cats

[Pam]

Toughcookie, sorry we came across as accusing you of anything. I think this is the statement that bothered me about your post.....


now I want a dog for the yard. It sort of sounded like you wanted a lawn ornament.

It certainly wasn't my intention to upset you.. I know that you would keep your dog well fed and warm but to me dog ownership goes beyond that. It's just my opinion and please do not be upset. They have so much to offer to us humans and I don't think that relationship can be nurtured with them spending so much time 'away' from us. My comment regarding the shelter still stands, though. A shelter is a "temporary" place (hopefully). The dogs there are not housed as I would like to see every dog housed. Cement floors and not much human interaction is better than being on the street, but a dog deserves more in my opinion. I am, however, very grateful that shelters do exist. They serve a real need and those who work to find these animals forever homes are saints and deserve praise and gratitude.

I am thinking that maybe you are afraid of how a dog would interact with your cats and that is why you want to keep them separated. That is a real concern and I commend you for considering all angles and seeing potential problems way ahead of time. Not everyone does! When I brought Bella into my home almost two years ago I did it knowing that my cats had lived with other dogs (at the RB now) all of their lives, and I was quite sure they would adjust to another dog. I picked out a puppy, rather than an adult dog, with the cats in mind also. I knew that if she grew up with cats she would be able to be taught to respect them and even enjoy them and not recognize their 'differences' as much. LOL!

Even now I always seem to find myself looking at Petfinder and thinking I would like to rescue an older dog, but it would need to be a very special dog because I would never want to upset my cats. Things are very peaceful here and don't want to rock the boat.

Please accept my apologies if I seemed accusing. I think we responded with our opinions because you had asked for them, but remember they are only our opinions.