N
NeedsMercy
Guest
I know what the original post said. I was making a comment to a post by Easter Joy. Not quite sure what you’re saying…
- Status
E
Ejperchenough
Guest
Yes you haven’t been rude…
I have expressed only one view, that is : pets are not the same as babies, in the PRACTICAL sense not in the EMOTIONAL, for I don’t care what who means to whom. What applies and can benefit a pet doesn’t necessarily work for a baby. They are not the same!
But I understand why this became a highly emotional issue… Thanks for your contribution.
S
severus68
Guest
Thank you, that is sweet of you.
M
Ms_Manners
Guest
We have two dogs and five cats (three ours, two fosters). My older dog has been with me for 10 years. Instead of a honeymoon, we got the first two cats and spent time socializing them. They are all inside pets, allowed on the furniture and they are a priority. We have gladly adapted our lifestyle to accommodate their needs. I have jumped in a river when my dog was in danger. I have bought their food before mine. I do love them very very much.“my baby keeps waking up due to bad dreams and then I have to rock/ feed/soothe him” and you get told back, " I never go to my dog when he cries due to a bad dream, he usually soothes himself".
However, they are not my babies and they are not my partner.
I cringe when I hear someone talking about dogs as babies and being mommy to a pet.
I don’t correct it in strangers, I have learned that there is no point, they will not understand and they will not change.
At best, they roll their eyes. At worst, I get to be the target of a public scene (yup, happened) where they express their condolences for my own pets with their insanely harsh owner (the last word usually emphasized in a horrified tone).
I did react when my own mother started saying things like “come to mommy” to her dog.
I asked her if that meant that I had another sister.
Didn’t hear that again.
However, sometimes some things can be similar, and some mechanisms in babies are very simple. You’d seriously be surprised to hear how many trick work with both dogs/cats and very young babies with still very basic needs. I used to babysit and sometimes I did use similar tactics and they worked.
I was always very careful to avoid telling parents how I got the idea, though.
I’d never phrase it like the person in your example.
L
LogisticsBranch
Guest
Hi thereWe have two dogs and five cats (three ours, two fosters). My older dog has been with me for 10 years. Instead of a honeymoon, we got the first two cats and spent time socializing them. They are all inside pets, allowed on the furniture and they are a priority. We have gladly adapted our lifestyle to accommodate their needs. I have jumped in a river when my dog was in danger. I have bought their food before mine. I do love them very very much.
However, they are not my babies and they are not my partner.
I cringe when I hear someone talking about dogs as babies and being mommy to a pet.
I don’t correct it in strangers, I have learned that there is no point, they will not understand and they will not change.
At best, they roll their eyes. At worst, I get to be the target of a public scene (yup, happened) where they express their condolences for my own pets with their insanely harsh owner (the last word usually emphasized in a horrified tone).
I did react when my own mother started saying things like “come to mommy” to her dog.
I asked her if that meant that I had another sister.
Didn’t hear that again.
However, sometimes some things can be similar, and some mechanisms in babies are very simple. You’d seriously be surprised to hear how many trick work with both dogs/cats and very young babies with still very basic needs. I used to babysit and sometimes I did use similar tactics and they worked.
I was always very careful to avoid telling parents how I got the idea, though.
I’d never phrase it like the person in your example.
I’m an old woman married to a husband of over thirthy years. We have a three year old canine baby! (1)
We spoil her and she is well-behaved. She is loved by everyone that meets her. She is a sassy, sweet, and a stunningly beautiful looking 89lb baby to me since I raised her since she was two weeks old and deathly sick at that time and her mother was dead along with siblings. She was given to me on Christmas DAY! Last weekend she was on a photo shoot with a group of high-end models dressed in formal attire. She was absolutely looking like a movie star. They fell in love with her. She is sweet and will always remain my baby girl. Terms of endearment!
E
EasterJoy
Guest
Exactly. Terms of endearment. When someone calls their husband their honey bear, they do not mean he is a literal bear or that he has a thing for honey. It is a figure of speech. If you talked about life with your dog and someone chimed in about their doll collection as if a doll were the same as a living and breathing pet, it would be weird–a real “this person does not get it” moment. It doesn’t matter that you have a shelter dog and they have an antique doll crafted by a master that belongs in the Royal Victoria and Albert museum. That doesn’t mean a person should not be a wild doll hobbyist. It means they shouldn’t forget that their doll, no matter how beautiful, valuable, or historically important is inanimate while a dog is a living creature. This is not an offensive distinction to make, and it doesn’t diminish their avocation or their doll collection to say so.Hi there
I’m an old woman married to a husband of over thirthy years. We have a three year old canine baby! (1)
IOW, speaking about your pet with terms of endearment is quite different than chiming in when the topic is parenting and offering examples that you learned from your dog without making it very clear that you realize the heir of these parents you are talking to is a human being and not a pet.
L
LogisticsBranch
Guest
Hello EasterJoy
That isn’t your real name is it? You said, “IOW, speaking about your pet with terms of endearment is quite different than chiming in when the topic is parenting and offering examples that you learned from your dog without making it very clear that you realize the heir of these parents you are talking to is a human being and not a pet.”
Well the OP wrote the following:
I live in an area where just about everyone has a canine baby or canine adult. Believe me when I say this, “Everyone considers them to a member of the family.” I don’t think you realize the love, time, and money that goes into taking care of a family member.
That isn’t your real name is it?
You said, “IOW, speaking about your pet with terms of endearment is quite different than chiming in when the topic is parenting and offering examples that you learned from your dog without making it very clear that you realize the heir of these parents you are talking to is a human being and not a pet.”Well the OP wrote the following:
I’ll address the OP’s first paragraph. Well, there are canine babies. Yes, my baby girl (canine) has and still does have dreams. I usually say something soothing to her and she stops. She also yelps in her dreams and her legs are moving as if she is running. It might be her chasing something like a ball.Hi everyone,
What would be the right thing to do when a dog owner keeps telling you, directly or indirectly, that her dog is just like your baby. In other words, when you say, for instance, “my baby keeps waking up due to bad dreams and then I have to rock/ feed/soothe him” and you get told back, " I never go to my dog when he cries due to a bad dream, he usually soothes himself".
Do you ignore it?
Do you look back in utter shock?
Do you say pointedly " babies are not the same as pets?
Do you stay silent and let the silly statement remain in the room for everyone to also feel the silliness of it?
What should one do/ say?
Ps: to all pet owners, don’t get me wrong, I have nothing against them. I love animals but they have their own place and that is not the same as a baby’s.
I live in an area where just about everyone has a canine baby or canine adult. Believe me when I say this, “Everyone considers them to a member of the family.” I don’t think you realize the love, time, and money that goes into taking care of a family member.
E
EasterJoy
Guest
Let’s get back to the question of the thread, because no one is questioning whether or not a pet who lives in your home rightly has a different place in your life than the resident wildlife in your back yard. This is not an “is it OK to be dog lovers” thread. We are not commenting on whether a veterinarian might have a comment on whether dogs have dreams compared to whether goldfish have dreams.Hello EasterJoy
That isn’t your real name is it?
Well the OP wrote the following:
I’ll address the OP’s first paragraph. Well, there are canine babies. Yes, my baby girl (canine) has and still does have dreams. I usually say something soothing to her and she stops. She also yelps in her dreams and her legs are moving as if she is running. It might be her chasing something like a ball.
I live in an area where just about everyone has a canine baby or canine adult. Believe me when I say this, “Everyone considers them to a member of the family.” I don’t think you realize the love, time, and money that goes into taking care of a family member.
Do you think a canine is the same thing as a human, that your pet ought to be talked about as if a dog were the same thing as as a child? Do you believe that a clear distinction rightly ought to be made, or do you think the distinction between having a dog in your home compared to having a son or a daughter is trivial, negligible, or non-existent? Do you think that difference (or lack of it) deserves social acknowledgment? What does that look like, in your mind?
This is the question of the thread, not whether or not you take a lot of time giving your dog the care you believe it needs or can hardly overstate how much you enjoy your dog or how much h&%$ someone’s children have put them through.
M
Ms_Manners
Guest
Good to remember.
LogisticsBranch, it’s not about how much someone loves their dog, or what a person will do.
My dog has a very important place in my life, but it is not the place of my child (which “baby” actually is).
Getting those two mixed up is about much more than what you call a dog, often the behavious behind it cross some lines, and some examples are not healthy for the human or the dog in that relationship.
PS If my mother refers to her dog as her baby, therefore her child, am I to consider her my sister?
E
Ejperchenough
Guest
:banghead:Hello EasterJoy
That isn’t your real name is it?
Well the OP wrote the following:
I’ll address the OP’s first paragraph. Well, there are canine babies. Yes, my baby girl (canine) has and still does have dreams. I usually say something soothing to her and she stops. She also yelps in her dreams and her legs are moving as if she is running. It might be her chasing something like a ball.
I live in an area where just about everyone has a canine baby or canine adult. Believe me when I say this, “Everyone considers them to a member of the family.” I don’t think you realize the love, time, and money that goes into taking care of a family member.
L
LogisticsBranch
Guest
Dear, it has everything to do with love as far as I am concerned! Obviously, not for you. We are placental mammals:Good to remember.
LogisticsBranch, it’s not about how much someone loves their dog, or what a person will do.
Eutheria, the Placental Mammals
They are also some of the most familiar organisms to us, including pets such as dogs and cats, as well as many farm and work animals, such as sheep, cattle, and horses. And humans, of course, are also placental mammals.
www.ucmp.berkeley.edu/mammal/eutheria/placental.html
I’ll repeat this as well, " “Everyone considers them to a member of the family.” I don’t think you realize the love, time, and money that goes into taking care of a family member." Also, if you hurt a family member such as a dog then you can be legally sued!
H
Hoosier_Daddy
Guest
I bought my dog for 500 dollars. The Dog food costs about 9 dollars every 2 weeks. My dog is nearing 12 so death is pretty close though she is old and is pretty healthy for her age. My dog is not a member of a family. My dog is a pet. I am not sure who would sue me if I hurt my dog, but it could be a criminal act. However if my dog were to get sick, I could kill and bury it.
It is a pet.
E
EasterJoy
Guest
Don’t get me wrong. I’m not going to shout anyone down for calling their bonsai their babies, let alone their dog. Yeah, I’d tease my mom about it, of course, but English is used that way. If my mom had referred to something besides one of us kids as “her baby,” there would have been no question about whether she really meant a rose bush was going to take care of her in her old age or give her grandchildren, or whether the dog was going to be mentioned in her obituary, let alone her will.
I am only referring to people who don’t make a distinction between a pet or a hobby and a fellow human being, particularly those human beings we have been blessed with byGod as our sons and daughters, whose eternal souls have been placed in our care. The worst are those who defend their obliteration of all distinction, and find it offensive when someone will not raise their dog to the same level as someone else’s flesh and blood, as if the dog were an adopted human child.
L
LogisticsBranch
Guest
There are people like you who are hoosiers. Fortunately, my husband and I disagree with your statement. Like I said before on the previous page:
The majority of Americans consider them to be a member of the family according to a Harris poll. harrisinteractive.com/NewsRoom/HarrisPolls/tabid/447/ctl/ReadCustom%20Default/mid/1508/ArticleId/814/Default.aspx
EasterJoy, derailing the topic again. (#151) I answered the OP on the previous page. I already mentioned canine babies on the previous page. Now, you write, “I am only referring to people who don’t make a distinction between a pet or a hobby and a fellow human being, particularly those human beings we have been blessed with byGod as our sons and daughters, whose eternal souls have been placed in our care. The worst are those who defend their obliteration of all distinction, and find it offensive when someone will not raise their dog to the same level as someone else’s flesh and blood, as if the dog were an adopted human child.”
My only comment to you is that I would rather take my canine baby girl that is 89 lbs. that I raised. She was sick and only two weeks old since her Mother and siblings died. She was given to me on Christmas day. A real blessing to me and my husband. She has been blessed by a priest. She is sweet and has good manners not like some folks here! Toodles~~~
T
thewanderer
Guest
But the issue on this thread really isn’t about whether you consider animals to be a part of the family, it is whether or not you see any distinction between the dog that is a part of your family and the human child that is a part of your family. Do you believe there is no distinction between the two whatsoever? Or do you agree that there is some kind of distinction, and if so, what do you think that distinction is?
S
severus68
Guest
A dog is a member of the family for others. Yes, we could not have a philosophical discussion with a dog nor discuss plans for a holiday with one. As I have said before, I do not see any dog (if it could talk) wanting to be anything but a dog. I do not think anyone sees a human baby when looking at a dog. Saying that, a dog does show abundant affection, will, as an example, stay with its sick owner 24/7 without complaint. So some/many say their pets are part of the family. They never will grow up and are forever “babies”. What does it matter to anyone else?
W
Walking_Home
Guest
Ditto.
H
Hoosier_Daddy
Guest
They are not forever “babies” To equate a baby with an animal is a product of the culture we live in. And I am sorry that some may never know why the two can not be close in emotional value. But can you see that it may be offensive to those of us who have children when someone equates an animal with a child. This is especially noticeable when someone loses a dog or other animal. And in our rush to compare our canine and feline property to human status even the most loyal dog owner or cat owner usually sees this affection for what it is when transferred to another less relateable animal. Like a snake or a pet eel. Or even a coyote. Pigs are kept as pets as well and many pig owners swear they are even better companions than dogs, but yet we all love bacon right? It is a displacement of the affection that belongs to humans as children of God. And sometimes that displacement is therapeutic and comforting. But it is not equal to the relationship that humans should have with each other. While we buy sweaters and food for our dogs, our neighbors go starved for love.
Why is a pit bull different than a coyote, lion, snake, or mosquito or Jack Russell? What makes it the recipient of human love designed to be for the smallest and most fragile among us? What makes owning an animal equal in some minds to co creating life with God and being responsible for a human soul gaining heaven?
W
Walking_Home
Guest
They are not forever “babies” To equate a baby with an animal is a product of the culture we live in. And I am sorry that some may never know why the two can not be close in emotional value. But can you see that it may be offensive to those of us who have children when someone equates an animal with a child. This is especially noticeable when someone loses a dog or other animal. And in our rush to compare our canine and feline property to human status even the most loyal dog owner or cat owner usually sees this affection for what it is when transferred to another less relateable animal. Like a snake or a pet eel. Or even a coyote. Pigs are kept as pets as well and many pig owners swear they are even better companions than dogs, but yet we all love bacon right? It is a displacement of the affection that belongs to humans as children of God. And sometimes that displacement is therapeutic and comforting. But it is not equal to the relationship that humans should have with each other. While we buy sweaters and food for our dogs, our neighbors go starved for love.
Why is a pit bull different than a coyote, lion, snake, or mosquito or Jack Russell? What makes it the recipient of human love designed to be for the smallest and most fragile among us? What makes owning an animal equal in some minds to co creating life with God and being responsible for a human soul gaining heaven?
Yet – an early sign that something is wrong – that someone may end up abusing/mistreating and even murdering humans – is how the person treats pets/animals.
H
Hoosier_Daddy
Guest
Yes, we are not to disrespect life. All life. We do not abuse creation.
- Status