Registered: Apr 2001
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am i the only person who thinks pet-ownership is kind of odd? i mean, i try not to look down on the practice, but it's hard when you see dogs in sweaters and people talking about their cats like they're babies and so on. it just seems so...
i can't think of a word that is suitable without being offensive, and i don't mean to offend so i won't finish that sentence. my feelings on this mostly come from my notion that animals (with exceptions, of course) are stupid and ruled entirely by instinct (ie dogs substituting family for pack), and so are unfit for the "best friend" status so many people assign them. as far as i understand friendship, anyway. who knows? i tend to like people who i find funny and maybe intelligent (this judgement of intelligence is based on sense of humour %99 of the time), and no aminal i have encountered has fit that criteria. i don't mean to say that i hate animals, i can see how having a friendly (quiet (why so many parentheses?)) dog around could be nice, just that i don't understand how or why people get all anthropomorphic about it.
or, more accurately, i can imagine some reasons but they're kind of depressing.

here is your chance to talk about pets, or my views on them.

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quote:

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Originally posted by buddha's penis
i can imagine some reasons but they're kind of depressing.

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Registered: Feb 2003
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Dogs, at least, have a highly developed social life, and don't operate entirely on instinct. Their interactions with humans have some real life, and it is almost certain (to me) that they also have some degree of sentience and emotion. Obviously, they don't do abstract math, but I think they have some level of self-awareness and memory.
Cats seem less social, but probably not much less intelligent.
I've always wanted to have an octopus, and they are certainly smart enough to recognize and interact with their owners.

Of course, none of that is directly addressing the oddity of pet ownership (and the oddity of owners who extensively anthropomorphize their pets), but I think that they are probably getting some real companionship out of their relationship with their pets. I wouldn't be too quick to deny sense of humor in dogs, either...they definitely play, and enjoy themselves. They lack the abstract thought necessary for jokes as we usually think of them, but they certainly can have fun.

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travis: i don't imagine that this will come as a surprise, but i find people acting in evolution-proscribed ways odd at times. in this case i think what i have trouble with is the discrepancy between my idea of "companionship" and the idea of this type of pet owner. i am aware of the reasons you describe, and they do not really address my concerns. these subconscious factors are the depressing things i mentioned, because the subconscious seems to act to fulfill desires not met by the conscious mind, and often in a sort of backwards way.

tal: i don't think the social behaviour of dogs in particular is contrary to the idea of their acting out instinctual patterns, but i would like to retract the implication that i think they are incapable of memory and enjoyment. i just think that the level of companionship is so far below the ideal human relationship as to render the whole thing a bit depressing.
of course, if these people don't want human relationships then it makes sense and i have no problems with it. and i also don't mean to say that anybody who owns a pet is one sadsack motherfucker, but those old ladies with their tiny dogs that they go nowhere with, or the childless couples with their feline "babies", or the people who think their fish loves them...
it's sad. harmless and not irregular, but sad.

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I will agree that a person who disdains all human interaction for that of a pet is probably not well. Maybe such a one can only handle the sort of single-minded devotion one tends to get from a dog...but it doesn't seem healthy to me in any case. Healthy people--even healthy introverts--probably need at least some human interaction to stay healthy. We're social animals too, after all.

It seems like you are finding people who ascribe full human consciousness to their pets depressing, and I guess I agree. It seems delusional, and maybe a substitute for an inability to deal with actual humans. Of course, as you point out, that's their business, not mine.

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yes bp, these extreme cases are quite sad. and here you chat with all your friends, mocking them. asshole.

go make an old cat lady feel young again.

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sometimes i mock them to their faces, but in a gentle and indirect way.
the less extreme cases are still interesting (to me, in an analytical asshole way), because of the concepts involved, even if there is no really absurd behaviour attached. it's probably due to my being a cold and emotionless deadhearted individual, but i don't see much use for animals that you keep around strictly for petting. get a fur coat or something.

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also, my tendency to say that i think this stuff is ridiculous early on usually sort of sabotages the idea of actually having some sort of involved discourse with the "oppostion", but i got to be me.
I AM WHO I AM.

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Registered: Apr 2004
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Having a bond to an animal is an amazing thing, and most pets have distinct personalities. Teaching a dog things and watching its behaviour is also very cool. And simply, cats and some dogs are nice to pet, and fun to play with.
But of course certain people and their pets are not fit for socal life.

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Perhaps, if you were raised with pets in the house, you wouldn't find it odd at all...

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i was raised with pets in the house. i had a dog and a cat, and hamsters, and fish. there was a guinea pig in there at some point also. and my sister had a lizard.
and a baby.

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Registered: Jul 2000
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My pets are roaches, millipedes, fish, and a leopard gecko who's primary purpose is to eat lots of the baby roaches so I don't get overrun with them.
I don't think I really bond much with these animals.

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my pets always die quickly, but i guess thats for a different thread?

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bp, you need a dog

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Registered: Aug 2002
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I got a pet to teach myself patience.

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Registered: Aug 2002
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Fucking reply already godamnit!!

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Registered: Aug 2000
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quote:

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Originally posted by buddha's penis
i was raised with pets in the house. i had a dog and a cat, and hamsters, and fish. there was a guinea pig in there at some point also. and my sister had a lizard.
and a baby.

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Registered: Jan 2001
Location: Zion
Posts: 4518

Some people came in to my store a few weeks back with a pet duck. She was 16 years old, couldn't walk anymore and had cataracts. I asked how long pet ducks live and the answer was "the vet's not sure. Nobody really has pet ducks." When I asked what you feed a pet duck the answer was "spaghettio's." I was expecting an answer like chicken scratch.

Apparently shitty noodle soup has good preservatives in it.

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Registered: Feb 2004
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I own 4 little dogs that mess up my yard and want our christmas tree in the worst way. But there are studies that show that you can actually live longer with pet ownership.
I guess cat owners like the challenge of getting the cat to jump up at you and the cat rewarding you for allowing yourself to pet it.
Dog owners are a little different.It gives me joy to see all four dogs standing on my couch looking at the window when I come home and seeing their excitement when I open the door. And they fight for my hands for I like to rub their furs for hours sometimes. I guess it's soothing and shit.Also each has it's own personality. My dashhound likes to lay around and you can hold him any way you like and he won't complain. My rat terrier will lick you like there's no tommorow. My pickanese is 17 years old and is a grumpy old dog but likes to be rubbed by my feet.And my Yorkie will stay away till you call him,but usually likes to hide.
There's personalities in our pets and it's just a human condition why we own them.

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It seems to me that a lot of that "best friend" stuff is perpetuated by commercialism. Let's face it: the dog food industry is nearly always trying to get you to buy a more expensive brand because they want to make money. But to do this, they have to have you identify with the product. What better way than a good ol' guilt trip for not doing right by your animal? Think too of the rather unnecessary items that are sold as accessories, like life jackets (unless one is actually sailing in a boat in the ocean with their dog), special feeding and water bowls, dog sweaters (!!!), glitzy collars, etc.

Veterinarians are becoming increasingly assholish about these things, too. You can now use a payment plan at most places to opt (knee-jerk, of course) for an expensive surgery that may or may not actually improve the animal's quality of life. Most animals require pretty careful watching after a major surgery, and few have the time to do this. Disappointment, regret, and further guilt set in when someone can't do the follow-up, and the animal becomes worse. Less wealthy people are pressured into surgeries they can't afford by people who basically state that they're cruel and uncaring if they don't opt for them.

Finally, shelters of all stripes (humane and no-kill) are competing with increasing numbers of charities for people's money. As having a pet becomes increasingly popular, we discover just how many people aren't ready for a pet, and the shelters are overwhelmed in caring for unwanted or difficult animals. Look at the rhetoric of their adoption websites. The images used. The textual descriptions. Many adopt the same symbolism and language that is used by hospitals announcing births, baby supply stores, etc.

While I'm sure that many overanthropomorphized their animals before, I believe this feeling has been tapped and exploited and encouraged in order to, well, sell shit.

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And a counter-argument ...

It depends on what people are investing in their animals, what the back story is, etc. And how people view friends. It's not enough for me to simply find friends who are funny, intelligent, whatever. I also want friends with whom I can learn something about myself, about them, about the world.

Oh, and I've had animals play jokes on me before. An abused horse I worked with played many pranks once he got to know me. He'd snap my bra, nip me gently on the butt, and then perk up his ears all cheeky-like. My dog will sometimes jump on my bed, stand over me, and slowly lower her face until her whiskers are up my nose. If my mood is foul, she'll stay within the vicinity, though not be all needy-greedy and up in my face about it.

I find that working with animals brings me that kind of satisfaction, albeit in a different way. Learning to adapt one's body language, mannerisms, and expectations in order to regain the trust of an abused animal can translate into better self-awareness and better social skills in general (if someone is already social enough to be among people).

Taking care of something which forces you to subvert some of your own needs is an excellent lesson. We can't always get what we want at every moment, and having an animal is an excellent reminder of that.

I can't just up and leave my house for days on end, or never come home during the day; my dog wouldn't misbehave, but it would be difficult for her to be alone and in need of being let outside.

Learning to deal with the death of a pet can be an important lesson for kids as well -- pets tend to have shorter life spans, and the reality of the matter is that a pet might well die before a child's family member or friend does. Understanding grief and loss, and how to move beyond it, helps prepare one for a bigger loss (well, unless some sadistic fuck keeps wiping out a kid's pets and family members -- then the kid's all, "Why me???").

I guess it's like anything, really -- you get out of something what you put into it.

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I like pets. They don't get angry at you or nag you and they're incapable of being mean (none of my cats ever have been), and love you unconditionally. Even though they smell of bum and have sharp claws, I would be sad without them, and I would risk my life to save theirs. Much as I would anyone elses.

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