Pet Peeve
A huge pet peeve of mine is people owning animals they shouldn't. I remember as a little girl I wanted a kitten or a puppy, whatever the flavor of the day might have been. I always thought they were so darn cute. Who doesn't? They're still soft, cuddly, playful, and most of small. If someone owned a female cat, they usually had kittens to get rid of at some point in time. I remember asking my parents time and time again if we could have one. You ask yourself what is wrong with that?
Well, the problem is people owning animals they don't give the proper care. You must give your pet more than just food and water. You need to give them love and attention. You need to give them proper shelter. You need to get them fixed (so you don't have those unwanted kittens or puppies) and vaccinated. You need to train your pet. Cats need to learn to use a liter box or let you know when they need to go outside. Dogs need to let you know when they need to go outside. I am so disgusted when I go to someone's home and there are dog turds on the floor. I mean, seriously? Wouldn't you scan your house before you had your guess come and visit? Yes...this DID happen to me. I've seen pet stains in a number of houses and this is very disturbing to me. You really want me to put my child on YOUR dirty floor?
My next issue with pet ownership is getting a pet blindly. Again, I know a number of people who have gotten dogs to 'alert them when someone comes to their home.' Seriously? Most dogs will do so, and not just strangers, they'll alert you when ANYONE comes to your home. If you want your dog to only bark when it's a stranger, THEN TRAIN THEM. With that said, these same people have been super annoyed with their dog because it always alerted them and the owners get mad because 'all the dog does is bark.' That's like having a baby and saying "all it does is cry." OF COURSE! Barking is how your dog is communicating with you! Now, there are some dogs that bark less than others. Note: If you are annoyed by barking, PLEASE DO NOT GET A DOG! KNOW THE BREED! Don't get a breed just because it reminds you of your childhood dog. You probably forgot all the annoying things from that dog. You need to find a dog that matches your personality. My favorite is when someone gets a dog just like someone they know and then have all these problems that they didn't know existed.
The next problem I see is "trading up." I cannot stand to see people trade up on their pets. Again, I've seen this with dogs. I know a family who cannot stand their dog after about a year. They tend to 'trade up.' Somehow the dog goes 'missing' or 'dies.' Conveniently the owner then gets a new and 'better' dog (usually blindly). This particular family can find an excuse for the trade up. I don't care what the excuse is, keep your original dog until it dies naturally (being hit by a car or personally 'putting them down' do not count) or find a new home for your now unloved and unwanted pet.
Other animal annoyances like:
*hair. Know how much your dog is going to shed. I HATE hearing people complain about how much their dog sheds. It's so annoying. Most things do shed, so you're kind of naive to think your pet isn't going to shed. Be prepared to have animal hair on your clothes. Invest in lint or animal hair rollers. There are some great ones out there. Okay, so this one is personally bothering me right now with my wonderful dog. He's a Siberian Husky who lives both indoors and outdoors. Right now, the temperatures have been in the upper 90s and lower 100s. He has been shedding since April. I was warned about how much he was going to shed, but each year when it came to that season I thought 'this isn't so bad.' This year, I think he's shedded about enough hair to cover two more dogs! I'm not complaining. =)
*smell. Your animal will smell. There are a few things to know how to get rid of the smell. 1. Get your pet fixed! 2. Some animals secrete oil (much like the oil on your own head) faster than others. So you have to bathe them more frequently. You will know how often you need to bathe your animal if you learn about said pet before you get it. 3. Depending on where your pet spends the majority of it's time (indoor/outdoor) will depend on how much it will smell. 4. Clean liter boxes, food and water dishes and vacuum on a regular basis. Mop the floors. 5. Brush your pet's teeth.
*allergies. Okay, I'm not going to lie, I cannot stand it when someone claims they have allergies to a certain type of animal when they have been over to visit a number of times and have never had a flair up or reaction before 'now.' Either you are or you aren't. You can't be at someone's home for a visit and all of a sudden on your 100th visit or the 100th day of your visit you have allergies with that animal. Oh, and you can't be allergic to one dog and not another in the same home. (Maybe you can be, if one dog never leaves the house and the other one does. But how likely is that since most dogs don't use liter boxes and must go outside to relieve themselves. Just saying.) Again, I have had a number of people come to my home and claim they are allergic to cats. However, most people will sit in the one chair that my cat sits in the most. Only three people who claimed to have cat allergies have had flair ups when they came to my home and sat in that chair. So, to all the rest of you, You're a bunch of liars! In fact, one friend just walked in the door and had a flair up.I believe him!
Other things to consider:
If you travel and are gone for more than one week out of the year, be prepared to pay for your pet to be watched after or pay to put them in a kennel. It is unfair to the pet and the person watching your pet to leave for weeks on end. Especially if this is what you do year after year. All the things that annoy you about your pet will be multiplied by the pet sitter.
If you don't live on your own (as in, still with your parents), you probably shouldn't get a pet.
I'd love to hear your comments and annoyances with pet ownership. Agree or disagree.
Come Rant with Rachel!
Well, the problem is people owning animals they don't give the proper care. You must give your pet more than just food and water. You need to give them love and attention. You need to give them proper shelter. You need to get them fixed (so you don't have those unwanted kittens or puppies) and vaccinated. You need to train your pet. Cats need to learn to use a liter box or let you know when they need to go outside. Dogs need to let you know when they need to go outside. I am so disgusted when I go to someone's home and there are dog turds on the floor. I mean, seriously? Wouldn't you scan your house before you had your guess come and visit? Yes...this DID happen to me. I've seen pet stains in a number of houses and this is very disturbing to me. You really want me to put my child on YOUR dirty floor?
My next issue with pet ownership is getting a pet blindly. Again, I know a number of people who have gotten dogs to 'alert them when someone comes to their home.' Seriously? Most dogs will do so, and not just strangers, they'll alert you when ANYONE comes to your home. If you want your dog to only bark when it's a stranger, THEN TRAIN THEM. With that said, these same people have been super annoyed with their dog because it always alerted them and the owners get mad because 'all the dog does is bark.' That's like having a baby and saying "all it does is cry." OF COURSE! Barking is how your dog is communicating with you! Now, there are some dogs that bark less than others. Note: If you are annoyed by barking, PLEASE DO NOT GET A DOG! KNOW THE BREED! Don't get a breed just because it reminds you of your childhood dog. You probably forgot all the annoying things from that dog. You need to find a dog that matches your personality. My favorite is when someone gets a dog just like someone they know and then have all these problems that they didn't know existed.
The next problem I see is "trading up." I cannot stand to see people trade up on their pets. Again, I've seen this with dogs. I know a family who cannot stand their dog after about a year. They tend to 'trade up.' Somehow the dog goes 'missing' or 'dies.' Conveniently the owner then gets a new and 'better' dog (usually blindly). This particular family can find an excuse for the trade up. I don't care what the excuse is, keep your original dog until it dies naturally (being hit by a car or personally 'putting them down' do not count) or find a new home for your now unloved and unwanted pet.
Other animal annoyances like:
*hair. Know how much your dog is going to shed. I HATE hearing people complain about how much their dog sheds. It's so annoying. Most things do shed, so you're kind of naive to think your pet isn't going to shed. Be prepared to have animal hair on your clothes. Invest in lint or animal hair rollers. There are some great ones out there. Okay, so this one is personally bothering me right now with my wonderful dog. He's a Siberian Husky who lives both indoors and outdoors. Right now, the temperatures have been in the upper 90s and lower 100s. He has been shedding since April. I was warned about how much he was going to shed, but each year when it came to that season I thought 'this isn't so bad.' This year, I think he's shedded about enough hair to cover two more dogs! I'm not complaining. =)
*smell. Your animal will smell. There are a few things to know how to get rid of the smell. 1. Get your pet fixed! 2. Some animals secrete oil (much like the oil on your own head) faster than others. So you have to bathe them more frequently. You will know how often you need to bathe your animal if you learn about said pet before you get it. 3. Depending on where your pet spends the majority of it's time (indoor/outdoor) will depend on how much it will smell. 4. Clean liter boxes, food and water dishes and vacuum on a regular basis. Mop the floors. 5. Brush your pet's teeth.
*allergies. Okay, I'm not going to lie, I cannot stand it when someone claims they have allergies to a certain type of animal when they have been over to visit a number of times and have never had a flair up or reaction before 'now.' Either you are or you aren't. You can't be at someone's home for a visit and all of a sudden on your 100th visit or the 100th day of your visit you have allergies with that animal. Oh, and you can't be allergic to one dog and not another in the same home. (Maybe you can be, if one dog never leaves the house and the other one does. But how likely is that since most dogs don't use liter boxes and must go outside to relieve themselves. Just saying.) Again, I have had a number of people come to my home and claim they are allergic to cats. However, most people will sit in the one chair that my cat sits in the most. Only three people who claimed to have cat allergies have had flair ups when they came to my home and sat in that chair. So, to all the rest of you, You're a bunch of liars! In fact, one friend just walked in the door and had a flair up.I believe him!
Other things to consider:
If you travel and are gone for more than one week out of the year, be prepared to pay for your pet to be watched after or pay to put them in a kennel. It is unfair to the pet and the person watching your pet to leave for weeks on end. Especially if this is what you do year after year. All the things that annoy you about your pet will be multiplied by the pet sitter.
If you don't live on your own (as in, still with your parents), you probably shouldn't get a pet.
I'd love to hear your comments and annoyances with pet ownership. Agree or disagree.
Come Rant with Rachel!
posted by The Roes @ 8:17 AM
3 Comments:
At August 4, 2011 at 10:05 AM ,
Danny and Laura said...
How about annoyance with anyone that owns a cat. Stupid cats!
Danny
At August 4, 2011 at 3:05 PM ,
Boyd Box said...
Hahahah, Danny!
I think that people don't realize that taking on a pet means YEARS of service and love for
something. I'm not comparing children to pets, but it is similar in responsibility BECAUSE they are both living creatures with spirits. God cares about them and I believe we will be judged upon our actions towards animals.
That being said, I have to admit that I have had to find other homes for some of the pets we have adopted. First, we rescued two puppies. I didn't want two dogs, but I couldn't adopt one pup and let her sister die. So, we took them in, went through all the expense of vaccinations and getting them fixed only to discover that we were incompatible. I took on extra animals too soon after adding a child to our family. Plus, they were somewhat destructive house dogs and I didn't have a fence yet. So, Craigslist helped us find other options for them. In that time, I really sometimes despised them and felt guilty, but they tore things up, including our pack-n-play which we needed for our baby.
We also tried out a cat, knowing full well that Eric was allergic. However, when you have kids, you are willing to do crazy things. After deciding not to kill Eric with allergies, we thought we could make her an outside cat, which she loved. However, believing she was fixed was our mistake. She ended up pregnant and brought along 7 new faces. It was very frustrating trying to get them new homes.
Pets are what you put into them, just as kids are. If you aren't willing to put in the time to care for and discipline kids, DON'T HAVE THEM!! The same goes for pets. I keep thinking that a shelter would do well to change to a "rent to own" type business...a family THINKS they want a pet, try one out first. I'm sure 1/2 of all those who rent would return and not get a further pet.
I also understand that personality is a big indicator. HOWEVER, I also must say that puppies are always adorable and you can forgive them for potty accidents. YOU STILL DON'T know they grown personality. And, banking on breed isn't the best, either. Mutts can be great pets and so can pure breeds. I really believe that all dogs can be great dogs (can't speak for other pets), but the owner is going to make the difference. Your lifestyle, schedule, and beliefs are going to affect the outcome of the pet. Granted, there are some quirks dogs have (like terriers like to escape and dig and I'm not sure how to break that, but Eric chose the terrier part we have now, not me!)
Overall, I agree with you, though.
At August 4, 2011 at 7:37 PM ,
The Roes said...
LOL Danny. You can't be too annoyed with people who own cats. =)
Liz~ even though you did things that I spoke against, you took the proper (according to me) action and found homes for animals that weren't compatible with your family. That rent to own pet business isn't a bad idea at all! =) You're right, for the most part people would actually learn that owning a pet is not for them and would never have another. Unfortunately, the people I was thinking of in the post would not only rent to own and take back, but they would probably continue to 'rent' for years and years and never learn their lesson.
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