How is your pet looked upon in the family unit?
By dloveli
@dloveli (4366)
United States
July 4, 2009 7:06am CST
I have two dogs, a yorkie named Dunkin and a pomeranian named Machito. I love them sooo much. I treat them as I do my children. When I wake up in the a.m., they get clothes on just as I do.They eat dog food as well as what we eat, as long as its not fried or chocolate. If for any reason they cant eat what I make, I make something else for them. At night they brush teeth, get pj's on and go to bed. I dont know what I would do without them. Ever since I was little I always wanted a dog of my own. Now that I have them, I am head over heals for both of them. My husband is the same way. He doesnt like them to eat our food but I always catch him sharing. My daughters introduce them as their brothers.lol. I know it is a little crazy but its something I have always dreamed of. I am not hurting anyone. I cant imagine what I would do if I lost one of them. Its gratifying. My children are now 21 and 14. For parents out there you know how it is. They dont need me anymore. Machito and Dunkin will always need me. How do you view your pet?
2 people like this
14 responses
@Juordis (56)
• Lithuania
5 Jul 09
I Have Gold Retriver he is 5years old now. I get him when he was 2months, he was small and we call him Lithuanian Name "Cipis" . Every month he growed up alot, he eat alot... First day when he get to our home he was scared, and i was scared too, because i little bit afraid for dogd, but he is very good dog, he never bites to other people, he love me, and i am very glad that i have a pet, love him very much as my brother, dogs always be people best friends. But now he is 5 and he is not so young as he was ... I hope he will live as much as it possible and will make me happines when i be sad.
1 person likes this
@Juordis (56)
• Lithuania
5 Jul 09
thanks for your good wishes, I just love dogs, they are best our friends, and I hate people who hates dogs, yes I find dogs in bad rajons in Lithuania, and it makes me feel sad, but I can`t be those dogs owner who is from street, because i dont have so much time to take care of them, If you have a dog my friend, be always good for him, never beat him and love him from all heart
@dloveli (4366)
• United States
5 Jul 09
Your home area sounds beautiful. I wish I could see it. I have always wanted a pond out side with coi. I had a hamster named chicho we were so attached. We woke up one day and he was laying there. My husband took it the worst. He loves our dogs. Especially Dunkin the yorkie. He follows him everywhere. Even to the bathroom. lol It sounds as if you have your own personal paradise. dl
@dreamr802 (985)
• United States
5 Jul 09
My first dog, Sophie, was 10 when she passed away. We had gotten her when I was 10 years old. She was such a big part of the family and we treated her that way. I remember my grandmother made birthday cakes for all the grandchildren...she would make one for the dog as well. When we were little she would let us dress her up in bathing suits and whatnot. We use to have a good time with her until she got sick and we had to put her down. That was a huge loss for our family.
Our new dog that we've had for almost 4 years now is a big part of the family as well. My parents treat her like a child because now all of us children are out of the house now. But we don't go as crazy as to brush her teeth every night and all of that stuff :-p. And we don't really feed her people food that much because Sophie begged too much and now Casey doesn't.
@dloveli (4366)
• United States
5 Jul 09
There are a few things that if I had to do all over I wouldnt do again as far as the dogs are concerned. One is the people food. We have the same begging issue with one of our dogs. It is quite annoying. I feel so bad though because I didnt put my foot down from the beginning. The reason I have to brush Dunkins teeth is because he was born with a disability, a cleft lip. I try to keep his mouth area as clean as possible. Im sorry you had to suffer through putting a dog down. When I was little we had a terrier mix named cuddles. It was my moms dog before she had us. I will never forget the day we had to put her down. I totally understand the feelings of having them not there all of a sudden. Even though you get a new dog, you never forget the old dog. Thanks for sharing. dl
@scarlet_woman (23463)
• United States
5 Jul 09
they're my "kids" more or less.
the one calico is the "princess" in the family,and she is spoiled by everybody.
this cat has more toys than most children,as even visitors bring her stuff.
@Archie0 (5652)
•
5 Jul 09
I have to many pets at home.We all really love all the pets that are seen after in my house.Everyone of us have a feeling of them being one of our family member and we cannot do without them at all.We all really care for them a lot and have ea\qual love for them.
1 person likes this
@dloveli (4366)
• United States
5 Jul 09
You are soooo lucky to be able to have so many pets. I would love to be able to have alot of them. I am so happy to see how many people adore their pets. I always worry about animals being alone. I dont have to worry as much. I know you are doing your part to care for the animals. Thanks dl
@flzmlady (418)
• China
6 Jul 09
my dog is regarded as my best friend and my daughter for me.
she is so nice that when i got nervous about some exam and no one else would happy to stay with me in midnight when i really could not sleep. my dog always climbed slowly to sit closely to me whenever i got out of my room and sat on the sofa in the living room.
also i always leave the meat in my meals to the dog. that's really good becoz the dog eats it and i dont have t eat so that i really lose much weight since my dog came to me.
@cyberfluf (4996)
• Netherlands
4 Jul 09
My cats sleep on my bed aswell, they are my babies. I personally would never dress my pets, but I do relate to them as I would do to a human that is close to me. I do share food with them, but like you said nothing fried etc. that would make them sick or get diarrea. I love them dearly and I make sure they are happy and healthy.
@reinydawn (11643)
• United States
5 Jul 09
Well, Sable's a part of the family, but she's still just a dog. I mean, we do care for her and will miss her terribly when she's gone, but I don't think I treat her like I did my kids...
@Debs_place (10520)
• United States
4 Jul 09
We have 2 labs, one will be 13 years old this month, the other, is 10 1/2. They are pretty spoiled but not at all like yours. They don't wear pjs or get dressed in the morning. The younger one will steal socks every chance he gets.
They do get some people food, a baby carrot, some popcorn, banana. I hope other things on your list of doggie don'ts include onion and grapes.
They used to sleep in bed with us but for the older one, the bed got too high this year and well at this point, the stairs are getting to be too high. I just spent $500 on medical bills for him and I am going to guess that soon I will be missing him a great deal, his age is catching up to him.
The younger pup, who is actually the old guys son, was given a life expectancy of less than a year when he was born due to a heart defect, so he has been on borrowed time for a long time.
Our kids? MOst definitely.
@savypat (20216)
• United States
4 Jul 09
Our pets are part of the family unit, but we try very hard not to humanize them. We enjoy the fact that they are animals and that we can include them in our lives. However we are the boss and while they are treated well we do not allow difficult behavior from them. Other than waking me up at 3:30AM, refusing to eat certain food,
refusing to bath, refusing to quit scratching on the walls, throwing up on the floor and barking a anyone or anything that comes around. With these few little exceptions we are the BOSS.
@entrepinoy (709)
• Philippines
5 Jul 09
My family loves having pets and we consider our pets as part of the family. The pets are properly taken cared of and we do not tolerate hurting our pets even if he is a relative or a friend.
@iamtheking1001 (92)
• India
4 Jul 09
i have one dog. its a labrador named marita. she is such a sweetheart .. and the 'apple of the eye' for everyone in my family :). shes always there to greet anyone and everyone . she makes the atmosphere in the house very lively. shes naughty also at times .. chewing at bed covers at time when shes angry :). i really adore her.
