A brief break from writing about the Hawai’i trip. There’s been lots of news about dogs in my life recently. Here on Xanga, Val wrote a poem about her aging Australian Shepherd. Tiara wrote an entry about five of her dogs being poisoned by thieves on Saturday night during an interrupted burglary. And to top it off, Tawn’s father called him Friday morning to tell him that his Maltese, Benji, had died early that morning after three days of illness.
Pets can be a big part of the family and people become very attached to them, of that there is no doubt. I’ve never had pets in my house, save a pet rat that my sister had for a year or two. It is interesting because I get along very well with animals (and children, too!), but have never had a strong desire to have pets of my own. Tawn has had lots of dogs for his entire life and even with Benji’s death there are still seven or eight dogs at his parents’ house.
I wonder if there will be a point in my life where I have a pet of my own. It doesn’t seem that important to me, but maybe I’m missing out on the experience and once I had a pet, I would understand the connection that so many other people experience with their animal companions.
What about you? Are you an animal person or, more precisely, do you have pets?
christao408 
Animals can add so much to our lives. I have a cat whom I love … almost like a kid, if that makes sense. But I can’t have her with me currently (Mike is severely allergic) so she’s spending out her golden years at my parents, a spoiled princess. Mike, on the other hand, has two dogs – which we can’t have here b/c the condo association doesn’t allow it. I love my cat – but can’t have her; he loves his dogs – but can’t have them. (It’s a sad side effect to our loving each other, I guess.) But that is all to say – we’re both animal lovers… I would highly, *highly* recommend you try getting some kind of a pet if you can… yes they’re an added responsibility but they can bring so much to our lives. They truly can become like family, actually!
Oh, I used to have a few pooches….german shepherd, poodles and a airedale terrier; during different years of course. Great for stress relief while walking and playing with them. I never had seven or eight dogs all at once, I guess it’s only possible when you hire live-in maid to take care of them?
I had an Alsatian when I was growing up. I had written a post abuot that dog, I think lat year, titled Mickey. When I came away to the US, I know Mickey couldn’t take not being loved, and I am sure he died then. I’ve had cats here and have enjoyed them. But at this time in my life, it’s just too much to take care of. My sympathies to Tawn at the loss of Benji.
Awww… that’s sad to hear about Tawn’s dog. I’ve had dogs (Great Dane), cats, birds & fish (never lasted). I prefer cats though. Right now though, I don’t have any pets. My condo is kinda small and my hours are not regular. So it won’t be fair to have a pet.
I would absolutely love to have a dog again for a pet. I believe that a dog would be extremely beneficial to my health and I’ve always had a lot of love to give. I just haven’t had a home in which to keep one. Hopefully someday.
Love cats and might have a dog or two in the future. We’ll see.
I’m so sorry to hear about Benji! As children, we had cats, and I had a cat for a while after I left home — then I had a job which required me to travel, and it wouldn’t have been fair to an animal to have to kennel it frequently, so I have not had pets for many years. If I do again have a pet, it would be a cat.
I have never had pets and I don’t think I’ll have one either. Not that I don’t like them… I think I kind of have the uncle syndrome when it comes to pets, I like them as long as they are not mine and I get to be with them in moderation.
I used to have a monkey when I was young, a dog my freshman in college, and a guinea pig my first year in gradate school. They are great stress reducers. I travel too much to have any pets recent years! Sorry to hear about Tawn’s pet dog!
Sorry for Tawn’s loss. I grew up with dogs as pets. They make excellent friends. I would have one now but the park does not permit pets – save indoor cats. I do miss a good friend.
pets specially dogs can be very good friends, sorry to hear about Tawn’s loss,
Is that Benji in the picture with Tawn? Such a cute dog. Sorry for Tawn’s loss. Dogs make the best of friends but we live in a small condo and there is just not enough room for a pet here. Once we sell this and buy a house with a back yard, I am definitely getting a dog.
I’m sorry for Tawn’s loss :(I have two cats (Totoro and Winston). They are way outgoing and anyone new that comes to visit us is always surprised when the cats hop right up on their laps as soon as they sit down. As soon as we move into someplace bigger, I’d love to get a dog or two.
We had two dogs back in Penang. A mongrel Pekingnese with three legs which we adopted and a cocker spaniel. Before we had the dogs, I was terrified of them. But after having them, I started to appreciate how faithful and loving dogs can be. I want to keep a dog now but my husband is not a dog person. I am sure Tawn will miss Benji.
@Passionflwr86 – Thanks for your comments. Hopefully one day you and Mike can be somewhere where you can manage to have all your pets with you.@CurryPuffy – Having help makes it easier to handle the pets, certainly. In fact, I’ve long suspected that Tawn’s view of how “easy” it is to have pets comes from the fact that his experience is with the fun part of having pets – playing with them! =D@ZSA_MD – Thanks for your condolences. Yes, I recall the beautiful entry you wrote about your childhood dog.@ElusiveWords – Living in an urban condo is kind of unfair to animals, isn’t it? At least to the four-legged kinds.@marc11864 – I’ve read about the health benefits that pets can bring to people.@yang1815 – I definitely know about your cats! =D@slmret – Cats are very nice, especially if you have a breed that is at least a little friendly and isn’t so standoffish!@Dezinerdreams – I can relate to that uncle syndrome. Ha ha…@stevew918 – Really? A pet monkey? How did that come about?@Fatcat723 – It is always sad when where we live restricts us from having the animal companions we want.@agmhkg – @XXKimPossibleXX – Dogs definitely have that loyalty factor, which is nice. Kim, per your question, yes that is Benji in the picture with Tawn.@TheCheshireGrins – Those are the kinds of cats I especially like, the friendly ones. I love that one of your cats is named after a Miyazaki character.@icepearlz – A three legged mongrel Pekingnese? You must have had a very large heart to adopt such a dog! =D