It was interesting to read your thoughts on getting a puppy in last week’s blog post. I appreciate all of you taking the time to weigh in. I broke down the cons:
1. “It’s a lot of work.” Having raised a puppy before, I do agree that it’s a lot of work. (But a lot of fun.) And I also agree that it makes more sense to train a puppy in the spring. Definitely.
2. “You and WH like to travel.” True. We do go off a bit on the weekends. Mostly we just do day trips for fun and adventure, but we do have the occasional weekend away to visit the kids. Fortunately, my folks and my brother all live in St. Louis and do great pet-sitting.
3. “You can’t leave it home all day.” Right. I would have to bring the dog to work (maybe I ought to find one that looks like Loopy?) and I know there are varying opinions on a dog in a yarn shop. This is a big place, though, so no one would be tripping over the dog. There is a dog who comes to work with one of the guys who works upstairs in our building. (Archie. He’s a Welsh Corgi, I think. The dog. Not the guy.)
4. “What would your cats do with a dog?” Gracie and Zoe like dogs. Well, Gracie would hide for a few days, but then she’d get over it. Actually, if she was out on the screen porch birdwatching when the dog arrived, she wouldn’t even notice it. She loves her birdwatching. She sits in that chair and watches the birds land on those birdfeeders a couple of feet in front of her, and her day is complete. And Zoe would put that puppy in its place the minute it walked in the house. She’s a 5 lb. bundle of “Alpha Cat”, which would then translate to “Alpha Pet”. No worries at all about Zoe.
But …. I’m thinking we won’t get one. At least not at this point in our lives. It doesn’t make a lot of sense and the cons still outweight the pros. (However, if I show you a photo next week of “our new dog”, please play along with me and don’t remind me about this conversation.) I really am more of a cat person, I think. Are you more of a cat person or a dog person? I know some of you are both!
Now I’m off with my knitting and my recipes, to visit Web Guy in Florida for a long weekend. (Woohoo!) We have some 2010 website planning to tackle, and I’ll be doing some cooking to fill up his bachelor freezer. I’ll be back with you next week, and will tell you how it went.
Sheri sothankfulthattheElveswillbeheregettingyourordersout
whileI’mgone!IlovethoseElves….
Definitely a cat-person. As a matter of fact, fifteen years of me being the best spouse a man could ever dream of -bwahahahhaha !- earn me the right to own a cat :0)
I think I deserve such a good husband… and the cat of course !
Not only am I a cat person, but DH, aka “my patron of the arts” is allergic to dogs. The thought of him waiting in the car while I rush through a yarn store vs. him deep in a good book on the comfy couch…well, you get the picture.
Your cat is incredibly cute – such a solemn expression!
We are definitely dog-people, but we don’t HATE cats. Considering getting any kind of a pet is a very important decision because they deserve attention whether dog or cat. I don’t understand pet owners who leave their pets outside all the time — they’re not lawn furniture. We have a lab and he lives in our house with us. If we left him outside while we were away from the house at work, running errands, etc. he would think he was being punished. He’s housetrained very well.
Also, if you have any kind of pet, you need to be able to board your pet at a kennel. There may be times when someone in the family or a friend is not available to pet-sit or their may be emergency situations. The pet doesn’t have to be boarded everytime you go away, but they need to be familiar with the place and the fact that you do come back to get them. You can start with just a day-visit or an overnight and then try a weekend.
Sorry about the length! We love our dog and tend to go on and on sometimes!
Definitely a cat person, in this case a 2-cat person. Mostly, for all of the negative reasons you listed for getting a dog. Plus, cats don’t bark. After years of having dogs while our children were growing up, I so appreciate the quiet of “little cat feet.” They definitely have their vocal moments and moments when they fight. But generally, you wouldn’t even know they are around. Yet they are so devoted. I am disabled and when I am hurting, one of them will come and lie down with me, place a paw on my hand as if to say, “I know.” See, just as good as a dog, a lot less noisy, and much easier to train. I vote for cats!
Oh, I’m definitely a cat person, and not just because I’m allergic to dogs. The size is one thing… I live in an apartment, and having a 10-pound cat is a lot more economical and space-saving than having a 50-pound dog. 😉 Plus, like someone else said, there is the noise issue, and the general cost of having a dog is higher because their vet bills are more expensive, and their food is too. It’s not to say that I won’t have a dog in the future (fiancee is DYING for one)- I’ll probably get one when we have a baby- but for now, my sweet little Doc is definitely what I want! 🙂
I love my dog-and dogs in general. Cats and dogs compliment each other, you so not have to stick to just one. More paws is more happiness. I know plenty of dogs and cats who do not just tolerate each other, they are actually friends.
A dog arond the office could keep everyone laughing…when you get frstrated just pet the dog or go for a walk. What do the elves thing about getting a dog?
What about a playful adult dog? With adult there is little chewing, their shape and size and personality are fully formed. Less housebreaking issues. Plus rescuing a dog, saving a life. And what a great life you could provide for a dog! I adopted all my dogs from rescue societies and the dogs were always so greatful somehow.
It’s a fun idea to get a new pet…go for it!
There’s a yarn shop in Denver where the owner has a dog of this breed: http://www.akc.org/breeds/komondor/ It looks kind of like a sheep. 🙂 So maybe not super close to Loopy in appearance but you know still in the realm of sheep. You know just some food for thought.
We love dogs and cats. While puppies are a LOT of work they are worth it in the long run because of the attachment you gain. I agree with the opinion, though, to wait until Spring to train a new puppy, it makes the task a little easier when you don’t have to brave the snow, ice and cold winds to take the little guy out 4,5, 10 times a day.
An adult rescue dog is also a great idea and you could get him/her sooner.
In the course of the last three weeks we have lost a dog and our last cat. We still have two dogs so I’m not even thinking about adding any new animals. While pets bring us joy they also give us sadness when they leave.
Animals add a lot to our lives but they shouldn’t add stress. Only you can know what you can handle on top of everything else you do.
Good luck iuck with you decision.
Thank you for the reminder! I have to line up the petsitter for Thanksgiving. Two cats and two fish. They’re animals that don’t require a lot of attention, and I’m sure they’d be fine, but I’ll feel better if someone looks in on them.
Have fun with Web Guy!
I have two cats (that came first) and two dogs. They all get along very well and the cats remind the dogs who’s boss when one of them gets too enthusiastic with their play. They will often sleep together on the couch. I always thought I was a cat person until we got the first dog, and I discovered then I was both. Dogs are definitely more work, but they also are more affectionate and more eager to spend time close to you. The first dog we got was just before Christmas 6 years ago and I would never do that again. House-training was an ordeal as the dog did not understand why she had to pee and poo outside in the freezing cold when there was such an inviting rug inside. The second dog came into our lives at Spring time two years ago and he was house-broken in a couple of weeks. Dogs and cats are lovely pets to have, with different qualities — I enjoy sharing my life with all of them.
My roommate’s cats raised my puppy to respect them. A bossy, dominant Jack Russell, any cat that stood its ground with him was treated as an equal. Your cats can sort it out with a puppy, and lots of people who have dogs travel. Find a good sitter or kennel…
I’m a cat and dog person. I’d love to have both like I did growing up. DH was the same. Right now we only have 2 old cats. They are crochety and very yowley in their old age, but we love them. They have just reached the age where they tell us what they think. And keep telling us because obviously we don’t understand or we’d hop to it!
I was raised with cats, so naturally I am a cat person. The subject of getting a puppy has come up a lot lately and my husband has even given his stamp of approval. However, when the time draws near to actually obtaining said puppy, I get all nervous. Since my husband works a lot, I know that I will be the dog’s main caretaker. Really, I want one b/c I want my son to love animals as much as I do. I want him to grow up respecting animals and loving them. My son is 3. I know there is NO way I can count on a 3 year old child to help share dog responsibilities. Probably cannot count on any age child for that matter! So, we never end up with the puppy b/c at the end of the day, I know it would be MY responsibility and do I want yet another thing to take care of? I think I like the idea of a puppy more than the reality.
I’m not sure whether a cat person or dog person. I love both. I love the ease of having a cat but the companionship of a dog. Don’t tell Izzy she’s not a good companion. I will say that my LYS has a shop dog, Reece. He works when Tina works and greets customers. For a treat he’ll wait on customers (run behind register counter and place his paws on it). He also entertains young children by doing tricks which allows moms to shop longer. When I visit, he checks out my knitting bag. Not sure whether he’s looking for treats which Tina won’t allow us to give now or whether he smells my animals. So having a dog at TLE isn’t a bad thing. Have a fun time cooking for Web Guy and a safe trip.
I am a dog person through and through…until my husband brought home a cat three years ago. Now, I’m a pet person. I fully believe I’m not as happy a person without some fur that needs vacuumed and some kind of chew toy squeaking underfoot. There’s nothing like knitting with a pile of warm cat in your lap. There’s no Kleenex better at wiping up tears than a dog’s tongue when you need the extra love. That purr is like an ear massage, especially when the purr comes from the cat curled up next to you when you’re sleeping.
There is no good time to get a pet, like there is no good time to have a baby. In fact, I’ll be getting a new puppy as soon as some friends of ours have a little between their two yellow labs. I’ll be the one in their backyard rooting for their male to get his action on come January. My dog (that I already have) needs a friend.
If you get a dog, I will make a special trip to your store just to pet it and show it some love. And buy some yarn, too.
I’m a both person. And while you said you probably won’t get one, if you read the post it sounds as though you’re talking yourself in to one. Stop by the local shelter one day this week and see if you don’t fall in love with the perfect canine companion. Preferably one that’s housebroken and doesn’t eat yarn.
🙂
I’m a cat person. I love cats. We have 3 indoor cats (Indy, Harry-O and Caroline)and we also have 2 dogs – a sheltie (Eddie) and a cairn terrier (Toto) . Both are great dogs. Have a great trip to Florida to see WebGuy!
I’m an animal lover! All animals! Cats and dogs and everything else too. Currently we have three dogs, but in my past I had ten cats all at one time. Animals give you unconditional love. How many people can you say that about? Someone above wrote that she couldn’t understand how people can leave their dogs outside all the time. She said they are “not lawn furniture”. Oh, how I agree! Those sentiments are exactly my opinion.
I’m a dog person and my husband is a cat person, so we have a cat but I’m hoping to finally get a dog in the spring. I feel like I’ve been waiting for so long!
I always answer that question with I’m an animal person. I grew up with a dog and used to consider myself a dog person. But having a dog is so impractical for me, so I adopted two sweet and playful kitties from the shelter and I am so glad I did – I can’t imagine not having them.
Have a great weekend with your son! I know he’ll appreciate the visit and the cooking!
You will know when the right time is…and you will know, when another right addition to the mix comes along, that this cat/dog will fit in. Some dogs are fine with cats. Some cats are fine with dogs. The opposite may be most common, but I treasure pictures of my previous dog snoozing on my mother’s couch (ahem) and my Mom’s cat snoozing on my dog. We all knew that Biscuit (cat) loved Patsy (dog), it was so obvious.
I am a dog person! I have to say that since there are three living in this house with DH and myself! The training/puppy stage is tough, but fun and they are such good companions!
Since you’re doing web site planning…I know I can use the search function but it would be handier to have the patterns listed by type (socks, scarves, mittens, etc.)
I want a cat, I just don’t want the cat box. LOL!
Have a great and productive trip!
I have always been a cat person. My husband and I have raised lovely cats together (we’ve been together since ’97), but we both had fond memories of the big ol’ family dog, so when we moved to Oregon in the fall of ’07, we got our puppy shortly after finding out I was pregnant. As much as Wrigley (a Pembroke Welsh Corgi) is loved, I regret the decision. We are cat people who just happened to be raised by dog people. That did not prepare me for the amount of work a dog/puppy creates. I tried to explain to my cat friends that one puppy is equivalent to a box of 20 kittens, and even then, I’d take the kittens. Even though we thought what fun it would be to take him out and about with us, we hardly do. He gets his daily play time, but it’s usually around the house or the immediate neighborhood.
Our cats haven’t been downstairs to hang out with us since a few weeks after we got the puppy. It’s been over two years now and they simply live upstairs and we see them at bedtime. 🙁
I love playing ball with Wrigley the dog, and he’s so cute and nice to pet, but he’s not a cat.
That’s my story of cat people owning a dog. Wrigley is loved and has a good life with us, but he will forever be known as our family’s only dog. 🙂
Dog person! That being said, we have three housecats and I feed the “porch” cats daily and make sure they get their daily loving (“porch” cat similar to “barn” cat – here they have the barn, the garage and pick our front stoop to lie about in the sun all day.) Two of our three housecats were rescues – one just a baby when I brought her in, feeding her milk through a syringe til she could eat solid food. So I do love our cats, but “top dog” here in my eyes is Kipper, our lab mix.
By the way, if you do get a puppy, since you guys are on the go a lot – before we had our son, we took our Beagle (now in puppy heaven) everywhere with us – he was a great traveler, was very good about staying in the car while we ran into the store or whatever. We only could not do this in severe heat (not that common in northern Wisconsin where we were at the time, realize St Louis does have this concern), but even in the winter, he went with us – we always had blankets in the back seat so he could snuggle in – and we never left him in the car very long – mostly went places that he could go to – the only drawback, was that he prefered to sit on my lap in the passenger seat – not safe for him and not convenient when I was late into my pregnancy!
I must have missed the dog question last week. I’m so glad that you’re really thinking about this before just getting a dog like a lot of people do. We got an older dog that was going to have trouble finding a home due to him enduring some abuse and neglect earlier in his life. He’s just great for us and fits very well into our life style though he took a good year of of work to make him so. Plus he likes that I stay home all day since he has separation anxiety towards me. I do think everyone should be able to have an office dog if they want though! And our “alpha” cat has definitely made sure that he knows his place in the house. 🙂
We are basically animal people!! I guess I’m more of a dog person – 2 wieners in the house and a Great Pyrenees with the sheep- but I like cats too. The husband is allergic though, so our cats have to stay in the barn. Cats are great if you need to be gone alot – dogs tie you down so much. (but so do the livestock so it doesn’t really matter for us)
There sure are some great adult dogs that need homes – then you don’t have all that puppy stuff to deal with. Just stay away from petfinder.com if you don’t want a dog!
There are a couple of shops in the OKC area who often have their dogs in the shop. I love it….even though I don’t have a dog. I would love to see a shop cat if you could find one that didn’t like to play in yarn. 😉 I love seeing your pictures of Zoe and Gracie….pretty girls!
Get the puppy! My husband was very against a puppy forever. Then we got one and my kids went off to school and moved away and we still have the dog. We travel a lot and just make arrangements. Last week our house was burglarized while we were asleep in our beds. My husband sleeps with a CPAP for apnea, which makes white noise in its operation. The dog sleeps in our room, so he didn’t hear the burglar as fast as might have been perfect, but he did insist that we wake up when he heard something and barked his head off. That scared the burglar off before he came upstairs (he was on the landing and ran out the back) so we stayed safe and he got less than he might have. Petey, the hero! He’s a cockapoo, btw, so he doesn’t shed and is hypoallergenic, might be a good choice of breed 😉
Never say never! 🙂 I am a both person, though I lean a bit more towards cat. Still, after my three years of dog research, where I came up with a list (no puppies, female dogs are generally calmer, no dog breeds over 30 lbs, no high energy-digging-running-needs-to-be-walked-20000-miles-per-day kind of dog breeds) I scored zero on all counts at a Humane Society event, and came home with my Salty Dog. The good news was I was well aware of what I was getting into. And Paddy Cat (my 12 pound tom cat who appreciates his full Second Amendment rights) keeps Salty in line, and life is good around here. Wouldn’t trade either of them for the world!
When the time is right, the right dog will present. Whether you expect it or not. 🙂
Have fun on your trip!
I am a cat person, and as I type this my kiddos puppy has be ran over today, and I am hart broken. We live out in a rural area and well he got out. I am not sure when we will have the hart for a new dog. I am just sick over it, and I have not told my 2 and 4 yr old yet.
I am a dog person. I’ve never been owned by a cate because several members of our family are allergic to cats – my DS especially so. I have had a dog most of my life and I love them. HOWEVER, when you have dogs you have certain issues with accidents, sleeping on your beds/couch, muddy footprints, and tracking in leaves. My favorite dog was a Shih Tzu, but don’t tell my present dog that. He’s a Boxer and too darned smart!
Cat, cat, cat person!
Maybe instead of a puppy, you could visit your local animal shelter and score a full grown dog. Housetraining already done and over with! Older dogs are still just as much fun as puppies!!
I am always in favor of getting a new pet!
I’m a cat person! I like other people’s dogs, but I just don’t ever see myself being a dog owner. Plus, the three kitties who allow me to live with them would pack up their little kitty suitcases and leave town if I tried to bring one home.
Have fun in Florida!
We have always had cats and dogs-they all manage to sleep on the bed at various times when we are not in it! The newest pet learns to get along with the rest. It always seems to work out.
Enjoy your trip!
“It doesn’t make a lot of sense and the cons still outweigh the pros.”
Next word: However,
We’ve used this decision-making formula many times – works like a charm.
Love them all! But most of all, I’m a shelter rescue animal lover. whatever animals I have, they are rescue animals, and especially seem to get the ones that no one else wants. Definitely don’t want to support breeders and puppy mills.
We just got a new puppy for my daughter on her 8th bday!! That was July 24th. He still is not ‘completely’ potty trained ( accidents)… he is very smart, so we are not sure what the ‘hold up’ is… BUT we love him to pieces, we also have 2 angora rabbits, and a cat, a turtle, and two frogs. So, when you need a pet sitter, you need a pet sitter for one or all. He is the prettiest dog you’ve ever seen. There are quite a few popping up in my hood lately. He is a mini Aussie, they are not a recognized breed, but people are breeding small Australian Shepherds with other small aussies and getting even smaller ones. We have always had sheep herding dogs, and they always have been perfect for us. Our other Sheep dog is about 40 lbs and this one will only get to be about 25 lbs – so good size for our house, our DD.
I wish I could post his pic here, but if you see me on Ravelry, he and my DD are my ravatar right now. Beautiful blue eyes, and blue merle coloring. He gets stares where ever we go. His name is ‘Lucky’. To address the “Should I have him at work question?”
My DH used to take our other dog to his office in Los Angeles for the day, and she would sleep at his feet, explore the office, but there were only a handful of people coming and going, and they all said they didn’t mind her being there. Now, I have heard of people minding in a yarn shop, not knowing if the dog may have slobbered on the yarns down low (if the dog drools), or if they are allergic (getting hairs on/in the yarns), or some people (esp. kids) can have a fear of dogs, and then they just won’t come to shop there anymore… A solution we came up with – mainly for our potty training issues to keep an eye on him…. was to put a baby gate at the kitchen door. Now, he is with us in the back half of the house where he is watched. And, he can’t go jump or bother others in the living room (like the piano teacher). But, he can see us, and knows we are coming back, he can’t get into our stuff (like my spinning wheels/wool), unless we are with him. So, that could be an option if you have an office doorway that looks out into the shop, he can stay behind the gate. And, if you have a crate there for IF you run out for coffees or what ever, then for a little while they can be crated. That is where he sleeps if we go to dinner or a movie.. He used to sleep in it over night until he could hold it all night. Now he sleeps on my DD bed.. so SWEET. Love puppies!
*ahem*
You’re welcome to visit CA and we can do some 2010 website planning and I’ll let you fill my fridge too. 😀 Tee hee. But have fun! And we all love the elves too.
I’m totally a cat person! I currently have 3; none are yarn-a-holics although they do enjoy rearranging quilt blocks when I lay an in-progress top out on the floor (sometimes I like their arrangements better than mine).
That is the cutest darn picture of Zoe!
The 4 cats allow me to feed and clean up after them. I am honored they let me live here. This has gone on for 9 years now. My love though is my little Libby, a 4 year old King Charles. I know she loves me. The cats love me with conditions. Libby is small enough to fit on my lap or curl up beside me while I knit.
I’m an animal person and love all my pets, cats and dogs. I would love to have a llama, alpaca, or donkey, but we don’t have the space. All my dogs are rescues in some form or another – one is a Cairn terrier that I took in because a coworker didn’t understand Cairns, the other is a yellow lab that I raised for Guide Dogs for the Blind. She didn’t make it as a guide dog so she was given to me as a gift for raising her. There are many ways to acquire a dog and lots of ways to get involved with dogs. I walk dogs at the Humane Society – it’s an excellent way to get a dog fix and provide some socialization for the dogs (and get exercise). Finally, I’m an advocate of training – obedience training can help overcome many problems you might experience or stop the problems from ever developing. I highly recommend obedience training for your pet and recommend it for dogs of any age or breed. Good luck! Can’t wait to see the picture of the puppy you are considering.
Once the seed is planted, it’s likely to take off and grow! I wouldn’t be at all surprised to see pictures of a new dog from you . I mean, there was that awesome link to the MO Humane Society!
I am an animal person in general (I’d better be, it’s what I do!) Dogs (including the 2 new rescues), cats, birds and fish. I’ve had horses, snakes, iguanas………I can’t imagine life without animals. It would be like life without knitting!
I’m definitely dog people. No cats. I have birds and a gecko too. No cats. I once had one cat. Enough cats. I have 3 dogs at all times. I love them all. Just no cats.
Now that you have listed all the “cons”, why don’t you make a list of the “pros”? I’m sure you will find that it’s much longer than the cons. One can never really replace the love of a dog…
I’m 100% cats, currently serve two and lived with three in my childhood. They’re very helpful — we haven’t had an alligator stampede since they moved in, and they keep tuna from spoiling. There are a few very friendly dogs in my apartment complex, though, and one of them, a sweet white pit bull named Hank, always gives me big slobbery kisses if our paths cross. Still, my heart belongs to my Hawthorne and Edgar, and they know it.
I am a cat person. When I get new cats I get them in pairs so they can have friends to keep them happy. I have always had cats and the one attempt at getting a puppy, when I was about ten or so, ended with the poor thing getting run over so I have had no more dogs. I knew my husband was the one because one of the cats I had when we were first dating would let him touch and pet her. The other guys I dated she would have nothing to do with so I knew this was the one because she really liked him. My husband and I have been together almost 17 years now and I still get the cats in pairs and he finds that okay. The last pair we got is now down to just one and he is over 12 and beginning to feel his age, just like me.
I used to be more of a cat person (all my good friends had cats) but since my husband is allergic to them, we’ve had only dogs. Love them all. Have a great trip and say hi to Web Guy for us!