Ok, I would like to hear some people's opinions. Crazy thing to ask, I know, but here goes anyway:
People have heard me talk about having PCOS for awhile now. To give a brief overview that doesn't cover all the issues: it is a hormonal imbalance in the female body between insulin levels and reproductive hormones which can lead to things like obesity, infertility, male hair growth patterns, etc. It can also mess with your emotions massively (every woman, and most men who live with them, should understand a little of this based on all the PMS jokes), which is something that is beginning to come up for me. However, I passionately don't want the hassle and expense that comes with visiting a shrink (and any nasty prescriptions that would entail). My doctor's advise was to think about other methods of stress relief which included a pet. Since the kids have been rabid about getting a pet before this, and the doctor is signing off on the paper work with the apt complex which would allow us to get a pet, we are trying to decide what to get (I know, a lot of people in my family think it is nuts to have an indoor pet like that, but please bear with me).
In the past, John and I have had cats which we enjoyed. They are fairly low maintenance, very cuddly (if you are smart about the kitten you choose), when kept indoors they aren't susceptible to diseases as much as dogs (hence a smaller vet bill), and don't have a problem with apt living. However, I'm worried about how well the kitten would survive the boys' playing with it. Plus we're interested in getting a purebred animal to show and breed. When it comes to this, cats are notoriously more expensive both initially, and for show you have to travel pretty extensively as there aren't as many cat shows period.
Our other option is obviously a dog. Both John and I are pretty against small breeds (stupid, I know, but ankle biters are fine for other people just not for us), and while I would be happy with a golden retriever John isn't. The only other breed we can happily settle on are huskies. That is partly because of how beautiful they are, plus a lot of breed specific details regarding health, training, family living, etc. Plus they are notoriously popular as show and work dogs, so finding homes (and studs) wouldn't be difficult in the future, not to mention the fact that there are shows held locally. And while I know that they require a lot of excercise and grooming, the grooming doesn't bother me as we are looking at getting a long-haired cat which requires daily grooming and the excercise because we live downstairs which allows us ready access to the back yard and I go walking on average twice a day anyway.
The other issue that is a factor is that I would like to use the pet that we pick as a therapy animal outside of just our home. Whether that is done through the retirement homes (which Cache Valley has a ton of), or other medical centers (I don't know the qualifications for places like the hospitals and such yet?), or handicapped centers, I know of several doctors and therapists that eagerly accept volunteers who are willing to share their animal and make the rounds because of the immense amount of good they do.
Having said all that, we're having a hard time making up our minds. I've never owned/trained a dog before so I don't know how much is dictated by breed vs. personal training from puppyhood so things like barking/howling and realistic approaches to excercise, etc I simply don't know for myself. Cats are wonderful (if initially expensive), but the devil's own to show and compete with, not to mention the fact that I really want the animal to be as much for the boys to learn from as the rest of us, and I don't know that they would really get into caring for a cat as much. I would love to hear from anyone else who has experience with these animals/breeds? Or even if you only know specifics about people I can talk to about them who are preferably with in reach of Logan? Thanks a ton for all your help, especially if you are already in on the search!
3 comments:
Get a bulldog. They are the ugliest/cutest thing ever! They are great with kids (boys and girls) and are a wonderful family dog. They hardly bark and are pretty easy to train. If you stick to your guns. We had a bulldog when I was in high school, Jewel. We called her JewJew. My parents we slacking in the training department, so I tried a few things with her. She picked it up pretty easily. The only hassle with them, you have to take really good care of their eyes. You can get a book, and it tells you all you need to do to take care of them. Breeding them is a different story. I would get a male, b/c a female is hard to breed. We tried it with Jewel, but she never took. Plus, there was no male there, just a turkey baster. They are kind of pricey, but well worth it! Oh, they fart. And it smells terrible. And they snore. But that's cute. And if they get dirt, they stink to high heaven. So if it's kept indoors all or most of the time, the smell should be ok. Let me know if you need anymore info.
Hi, Rachel.
Get an animal (cat OR dog) from the humane society. This way, you can CHOOSE the animal's personality, and you can choose an animal that is already trained somewhat. By this I mean litterbox-trained in the case of a cat, and house-trained in the case of a dog. Plus, you are saving an animal from a horrible fate. However, chances are slim that you will get a pure-bred animal. That is my opinion. Good luck deciding!
We have both dogs and cats. I have to say I think you're crazy to want to show and bread anyway- but in an apartment it's really not fair to a large bread who needs lots of exercise and might just end up tearing everything up. All of our dogs were "previously owned." We have a golden retriever (the second we've had of this bread) who is the mellowest animal on the planet. Retrievers are very loving and gentle and great with kids. Ours is about 10 years old and used to be a seeing eye dog till his owner died and his sister then took him for a while before passing him on to us. In defense of little dogs, we have a chihuahua who is a great dog but not so good with kids and a dachshund who is great with the kids, gentle and playful but also stout so she can hold her own and doesn't get upset over an occasional ear pulling. Good luck with the pet hunt just remember there's always guinea pigs! ;-)
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