When you love animals...

Hibachi · March 2010

I HATE the fact that I am the only one in my family who LOVES animals, my parents already think we have "too many" we have a total of 5...since when can you have too many animals???!!! Not only that, me and my brother are the main ones who take care of them and they don't even see my reptiles that I have/had. I'm the one who bathes and shaves/grooms my poodle, I'm the one who feeds them (along with my brother), It's just frustrating! And I can't wait to move out. -________-

RoyalRaccoon · March 2010

Same here. I've found that there are many reasons why people think others have to many animals. Some are legitimate, some selfish, some situational, etc. I think a lot of the time it's laziness a fear of the responsibility. I've honestly met people that tell me they love animals, but wouldn't own one because they don't want to clean up after it, feed it, bathe it, etc. I think I own about 11 animals. I take care of them for the most part. My brother does nothing, and complains the most. My mom is in charge of putting the dogs inside at night and occasionally feeding them, but she complains like I'm asking her to write me a 100 page report on why a spoon is a spoon. I guess you just have to really love animals, to understand it.

Hibachi · March 2010

Well, I'm going back to AL in about a week and my grandparents don't care how many animals (getting my Bearded Pygmy Chams

) I have except my grandpa doesn't like dogs or cats. I even can afford to pay for my own pet(s) my parents don't have to pay anything and they still say no, my dad hates animals in general because of my brothers dog and my mom doesn't want to deal with the hassle of traveling with more animals when we already have to take 2 dogs and a lizard this spring break. So it's not anything legitimate, we have space, the car we are taking is HUGE and they aren't paying anything so there's no "I can't afford it". And I'll be 18 soon so it's not like I'm irresponsible.

Alabama · March 2010

"I think a lot of the time it's laziness a fear of the responsibility." Quoted from Prince Sushi's post. Actually, I don't think this is the reason most people who love animals don't have them. In fact, I imagine it's just the opposite. They know the responsibility and know they can't handle it. Doesn't mean they're lazy. I love animals myself. I was lucky that my parents loved them too. I grew up usually amongst a menagerie. Dogs, cats, fish, rodents, birds, reptiles, livestock. You name it and we probably had a relative, if not it, at some point while I was growing up. Even when I joined the military and was living in the barracks, I managed to sneak in a cat (Highly against the rules) and keep it and had a pet red tail boa. But, I've come to understand that yes, a person can have too many animals and it doesn't have to be a hoarder to fit that description. The smart ones are the ones who know their limit. Right now, I have a dog and two horses. Would love to have more, but with the economy, I'm afraid that if any of them needed emergency vet care and it cost more that a few hundred bucks, we would all be in for some serious decision making that might affect their lives. I've even started looking around for someone to buy/take my horses that could afford them. Sure, I could handle a few more animals on a daily basis, especially if they were small and didn't eat a lot, but every bit that they would take from my pocket book is that much less I'd have to be able to handle an emergency. So to have more animals than I have right now would be irresponsible, not a fear of responsibility, nor would it be laziness.

RoyalRaccoon · March 2010

I personally feel that one sentence struck a nerve with you, but please read the paragraph as a whole, and please recognize it was all in regards to â€œwhy people think others have to many animals.â€

Alabama · March 2010

Nah, didn't strike a nerve and it wasn't personal at all. Just a jumping off point for the way I see things. I was agreeing with you for the most part, you can't put your ideas of what is acceptable or "too many" on someone else because each person has their own ideas of what they can handle. Maybe it was I that didn't make myself clear. Growing up with all those animals was wonderful, but there were times when having all those animals wasn't really smart on my parent's part in retrospect. We weren't rich by any means and when/if something major happened, there was discussion of euthanasia because we couldn't afford all an animal needed. I choose to not have as many animals so the likelihood of having to make that decision isn't as great. However, I do feel people can have too many animals and they don't have to be considered hoarders either. For some, one animal is too much if they don't feed or provide for the basic health care of it. I'm a firm believer, that just like with people, you need to try and have a cushion for unexpected health costs, such as broken legs, accidents etc and if you don't/can't have enough money for emergencies, then perhaps you do have too many animals. Just my opinion.

Minx · March 2010

Thats kinda how i am Alabama. My mom loves animals too so she cut me a deal... I have to pay for the buying of and feed and vet bills of whatever animals i get from my own pocket... that way if something DOES happen to one of them my mom has money saved up from not buying feed that she can help me with but only if its major. But i know my limits on how many i can have by considering how much their feed costs and how much time i have left in my day to work with them. Right now im kinda limited to a mare, a foal (not born yet), a dog, two hamsters, a rabbit, and a sheep. And i spend a lot of my day with them and i also have to squeeze in working to pay for all this feed. But hopefully ill be getting 2 breeding rabbits soon and i can sell baby rabbits for some sort of profit xP

Hibachi · March 2010

VampireVenom wrote:

Thats kinda how i am Alabama. My mom loves animals too so she cut me a deal... I have to pay for the buying of and feed and vet bills of whatever animals i get from my own pocket... that way if something DOES happen to one of them my mom has money saved up from not buying feed that she can help me with but only if its major. But i know my limits on how many i can have by considering how much their feed costs and how much time i have left in my day to work with them. Right now im kinda limited to a mare, a foal (not born yet), a dog, two hamsters, a rabbit, and a sheep. And i spend a lot of my day with them and i also have to squeeze in working to pay for all this feed. But hopefully ill be getting 2 breeding rabbits soon and i can sell baby rabbits for some sort of profit xP

I wish my parents did that, the only time they have payed for anything is when it's the dogs (because those are family pets), and when Bama was ill. Other than that, I bought my brothers dog (bad mistake. -.-) and I've bought my reptiles. I got my poodle when I was six sooo that was my moms idea. xD But, I now my limits as well. Reptiles are a passion of mine and something that is easy for me to care for and they aren't as costly as a dog, cat, or any other larger animal. And an abundant amount of reptiles wouldn't be a hassle for me.

Hibachi · March 2010

Oh, and my cat was free. xD

Minx · March 2010

i think my mare was free.... and then we got offered 15k for her teehee and my dog was free.... aaand my mom paid for my sheep... since she was a 4-H project.. The only ones ive paid for are the rodents haha... the hamsters and the rabbit

Minx · March 2010

and the stud fee for my foal was free too XD

Hibachi · March 2010

O_O I've probably spent close to $1000+ on all the purchases of the animals and supplies. Luckily enough, I had someone give me a 55 gallon tank and two 10 gallons for free or that would have been a few hundred out of my pocket.

Minx · March 2010

xD my hamsters live in 10 gallon tanks... both of them have theyre own cuz Petsmart told me they were both girls... theyre both boys... and they fight.... But these were tanks that weve had since i was 10 and had my gold fishies

Hibachi · March 2010

Employees at pet stores have no idea what they are talking about. Dx That's how Bama's babies died, I was mad. However, tanks are expensive nowadays. BUT I saw a 38 gallon screen cage for only $30. I was shocked. :O

Minx · March 2010

Dx yaa... im suprised theyre still both alive actually ive had them both for a couple of years thats why im getting my pedigree rabbits from a breeder *an expensive breeder too DX*

Hibachi · March 2010

What kind are you getting? My grandparents neighbors have some, however, they eat my grandmas plants because the neighbors like to let there animals free so my grandma went outside and was trying to shoot them with a bebe gun sad/funny t the same time, they where too fast for her. But, anyways thier neighbors make me mad because they don;t even leave on barley .5 acre of land. xD And they had a horse (but got rid of it because they got bored), they have 4 goats, bunnies, chickens, and probably around 6 dogs on that tiny property.

Minx · March 2010

im gettin Netherland Dwarf rabbits... and prolly another Californian to give my buck some "company" My ND's are pedigreed and from a show breeder so they should be perfect

Hibachi · March 2010

Dawww Netherland's are adorable.

Minx · March 2010

XDD yaaa! And theyll prolly sell good around here... which is the whole point *or so my mom thinks mua ha ha*

Hibachi · March 2010

:P I'd buy one, how much do they go for?

Minx · March 2010

im not sure how much mine are gonna be for.. im thinkin prolly 100$ a piece but im gonna sell babies from them for like... 30$ a bunny

RoyalRaccoon · March 2010

Alabama wrote:

Nah, didn't strike a nerve and it wasn't personal at all. Just a jumping off point for the way I see things. I was agreeing with you for the most part, you can't put your ideas of what is acceptable or "too many" on someone else because each person has their own ideas of what they can handle. Maybe it was I that didn't make myself clear. Growing up with all those animals was wonderful, but there were times when having all those animals wasn't really smart on my parent's part in retrospect. We weren't rich by any means and when/if something major happened, there was discussion of euthanasia because we couldn't afford all an animal needed. I choose to not have as many animals so the likelihood of having to make that decision isn't as great. However, I do feel people can have too many animals and they don't have to be considered hoarders either. For some, one animal is too much if they don't feed or provide for the basic health care of it. I'm a firm believer, that just like with people, you need to try and have a cushion for unexpected health costs, such as broken legs, accidents etc and if you don't/can't have enough money for emergencies, then perhaps you do have too many animals. Just my opinion.

I see what you mean now, and I definitely agree.

Minx · March 2010

Im excited! I was gonna get a Cali doe for my buck and the breeder turned out to be the ones i sold my doe too a year ago! And they offered to sell me my female back lol! And theyre gonna breed her before they give her to me XD so ill have baby bunnies soon!!!

BuffyBoarding · March 2010

Living at home now, i have 2 dogs here and 1 at my grandfather's. Two of the three are getting extremely old and fixing to have to be put down because of different conditions. (Which is besides the point of this so...) I'm moving in about 3 months and planning to get another dog, dunno what kind yet. But i believe one dog is all that my boyfriend and i will be able to handle. Seeing as we're both in school and economy wise. But we're happy with that and able to take on the responsibility of it =D

Howdy, Stranger!

When you love animals...

Comments