Animal Poll

katiewhompus

There's a bunch of animal lovers here, and I'm watching a show where a family cannot understand why their mother won't give up her dogs (granted, there are over 50 dogs, but still).

Demon was definitely my tester with boyfriends, and if my cat didn't like you, then you didn't stand a chance. She loved Scott from day 1 which was a huge sign for me.

Do you use your animal's reactions to judge people? Would you ever date/marry someone if your animal didn't like them, or they didn't like your pet? Would you ever give up your pet beacuse of kids or moving?

Nebb

My dog loves everyone, I dont think that would work.

npasquale16

Absolutely.  I adopted Baxter three years ago and some unforseen issues arose where I couldn't keep him at my mom's house.  FI and I were still LD at that point and he offered to take Bax, who ended up living there for a year.  FI took such good care of him that I knew he would be an excellent father someday (sappy but true).

[Deleted User]

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_snarky-brides_animal-poll?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding BoardsForum:17Discussion:2ffd7c54-b88c-4717-b093-e2220dbdeed3Post:6b56dbc3-520f-45b6-92ad-8d8a8b59995f">Animal Poll</a>:
[QUOTE]Do you use your animal's reactions to judge people? <strong>Not really. My cats are pretty friendly, but stay away from new people. I've never seen them react one way or another to people. </strong>
 
Would you ever date/marry someone if your animal didn't like them, or they didn't like your pet? <strong>Yes. As long as the person was respectful of the animal. If it was just a matter of the animal not liking them, but they are good to the animal, I'd be fine. </strong>

Would you ever give up your pet beacuse of kids or moving? <strong>My cats stayed with my mom for a few months right after I had Ben. I was a single mom and just needed to get used to having a baby around. </strong>
Posted by katiewhompus[/QUOTE]

Steph0871

Yes. My dog is a great judge of character, we're realizing.  There are two total trouble maker kids in our apartment, and the dog hated them from the beginning.

We've only had him 3 months, but I already realize I could never give him up.

katiewhompus

Nebb I guess if they ever start growling you know to call the cops!

I was terrified of meeting Katie for the first time. She hates females and the reason that Scott has her is because his mom/sister couldn't control her. Great...my cat and I are moving in with a 100 pound dog who hates females and cats, this could be fun. Luckily she loved me, and now tolerates Demon's presence.

[Deleted User]

Whisky was abused before we rescued him, so he is always very cautious around men. So when he ran from H the first few times I didn't see it as a reflection on him. My cat back home, Falki, is mean to everyone.

That being said, Whisky now absolutely loves H, while he is still cautious around other guys. That says a lot about H to me and how great he is.

I wouldn't give Whisky up for anyone, baby, landlord, moving, etc. He is my child and if H didn't like it, he knows where to find the door. Luckily H loves and spoils Whisky just as much as I do.

tayylor65

I wouldn't give up my 2 dogs for anything. If my dogs don't like someone it's a huge sign--and I know I'd never want to be with someone who would suggest I give up either one.  When it comes to kids, im not sure. I grew up with big dogs and have never had a bad experience and know my pets now are fine with kids but I guess if I did have a dog that attacked my child I'd of course find a new good home for it with a family member or friend.

Steph0871

Sesh- FI's old roommates had a dog named Whiskey, too He's a HUGE golden retriever.. what do you have?

ohwhynot

Ditto the "they don't have to love the pets, but they had better be nice to them."  Anyone who is mean to a pet is just a mean person, I think.  

Sadly, though, we can't have furry pets anymore due to severe allergies.  I've had to rehome loved pets because of the allergies, so I can understand having to give them up for, say, a child or another loved person.  

npasquale16

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_snarky-brides_animal-poll?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding%20BoardsForum:17Discussion:2ffd7c54-b88c-4717-b093-e2220dbdeed3Post:7c44ca5f-6a45-4217-a8d2-112be87e17a3">Re: Animal Poll</a>:
[QUOTE]Whisky was abused before we rescued him, so he is always very cautious around men. So when he ran from H the first few times I didn't see it as a reflection on him. My cat back home, Falki, is mean to everyone. That being said, Whisky now absolutely loves H, while he is still cautious around other guys. That says a lot about H to me and how great he is. I wouldn't give Whisky up for anyone, baby, landlord, moving, etc. He is my child and if H didn't like it, he knows where to find the door. Luckily H loves and spoils Whisky just as much as I do.
Posted by Seshat411[/QUOTE]

Same situation with my dog.  He was absued and abandoned in one of the worst areas in NJ.  He is definitely afraid of strangers and other animals.  But when he first met FI, he loved him.  I think because FI is very laid back and wasn't trying to overdo the petting/friendliness.  Bax trusted him right away and now they are ridiculously inseparable.

Blueyed228

If someone didnt like my dog I think it would be a relationship deal-breaker.  Only because my dog is super sweet and if you didnt like her you must be lacking something.

I would give up my dog for future kids if the situation was not safe for them.  It would break my heart and i would try all options.  But if it was not safe, she would have to go.  I would make sure it was a loving home though.

I would not move somewhere that did not allow my dog.

[Deleted User]

Steph, Whisky is a cat. His name when we got him was Whispers and we changed it to Whiskers. Then he drank out of a rum and coke my mom had set on the table and his name got shortened to Whisky. Now we call him sir Whisky or Whisky Sour.

the funny thing is that I don't drink, so everyone gets a kick out of his name being Whisky.

katiewhompus

Oh this show made me mad now. Lady has too many dogs, her partner asks her to give up all of her dogs but 2 or else she's walking out the door. So she gives up all but 2, and the partner leaves anyways. That sucks

That's a great name process Seshat Demon originally was Dust Devil (first sight was her at 5 weeks, ball of black fluff covered in dust), then she turned into my Demon Spawn the first week I owned her, then Dust Demon, and now just Demon. Or Demon Mcfluff prissypants princess child

Lenore2010

My animals are all very important to me and no way would I move somewhere I could not have them. I would not be with my H if he were not an animal lover. That became a prereq for me to get involved a long time ago. I tried being with guys who were tolerating them, and it just does not work.

Kids would never be a situation for me, but if they were obviously if my animal was dangerous to my child, or my child had allergies I would have to re-home the animal. I would make very sure though that it was a good home. I would spend whatever it took to board the animal while finding him a home if it came down to that.

katiewhompus

My kids had better not be allergic to cats...

kd.joseph

I've never had a cat respond negatively to anyone, but if you didnt like cats you were definately out when I was dating.

DH is a cat nut just like I am.

PetraStonegirl

Layla was a feral wolf-hybrid when Best Friends Animal Sanctuary gave her to me in 1995. Of course, at first she feared/hated everyone. But over the years, I absolutely used her reactions to people to gauge their quality. She is gone now, but to this day I'm thankful for her intuition. I'm also thankful that she got to meet FI before she passed away. She really liked him. 

Tele loves everyone, and has an innate gentleness around children that I'm really happy about. However, I would never get rid of a pet because of children. Better training may be required to reorder the pecking order, but is totally reasonable.

kathrynhabibti

[QUOTE]Do you use your animal's reactions to judge people? <strong>
No - my cats weren't used to being around people, because I didn't have people around very much, so they mostly hid from Habibi when they all first met. Olive is still shy around most people, and Abby isn't really shy around anyone. So, while they're the sweetest little kittehs, they're not great judges of character ;^)

</strong>Would you ever date/marry someone if your animal didn't like them, or they didn't like your pet?
<strong>Pretending for the moment that my above answer doesn't apply, no I don't think I could. And no, I don't think I could if they didn't like my pet. I do understand what OWN said about being able to treat them kindly even if they don't like them (not your exact words, sorry) and while that is a good point, there's going to come a point where my animals will die or I'll need to make difficult decisions for them - and I can't imagine that someone who doesn't even like my pet would be able to comfort me.</strong>

Would you ever give up your pet beacuse of kids or moving?
<strong>Not for moving in itself, not if there were any possible way I could avoid it. My cats have come with me from the US to Dubai to England. IF it ever came to not being able to have them with me I would make sure they went with a trusted friend or family member. Likewise, I wouldn't give up my animals on account of children themselves, only if the kids were allergic to them. ("Electric to them", as my niece used to say. Hah.)
</strong>Posted by katiewhompus[/QUOTE]

katiewhompus

 there's going to come a point where my animals will die or I'll need to make difficult decisions for them - and I can't imagine that someone who doesn't even like my pet would be able to comfort me.

This scenario really solidified that marrying Scott was the right thing for me to do. I had my rats when we started dating, and while living together their health started going downhill. Scott never blinked when I took them to the vet for tumor removals or medicines and even took my Mary in once when she broke her leg while I was at work. He held me when Poxy and Honey died and took them to be cremated for me. He came home from work when Mary was dying so he could drive me to the vet, and sat in the room with me the whole time when she was being put down. Most people wouldn't have understood how someone could love and grieve a rat so much, but all that mattered to him was that they were my babies and that I was heartbroken.

Fuuck...you would think after over a year I could type that without crying.

kathrynhabibti

[QUOTE] This scenario really solidified that marrying Scott was the right thing for me to do. I had my rats when we started dating, and while living together their health started going downhill. <strong>Scott never blinked when I took them to the vet for tumor removals or medicines and even took my Mary in once when she broke her leg while I was at work. He held me when Poxy and Honey died and took them to be cremated for me. He came home from work when Mary was dying so he could drive me to the vet, and sat in the room with me the whole time when she was being put down. </strong>Most people wouldn't have understood how someone could love and grieve a rat so much, <strong>but all that mattered to him was that they were my babies and that I was heartbroken</strong>. Fuuck...you would think after over a year I could type that without crying.
Posted by katiewhompus[/QUOTE]

That is a great guy.

fwiw, I think people who would think "it's just a (cat, dog, rat, bird, whatever)", and couldn't at least appreciate for the owner that attachments develop, are missing something. Also fwiw, I think rats are cute :^)



Also, ::hugs::

jasmineh7777

Oh Katie. My childhood dog was poisoned a few years ago, and I still get teary whenever I think about it.

Shiloh was abused, so she is a bit timid, but I totally trust her judgment. She is so in tune with me as well, and if I am stand-offish, she is immediately on alert. Jessie is a goof. She will let anyone in the yard. Shiloh is the one to alert me if something is going on.
Schroedginer was also abused, so she is not a people person quite yet. She's just now warming up to me and H enough to cuddle.

I won't move somewhere I can't take my pets. It's not an option we will consider. I don't want children, but I wouldn't give my pets up if I were to have them. I wouldn't want to start my life as a mother by disregarding a committment I made to an animal.

runningbride80

Do you use your animal's reactions to judge people? Not particularly. Ellie (cat)is really only used to FI and me, so she has to warm up to most other people.

Would you ever date/marry someone if your animal didn't like them, or they didn't like your pet? In general, I wouldn't date someone who couldn't at least tolerate and be around my pet. Luckily, I got Ellie when she was just 8 weeks old and FI had been around for awhile. He loves cats, so they got along right away. She's definitely a "daddy's girl."

Would you ever give up your pet beacuse of kids or moving? I would not move somewhere where I couldn't bring her, or any future pet. The only cases where I would give up a pet because of children is if they were allergic, or if the pet was dangerous for some reason.

TurtlesAllTheWayDown

I would never marry/date someone who did not love my pet. When FI and I first started dating, I only had Nimbus. Fi moved around a lot and hadn't owned a pet in his adult life, but he grew up around lots of animals and thankfully ended up being an animal lover. When we almost lost Nimbus a few months ago, he was just as upset as I was. Fi really loves him. We've since adopted 2 other cats as well.

meganyani

I would never marry someone who didn't accept my dogs. Luckily FI considers them his own.

I would never move somewhere I couldn't have my dogs.When I read those things, it breaks my heart.

We are not having kids so that isn't an issue. FI has a kid that is good with animals. If they weren't good with her, then she wouldn't be around them when she is here on weekends. So I guess no, I wouldn't give them up for kids either. haha.

saxy414

I don't really use my cat's reaction to someone as a gauge of any sort, because she can be a bit bitchy.  But, I would never, ever give her up for anyone, and if FI had a problem with her, I would seriously reconsider. 

And Katie, your story made me tear up.  What an awesome guy.

Edit--I would seriously reconsider my relationship with FI, not giving my cat up.  She's my baby. Wording fail.

brookelynpaisley

My dog Paisley hates everyone at first. She's protective and barks at anyone who's ever come through the front door... with the exception of Dan. I'm not going to say that she's the world's most excellent reader of character, but the fact that she liked him from the get-go is certainly a plus.

I would never give up a pet because of kids or moving. We consider our pets part of the family and when we bring them home, we're committed for their life span. Moving into a house (rental) that didn't allow them wouldn't be an option. We would pursue behavioral training if there was an issue with our kids.

aprovencher21

I definitely judge how people interact with my dogs.  If you do something I don't like with one of my dogs I'm less likely to like you.  For example, one of my neighbors is a really nice guy but he knows my one dog is skittish yet he tries to chase her in my house.  It pisses me off and I've told him so.........but he doesn't quite make the connection.  Another person intentionally kinda dropped my 7lb dog.  She's lucky I didn't punch her in the face.

ETA The only time I could see giving up my dogs is if my children are deathly allergic.  Not slight runny noses but will die from exposure to my dogs. Or if for some reasons my dogs went berserk and were a danger to my children.  Anything less than that you'd have to take my dogs over my dead body.  

saxy414

Aprove--you reminded me, FI and I know a few people who chase our cats and do things purposefully to scare them, and it drives me batty.  I want to ask if they've  ever been around an animal--seriously, that's not the way to do it.  I'm definitely more likely to judge a person by how they act with my cats, than by how the cats act with them.

pooh8402

my dog loves everyone. however, my dad used to have this awesome catahoula mix that was a former stray. we got her when I was a senior in high school, and she died a couple of years ago. anyway, she was an excellent judge of character. my sister brought home a boyfriend, and the dog hated him. would growl, wouldn't let him near her, etc. the dude ended up being a doosh to my sister. my sister brought home another boyfriend and the dog liked him. she'd let him pet her, and would lick him, stuff like that. he became my BIL. the first time my H came to my dad's house and met the dog, he got right in her face (I forgot to warn him). normally she doesn't like that, but she just gave him a big ol' kiss. H became her favorite. so yea, she was our litmus test of the boyfriends. too bad she's not around anymore for my youngest sister.

to answer the other question, my H and I would never move somewhere or into a situation where we couldn't have Murphy. he's our child.

aprovencher21

In Response to <a href="http://forums.theknot.com/Sites/theknot/Pages/Main.aspx/wedding-boards_snarky-brides_animal-poll?plckFindPostKey=Cat:Wedding BoardsForum:17Discussion:2ffd7c54-b88c-4717-b093-e2220dbdeed3Post:cba90156-f84d-4a34-87db-67334e4abb93">Re: Animal Poll</a>:
[QUOTE]Aprove--you reminded me, FI and I know a few people who chase our cats and do things purposefully to scare them, and it drives me batty.  I want to ask if they've  ever been around an animal--seriously, that's not the way to do it.  I'm definitely more likely to judge a person by how they act with my cats, than by how the cats act with them.
Posted by saxy414[/QUOTE]

Exactly.  It actually is a very quick way to send me off to bitch land.