For the most part, I know many people love their cats, dogs, or other pets. And most people do treat them well. But does anyone truly treat them like family? It's easy for people to say it but another for people to actually do it. And if you do, what do you do that actually validates (shows) that you see your pet as more than "just a pet"?
I know some people say it but I really do mean it when I say my dogs are my family. I minimize baby talk and talk to them like real people because they are essentially little people just nicer versions of them. I try to make sure they have something to play with and I give them love often. I don't know if that sounds different than normal but how they are my family can be difficult to explain. I guess to sum it up their needs to me are as important as mine if not more.
Only a few people ever do and those few choose pets over children. I know one. She loved cats and dogs. They were her family. For others, they might love their pets and try to convince themselves that they treat the pets as family but the truth is they don't. What of me? I'm somewhere in between. I love my pets but not to extremes.
I consider my pets family. Do I treat them as I would family, for example having them live inside the home? No, mainly because these are out door pets who prefer the out doors. To me talking them out of a habitat they prefer would be a cruel thing to do. But if anything were to happen to any of my pets would I be worried of about them of course I would be. If I lost them to death, something I don't plan on any time soon would I grieve them? Yes again I would as I have pets that I have lost in the past but still remember to this day.
My cats are definitely my family! I love them quite a lot, and would be very upset if something happened to them. Just because they're animals doesn't mean that can't be treated with some respect.
Yeah of course I treat my cat as family. I always look out for his welfare and best interest, and he also enjoys the same sleeping area as I do since he sleeps on my bed or even on my pillow. I will take him to the vet in a heartbeat if I see anything wrong with him.
We don't have pets, but my father in law has a staffie that he treats like a son. That dog is spoilt beyond words. His diet rivals that of many people the world over, he turns his nose up at normal dog food. My father in law babies him, and I actually think the dog thinks he's human too! He has a couch that he's chosen as his in the front room. When we go visiting, if you sit in his couch, he comes over and nudges you off the couch! It's just a bit weird, I think.
I treat my dog as part of the family, but still as a dog. Sure, he sleeps in my bed and is always around me, but I leave him home if I need to go somewhere (unless it is a park, or a family member's home), and he will only eat dog foods.
We actually do. My family even gets presents for our pets for Christmas and all that. I guess they really are a member of our family.
Ha my Pom is kinda like that too and I didn't even make him be like that. He won't be upset if you sit on the couch with him though just if you try to get him off it especially if he's sitting on the top of it. I think some days he thinks he is a cat and some days he thinks he is a person. He liked the wet dog food but he doesn't really like the dry. He'll eat it if he has to but will leave a lot leftover often times.
Yes indeed they are more than just pet they are part of my family and I treat them as family. I have fish , dogs and cat in my house and they are best companion that I have. They help me relieve stress from my day to day job. For my dog especially I allow him to sleep in my bed.
I think dogs are more intelligent than we give them credit for, really lol I think my father in law's thinks he is human, too. He's got so many cute mannerisms that are very human like. I don't know if they just learn to read people and then develop their own little ways of communicating with them. I understand why dogs hate those dry pellets; they must be so drying in the mouth! No dog we've had has ever enjoyed them unless they're mixed in with some "wet food".
Of course we treat our pets as part of our family. Our cats get to sit or sleep next to us. They can come in and out of the house whenever they want to and watch television with us. We also listen to their whims and give them food whenever they ask for it. All our pets get to bathe regularly - twice a month at the very least - unless they've been through some sickness or the weather's too cold for them. We talk to them and hug them so tightly even at the cost of looking like idiots.
They really are. He can be a jerk but he's definitely very intelligent. Yeah I can't give him wet food anymore though because all of a sudden it did not agree with him.
I don't have pets now back back when we used to have cats and dogs I did see them as being part of the family. It's why I never was able to understand how some people could just keep them caged up most of the day basically making them just props or objects. I'd personally only get a pet again if I can ensure that they would have ample space to walk around and be free in.
I thinkk that there is a difference in how I treat my pets than I would if they were actually human; so I can[t say that they are treated as part of the family; but they are treated kindly and with love, and the things that are necessary for taking care of a pet. Where a person needs more conversation and interaction, the dog or cat simply needs a few words and lots of petting or other affection. They can't always tell you when they need something, so you have to watch for the signals that they are giving you. I guess, what i am saying is that my pets are treated differently than a human, but with equal love and respect for their feelings.
I treat my pet dog as a family. He gets all the love, affection and attention he deserves. He doesn't sleep on the same bed with me, he has his own bed right close to my bed. When it comes to food, I make sure he gets nothing but the best. I feed him 3x a day with treats as in-between meals. My pet dog is basically a part of me and my family. He is even included in our family picture.
Well, no. I don't feed my family on the floor. I don't let them use the washroom outside or in a box. I try not to pet them as much. Pets are part of our family. They always will be. If your pet is sick & you stay up with them all night sick with worry how different is that from every one else you love? I don't think 'pet' should be such a negative word. Sometimes my pets help me more than my family
I used to think of my dog as a family but it was heartbreaking when he passed away after struggling with his illness. From that point on, I started to think of my dogs not as a family members but as friends that I love. Because of the natural lifespan of dogs, I would expect the dog that my family is currently keeping to go before me and I would expect to get another one later to replace him. I think knowing this fact makes it harder to consider my dog a family member anymore. However, that doesn't reduce my love for him.
I have always regarded my pets as part of my family, but I still treat them like animals. For example, here where I live in Latin America, there is a custom of dressing up and decorating pet dogs. I have seen many unhappy dogs wearing ridiculous little dresses and ribbons in their ears. But the worst for me are the people who put nail polish on their dogs claws.
