how many folks feel like their pets are like family?
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Don't feel bad my youngest stepson refered to my two beloved departed cats as his brother and sister when he was little--I'm bad--notYep- when new people come around, they are , initially, confused when I ask my son where his brother is...
Here's my son's brother...
I was forced to vote eggplant on this one. When we first acquired our puppies, we doted on them like they were children. We brushed them before dinner parties (like anyone else cared) and talked about their antics incessantly.
Then I gave birth to actual babies of the human persuasion and I had no mental or physical energy left to devote to the dogs at the end of the day. The dogs were as demanding as ever and I, with a toddler and a newborn by this time, was stretched to the breaking point. I would love to feel about my dogs the way I felt about them when they were puppies but I haven't got it in me. I care for them but they definitely don't hold the place of my "children".
Then I gave birth to actual babies of the human persuasion and I had no mental or physical energy left to devote to the dogs at the end of the day. The dogs were as demanding as ever and I, with a toddler and a newborn by this time, was stretched to the breaking point. I would love to feel about my dogs the way I felt about them when they were puppies but I haven't got it in me. I care for them but they definitely don't hold the place of my "children".
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Depends on the pets, actually, I had a couple ferrets that were superintelligent and we have the run of our house. They were like our children. Other ferrets were dumb as rocks and we never thought of them that way. Our cat was never considered one of the family. Our two dogs,however, we refer to ourselves as their mommy and daddy.
In fact, last night our 8-year-old was getting mad because we kept calling them furhumans and he's like, "No, they're dogs!"
In fact, last night our 8-year-old was getting mad because we kept calling them furhumans and he's like, "No, they're dogs!"
I have never had any children of my own except for my four-legged babies. I got a miniture collie mixed when I was 18 and had her for right at 18 yrs. She was my heart. I have two males now. One just showed up here at my house a few yrs. ago and we sort of adopted each other and the other was given to me about four yrs. ago and I am their Momma. 
While I totally agree that they're members of the family (all 5 of them), the cats & dogs are NOT my children and I've never felt that way about them. They are like best friends, heart-kin, (furry) people that I love as family. However, my responsibility to them is not the same as any of my human relations, so I can't really think of them as anything but "pet".
But "pet" is still an important part of the family.
But "pet" is still an important part of the family.
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Well, when I was a kid I had a different perspective. My dog was my best friend. He was there for me all the time. When I had a bad day, he was there to hear me vent. When my girl friend dumped me, he was there to comiserate. When I was happy, he was there to enjoy it. When I yelled at him, he dropped a large rawhide on my head as I walked downstairs.
We were inseparable.
We were inseparable.
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I'm currently pet-less, but I grew up with a litter of kittens. No, seriously. Two litters actually, a couple years apart. Anyway-- I still relegate my cats to animal status. No pet funerals (it was hard enough that they died, I'm not going to stand over a shovel-hole in the ground.)
But my cats were always better than my family. They never protested when I wanted company (surprisingly!), they were always happy to see me, and they never told me I didn't know what I was doing.
But my cats were always better than my family. They never protested when I wanted company (surprisingly!), they were always happy to see me, and they never told me I didn't know what I was doing.
I had a cat that turned on and off lights and the tv--never when i wanted--her favorite tv programs were Star Trek TNG(she chased the enterprise across the screen with her paws) and she liked hockey(she chased the puck with her paws)We would watch these shows together.I can never see a klingon without thinking of her or hockey game
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My dog is a pain in the butt when it comes to TV. Any doorbell on a show and he starts barking and we're yelling, "It's Spongebob! There's no one at the door." And I've had to forgo Animal Cops and The Dog Whisperer because anytime those dogs start barking, mine does to. When is he going to learn that "It's on TV!" means it's not real?
That explains a lot.
I am currently between dogs, and will probably remain that way--at least for the foreseeable future. On the other hand, we do have two office dogs at work, so I can get all the benefits without all the responsibility (or the cost).
I love dogs, but they ain't people. And cats? Well, I won't even go there.
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When I was growing up my dog was my best friend. After I had a child, the dog was a friend/child to me. Now that my daughter has left for college, the dogs are reaping all the rewards of having a mentally unstable mother. They are spoiled to the bone! I figure they've earned it. They always love me no matter what I do or look like. They are always beyond happy to see me and as stated earlier, they never tell me I'm wrong. They also go out of their way to make me feel protected and loved.
Given most of the dogs I've known and some of the people I've known, it's hard to disagree with you.
I lurvs my dogs and my cats and my horses. I still grieve over the loss of my 14 yr old dog last August, They are most defintely part of my family, but they are not my children- I love them as much, but I didn't go birthin' no puppy!
About ten years ago, I adopted an elderly gray-cheek parakeet who'd been taken from the wild as a baby. (They don't do that any more, which is good.) Well, one night there was a National Geographic special about creatures of Central America on, and one of the creatures they showcased was the harpy eagle - in the wild, a perrot's worst nightmare. They showed one of those ugly things flying right at the camera - and Jessie freaked. Screaming and thrashing and trying to get out of her cage before it got her. Poor baby. I took her out to try to calm her down, and she was absolutely shaking. She was upset the rest of the night.
She knew what that thing was...
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I love my dogs as much as I love some of my family, more than some and less than others. It depends on who it is. I had one dog that felt like a brother to me. I was born in August, and we got him in September. He lived until I was a senior in high school. I mourned that dog for ages.
We now have Rosie,a shih tzu. She's great and has the patience of a saint. Before her, we had a German Shepherd named Radar who was also great.
We now have Rosie,a shih tzu. She's great and has the patience of a saint. Before her, we had a German Shepherd named Radar who was also great.