[villagetinker]

Originally Posted by jimjamuser

Some people are cat people and some people are dog people. I have known dozens of dogs that I like, but only ever one cat. I wonder if there are any psychology studies about the traits of people that like dogs versus people that like cats?

I am sure there are cat people, and I know I am one. My parents had dogs while I was growing up, the last one almost broke my wrist on a walk, also I had a bad experience with a large dog which makes me avoid these to this day.

My first cat (over 50 years ago) was a totally black kitten that followed me home, we never found an owner and we inherited Snoopy, since then I have had cats, one time 4 at once, and they seem to like me. Of our current group, Maggie a tuxedo is a true lap cat that has bonded to me, and I find their presence very calming.

[jimjamuser]

Originally Posted by fdpaq0580

Dear OP,
I have been a pet owner for much of my life. This said, I have a different point of view. As a retired person your life is pretty much your own now. As said earlier, adopt a pet is like being a parent. Your life will no longer be yours. Your "child" cannot take care of itself. You must schedule your life to fit the needs of your "child". Human children take on certain things on their own (exercise, getting food, etc) which "fur babies" can't do on their own. In fact, in many ways pet owners aren't like parents at all. They are more like care givers for challenged or elderly individuals. You may love your pet, but, unlike a human child, you will never see them grow up and become self-sufficient, productive adults. They go from baby, to young child, to old and elderly.
Now, you are retired. Free! Your time is yours. Do you really want to be 24/7/365 caretaker and watchman, making the rounds, punching the clocks, and paying for the "privilege", financially and emotionally?
As said, I was a pet owner and I lived and loved my pets and would do whatever was needed for them. But now they are gone and I am free. Breakfast happens when I want it. I don't need to leave early to take someone for "walkies". Doctor visits are for me, not the cat/dog(s). And I don't have to carry poop bags for someone else.
OP, think. Do you really want or need that pet? Really?
Good luck! And don't let the pet addicted make you feel guilty if you "just say No" to pet ownership.

That is an excellent and helpful post. I would like to make just one teeny, tiny comment, about feeding. If you feed dogs dry dog food, they will SELF-REGULATE and never overeat. You put down a BIG bowl and it would last them ....say one week. Plus have a bowl of water available. Then you only have to walk them and take them to the Vet.
........ I would fill up their bowl sometime when they were sleeping or otherwise occupied. If you feed them daily, they get all excited and can jump up and spill the bowl. I would never feed them "people food" like cookies and cake and other scraps .....they will eat it, but then they get a weight problem. I have seen many dogs around The Villages with weight problems, so I imagine that they are getting too many treats and "people food". Many people seem to feel that the dog or cat loves them because they get fed . I have found that their home environment and having a "MASTER" seems more important to me.
......I think that many people LOVE their pets into obesity with unhealthy (for them) treats. The fact that dogs will eat candy doesn't mean that they should be given candy. Sorry, I may have gotten into RANT mode.

[Two Bills]

Originally Posted by jimjamuser

That is an excellent and helpful post. I would like to make just one teeny, tiny comment, about feeding. If you feed dogs dry dog food, they will SELF-REGULATE and never overeat. You put down a BIG bowl and it would last them ....say one week.

Pretty sure you have never owned a Lab!

[jimjamuser]

Originally Posted by MandoMan

I think you are right in every way. People with dogs frequently have to leave early or schedule themselves around taking care of their dogs. If they don’t, they are abusing their dogs. You are also right that you shouldn’t have a dog at this time.

No question—owning a dog takes a lot of time, and it can cost a lot of money. I had a cute little dog for several years, but it fell in love with my ex-girlfriend’s dog, and when I moved to Florida, I gave the dog to her. It is still with her. The dog it fell in love with died, but it has now fallen for her new dog. I was very fond of my dog, but I don’t really feel temperamentally inclined to get another one.

My ex-girlfriend’s dogs have among the best of dog lives. She rides and competes on her horses and spends summers in the mountains of New Jersey and winters in Ocala. She has big fenced yards, but the dogs go almost everywhere with her. Most days they go to the barn with her and hang out off-leash, loved by everyone. When she rides her horse for several miles, they run alongside. If she’s not riding, at least she takes them on a walk through the hills for a couple miles, off-leash. If she’s out doing errands, usually the dogs go along in the car or truck. They love it. They sleep on her bed with her.

Lots of dogs here aren’t able to do that, and lots of dog owners can’t, either. I think the real dog people are happy to deal with the restrictions their dogs necessitate.

That is a good post. I am interested in the, "Sleep on the bed with her". I have allergies to dog fur. I had dogs up north where I had more acreage, so I could keep them outside in a kennel. Here in The Villages I would have to get a French poodle or other breed that did not shed. A person thinking about owning a dog or cat should make sure that they don't have allergies to the particular breed that they decide on. And most dogs shed. I just Googled that Siamese cats shed some, but are better than other breeds for people with allergies.

[Zwebie]

Originally Posted by FARMBO

The villages is a great place for dogs.

Yes, the dogs come here to live out their best lives!

[jimjamuser]

Originally Posted by Wondering

You could get two, so they keep each other company while you are out. I wouldn't leave them for more than four hours a day.

Different breeds can tolerate being left alone, others cannot. A Springer Spaniel, for example, would tolerate it better than a German Shepard. A German Shepard needs more activity and attention. They are practically escape artists and can learn how to turn doorknobs. I have seen German Shepards actually climb trees.

[jimjamuser]

Originally Posted by SaucyJim

It is good you’re thinking this through. I have some input.

(1) A crate is not a cage as some have called it. Proper crate training establishes it as a place the dog feels safe - not trapped.
(2) Regardless of weather, pad-training a dog is a great advantage - especially with no fence or, our case, with barky dachshunds that cannot be left to their own accord with in/out privileges via a doggie door. We can leave them for several hours and they know where to do their business.
(3) Dogs are like children that never grow up. Expense of care if you want to go on a cruise adds a lot to your total pet care costs.

Thanks for pondering this thoughtfully. So many leap and regret Hence, the rescue center populations.

Most Dogs inherently prefer a cage or crate because they feel protected. It is like left over traits from when dogs were wolves and wolves like to sleep where they are safe from other predators - in a cave.

[jimjamuser]

Originally Posted by Switter

As much as I love dogs, and had them all my life, I am now pet free and couldn't be happier. I personally think dogs, and pets in general, are way too much work. Aside from the cost of ownership, you also have to feed them and take them out multiple times a day to go to the bathroom. You should also walk them every day.

If you want to go somewhere for an extended period of time you either have to bring them with, put them in a kennel, or hire someone to come and stay with them. That can get expensive.

It's really is a full-time commitment, which I don't miss at all.

I agree with the post. But I think that some retired people (maybe more women, not sure) anthropomorphize their pet dogs to the point of making them "stand-ins" for their grown up children and grandchildren. I am not knocking it. They are retired and should be entitled to do that. Pets probably help people live longer.

[jimjamuser]

Originally Posted by villagetinker

I am sure there are cat people, and I know I am one. My parents had dogs while I was growing up, the last one almost broke my wrist on a walk, also I had a bad experience with a large dog which makes me avoid these to this day.

My first cat (over 50 years ago) was a totally black kitten that followed me home, we never found an owner and we inherited Snoopy, since then I have had cats, one time 4 at once, and they seem to like me. Of our current group, Maggie a tuxedo is a true lap cat that has bonded to me, and I find their presence very calming.

Thanks for that discussion. Someone told me that if you pet a cat for a long time, that it will sometimes bite a person because it likes that person. Is that true?

[jimjamuser]

Originally Posted by Two Bills

Pretty sure you have never owned a Lab!

Any dog breed will eat up the WHOLE bowl when FIRST presented to them. In the wild wolves need to gorge themselves because it could be days before their next meal. If you leave the bowl full all the time, eventually they will lose interest in GORGING themselves and begin to SELF-REGULATE. You could check me on this. Years ago, I read just about every dog book available. I know, from experience that it works with German Shepards, which can be very aggressive and protective, at first, about their food.

[LizzieBorden]

In your situation, I would not get a pet. My friend was like you and she wanted a doggie so bad…I finally convinced her to”pet sit”. This works out wonderfully well, she gets a dog fix when she is free and wants one short term and makes a few bucks on the side and she is still free to go where she wants when she wants without a commitment to a dog who needs a lot of love and attention. She has friends and neighbors and she also works for a pet sitting business somewhere near by where they call her when they need an extra and if she is available, she takes the slot. Good luck

[OrangeBlossomBaby]

Originally Posted by Michael 61

I’ve always wanted a dog, but never had one while working, as I didn’t think it was fair to a dog to be inside, crated and alone for the majority of the day while I was at work. I always thought that once I retired, I would finally get a puppy, and invest a lot of time with training, and walking several times per day. Well, since retiring to The Villages, and with all my activities, I don’t see how I could fit having a dog into my busy lifestyle. Many of my neighbors who have dogs are not engaged in very many activities here in The Villages, as their dogs seem to take up most of their time. Often times, they have to turn down social and recreational invites, or cut them short, because they have to get back to let their dog out or care for it. Interested to hear from other posters who manage to have a dog and are still very active outside their home everyday here in The Villages. I’m thinking maybe dog ownership will have to wait until I’m older and maybe less active.

If your mindset is "what will I have to sacrifice in my life, if I choose to get a dog?" then don't get a dog.

It's really that simple. When you change your mindset completely to "what benefits will I have, what quality of life will be enhanced if I choose to get a dog?" - when THAT is how you wrap your mind around pet ownership, THEN you'll be ready to get a dog. Not a moment before then.

[CFrance]

Originally Posted by Two Bills

Pretty sure you have never owned a Lab!

Originally Posted by OrangeBlossomBaby

If your mindset is "what will I have to sacrifice in my life, if I choose to get a dog?" then don't get a dog.

It's really that simple. When you change your mindset completely to "what benefits will I have, what quality of life will be enhanced if I choose to get a dog?" - when THAT is how you wrap your mind around pet ownership, THEN you'll be ready to get a dog. Not a moment before then.

This^^
I know, from countless losses and "startings over," that I will always have a pet in my life.

[Lea N]

Originally Posted by jimjamuser

Different breeds can tolerate being left alone, others cannot. A Springer Spaniel, for example, would tolerate it better than a German Shepard. A German Shepard needs more activity and attention. They are practically escape artists and can learn how to turn doorknobs. I have seen German Shepards actually climb trees.

My husband and I had a German Shepherd (and other breeds.) This happened a long time ago. I was in the house and my husband was on the front porch. He saw the door knob turning and thought it was me trying to open the door. He opened it and our girl was sitting there. She opened doors on the inside of the house but I just never expected her attempt the front door. After that we made sure all the doors to the house were always locked.

[Two Bills]

Originally Posted by jimjamuser

Any dog breed will eat up the WHOLE bowl when FIRST presented to them. In the wild wolves need to gorge themselves because it could be days before their next meal. If you leave the bowl full all the time, eventually they will lose interest in GORGING themselves and begin to SELF-REGULATE. You could check me on this. Years ago, I read just about every dog book available. I know, from experience that it works with German Shepards, which can be very aggressive and protective, at first, about their food.

You must have owned, some very overweight, and unhealthy dogs.

If an owner cannot remove a bowl of food, bone, or any toy without the dog showing aggression, the animal is not trained properly.
We have never owned a dog that was ever under the illusion it was in charge.
Happy dogs are trained, and know their place in the pack, and it sure isn't the top.