Do you think pets help or hinder mental wellbeing?

[SeanF]

Getting another dog is the best way to get over the death of an old dog. I can deal with the guilt because I know there's hundreds of shelter dogs facing the death penalty for lack of a home. I wish I could adopt them all.

100%. I have been fortunate enough to get all my pets from the local shelter. They are amazing places filled with tons of animals that need to be loved. But I could never work there. My home simply is not big enough to bring home all the animals I would want to adopt.

 

[Judge]

Dogs and cats fill in a void of companionship on a level that humans simply don't, IMO. An offering of unconditional love beyond that of most fellow human beings.

With the only downside being an enormous one for me personally. That their lives are relatively short. Where the cumulative effect of them eventually passing keeps me from having another such companion since 2005.

-Rest in peace little friends.

 

[Forest Cat]

One of my best pet tips is to invest in a wet vac/carpet cleaner. Sometimes pets have accidents, maybe they are sick, maybe they ate something bad and then barfs. And it can be frustrating and time consuming. On surfaces like hard wood floors it's not a huge problem but carpets and furniture is different. I like to keep my house clean so I have a good carpet/floor/furniture cleaner and that thing has saved me so much time over the years. It makes problems quick and easy to handle. And you get a real good deep clean.

 

[Ken]

It is both, a benefit and tragedy.

Personally, I am uncomfortable with the term, "Pet".

I have lived with and cared for people of other species and they have all been my absolute best friends. They were extremely beneficial to me. I have never really had any real human friends that truly understand me. All my non-human friends understood me and was extremely supportive. They loved my company and I theirs.

The problem is that their lifespan is too short. Each of their passings devastates me. And I never get over it. There has been too many for me to withstand, so I have decided to stop living with any anymore. The devastation is just too much for me to bear.

 

[Forest Cat]

The problem is that their lifespan is too short. Each of their passings devastates me. And I never get over it. There has been too many for me to withstand, so I have decided to stop living with any anymore. The devastation is just too much for me to bear.

Yeah that's the big problem with them. Losing them is just too hard.

 

[Darkkin]

Getting a new pet after the passing of an old one is in no way a betrayal. Often it becomes a living memory of a beloved companion. The times of happiness and contentment they brought are closer to the surface, more tangible.

e.g.

Potato Cat's coat pattern is eerily similar to my CatCat's coat pattern. There are certain pictures I have that it is nearly impossible to distinguish between the two cats. Yet there are profound differences. CatCat was as introverted as a cat could be and she was barely seven pounds. Potato Cat is a confident, personable cat who is nearly fourteen pounds.

I had CatCat for two decades before she passed. When a friend gave me Potato, it was a watershed moment...One, we definitely needed another cat, two, we learned Rue Dog was amazingly good with very young animals. Rue saw Potato Cat as his charge to watch over.

With Zwi's passing, we knew going in we were going to get an Aussie puppy. We had been aiming for the spring, but then we got the message about Marlowe. He has been an amazing addition to our pack.

In Marlowe we've seen hints of Zwi's sweetness, patience, and friendly nature, but Mar has also clicked with Rue in a way Zwi never did.

Marlowe isn't a betrayal of Zwi's memory. He is a reminder of how much Zwi would have loved meeting Marlowe. Having a new puppy has also brought fresh energy into the house. We've been facing a changing of the guard since mid summer...watching minutes tick down, knowing what was coming.

One of the emotions people don't often discuss with loss is the awful sense of simple relief when those we love are no longer struggling, fading a little more each day. They are at peace. The guilt for feeling that sense of release is normal. And that guilt is a result of the unexpected relief...that is what feels like the betrayal.

We've said goodbye twice in four years. And both times it broke me, but it was the right decision. So were Potato Cat and Marlowe...they aren't replacements, they are the next chapter and a step toward growing beyond the losses we've had.

The grief doesn't diminish, people keep growing, both mentally and emotionally.

 

[Forest Cat]

Getting a new pet after the passing of an old one is in no way a betrayal. Often it becomes a living memory of a beloved companion. The times of happiness and contentment they brought are closer to the surface, more tangible.

I mentioned something about that, maybe I should point out that I didn't mean it's a betrayal if people do that. I meant for me it's just too difficult to do. It feels too much like disrespect and that I'm simply replacing the dog and then everything is ok again. So I haven't been able to get another dog.

 

[Wolfnox]

Yes, I lost a dog and I would love to have another one. I would love to have 10 of them. It would be wonderful. But I haven't been able to. Because it would be like I'm replacing her. Like I lost the dog, got another dog and then everything was ok. And I can't do that. I still struggle with the loss, it just feels completely wrong to get another dog, disrespectful in a way.

No. Don’t look at it that way. You’re not replacing her. You’re giving another pet a warm home to be happy in. It’s not disrespectful to the memory of your dog.

 

[Forest Cat]

No. Don’t look at it that way. You’re not replacing her. You’re giving another pet a warm home to be happy in. It’s not disrespectful to the memory of your dog.

Yeah I understand. It's just that it's not really about looking at things a certain way, I can't change this. I just can't bring myself to letting another dog sleep on her place on the couch or eat food in her food corner in the kitchen. It's just too much like replacing her and it seems so wrong. And it's also about losing that dog later, I'm not sure if I can go through it again, it's too much.

 

[Mary Terry]

One of my best pet tips is to invest in a wet vac/carpet cleaner. Sometimes pets have accidents, maybe they are sick, maybe they ate something bad and then barfs. And it can be frustrating and time consuming. On surfaces like hard wood floors it's not a huge problem but carpets and furniture is different. I like to keep my house clean so I have a good carpet/floor/furniture cleaner and that thing has saved me so much time over the years. It makes problems quick and easy to handle. And you get a real good deep clean.

Another good thing for dogs and cats is to install a pet door so they can come and go at will. We've always had one in the exterior door that leads from the mudroom/laundry room to a little deck that overlooks our huge, fenced backyard. The yard wraps around three sides of the house so our dogs could guard all sides except the front of the house, but they can see the front yard, driveway, etc and bark to alert us.

I realize that not everyone lives in the rural countryside and has a fenced yard to keep the pets safe, but if you can add a pet door, it reduces the number of "accidents" in the house because they just go outside whenever they want to. The dogs can't escape from the yard.

 

[Forest Cat]

you can add a pet door, it reduces the number of "accidents" in the house because they just go outside whenever they want to

Yes that's smart. I was just thinking about those times accidents happen indoors or when they are sick. A carpet cleaner is such a handy tool to have, time-saver.

 

[Kavigant]

We have a little dog who is the sweetest little guy once you get to know him. He's kind of high-strung and will sometimes bark at people when he's feeling frightened. But when he's allowed to stick to his routines, and when he's given sufficient peace and quiet, and lots of snuggles, he's a sweeheart.
He's actually a lot like me.
He helps me every day.

 

[Iberata]

I agree with the member that wrote when I'm in distress I cannot focus on taking care
of my animals' needs, I'm lucky to have someone that helps me do it. I do find animals
comforting and I very much prefer to be around them than with most people. I wish I
could have more.

 

[FayetheAspie]

I like having having cats and dogs around. They make good friends. As an adult, I also got myself a horse.

 

[Gerontius]

I like having having cats and dogs around. They make good friends. As an adult, I also got myself a horse.

I'm jealous about the horse, but only a little; mostly happy for you because those are one of the nicest domestic animal friends. If I ever !move out of the deep south and get some land I want a Haflinger.

Have been thinking about this topic since taking in a cat and she is a nice cat but the mess she makes, the tendency to run around a lot, added expenses when I'm not wealthy and added chore of cleaning up the cat box when I am revolted by cat crap all are not a good thing. But she is an excellent cat and everyone likes her when they see her.

Cat care isn't like barn chores where there's a zen quality and outdoor exercise to it. Cat care is like dealing with a small nonverbal child.

 

[Shevek]

It depends. A pet can provide the most steady, affectionate relationship in someone's life. However, a place that is good for people is usually a big stress on an animal, and a lot of humans have no clue about how to understand an animal, which can get very frustrating for both parties.
I'm not sure I'd appreciate the interruptions from a pet now, although I enjoy them as guests. Given the current population numbers and rate of extinctions, I'm happier staying on good terms with the local wildlife than I would be about squeezing out a wild dog to feed a domestic one.

 

[FayetheAspie]

@Gerontius Haflingers are beautiful horses. My horse is a Quater Horse /Arabian mix.

 

[Mary Terry]

I like having having cats and dogs around. They make good friends. As an adult, I also got myself a horse.

I grew up with quarter horses and my sister has 4 of them now. I have 3 donkeys - big, expensive, humorous, curious pets, all of whom will probably outlive me. I find donkeys are easier to take care of than horses because they thrive on low protein summer grass and winter hay. We don't feed them any sweet feed (grains) like horses need in winter because rich food will founder them. They are desert animals from Africa and should eat only low protein, scrub-like vegetation as they do in the wild. The downside is that they, like horses, require a farrier to trim their hooves about every six weeks and it's expensive. We give them yearly inoculations for West Nile virus and other diseases and worm them every spring for parasites. They hate canines and will kill dogs and coyotes, and they make good guard animals because they will bray if something disturbs them.

 

[FayetheAspie]

I grew up with quarter horses and my sister has 4 of them now. I have 3 donkeys - big, expensive, humorous, curious pets, all of whom will probably outlive me. I find donkeys are easier to take care of than horses because they thrive on low protein summer grass and winter hay. We don't feed them any sweet feed (grains) like horses need in winter because rich food will founder them. They are desert animals from Africa and should eat only low protein, scrub-like vegetation as they do in the wild. The downside is that they, like horses, require a farrier to trim their hooves about every six weeks and it's expensive. We give them yearly inoculations for West Nile virus and other diseases and worm them every spring for parasites. They hate canines and will kill dogs and coyotes, and they make good guard animals because they will bray if something disturbs them.

If they hate dogs I guess I better not get one of those. My siberian husky is my friend and even some animals or even people that are ok with dogs are uncomfortable with the wolf like appearance of huskies. She is really sweet though.

 

[Mary Terry]

If they hate dogs I guess I better not get one of those. My siberian husky is my friend and even some animals or even people that are ok with dogs are uncomfortable with the wolf like appearance of huskies. She is really sweet though.

They definitely hate canines. We always kept our dogs securely fenced so they couldn't get into the donkeys' pasture.

I love huskies and they are sweet dogs.