My mother grew up on a ranch, so animals were not pets. They had barn cats that kept the mice under control, and a herding dog that moved the cattle. But no pets for the sake of having pets. After my grandparents retired and moved to town, my grandmother had Persian cats, a pomeranian and canaries, though.
My dad, OTOH, always had a pet or two growing up. They weren't "family" pets, as his was a rather disfunctional family. They were pets he found, because he liked animals. Once, someone gave him a wire haired fox terrier. Once he had a coyote as a pet!
We always had a dog growing up. But only one at a time, and it was a pet "for the kids." After all of us kids grew up and left home, neither one of my parents ever got another pet. My mom isn't an animal person, she prefers plants and grandkids. But my dad loves animals, I never understood why he didn't get a pet. I bought him birds once for Father's Day, he made me take them back. And my sister and I have tried to give him dozens of dogs over the years.
My sister and I both have eight dogs, and are involved with rescues and shelters. But my brother has never owned a pet.
"We give dogs the time we can spare, the space we can spare and the love we can spare. And in return, dogs give us their all. It's the best deal man has ever made" - M. Facklam
"We are raised to honor all the wrong explorers and discoverers - thieves planting flags, murderers carrying crosses. Let us at last praise the colonizers of dreams."- P.S. Beagle
"All that is gold does not glitter, Not all those who wander are lost; The old that is strong does not wither, Deep roots are not reached by the frost. From the ashes a fire shall be woken, A light from the shadows shall spring; Renewed shall be blade that was broken, The crownless again shall be king." - J.R.R. Tolkien
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Originally Posted by Glacier
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