PETS for 9 year old (1 Viewer)

[Dinsy Ejotuz]

We found a little brown snake the other day and it turns out they're great pets. Less than 10" long, eat crickets and worms, don't have the strength or size to get out of an aquarium, are incapable of biting a person and don't move that fast if they do get out somehow. We let that one go, but they're super common and if we find another one I'm lobbying the wife that my son be allowed to keep it.

 

[NutterButter]

I love the whole "I don't want the dog to be sitting in a crate all day" reasoning. Sitting in the shelter 24/7 is just so much nicer.

Nothing says caring for a pet like putting him in a crate 8am and letting him out at 6pm !!!!!!

What I don't understand is the "we don't have to time to take care of a pet, so let's get a wild rodent and throw it in a 2 cubic foot glass case for the rest of it's life" mentality.

I don't understand the rodent/bird/snake/reptile thing.

On crating, I don't think 8AM-5PM crating is especially cruel though. Ideally, that should just be for training, and really wouldn't be necessary after a year once the dog is used to waiting to go out, but even if it wasn't, I don't think it's that bad. Dogs just sleep all-day anyway.

We don't use the crate anymore, but we left it out for a year or so after we stopped "crating" and our dog still seemed to spend much of the day in it with the door open.

I'd make a point to transition away from the crate, but if not, I don't think it's a huge deal if the dog is getting plenty of attention/exercise in the evenings.

That's fine an all but everyone has missed the my daughter is allergic part also

And to add how do you train a dog the first year if you are not home?

That's where the crating comes in. Dogs generally won't pee where they sleep. Its just a matter of time before the dog no longer needs the crate.

Right I understand that but I was asking because people were telling me you don't have to crate after a year and my point was if we are not home all day isn't it cruel to crate them all day

I'd answer that, but we'd just be going in circles. I've seen animal cruelty. At least half the fosters I take on have suffered from it. I have a foster right now that's so obese, the poor thing can hardly walk. Keeping a dog in a cage for 10 hours a day is far from cruel.

 

[belljr]

With you on that belljr. We've had 2 dogs for most of the last 15 years. Lost one of them this summer, but between the rabbit and it being middle of the summer we opted not to get another one yet. Probably next year when the wife is off for the summer again. And when you've already got one that's trained, it's a whole lot easier and doesn't take as long because the older one sets the example. I don't think it's fair to get a dog and leave it in a crate for half of the day for months/a year at a time. And we want a puppy - we don't want a dog with a somewhat unknown history around the kids.

I had dogs growing up, my parents still had a dog up until this year. I LOVE dogs. My favorite pet. Someone would always stop at home during lunch to let them out until they were old enough to "run" the house.

I get it, it's just not something I think would be fair to the dog even if we got a pound dog. To be alone 8-10 hours a day 5 days a week.

I guess it's the same for a gunea pig or rabbit but they are used to cages

 

[DrJ]

With you on that belljr. We've had 2 dogs for most of the last 15 years. Lost one of them this summer, but between the rabbit and it being middle of the summer we opted not to get another one yet. Probably next year when the wife is off for the summer again. And when you've already got one that's trained, it's a whole lot easier and doesn't take as long because the older one sets the example. I don't think it's fair to get a dog and leave it in a crate for half of the day for months/a year at a time. And we want a puppy - we don't want a dog with a somewhat unknown history around the kids.

I had dogs growing up, my parents still had a dog up until this year. I LOVE dogs. My favorite pet. Someone would always stop at home during lunch to let them out until they were old enough to "run" the house.

I get it, it's just not something I think would be fair to the dog even if we got a pound dog. To be alone 8-10 hours a day 5 days a week.

I guess it's the same for a gunea pig or rabbit but they are used to cages

This is the deal we currently have - wife comes home for lunch and lets the dog(s) out. I can also do the same if necessary, though I'm a bit farther away. And we have slightly different hours so you're talking more like 5-6 hours that we're away for. We did the twice a day thing in January when the current one tore her ACL and had to be confined to a small area to limit her activity. It really bothered us to have the dog stuck in a cage for those long periods, even if it was entirely for her own good.

And I think it's different with a guinea pig or rabbit if you build one of the cages I pointed you to. Those can also be used for guinea pigs by the way, and I'd recommend it on that end as well. It wouldn't be so bad if you put a dog in a giant multi-level cage they can run in. Like your actual house.

 

[MC Gas Money]

With you on that belljr. We've had 2 dogs for most of the last 15 years. Lost one of them this summer, but between the rabbit and it being middle of the summer we opted not to get another one yet. Probably next year when the wife is off for the summer again. And when you've already got one that's trained, it's a whole lot easier and doesn't take as long because the older one sets the example. I don't think it's fair to get a dog and leave it in a crate for half of the day for months/a year at a time. And we want a puppy - we don't want a dog with a somewhat unknown history around the kids.

I had dogs growing up, my parents still had a dog up until this year. I LOVE dogs. My favorite pet. Someone would always stop at home during lunch to let them out until they were old enough to "run" the house.I get it, it's just not something I think would be fair to the dog even if we got a pound dog. To be alone 8-10 hours a day 5 days a week.

I guess it's the same for a gunea pig or rabbit but they are used to cages

wife comes home for lunch and lets the dog(s) out.

The age old question is finally answered.

 

[Guest]

We found a little brown snake the other day and it turns out they're great pets. Less than 10" long, eat crickets and worms, don't have the strength or size to get out of an aquarium, are incapable of biting a person and don't move that fast if they do get out somehow. We let that one go, but they're super common and if we find another one I'm lobbying the wife that my son be allowed to keep it.

Not sure a wild caught snake is the best idea. Something about parasites and their chance of survival in captivity.

Lots of young captive bred snakes available though. ***

*** - I love snakes, but would never have one as a pet. I think they smell.

 

[MC Gas Money]

You people are terrible for locking your dog in a cage all day. You have to make an animal suffer in a crate and having to go to the bathroom all day because you cant be bothered to pick up a dookie or soak up a puddle of pee?

If you dont have a backyard, cant take care of your dog during the day or are too concerned about your precious carpet then you shouldnt own a dog.

At least get them one of those playpens so they can at least turn around.

Hitlers