87% of PSers are pet owners...

[Dancing Fire]

are you one of the few PET-LESS PSer?

 

[Imdanny]

Talk to me in 15 years.

 

[Deactivated member 42515]

Talk to me in 15 years.

I don't ever wanna feel that... It's gonna be like losing a child and a best friend all at the same time...

 

[justginger]

I was just pondering...and in my whole life's connections, I can only identify two people I know who don't have at least one pet! I guess pet people associate with pet people?

 

[marcy]

We only have stuffed animals. I am allergic to dogs, cats and birds.

 

[Skippy123]

No pets here.

 

[rubybeth]

No pets since our apartment only allows cats and I am horrendously allergic and DH is mildly allergic. We love dogs but will wait until we have a house and fenced yard before we get a puppers.

 

[lulu]

DF-just curious- where did the 87% figure come from?

 

[jaysonsmom]

No pets here either. I feel that it would be selfish for us to have a dog because we're away from home a lot. We can't have cats neither because my husband and son are extrememly allergic. Our goldfish have all passed on so right now we are petless.

 

[SC86]

No pets here. I travel 4 days a week for work so it wouldn't be fair to have any furry kids right now.

 

[armywife13]

No pets here. We did have a Pekingese/poodle mix, Theodore, before we had our daughter. My mother fell in love with him and my dad actually liked him too-which was shocking because my dad never let anyone in out house have pet. When I ended up having a cesection delivery with my daughter, they decided to take him for the a few weeks until I was fully recovered and in a routine with the baby. Well, apparently my parents and Theodore got very attached and when those few weeks were up, they asked if he could stay with them. I was happy they got along so well and that my Dad actually let my mom have a dog after 30 years, so I let them adopt him. Now, with all of my daughters skin sensitivity issues and MRSA infections, I am glad that things happened the way they did. Maybe in the future when my daughter is older and the medical issues are under control, we will look into getting a pet. Who knows...

 

[kenny]

I think babies raised in homes with pets grow up less likely to get asthma and allergies later in life.
Being raised on a farm with many kinds of animals is even better.

I think it's got to do with the immune system getting exercise as the newborn is developing.

I think ultra-clean homes and zillions of anti-bacterial products are bad for the same reason.

 

[armywife13]

I think babies raised in homes with pets grow up less likely to get asthma and allergies later in life.
Being raised on a farm with many kinds of animals is even better.

I think it's got to do with the immune system getting exercise as the newborn is developing.

I think ultra-clean homes and zillions of anti-bacterial products are bad for the same reason.

I agree with that. The main reason my dog stayed with my parents is because it was the first time in 30+ years that my father actually bonded with and allowed a pet in the house, and my mother had been begging for a dog for years. The whole thing with my daughter was more of a hindsight thing. My 18 month daughter has been having recurring MRSA infections and some type of rash/bumps that the doctors haven't been able to figure out yet....after 7 months. With all the appointments and my hubby's training schedule, any pet we would have would be sitting in the house by themselves all the time. That's the main reason I want to wait until she is better to introduce an animal into the house. I want any pet we have to truly be a part of our family, not just a animal stuck in its crate or left alone for 10+ hours a day.

 

[kenny]

Armywife13, my apologies.
I was not in any way being critical of you.

Your post about babies and pets just reminded me of this topic...
In some ways parents who think they are "protecting" their baby from dirt and germs may be actually harming their child in the long run.

 

[armywife13]

Armywife13, my apologies.
I was not in any way being critical of you.

Your post about babies and pets just reminded me of this topic...
In some ways parents who think they are "protecting" their baby from dirt and germs may be actually harming their child in the long run.

No worries! Just realized I missed a little bit of the backstory/reasoning.

I do agree with you, I think they babies need to build up immunity to normal germs, otherwise you might as well have your child grow up in a bubble!

 

[MichelleCarmen]

DF-just curious- where did the 87% figure come from?

DF spent 99% of his free time this past week researching all our old posts and documented this based on all of our comments and then cross referenced this with how many of us have pet photos in our avatars and came up with a solid sound 87%.

It's not like he'd make up this figure, is it???

 

[lulu]

DF-just curious- where did the 87% figure come from?

DF spent 99% of his free time this past week researching all our old posts and documented this based on all of our comments and then cross referenced this with how many of us have pet photos in our avatars and came up with a solid sound 87%.

It's not like he'd make up this figure, is it???

Right!

 

[armywife13]

DF-just curious- where did the 87% figure come from?

DF spent 99% of his free time this past week researching all our old posts and documented this based on all of our comments and then cross referenced this with how many of us have pet photos in our avatars and came up with a solid sound 87%.

It's not like he'd make up this figure, is it???

 

[Dancing Fire]

DF-just curious- where did the 87% figure come from?

DF spent 99% of his free time this past week researching all our old posts and documented this based on all of our comments and then cross referenced this with how many of us have pet photos in our avatars and came up with a solid sound 87%.

It's not like he'd make up this figure, is it???

all my figures are within +/- 2%...

 

[CaprineSun]

No pets here. I am waaaay too busy to care for one. I'm usually home to sleep, eat, and shower.
I'd be arrested for neglect!

 

[ame]

Nope. We had a family dog that died a couple years ago, and that was enough for me. I loved her, but I don't have the time to properly care for another animal.

 

[Imdanny]

My cat takes an incredible amount of my and SO''s time and energy. I know you're saying, "But she's a cat."

She's an Egyptian Mau so she has a very unusual personality. I've read about them and it's not just her. And she was hand raised by a foster family since before nine weeks.

So she acts like a dog, or a child. It's really intense. I'm not saying I regret it but it's a huge responsibility and I don't think I'll do it again.