PET LOVERS...Where do you "Draw the Line"?

Just curious on what everyone's views are on this...

We were just discussing this tonite amongst family and friends...
It started with discussing having pets around newborns, and then just having pets in the house in general...

We dont plan to get a dog for AT LEAST 5 years (maybe more if its up to me - I didnt grow up with pets, so right now just having children is MORE Than enough responsibility
, although I LOVEE dogs and think they are great to have as companions, protect the home and the children (especially with a pool )
ANYWAY, our discussion led to mentioning where to draw the line as far as what the boundaries are in the home. Does the dog get free reign of the house, go into any room at any time? Sleep on your bed or the kids beds? or be confined to part of the house? (or some people even outdoors, which Id NEVER DO). I DO agree with NOT confining a pet, since if its part of the family, it should be treated as such. But im just not one to kissie kissie a doggie on the mouth and have one sleep on my bed... or maybe when its MY DOG and I clean it and care for it, I dont get that ECK feeling from it being on my bed?

and then what about your furniture and floors? Does it get destroyed and you just let it happen? Is disciplining a pet just as hard as disciplining a child?

Id love to hear feedback, so I might be a little more openminded in the VERY DISTANT future when we consider this....

and just out of curiosity, since we've mentioned "whats involved" in caring for a baby, and everyone says, having a dog is like having another child what are the true expenses and expectations and responsibilities in everyday life for these guys?

Thanks

Message edited 2/1/2004 2:28:00 AM.

Re: PET LOVERS...Where do you "Draw the Line"?

I don't have a dog yet only a cat. But my cat has free reign of the house. She sleeps on my bed all the time. In fact shes on there right now.

Re: PET LOVERS...Where do you "Draw the Line"?

My dogs are completly trained, and right now we are in a studio. They sleep with us in our bed, but when we move this moth, they are cinfined to teh kitchen while we are at work and when we come home, they are allowed in the LR. At night, they will sleep with us. I grew up with cats, and I hope that my puppies live long healthy lives so that my children will lve them as much as I do. As long as there is no safety issue, they are not going to put my child in any danger...they stay.


ETS: Having pets are alot like having children. When you adopt one, remember that they, like babies, are not pottie trained, don't understand what you are saying and have no sense of control. As an owner (ok, PARENT of a Puppy), it is your responsibility to train them) They eat, sleep, poop and get sick just like children. They need to be played with and loved...weekend getaways aren't as simple as they used to be.
\

Message edited 2/1/2004 9:22:24 AM.

Re: PET LOVERS...Where do you "Draw the Line"?

Our dog has free reign of the house. he sits on our couches, sleeps in our beds. My dog craves being close to others so i can't confine him anywhere. BUT he is only a little over 1 years old and we are currently training him to "be good" while we are not in the house. He will bite things up (last week it was a pillow) to get our attention that he was pissed we were out too long. But he is getting better and better. Right now he goes 4 hours without a problem.

Re: PET LOVERS...Where do you "Draw the Line"?

Our dogs get free reign of the house when we are home. When we are not home they are in the den (well the big one gets the den and the little guy gets the crate cause he will pee if hes not in it) They do sleep in our bed but i am getting tired of that lately. I think its best if you dont do that, I never get a comfortable night sleep..

when we move into our new home, the dogs will only allowed to be in the den the kitchen and our room. They wont be allowed in the dining room, the good living room, the bathroom or my craft room. And I dont think I will allow them downstair in the basement for a while.

Frank is going to try to retrain them not to go on the couch when we move. They do RUIN the furniture.. well not my little one but my big one has ripped all the couches.

The expenses would be obviously vaccinations once a year and I go to petco for that because its much cheaper than the vet. There are dog toys which the expence is minimal. The dog food. I get a 40lb bag of MAx nutro (the best in my opinion cause its the only thing my dog is not allergic to) and thats about 20.00 a month.

If the dog god forbid gets sick or hurt then thats when you can run into trouble. My big dog got sick in the begining and it costed big bucks.. I believe you should get dog insurance.. its so worth the 20.00 a month.

Then there is kenneling, that is SOOOOOO expensive. We went to san diego for about 6 days and it costed us 500.00 just to board them but mind you i will only board them at a vet that is open 24 hours a day so I know someone is always there with them.

Then there is your time which is VERY important. If your people who like to go out alot and vacation this is not for you. We can not go out for longer than 8-9 hours with out having to come home to walk the dogs. And there is no more last minute vacations to AC or lake george.. I do miss that.
There is the training process which is LONG and HARD and will get you crazy.. and you have to stick with it because if not then the dog runs the house...

I hope I have helped you...

Re: PET LOVERS...Where do you "Draw the Line"?

I have a little 7 pound Maltese. She can go anywhere in the house. Our yard is fenced in so when she has to go out, she goes out briefly. When I moved in with DH, she was peeing when we werent home. What we do is when we go out, we put her in the big bathroom upstairs with the door open and a little screen to block her in. I buy those little wee wee pads and if she goes she goes right on it each time and I just throw it out. Having a dog is alot of work and a huge responsibility, but so worth it to me. Oh, and she is always in the bed with us too. I never planned on doing that, but it just started off that way and continued.

Re: PET LOVERS...Where do you "Draw the Line"?

Thanks for the info ladies, keep it coming!

WOW, IT makes having a toddler, and a newborn look somewhat easy

I think I'll stick to the children-thing first and THEN Try the pet world

Re: PET LOVERS...Where do you "Draw the Line"?

I grew up with lots of animals, and sometimes to my husbands dismay, I continue to surround myself with three dogs and a cat.

To make a long story short, our dogs are kenneled every day while we are gone. Yes, they are all small dogs, but I like not having to worry while we are at work or out for the night what they are in to. I do have to admit, now that our youngest dog (I got him last V-Day) is starting to behave better and listen better, we do occasinally leave them to free roam. BUT, since I got pregnant, they are not allowed upstairs (where the nursery is) unless I or my husband are with them. I have it gated off and intend to keep it that way. They are allowed anywhere else in our house but only really like the first floor (they don't go to the basement often unless to they are playing with the cat.) To be honest, the biggest reason I have the upstairs gated was to help housebreak the youngest dog, it isn't because I am worried about them going around the baby...I didn't want them marking all of the new stuff if by chance they decided to do so.

The cat, she is allowed anywhere she wants. She doesn't cause me any problems and doesn't even like to climb things, ie counters, fridges, or anything up high. Most of the time she stays upstairs and sleeps on our bed.

IMHO, cats are easy animals to care for. Dogs, like someone said, they are just like an infant and need to be cared and trained in some similiar ways. They take patience and the understanding that they aren't trained over night. Overall, a puppy would be like adding another newborn to the house.

Re: PET LOVERS...Where do you "Draw the Line"?

we have a cat, and he seems to have control of us
Hubbyw ants a dog so bad, but I want to wait till we have kids, and when they are a little older, so they can have fun with him/her.

Re: PET LOVERS...Where do you "Draw the Line"?

our animals are the bosses of the house as well...as for training...if you can get through the puppy period...I don't think you have to worry about ruining furniture and such...

training is relatively easy...dogs are pretty good (you may want to look into the smart breeds...like poodles...botston terriers ()...maybe labs...) and they will train very quickly


since I don't have children...I can't predict what our dog will do (he is the baby), BUT I will tell you that my parents got our family dog btwn my sister and me...and the dog was AWESOME to me...he protected me...would play with me (but NEVER rough ...to my dismay as he would do with my dad)


DH's aunt also had a dog that hated everyone...except his little cousin...she could stap on his balls and he wouldnt flinch...but if anyone else did it...hed rip off their hand...


I hope I have conveyed that dogs and kids mix very well...oh also...there is a little fact that NO serial killers had dogs growing up...not to say that kids growing up without one will be a killer...but kids that do have a much better chance not becoming one

Re: PET LOVERS...Where do you "Draw the Line"?

i have a maltese, she is allowed in the finished basement and the kitchen upstairs, when we are home.when we are not hoome she stays in a cage, and she also sleeps there too.we are training her to go on the wee-wee pads, and she has an accident on the rug here and there, but she mostly goes on the pads. it is a lot of hard work and you have to be patient.

Re: PET LOVERS...Where do you "Draw the Line"?

Octbride - Dont you just love the maltese?

Re: PET LOVERS...Where do you "Draw the Line"?

We have an 8 month old Rhodesian Ridgeback, who, at 75 lbs., is just about fully grown. She's like a member of our family and has free reign over every room in the house and any piece of furniture she chooses.

When we got her she was allowed, supervised, anywhere she wanted. It wasn't that difficult to keep an eye on her because she's the kind of dog that prefers to be close to her owners. We would crate her if we left the house, but not for more than 3-4 hours at a time. I started weaing her from the crate when she was about 4 1/2 months. First leaving her for an hour at a time and working up to 6-7 hours. That's the maximum that we leave her because she needs to be let out. She was fully weaned from her crate by 5 1/2 months which is really good for a puppy.

Being that we bought her partly to be a guard dog, we figured she'd have to get used to wandering freely. She never really went through any seperation anxiety or destructive behavior or even a furniture chewing phase, so maybe we were lucky. Other than a bit of wear on the carpet from "accidents" that happened when we got her, everything in the house is still intact.

When the baby comes she'll still have freedom over the entire house except the nursery will be off limits. And of course I'd never leave her unsupervised with an infant.
She'll still be allowed to sleep on our bed since I don't plan on co-sleeping.

It IS a lot of work and YES it's totally like being up with a child, especially in the beginning when they have to be let out ever 2-3 hours. But it's worth it.

Re: PET LOVERS...Where do you "Draw the Line"?

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Posted by anna

But im just not one to kissie kissie a doggie on the mouth and have one sleep on my bed... or maybe when its MY DOG and I clean it and care for it, I dont get that ECK feeling from it being on my bed?

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Re: PET LOVERS...Where do you "Draw the Line"?

I don't have a dog... YET!!! I do however have 3 wonderful cats. One of which is 20lbs so he is like a small dog!!! Anyway, they have run of the house for the most part. They cannot jump on the tables or counters but, everything else is pretty much free. I don't know what I would do if they did not sleep with me. I love waking up in the morning with FH on one side, my 20lbs. boy on my pillow, and one girl to the right of my feet and the other girl to the left of my feet.

Re: PET LOVERS...Where do you "Draw the Line"?

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Posted by yabbobay

I have been thinking about the kissing thing and dogs...and my dog kisses me all the time...

and I thought about it a little differently...if your kid licked you (or to get grosser...rubbed snot on you)...most parents would wipe it off and chalk it up to parenthood...but if someone elses kid did this to me...I would be a little grossed out...

I think the smae goes for dogs...when its your own...its very different...

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Re: PET LOVERS...Where do you "Draw the Line"?

We have 2 black labs and they're part of the family...or maybe you can consider DH and I part of the pack.

They have free roam of the house when we're home. When we're not home, they're only allowed in the hallway and kitchen. I usually keep the guestroom doors closed, so they tend not to go in there anyway and like others have stated, they're usually where we are. If we have guests and they want the dogs in the rooms with them, than that's fine by us, but for the most part, they'd rather be in our bedroom.

They sleep in the bed with us (or rather on me) and I wish I had the "strength" to not allow them up on the bed, only because you end up not having the quality sleep you should and they'll eventually ruin your bedding.

Ocassionally they come up on the couch with us, but we have a distressed leather sofa, so there's been no damage. No damage to the floors either. When we had Ellie as a puppy, I just kept a close eye on her as to make sure she never took interest in our furniture as a chew toy. She also picked up house training fairly early at 8 weeks. We were fortunate that our 2nd dog (a rescue) was fully trained by when we got him.

We recently purchased insurance for the both of them. It's about $25 a month for each dog. We didn't want finances be a major decision factor in whether we have a surgery performed or not on our dogs during an emergency.

As you well know, dogs require a lot of patience, energy, attention & affection. It's really important to make sure you find a dog(s) that fits your lifestyle. They're so worth it in the end!

Re: PET LOVERS...Where do you "Draw the Line"?

WE have two dogs and there are days when I wish I never had either of them. However, I don't regret having them either. Yes, dogs are a lot of work. I happen to have two that crave attention. They love to go to the park and exercise. This time allows me to digest my day! When we have children I am sure that the dogs will do well and they will adapt to our new additions!

Re: PET LOVERS...Where do you "Draw the Line"?

My dog has his owners very well trained, it took years but he was very persistant

Our dog (a 6 yr old black lab) has free reign of the house when we are home. During the day when we are at work, he stays in the basement & garage, with a dog door to the yard. Its like his own house down there, w. all his toys and one of his 3 dog beds. He also has a dog bed in the LR and upstairs in our BR. He is incredibly spoiled He does not go on the couches ever...although he is very curious about them. He does like to get on the bed to cuddle, but rarely stays on once we shut the lights to go to sleep.

I say that my puppy is like baby practice. We cannot stay out after work for drinks very late, as we have to go home and feed the dog (he can let himself out). He needs tons of attention, and since hes a big loving dog, he loves to maul company which can be hard when people dont like dogs. Dogs are also expensive, his food costs $40 for a 40lb bag which he goes through in 3-4weeks. Vet care and boarding are also expensive.

Onyx is a part of our family, and worth every minute and penny we give to him. He is unconditionally loving, makes me feel safe (great guard dog) and so happy and goofy you cannot help but smile around him.

Re: PET LOVERS...Where do you "Draw the Line"?

Mine have free reign except when we are going to be away all day....... then they stay in "their room" no crates, we just shut the door and leave their food and beds in there

they do not go upstairs b/c Xena sheds too much so since everything up there is new craig doesnt allow them up there
but I carry my angel up when I want to lay in bed with her and DH knows it but I do it when he is not home so I wont be lonely
I feel bad leaving xena out but she would shed all over, its bad enough I have to vaccum the kitchen floor every other day b/c of her!!

But once they are trained, anna, they do learn to "WAIT" for you
there have been plenty of days I gave them "free reign" and they waited like seven hrs till I got home

Re: PET LOVERS...Where do you "Draw the Line"?

We always had pets growing up and they always had free reign. I now have a cat, and she sleeps in the bed with us. When I was growing up the dog or cat always slept on the bed with me. It's funny, sometimes it bothers me, but I could not imagine sleeping without her.

Re: PET LOVERS...Where do you "Draw the Line"?

My 2 cats have free reign of the entire house....as does my mom's dog in her house. We are TOTAL animal people!!!!

I never understand people who get animals and then leave them outside, chained up or otherwise....especially in dramatic climates....
I understand restriction from certain rooms or certain furniture....but not restriction from the house....(as anna said)

I just think the poing of having a pet is to keep benefit from the companionship...
What fun is a pet if it spends it's life outside? What enjoyment are either the pet or the owner getting out of that?

ps - I know that was a bit of a tangent, but I just have strong opinions on animals...
I am glad to see that all the LIW ladies love their pets so much!!!!

Re: PET LOVERS...Where do you "Draw the Line"?

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Posted by Sage10.03

My 2 cats have free reign of the entire house....as does my mom's dog in her house. We are TOTAL animal people!!!!

I never understand people who get animals and then leave them outside, chained up or otherwise....especially in dramatic climates....
I understand restriction from certain rooms or certain furniture....but not restriction from the house....(as anna said)

I just think the poing of having a pet is to keep benefit from the companionship...
What fun is a pet if it spends it's life outside? What enjoyment are either the pet or the owner getting out of that?

ps - I know that was a bit of a tangent, but I just have strong opinions on animals...
I am glad to see that all the LIW ladies love their pets so much!!!!

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Re: PET LOVERS...Where do you "Draw the Line"?

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Posted by MrsTC

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Posted by Sage10.03

My 2 cats have free reign of the entire house....as does my mom's dog in her house. We are TOTAL animal people!!!!

I never understand people who get animals and then leave them outside, chained up or otherwise....especially in dramatic climates....
I understand restriction from certain rooms or certain furniture....but not restriction from the house....(as anna said)

I just think the poing of having a pet is to keep benefit from the companionship...
What fun is a pet if it spends it's life outside? What enjoyment are either the pet or the owner getting out of that?

ps - I know that was a bit of a tangent, but I just have strong opinions on animals...
I am glad to see that all the LIW ladies love their pets so much!!!!

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I feel the exact same way - and my 2 cats have free reign as well.

Sage - I think we have had this convo before re: feeling bad for everyone / everything!! ESP animals!!

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Re: PET LOVERS...Where do you "Draw the Line"?

I love all animals
I've had ferrets, snakes, spiders, fish, birds, mice, hamsters, cats, dogs and rabbits. Plus the occasional lizards, turtles and such.

I love dogs but I am HORRIBLE at training them. I haven't the heart. I had a huge red doberman and he had free riegn of the outdoors. Loved him to death... For a while I lived with a guy who had a German Short Haird Pointer.. very well trained and slept with us.. talk about a space hogger.

I have this 'thing' against a few smaller dogs. Specifically the Malteze. Had one when I was younger.. and pretty much despise them now. I like other small breeds though.

Still no heart to train them, I like other people to do that for me.

For now we have a cat... pretty easy training.. "Here's the box" and we're all good to go. Even cats Im pretty picky about. They must be well behaved, but Cats I find easier to train. I haven't master the 'fetch' yet but that's cause Im lazy. A good friend of mine has 3 cats.. all fetch for him, which is amusing.

I find that I am slightly allergic to cats.. so I guess there is NO LINE. I just take my clartin and deal with it.. i love the compainonship. Jim and i want to get a dog and a kitty later on. I want to get them together so they will grow up together. We'll see.

Buddy owns us.. have you seen all the photos I have of him!!!? hehe I love the carefree and complete attention he gives us. No language necessary.

Message edited 2/2/2004 1:21:42 PM.