What a great pet owner

[666]

so are you saying that all military families shouldn't own pets?

I have been dating a man who is in the Navy. I have a dog and a cat. If I marry him and he gets orders somewhere that I can't take my pets, what should I do?

 

[nomoney]

I have been dating a man who is in the Navy. I have a dog and a cat. If I marry him and he gets orders somewhere that I can't take my pets, what should I do?

You shouldn't marry him. Owning an animal is a lifetime commitment. You shouldn't get married to anyone until your animals are all dead.

 

[nomoney]

No body should own a pet unless they consider it a lifetime commitment - IMO

And if your reasonably sure your moving in acouple of years and probably can't take your pet with you - that's not a lifetime commitment.

so then your answer is yes, military families shouldn't own pets.

 

[BS Gal]

You shouldn't marry him. Owning an animal is a lifetime commitment. You shouldn't get married to anyone until your animals are all dead.

 

[Lugnut]

I have been dating a man who is in the Navy. I have a dog and a cat. If I marry him and he gets orders somewhere that I can't take my pets, what should I do?

Don't you go interjecting with rational arguments, that takes all the fun out of it and maybe derails a potential flame war!

But! To answer your hypothetical question (So we can get on with the silliness) if you get married and he gets transferred you sure as hell shouldn't try to find your pets a good home! Go make chilli instead!!!

 

[GeezLouise]

Exactly... I am amused folks are getting so upset with people that are trying to find a home for their animals rather than just take 'em straight to the pound or drop 'em off on a farm somewhere to fend for themselves. Good grief.

I agree. It shows they care for them - trying to find them homes where they will be cared for, paid attention to and loved, even though they didn't think about things long term. Things come up and sometimes we have no choice. JMO :shrug:

 

[happyappygirl]

No body should own a pet unless they consider it a lifetime commitment - IMO

And if your reasonably sure your moving in acouple of years and probably can't take your pet with you - that's not a lifetime commitment.

a commitment can be fullfilled by doing the RIGHT thing by that pet, which would entail exactly what these people are doing, finding suitable homes for the animals they can no longer care for.

marriage SHOULD be a lifetime commitment too. but hey, we all make mistakes. things change.

 

[BadGirl]

You shouldn't marry him. Owning an animal is a lifetime commitment. You shouldn't get married to anyone until your animals are all dead.

Don't forget the option of getting married but living separately until the animals die. This is actually a very smart and very reasonable solution to a very perplexing situation.

 

[migtig]

So I did the right thing by divorcing my ex and keeping the dawg then.

 

[SoftballCrazy]

There are valid points on both sides. Sometimes in a dire situation animals need to be rehomed, a military move overseas, your child is deathly allergic, you have animals that just don't get along w/ each other - you take the time to find it the best home that you can. There are far too many people who get an animal and then decide they don't have time for it, they can't fit the animal in their schedule, the 'my dog deserves better' story. When a person gets an animal, it should be a lifetime commitment, not something you get bored with and then dump off on someone else, and not something you tie in the backyard and neglect. There are too many dogs/cats at the shelter that get euthanized for reasons such as those listed above. Spay and neuter, and don't get a pet w/out thinking of all the commitment first. Volunteer at the shelter to see how many good dogs are put down because they are unwanted. I have a hard time going there, it breaks my heart.

 

[Lugnut]

So I did the right thing by divorcing my ex and keeping the dawg then.

YES!

Now... Want to make me some chilli???

 

[PrepH4U]

No body should own a pet unless they consider it a lifetime commitment - IMO

And if your reasonably sure your moving in acouple of years and probably can't take your pet with you - that's not a lifetime commitment.

Ok I can see you were never in the service and have no clue of what you speak of.
So will you explain the life time commitment to me that breeders have? Does the backyard breeder commitment end when they sell it to make money? Do you think that all pets that need homes just come from the occasional unspayed/unneutered chance encounters? How about the commitment to other animals like horses, why are they bought and sold to make a dollar? Is that ok?
Don't get me wrong I hate to see animals in need and the confusion the animal must go through in a new home. Sometimes shiat just happens and you can't control it.

 

[huntr1]

We may have to get rid of our dog. We have to get additional homeowner's insurance because of daycare business, and so far we have yet to find a company that will insure a daycare with a dog (regardless of breed and history of animal).

We finally found an insurance company that will cover the dog. Rate is going up about 35%, but we get to keep the dog.

 

[SoftballCrazy]

So will you explain the life time commitment to me that breeders have? Does the backyard breeder commitment end when they sell it to make money? Do you think that all pets that need homes just come from the occasional unspayed/unneutered chance encounters? How about the commitment to other animals like horses, why are they bought and sold to make a dollar? Is that ok?

Back yard breeders and puppy mills should be put out of business - a true breeder breeds to remove faults and improve the standard, studies the genelogy in depth, etc. If you breed animals, then you should also do rescue, or track the animals you've placed and if they need to be re-homed, try to help. Education about spay/neuter and animal responsibility should start w/ school age children. Alot of the pets that need homes at the shelter are due to lack of obedience, meaning an obed class and working w/ the dog would improve his behavior, no time for the dog - as in have a family and work long hours, or moving...some animals may end up in a better place after being given up, others will simply be put down due to lack of room at the shelter. Military families that live on base often times leave behind their cats or dogs, there are plenty of feral and stray cats on base. There is a rescue group specifically for military families that can't take their animal overseas, they will hold on to the animal until arrangements can be made for the animal to go back to the family. (I don't recall the rescue's name though...)
Or, as Lugnut said, maybe if we made a bunch of chili from all the unwanted animals, we could help feed the homeless...

 

[Chrystee]

It does suck, but I do have to agree that at least they are trying to find homes for their pets. I LOVE my dogs so much, I couldn't stomach having to get rid of them, but they were both rescues, which one was given to ARF twice.. Im glad they gave him back, because now he is my baby.

We did have to get rid of a cat though.. My parents had a cat that they left when they moved, and we had a dog. Our dog wanted to shred the cat, and it had to live outside, which was just a hard life for him, since he became a house cat. We found some awesome people that adopted him from us, and that was better than a life back on the streets. I wonder if they still have him.

 

[PelyKat]

That is B.S. As a now retired military spouse, we were lucky in that we only had to make one quick, unscheduled, no pets move. And did have to find new homes for our two dogs. Both went to great families, we checked them out throughly. But you don't always know ahead of time. And if you go from quarters that allow pets, to your mom's apt. for 3-6 months while your husband finds housing-and you have 2 small kids. You don't keep your 2 dogs. You just find them loving families, and move forward.

Now the not "fixing" them and allowing them to have puppies, that was just plain stupid!

 

[BrassieChic]

Well, if your military and KNOW you will be moving within a certain amount of time, why on earth would you even get a pet??? Why not do the RESPONSIBLE thing and NOT get a pet until your sure you can take care of it?