do any of you think keeping pets is good for your health ?

i know if you have an allergy thats makes it hard,

It's difficult to be upset when you have a puppy clambering over you

unless it is doing its business at the time.

when my son used to cry the canary we had at the time used to start singing

The missus is damn near symbiotic with the cat!

I tell you! It's weird...scary weird...I'm not sure who she'd save from a burning building first but I'll put good money on it that it wouldn't be me!

well she shouldn't worry about the cat he/she would of run out of the house before you even noticed it was on fire

I've never liked animals really, not since i became an adult anyway, We have bearded dragons, my OH 's choice not mine, i hate feeding them i tend to throw the box of food in the viv and try and prise the box open without the things jumping on me, its quite funny i spose to watch.

I decided recently to get in touch with my loving side and open my home up to a dog, a tiny one mind, nothing big, we have a Jack Russell, called Mr Bojangles, but we all call it Mutley because no one wants to shout 'Mr Bojangles' down the street, he's a cute thing, til he pi$$es on my floor

i think its good to have a pet, i have a cat, moochi who's really annoying but sweet, cats let you stroke their fur as you dont have any of your own ive always had pets so to me it's a natural thing
a quote:
dogs have owners
cats have people to serve!!!!

I love dogs. Am always a cheerier person after spending monday evenings with puppies!

i was thinking about this, and a question i have is

do you feel keeping pets is a ok way to teach children how to cope with death, hopefully before they have to deal with death of a family member?

I would not keep pets solely as a way of teaching my son about death. I'd far rather he learnt about responsibility and caring for animals

i agree that is the main reason for keeping a pet, and i do hope pets have a long and happy life, but things do happen take for instead a hamster with a lifespan of two years

That's why I have a dog (if all goes well he may live to 14 yrs old!) and a Delilah (they can live for up to 20 years!)
KidO knows about death, don't hide anything from him and don't try to pretty things up. He believes in Heaven which I think made it easier for him to understand the whole dying concept.

Though I do understand where you are coming from However lots of parents avoid the whole death of a pet issue by replacing goldfish, hamster etc when they die!

sounds like you have the whole thing covered you put thought into your choice of pets which is good,
and the whole circle of life thing, i wish more parents would follow this pattern

He knows about babies and birth and that too!

Though I didn't choose Delilah my brother gave her to me as a present!!

is Delilah a good pet to have

She is easy to look after (once we got her tank set up properly), cool to watch when she is eating, not messy Though she can be a right moody thing sometimes!

sounds like my cat the moody bit that is,

our chipmunk is great to watch he is so energetic, he had a fight with another male before we got him so he has no fur on his back, but he is so full of life

my canaries are great too the male is a roller so has a great singing voice, the female is very quiet, we have had too seperate them now as he was attacking her, it is common after mating

we are now waiting for the parrot to be old enough to be weaned before we get it , so that should be fun when that comes 4 cages in the lounge

I've got a pet rock!
I found him (or her) on a beach in South Wales
I think he is a few Million years old.
I did'nt give him a name as he wont come
whatever I call him

"Do not meddle in the affairs of cats, for they are subtle and they will piss upon your computer."
--Bruce Graham

We have two cats one is mine and one is my youngest sons. Her name is Vinegar and has been sleeping on his bed since she was a kitten. I do not know why he called her Vinegar he was two or three when we got her and it may have been a word that took his fancy that day. She adores him and basically uses him as a porta cot. where ever he sits you'll find her sitting on him.



Cadbury is my middle sons dog. She allows him to go to school each day but nowhere else without having a coronary, she will whine until he comes home if she's not included in his activities. She sleeps on his bed wakes him in the morning. they are very close.

they sound lovely

pets are great. they give much more than they take, wouldnt be without my greyhound.

Our pets instinctively know when the kids are upset and they will sit with them. It seems to calm them down and cheer them up a bit.

just like our cat, it knows when im upset and it hides.

It's obscene that people feed Pets when People are starving. They chop down the Rainforest (dispossessing Indians on the way) to make grazing land for animals that are destined to be chopped up for the Pet Food Industry. The Peasants who raise the animals can't afford to buy their meat on the pittance the western corporations pay them. Pets cause, and aggravate allergies and cause diseases. Cats especially kill native Wildlife too. Pets are often some kind of sick prop for the emotional or psychological inadequacies of their owners. When the Pets are no longer wanted millions of them are abandoned and have to be put down by Animal Charities.

Dream

take it you dont have a pet then.

Seeing as how my other pic of The J Boy disapeared, Ill post one of him pulling a face


So this is Jester, scary isnt it....

Yeah right on man! Adopt a starving person and you can get to name them too! You can give them a shed to sleep in and a collar with their new name and address on. House train them for those accidental moments that they manage too sneak into your domain and thrash them when they forget. But don't forget to rub their faces in the mess they make cos not only will it teach them too fear you they'll always remember until the next time! Then when you get tired of them kick the useless critters out and let the state take good care of 'em.

Dream ON

Whhoo Hooo!

Go Rhyn!!!

The main difference between a dog & a cat is : You can make a fool of yourself in front of a dog & he will probably join in. Do the same in front of a cat & he thinks you're a fool.

and thats why i love cats, they don't love you back, there are an honest animal, a mean and cruel killer as you will ever find, my cat is half/wild and she was a great little hunter, unfortunately the years are telling on her now, and she is turning calmer and softer, but still has a great temper and a strong will

what i like about cats is that they bury their shit so you dont have to stand in it.

I have worked out that my dog is the only constant in my life. Partners come and go, family pop round on occassion and friends.........just turn up and pinch stuff! But every morning when I wake up the dog is there (in his own bed) and when I come home he is waiting for me. He never gives me any grief, just wants 3 walks a day and a full food bowl and he's happy! If only (some) people where as easily pleased!

Don't like cats there evil. My nanny had one and it scratched my face. Have had a phobia ever since.

I feel the same, my eldest dog has his birthday on the 21st, he will be 10.
10 YEARS he has been with me! We have been through so much...

My dog is 16, he had a shite start in life and came from a rescue shelter at the age of three. He has seen two divorces, outlived 3 cats, 2 hamsters, a hundred goldfish. Moved house 6 times an all, and he's never moaned once. Oh yeah and he loves pizza!

Haha cute

My dog has outlived too many animals to mention, have moved home about 5 times, once from Hereford back to Wales, loves to travel and sing to AHC, and gives a great High 5!

He has now settled down with his missus, another Crested Powderpuff called Missi.


LOL

He'll fall out with me this weekend - it's bath time. Guranteed sulk for a week after.

Aaah, see Iv created a fool proof system.

I call both my dogs, who race to get to the bath first, as I only use one towel, the dog that gets the second bath gets the soggy towel!

My dog hated baths, didn't like swimming either, basically didn't like water. I think it was because when she was young some kids untied her from outside Sainsburys and threw her in the canal.

Mine hates baths too but is ok with swimming usually. He sits and cowers under the wash hand basin and tries to melt into the floor. Its a real pain to get him out. And then once in he whines most of the time, so i have to sing to him and eventually he stops

He stops so i stop poisoning his hears

Do you sing in the bath?

In his little doggy mind is the thought..."Look. Here's the deal, I'll stop whinging if you stfu...ok?"

Thats probably why he hates baths so much

Real fun is showering guniea pigs.

They go beserk

I assumed they cleaned themselves.. like cats

Short haired variaties can, but the long haired (like mine) need attention or knots form in the fur.