Family Pets - question for all Pet Talk people

[cmayer31]

Both my parents had dogs most of the lives, and my grandparents on my mom's side also had dogs. As far back as I can remember most of my relatives have had dogs. I guess I've done a good job keeping up the tradition.

[Laura's Babies]

I don't ever remember there not being a cat in the house. We had Tippy when we were very young, Pretty when we were older. My Grandmother always had a cat that she named from the Bible. You all know I have my Mom's kitty Boo right now, so I guess you could say we are generations of pet lovers. All my kids also have pets and so do my brother and sister.

[shepgirl]

Grandparents had horses and dogs, uncles had a dog and we had cats and dogs come and go as kids. We would drag home strays "just to give them a meal"- they ended up staying...

[IRescue452]

My grandmother grew up on a farm where they only had use for working animals. When she was about 10 her dog had puppies and her father made her drown them because they couldn't afford to have puppies around. Then when I was growing up I had an aunt my age who had bunnies (we were like 7). We always though they grew up and died but it turned out my grandmother had them slaughtered for meat once they got big. She just let us think they were pets as they were growing. They had a little dachshund at the time because it was a birthday present for my aunt. It barked a lot and I remember once seeing my grandmother out a window whipping the dog for barking. They ended up taking the dog to the vet to be put down when my aunt was in school, because it had one cancerous tumor and they didn't want to deal with vet bills. They told my aunt that the dog ran away.

Now my grandmother has two dogs that she loves, but she still could be a better pet owner, though I don't think she's ever whipped a dog again. My step-grandfather never had pets and still doesn't like them in the living room or on furniture, though he pets the dogs and laughs at their antics.

My grandfather on my mom's side has had several cocker spaniels he adores, but he hates cats and he always used to torment us kids with stories about swinging them by the tail and throwing them.

I don't remember anybody on my dad's side ever having pets. Not so much as a fish.

My mom and her brother were the pet people who always brought home different pets. The older two aunts didn't have pets until a few years ago. One now has two chihuahuas and a shepherd mix, the other has two min pin mixes or something like that, I've never met them. Both profess to absolutely adore their dogs.

[Pembroke_Corgi]

No one in my family is really big into animals like I am. My parents did have two cats before I was born and when I was very small (until they passed away) but other than that, the only pets we had growing up were the ones I BEGGED my parents for (a cat and a guinea pig).

Naturally, when I moved on my own I got the pets that I always wanted!

No one else in my family is really a big animal lover but I think my nephew is turning into one! He loves coming over to our house to play with our dogs and cats. It's really cool.

[mruffruff]

My Dad was always the one who loved the stray animals that came to our house. We lived in a rural area where there were more wild things than tame.

At one time, we had a cat that my Dad swore was part bobcat because he was so big. He was the right color, too. In those days, cats weren't kept strictly indoors. He wandered off one day, never to return.

Dad was a good one for rescuing the local chipmunks and squirrells. He would bring them into the house to doctor whatever ailed them. When they were well, he'd release them back into the woods/yard.

We usually had a dog, mostly in the yard. They never seemed to wander off. None were particularly memorable. All were free, mutts from someone's litter.

Neither of my sets of grandparents had animals, except for chickens (for eggs & food).

After my mother's death, I learned that she was the one who loved animals the most. I always thought she just put up with them for my Dad's sake.

I guess I'm passing on the tradition. I have 12 cats and two dogs. My daughter has always had dogs, and now a cat.

I think I got carried away!

[Husky_mom]

actually I´m the "nutcase" of the family LOL..... the one and only...

my mom and dad did had dogs but they were not theirs, they were the family dog....
my mom parents had 2-3 dogs (a GSD, a maltese mix and a heinz) while my mom was a kid and since they died they never got more for them... my grandma however had a couple mini poodles all her "seniorship"..... and a few canaries, I had been told she always had had birds (budgies, canaries)... so she was sort of a nutcase too. until the day she died... canaries left died next day she passed and dogs were taken by an uncle who later on gave them away (wasn´t i here??!!)...

my dads parents had 2 dogs also a weimaraner and a heinz that came and stood by.... they kept them till they pass and no other pet was ever in the house..

as for me, I had small critters since I can recall: chicken, duck, turtles, fish, hamster (my mom freaked when i got him LOL), tarantula, bunnies, cats, birds, even a few foster dogs ....etc... I even bought my own first "real" dog (real as in meaning mine) a Sibe mix... which died two days later to parvo..

but 10 years of constant begging payed off.... I got my first Sibe!!! and you know the story I have had them since so 19 almost 20 years being owned by them.... wouldn´t have it any other way...

and all this years I´ve had them I´ve also have had...well, my actual birds, bettas, a turtle, a bunny....and hoping to increase the crew and drive hubby even crazier... LOL

[gemini9961]

Yep we are pet people too. Growing up my dad had a GSD Max. My Dad also found this little poodle mix, her name was Muffin. I was young when they were around but I do remember them. We got our cats Smokey and Midnight in 1986. Midnight had to be PTS years ago (jaw tumor) and Smokey (RIP) died early this past Saturday morning in my Mom's arms, she was 22. My parents now have another GSD, Shiloh and a terrier mix Kody (he's actually my brother's dog). My parent's also have 2 cats too. My aunt's and uncles have dogs, cousins have dogs, in-laws have dogs and cats. I have always had pets, but mostly dogs and cats. As soon as I moved out with my now husband we got Sadie 2 months after moving into our apartment. Now we are up to 3 dogs and a house. I'm pretty sure I will always have pets around.

[Pam]

Good thread! There was always a dog in the house when I was growing up. There was also the occasional bunny, baby chicks and even a couple of chameleons. We never had a cat, though. My mom grew up on a farm in Virginia and animals were a big part of her life, though she remembers her dogs as being mostly outside dogs. My dad used to talk about a little Doxy that he had as a child called Fritzi. I even have a picture of Fritzi to this day.

I think my generation takes much better care of our animals (more "well visits" for innoculations, etc. to the vets, and better food) than my parents' generation. My mom's dogs were all fed table scraps but lived good long lives.

[moosmom]

Growing up I had TONS of pets. Turtles, gerbils, parakeets and two Airedale Terriers, Tinker's Terror and Samantha Nikki (Father and daughter). I also used to bring home alot of injured pigeons. That just about does it.

[DJFyrewolf36]

My parents have always had pets I have fond memories of my dads fish breeding projects and the dogs we always had. Growing up, there were at least three dogs! At one point we had four, but one sadly went to the RB because one of my brothers friends left the front gate open and he got out and a car hit him . My parents had cats too and my mom has always been a bird person. Not to mention the rats and lizards I had too I even kept grasshoppers lol.

My parents love animals, and love having them around. Both sides of my family are decendants of farmers and always believed that treating the animals right was the best way. My dad had vaious pets growing up and my mom had horses I know for sure.
My parents still have (or are owned by more accurately) birds, fish and two dogs. Mom even has a chicken

[Suki Wingy]

I don't think I'm related to one person, at least not for three generations who DOESN'T like animals of some sort. My great grandma used to tell me about the dogs she had, and they had several cats when my great grandpa was alive. My grandparents on my mom's side love animals and always have. They just adopted a puppy. My grandpa was an army surgeon and while they were staying in Okinawa, (Japan) they rescued a dog named Lucy, who they took home to Iowa with them. Growing up my mom always had multiple dogs, cats, birds, and my aunt made sure there were plenty of guinea pigs.
Now all of my aunts and uncle also have multiple pets. My uncle and his wife have been on a waiting list for a Eurasier for about a year now.

On my dad's side, my grandpa retrained abused horses and my grandma used to ride before she got married. She said my grandpa made her quit riding english since he was a 'cowboy'. (What a silly thing to do!) My dad even dug up a photo of my great grandpa, apparently he kept playing truant in order to go to the barn. My grandma later managed a racehorse, she still talks about her. My dad was the true ecologist though. He spent his childhood days catching snakes and reading college level books on animals. He even took a baby crow from its nest and raised it, his Archie. While that was a dumb thing to do, he succesfully raised Archie into a healthy adult crow who was more like a free ranging partner in crime than a pet. My dad was even crazy enough to keep a constrictor in his yard and bought two dosen chickens and let them loose for the snake to hunt and eat.

Even my step-parents each had animals growing up.

[Grace]

Neither of my parents had pets growing up. My mother did allow us (my brother and I) to have one cat when we were in grade school. But after she died, there were no others.

I must have always loved cats. There is a picture of me, when I was maybe 3, sitting in a haystack surrounded by cats - and I was smiling.

My brother had a black lab, Pal, for years. He took her everywhere - to work, to the nursing home to visit my mother, out on his boat. He was devastated when she died.

And I've had cats all my adult life. When Douglas and I got married, we did get a dog - he had grown up with cocker spaniels. Jenny was a Westie mix - a cruelty case at age 3 months. She lived to the ripe old age of 15. Now we have 6 cats.

[Jessika]

I think my past generations have always had pets, and not just the "pet" pet but honestly loved their animals... but I'm the first HUGE animal nut I believe. Most of my family members take care of their pets and take them to see the vet annually but probably don't know anything about animal care or needs past training, feeding and watering lol

[shais_mom]

my mom and her side lived on a farm so they didn't have indoor pets - didn't really 'believe' in them. They had outside dogs and cats. And a pony at one time I believe.
My dad on the other hand - had baby pigs and lambs in the house - the token goose at a time.
Several dogs and cats. He still talks about their dog Trude who Grandpa used to let upstairs to wake him up and she didn't stop until she'd pushed him out of bed. He still talks about TC - (Top Cat) a cat they had that was 38 inches from the tip of his nose to the tip of his tail who used to box with my grandpa when he tied his shoes, until Grandpa came away with bloody knuckles. And the time dad had spent the nite with friends at a Marathon Horror movies at the drive in and as he was putting the car away TC jumped from the rafters of the barn on top of his shoulders! And he didn't stop until he was upstairs under the covers - he left the barn door open as well as the house door!
Another time he had a bottle baby lamb that my great-great-grandma used to feed in her rocking chair. Well, that baby lamb turned into a 150 pound buck and Dad brought him into the house and he saw my great Great Grandma in her rocker and got all excited and came running at her and jumped into her lap- and knocked her and the chair clean over! my dad took off upstairs with the buck in close pursuit!!
The nite my grandma died we said that there were probably so many animals in her room to follow her to the Bridge that there wasn't room in there for anyone else! And she was buried with a copy of the Rainbow Bridge.