not sure if any other fish can recognize people, but my Pike certainly could. The reason I am so certain, is that it often would leap from the tank in my direction. I believe that it was doing it's best to attack me. This only happened to me and only when I was standing within range of the aquarium. When I would sit on the couch in front of the tank, this one fish would just stare at ME. I have written more about Spike the Pike in a different answer in Quora. He definitely had some pent up sense of hatred towards me.

Yes, absolutely. I wouldn't deserve a pet if I didn't look after them properly.

I feed them all twice a day, high quality, high protein food.

My sister baths the dog every three weeks to one month depending on how much the dog needs it. She has skin-sensitive shampoo and conditioner —costly, but effective.

They all get worm tablets, are up to date with their injections, and when they had a flea infestation we spent a long time every day picking them out (until we moved house where the lack of grass resulted in no more fleas).

We discipline them as needed, with a sharp tap and a “NO *insert name here* for the cats and a *NO Tonks, naughty* for the dog. They are all well-trained as a result.

My older cat has anxiety, so every week I spray his collar with pheromone (Feliway) to ease his stress levels.

I let my cats outside to do their business and give them time in the sun. My older cat doesn't venture out of the yard unless the “neighbourhood bully” chases him out for a fight. My little cat will go next door to sleep and explore the neighbour's garden. The cats don't have a cat litter as the dog will eat it.

Both cats, when they were kittens, were taken to the naturestrip regularly during busy periods. They don't venture on the road and have a healthy fear of cars.

We walk the dog every day for 10 minutes (she's a pug, that's all she can handle).

We take the dog to our local coffee shop and pet shop for an outing and to give her a chance to socialise.

If something seems wrong, we take them to the vet for a checkup.

There are things you should do first, before you adopt:

• Identify the pet type you want. Include age, needs.
• Purchase supplies: food & water bowls, litter box, lease, carriers; toys, bed, treats.

1. Identify a vet. Do you want insurance or wellness plans?

• Talk to your family. Make sure they are on board.
• Research your pet type. If you want a Maine Coon, get clear on what she’ll require.
• Determine boundaries. What will you do when kitty or doggy makes a mistake- & she will.
• identify possible adoption agencies. Visit them to assess their care for animals.
• Budget: pets cost money. Can you afford the feeding, & care.
• And how much time can you dedicate to a pet. Pets need attention & love.

These are just a few suggestions. When you decide to adopt, carefully select your pet. You are committing to 10–20 or more years to care, love your pet. Please make them good for you both.