Posted on 06/11/2005 6:26:34 PM PDT by SJackson
I've never been able to understand people who have lots of pets. There are normal families with the basic dog and collection of barn cats, but what about people with multiple dogs or cats in the house, or canaries, or gerbils, or lizards? Why do people go to all that work of feeding, vaccinating, getting someone to look after them when they're gone and cleaning up the hair on the floors and furniture?
Then I looked around and started counting and guess what? Two dogs, two house cats, a few retired laying hens and a pair of donkeys.
We have too many pets. I don't understand me.
I must be a sucker for animals. But I've at least had enough sense not to take every pet that's been offered. Imagine the feed bills! So far I've turned down many, many dogs and cats, a billy goat and a pot-bellied pig.
Actually, I did seriously think about taking all of the poor orphans, but I want to stay married. There's a limit to what even the most understanding husband will put up with.
Some of our pets at least sort of have a practical purpose. The dogs are supposed to keep the deer away from the garden and apple trees, and the cats are supposed to be on rodent patrol.
But they're all slackers. Why go to the work of catching mice when your food dish is full and there's a warm lap to snooze on? Why do guard duty in the wee hours when you can beg for treats and sleep on a soft dog bed?
There's just no discipline around here.
We never intended to have so many animals. The plan was to have one dog, period. But more pets just kept turning up.
Diego the deaf old dog is here because we promised the oldest son a dog when he was in grade school, and Diego happened to be a giveaway puppy. That suited our budget and kept the promise. Now the son is grown and gone but Diego is still here, barking at the beef cows and hiding in the bathroom anytime there's a thunderstorm.
Hannah the supposed hunting dog was a - ahem - gift from friends who had too many puppies. She loves the water when it's warm, but refuses to retrieve ducks in duck season, because, she says, no dog with any brains is going to jump into that ice-cold water for a bird you don't even get to eat. Duh. It's more fun to beg for Milkbones.
Felix was a barn cat who decided to move into the house about 10 years ago. He needs about 23 hours of sleep a day, and the barn was just too noisy, I guess.
Boris the cat I found starving at the town dump one Saturday. He was so charming I took him home where we cleaned him up and, since Felix was already in the house, how could we refuse Boris the same privilege? Especially with winter coming.
Boris seems to have attention deficit disorder. He spends a lot of time tearing around the house and attacking paper grocery bags. Kids love him, but I've never seen him catch a mouse.
We have some laying hens, too, because the fresh eggs are so good. But we haven't had the heart to dispatch the ones past productive age. Welcome to Hansen's Home for Geriatric Chickens.
Then there's the donkeys. At least I knew when I got them that they had no purpose at all except to decorate the pasture. I didn't think I had time for horses, but wanted some equines around, and donkeys fit the bill.
They're very nice. They hang out with the beef cattle, and Sweetpea, the big one, comes running for a scratch every time I walk out there.
If I added up the cost of all the dog food, cat food, chicken feed, hay, vaccinations, wormers, collars, halters, hoof-trimming and emergency trips to the vet for things like removing porcupine quills, the total would no doubt be appalling.
But it's not like I'm getting nothing back. No matter how bad the day has been, the dogs and cats and donkeys are always glad to see me. In the end, that's the reason why we have all these freeloading animals around here.
Once I asked my sister-in-law why she kept so many pets in the house. She said, "Because at least once a day, they make me laugh."
In my book, that's reason enough.
Shouldn't this be titled, Having too many pets means lots
of PILES!
A stray dog that adopted us 10 years ago, and two Sun Conures.
Let's see - 2 dogs, 2 parrots, 2 guinea pigs, 2 leopard geckos, 43 hermit crabs, innumerable fish in a pond, and 2 horses. How'm I doing ?
Perhaps, but I limit myself to one title on that topic per day, and this was the second.
Yes! Our two dogs have some kind of unholy alliance. They're each others alibi and lookouts. Lucky for them, God made them cute!
Fine I guess, except for the crabs.
If that's your daughter, she's cute. I'm not a snake person though I did "adopt" a couple of rat snakes, bubba and hill, a few years ago to control mice.
Hear Hear!!!!!!!!!!!!
I don't think we have two many pets, only two dogs. Of course, together they weigh 345 pounds, one 200 pound mastiff and one small, only 145 pound, great dane. They're lying here on the floor helping do this free republic thing. Well actually ones asleep and the others working on a chewey bone.
Three dogs, three cats, three parrots. And three people, come to think of it.
Do the five thousand mealworms/beetles count?
What do you feed them?
9 dogs. About half are strays. People bring us strays or difficult dogs or they gravitate themselves to our house here in Thailand. I am not sure why we keep on taking them in.
I suppose once you live with and understand dogs, particularly the depth of their perceptions and emotions, it's hard to turn them away, especially when they have easily treatable but serious ailments or parasite infestations.
Actually they are not nearly as much trouble or expensive to take care of as people might think.
Just think, for the same trouble you could have 100 Chihuahuas at 3.45 pounds each.
And by the looks of things, a fairy princess. Lucky you!
Saddle club ping?
I could not do this if I was married, but it works for me.
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