Useless Conversation

[ghost]

I'm all for dogs.  It's good to have a pet, but only if you have a decent yard for them to use.

[Yegolev]

Having someone in the house that wants to help clean up kitchen spills is useful.

[Signe]

You can walk dogs and take them to parks and stuff.  There are plenty of dogs who live happily in city homes.   Those wee tiny ones like what Arthur Parker got don't need yards or even big spaces.  It's more important to have a big enough place to fit in the giant French Mastiff you have so it doesn't become sad and achy.  French Mastiffs do NOT belong in bedsits.  That was for someone who isn't here.  Or you could get a cat which will probably want to kill you but is too generally too small to pull it off.  My only criteria besides good temperament is that it's a rescue.  There is a rescue facility for just about everything.  We even have a rescued iguana.  Bleh.  

[Arthur_Parker]

We're pretty lucky, not a bad sized garden and within an easy walk to Temple Newsham.  She's a bit little for that yet, have to sort Vet, injections and everything out.  We were talking about it last night and I get a phone call this morning....

[Paelos]

Just skip the dog and go straight to getting a pony.

[ghost]

Having someone in the house that wants to help clean up kitchen spills is useful.

This is actually a very underrated function for dogs.  We have three kids under the age of four and I rarely clean under our table. 

[Ironwood]

We've had our dog for 7 years now and I cannot imagine our life without him. It's an adjustment but SO worth it.

Which I did for a child and I got proper fucked on that one.  Never again.

[Paelos]

Thus the pony is a better solution.

[Arthur_Parker]

Our bath isn't big enough.

[Hawkbit]

Just understand that no matter whose responsibility the dog is at the beginning, you'll be the one taking care of it from 2 weeks after you get it until death. 

[WayAbvPar]

New puppy should come well before the new carpet.

[HaemishM]

We're getting a puppy.  I'm totally against apart from the fact that our daughter is an only child and it'll be good for her, but at least it's distracting the wife from the whole new carpet/house conversation.

Don't worry, after a year or so, that carpet conversation is not going to be a luxury, it'll be a requirement.

[ghost]

Kids should come well before new carpet. 

[Yegolev]

New puppy should come well before the new carpet.

Primary driver for hardwood floors.  I don't miss carpet.

Cats belong outside.

[Rasix]

Cats outside here just become coyote snacks.   We replaced all of our carpet a while ago.  Don't miss it at all. 

[Nebu]

Cats belong outside.

Average lifespan for an outdoor cat = 4 years.  Indoor cat = 12 years. 

My cat stays indoors or outside under controlled conditions.  Feline Leuk, heartworms, and predators are bad for kitty.

[Yegolev]

Survival of the fittest.  Cats can either evolve to defeat coyotes or evolve to not shit on my sofa, shred my furniture, wake me in the middle of the night, or any of the other assorted cat-shenanigans.

Typical cat deaths around here are predators.  However, it's a sweet ride up until that point.

[Rasix]

That's an interesting perspective.

I, uhh, actually like my cats.  

This is about all they do outside nowadays.  Rarely stay out longer than my son.   It's too hot/cold/windy/not-enough-lizards and they're old.

[Paelos]

We had cats that stayed inside at night and outside in the day. One, named Emmitt, is still alive at age 14. The other lived to age 11 but was extremely fat. Whiskers disappeared when she was just beyond kitten stage. Buschard lived to 12.

[Reg]

Ghost, with three kids under four they'll probably be between 13 and 16 when they get their first harsh lesson about how short the lives of most pets are.  That's probably not so bad though.  My childhood dog didn't die until I was already away from home at university so I didn't get the full lesson until my first cat died of old age.

[WayAbvPar]

I had an outdoor cat that lived like 16 years. She was a tough old bitch that hated everyone but me   Her greatest service came when I came home REALLY drunk one night, and decided to walk around the neighborhood to try to sober up a bit before I went to bed. I apparently decided the neighbor's lawn looked really comfy and laid down on it. She came and jumped on my chest and woke me up. Would have been really embarrassing to have everyone commuting past me passed out on the neighbor's lawn...

[Bunk]

Survival of the fittest.  Cats can either evolve to defeat coyotes or evolve to not shit on my sofa, shred my furniture, wake me in the middle of the night, or any of the other assorted cat-shenanigans.

My indoor cat and I have an understanding. She only shits in her litter box, beside her litter box, or somewhere on the hardwood - never on the couch. She has agreed to only shred the Ikea chairs and leave the couch alone. She doesn't wake me in the middle of the night, rather, it's my responsibility not to wake her in the middle of the night while she's sleeping around my feet. Oh, and the door to the patio must remain open during all waking hours, even if she happens to be sleeping, just in case.

We've also agreed that it is her prerogative to inspect all sushi and fried chicken before I attempt to eat it.

In exchange for all of this - she makes me forget that I want to kill people when I come home from work. It's a mutually beneficial arrangement.

[Lantyssa]

She just wanted breakfast, but it still worked in your favor.

[Yegolev]

Sounds like a sweet deal.  I guess I just haven't met that special pussy.

[Signe]

The only time either of my cats had an accident was after Magenta had her butt surgery.  Every now and then she would drop a bit, usually next to the litter box.  Hairballs are a problem now and then, also mostly with Magenta.  It's hard to find a hairball treat she'll eat and I don't like giving them chemicals.  I think I'm so lucky to have mostly hassle free animals (except the parrot who's a dick).  I don't want my kitties to destroy the songbird population, disembowel the mice or chipmunks in the woods, or get eaten by a speeding truck.  And sick fuck people do horrible, grisly things to animals that run free.  If you already have a wild cat population where you are, well... okay then, some of the destruction is already taken care of mostly but don't count on your small dog or kitty friends lasting very long.  And why add to it?  Dogs hunt when they're hungry, cats murder for fun.  I don't rescue domestic animals to put them back where they were rescued from.  If you can't tolerate an indoor cat, then yes, I agree cats are probably not for you.  A canary, maybe?  Have more babies or sommat.  Still, if you DO rescue something, anything... I  you!

[Yegolev]

I happen to know that cats are at their happiest when disemboweling mice and chipmunks, which is probably why people with indoor cats are always making excuses for them.  My cats are awesome, lovable, happy, and are only dicks to each other.  Fuck those moles and birds, too.  Hakuna Matata.

Of course some people live in places that are inhospitable for life (cities, Arizona, etc), so an apartment or house is an acceptable alternative to a cat-friendly location.  Georgia is a great place for cats.

[Paelos]

Yep this state is cat paradise. Probably why ours all lived long lives.

[Yegolev]

By the way, don't believe that nonsense about Hawaii having lots of insects.  People that say that are all from the Northwest US.

[WayAbvPar]

Insects shouldn't be a problem in Hawaii because the wind is almost always blowing.

[Yegolev]

Almost?

[WayAbvPar]

Sometimes you are indoors 

[Merusk]

I'm going with "Once you can keep your plants alive, we will move on to animals."

I went with "we'll get a fish. It's easier to replace than a puppy and won't shit all over the house when you forget about it."

Additional ammo: "You can get a puppy if you're going to mow the lawn.  I'm not stepping in dog crap because you didn't clean-up after them."

Just understand that no matter whose responsibility the dog is at the beginning, you'll be the one taking care of it from 2 weeks after you get it until death. 

Exactly the reason we don't have one.  I got lots of pressure from the wife and the kids until I said they'd have to be the one cleaning the yard.  Borrowing Mom's dog for 2 weeks and forcing them to take care of it (vs a puppy who is exciting and new) was a big lesson to the group.  They haven't bothered me about it since.

[Signe]

Just get one of those cockapees or poodledoos or whatever those blingthings are.  They even make litter boxes just for them.

[Merusk]

No.  People with small dogs really want cats but refuse to admit it.  You get a dog, nothing smaller than a collie; Maybe a beagle.

[Signe]

Get a beagle.  They're one of the dogs that most need to be rescued from pharmaceutical companies and research facilities.  And they're lovely.  We had two when I was growing up.  Everyone get a beagle!!