Get a pet for your families!

[The_Reginator]

I grew up without a pet in the family.
I brought up my two children and once again there was never a pet.
Two days ago my brother suddenly died. Ive experienced death before, but this was hard on my university-aged kids. It wasnt too bad for one child – she spent her teenage years with relatives and had to live through the death of pets.
My older son - now 22 - had no coping mechanism. I know of friends that obtained pets for this very reason.
Having short-lived pets as part of your family helps people deal with the reality of death.

 

[Viki63]

I grew up without a pet in the family.
I brought up my two children and once again there was never a pet.
Two days ago my brother suddenly died. Ive experienced death before, but this was hard on my university-aged kids. It wasnt too bad for one child – she spent her teenage years with relatives and had to live through the death of pets.
My older son - now 22 - had no coping mechanism. I know of friends that obtained pets for this very reason.
Having short-lived pets as part of your family helps people deal with the reality of death.

You are right, learning to cope with death is easier on children who have loved and lost pets,
But pets are a great idea for more reasons than that. Children learn kindness to those dependent on them, and about unconditional love, and responsibility, and thinking about someone else’s welfare. Dogs encourage exercise, and cats can be a great comfort in time of sadness.
My teen son is going through tough times, but I know that there is hope for him as long as he is loving to the dog.
Not to mention that there are many wonderful animals in shelters who need homes and would repay the love of a family with warmth and affection.

 

[Stjudeprayforus]

When my husband abandon my son and I… it was our dog who snuggled with us and made us laugh. Honestly, our dog got us through a really hard time.

I cant imagine not having a pet.

 

[purplesunshine]

People say that you pick dogs and cats pick you.

I’m not sure that’s quite true.

I posted in another thread about a lesson I learned from my first dog…well, she wasn’t really my first dog…just the first dog that was entirely mine.

My second dog…well…she’s from a shelter. I fell in love with her picture and it’s funny how much her problems and anxieties match my own. I learn alot about life and my own behaviors from her.

Pets are great. Caring for another living being keeps us far helthier. There’s no power on earth except for the fear of cleaning pee out of a rug that gets me out of bed at 6am to walk my dog. Without a dog, I think God Himself would have to come to my apartment before I’d go out at such a dark hour in nasty weather. And today…it was wonderful out. And it was so nice to be able to walk around with my dog…she’s just a 40lb mutt but since I’m a petit single woman I’m much safer with her at my side.