How many Pets ?

Just the one - Duncan - a Cairn and an ass Not remotely lazy except this time of night - on back legs in the air - but usually out walking or on mouse/frog patrol in the garden

I've had cats all my life and they all lived a long and happy life, but when my last two cats,both almost 20 yrs old passed on we decided we wanted to be able to go away at short notice and not have to worry about the cats and who could come and look after them..
My children had many pets during their growing up years , rabbits, fish, guinea pigs, hamsters included but I must say I've enjoyed being pet free for a change .

Its hard to imagine not having a feline companion about the house. We've had many over the years. I love the current one and miss the ones who have gone before. I'm fond of most dogs and enjoy meeting them but wouldn't want one of my own.

have a beautifully natured black Labrador who has seen me through some black times after my daughter died 12 years ago,Ellie is now approaching her 10th birthday and has had cancer of the jaw in which half of her jaw was removed,and has just been diagnosed yet again with a differnet cancer on her tummy,she has osteo arthritis and hepatitis and liver disease ,she is due for more surgery on Wednesday,we have had birds,rabbits guinea pigs and chickens and I have mourned allof them when they have gone to the happy garden in the sky...at the moment cannot even contemplate the thought of another dog even though the home will seem so empty if we cannot bring her home on Wednesday...although a rescue dog would be considered if we could face choosing another who needed our love and care....o a happy note have a beautiful karkariki parrot who chats and talks all day long his vocabulary is bigger than he is..

Oh downtoearth your poor Ellie...she has certainly been through it all hasn't she?
I wish her all the best on Wednesday, and hope the surgery goes well and with a positive outcome.

tanith...we are all so different aren't we? It's great for you that you are enjoying your pet-free time...and I hope that long continues ....for me, I just couldn't be without a dog...I do appreciate that when I'm really old ( ) I shan't be able to cope, but I hope that is many years away yet !

We have two Jack Russells, (mother and daughter) a lovely cat who sits on a cupboard and 'high fives' anyone who comes in the back door, and twelve chickens.

DD moved on to the farm with us last year and her cat and two chihuahuas have adjusted very well to communal living. I love watching all of them pottering about in the garden without any aggro. The postman laughs when all of them rush up the drive to greet him. It's yapping, squacking mayhem.

thank you sheena
merlot also have chickens they have such personalities,have just lost chicky who would cuddle up on settee and watch telly with us,she would eat ellies food,and knock at the window if we didn't let her in..

downtoearth; I'm so sorry to hear about your dog. Mine has just had surgery on what has, thankfully, turned out to be a benign tumour [but she did have a malignant one last year]. The cost of insurance [in this case I wasn't covered by it anyway] means that I may not have another pet. Years ago in student days we lived in a shared house and the chickens from next door would come into our kitchen to be fed [bread and jam seemed to be their favourite!].

All the best for next Wednesday, downtoearth

Two cats.....have always had cats even before I had children. We couldn't have pets as children with all the moving so as soon as I had my own home I got my very first cat. We've also tried twice to have a dog but it just didn't work out for us very well, didn't seem to be a dog family. We also had a pony and a Shetland as a field companion until dd1 went to university. Do they count as pets?

Current pair are sprawled in my space on the sofa. one with all 4 paws on the air. They're both longhairs and Claudia the smallest one is a doll face Persian. I've always had longhairs, just love them.

downtoearth

Over the years we've had a dog (chocolate retriever/lab cross), a cat and her five kittens (they triggered a cat allergy in me), several goldfish, several guinea pigs/gerbils/hamsters and a couple of rabbits. And now our son has moved back home for the summer bringing his 6ft corn snake.

I have had cats for years. Tara the present one is very intelligent. I do not think that I will have another once she goes. Insurance is very expensive and I do worry if I am ever taken to hospital as an emergency. Good neighbours of mine would look after her but the fellow is allergic to cats which does not help.

Our younger dog is four. I am fully expecting that she will be our last because Jack Russells can live well into their teens. It's a weird thought.

There was a newspaper article a little while ago about the Queen declining the 'kind offer' of a Yorkshire terrier puppy because she might trip over it!
Her old corgis have gradually died off. I think she only has one or two now but the thought of the 89 year old Queen cursing a terrier getting under her feet made me

I was never allowed pets as a child so the first thing I did when married was to get a cat he met an untimely end at just two. Then we had a mongrel joined by a stray cat, they both died of old age. Then a JR, who we had to rehome. Now have a cat who is 13.

When we were first married, we had the most gorgeous kitten, called Smokey. His mum was a tortoiseshell, but he was a beautiful blue/grey colour, with blue eyes. Sadly, he was quite vicious, even when tiny, and when our baby daughter arrived, hubby said we weren`t taking any chances, and took him to the RSPCA, hoping he could be re-homed. Our next pet was a German Shepherd dog, called Rex, he was 19 months old when we bought him, and a lovely dog, he`d let anyone into our house, but woe betide them if they wanted to leave! But he didn`t get on with other dogs, or cats, and it became a constant struggle when walking him, particularly as there were a lot of loose dogs in our area. In the end, we gave him to a place that trained guard dogs for factories, hopefully he lived out his life happily. This all doesn`t sound too good on our part, but we really are animal lovers. Next on the scene was a beautiful tortie and white kitten, called Sherry. She had 5 kittens, we homed 4 of them, kept the tortie and white who looked like her mum, named her Patch. A few months after this, Sherry was taken ill one day, and died before we could get her to the vet, we suspect she was poisoned, and thought we knew the culprits, but no proof. The following year, Patch had her own little family of 4, but we homed them all. Then our neighbours` German Shepherd was illegally accosted by a rather large mongrel dog that got into their garden, and she gave birth to 3 lovely puppies, and we had one, we named her Tina. Tina was lovely, but had a tendency to bark a lot whenever she was outside, and neighbours complained, so unfortunately she didn`t get out as often as she would have liked, so one day, the kids were coming in from school, forgot to be careful about Tina, she got out, we went after her, but she ran into the road and was run over, she died before the vet arrived. We decided against any more dogs, and carried on for years with just our Patch, who died aged 12 from kidney problems. Then a few months later we acquired Bonny, a pretty black kitten. She had kittens, we kept a little barred tabby, named Trixie, but she unfortunately contracted hepatitis aged 1 year, and was put to sleep. Bonny was joined a couple of years later by Heidi, a gorgeous greyhound cross, never knew what her father was, she was the most beautiful natured dog, no trouble, hardly ever barked, no vices whatsoever, apart from being incurably greedy! We had to feed her and Bonny in separate locations, and stand guard whilst Bonny ate her food, or she would have starved. Bonnie was with us until she was 16, then one night she went out, didn`t come back, and was found dead in the factory yard next door, by my son-in-law, we think she just died, she had no injuries. A couple of years later, Heidi was poorly, she was 15, had had one operation to remove a lump from her nipple, she just went downhill rapidly, so we deemed it kinder to have her put out of her misery. After that, my husband said no more pets, even though I really did want another cat. Then just over 3 years ago, we acquired some unwanted pets, mice, and hubby said, right, we`re getting a cat. We took in Pepper, a beautiful ginger boy, from a rescue society, and we adored him, but he went and got himself run over after just a few months. A few weeks later, we got our lovely Mia from another rescue organisation, she`s all white, except when she`s been underneath a car, which happens at least once a week! We`ve had her just over 2 and a half years, and hope to have her for many more. Here endeth my saga.

On our honeymoon nearly 30 years ago, we were on a farm in the Lake District and outside, tethered to a kennel was a lovely little dog. I would have took it there and then but couldn't. It was raining and so we decided, since we then had our own house to go back to, to head home after three days. Instead of going home, we went straight to the animal shelter, where we adopted our lovely Heinz 57, Scruffy for a grand sum of £3.00.

She was with us when both children were born and died at around 15 years old. We then, after a while, got a little Jack Russell, but my ex wouldn't let me bring him with me when I divorced. He was a little snappy (the dog. . . and the ex!) and eventually bit my ex's new wife on the hand. (Good boy! ).

I phoned over a beautiful little puppy but was told that she was promised to another lady. Sitting outside a cafe, waiting for the bus to drop off my DS and his friend and for my DD to come to visit by train, (it was DS's birthday), I was telephoned by the owner and told that the lady hadn't turned up for the puppy and she was ours if we wanted her. I gathered everyone together and we set off on the train to go and see her. Five weeks old, not more than six inches long, beautiful black coat and very, very lovely. She is now just turned six years old and can be seen on my profile, my darling little Maggie. She is with me through any bad day, gives me lots of cuddles and sleeps with me. I love her more than anything and anyone.

I have two budgies too, but one is very naughty, Graham. Lily is sweet and quiet but he is a little monkey.

Gosh numberplease you've been very unlucky with pets! So sorry to hear the sad tales. Pets really matter don't they. I'd hate to be without one (although I do wish our giant cat didn't feel it was so important to make sure we're all awake at the crack of dawn every day. Annoyingly once we're up he goes back to sleep!)

Rubylady Maggie looks like Chewbacca from Star Wars in the "smiley" pic. She is a cutie.

We always had pets when our children were growing up and many tales about them - e.g. our big beautiful Brutus (cross ridge-back) was literally my daughter's "blanky" when she needed a nap! He would stretch out so she could sleep on his flank and stroke his tummy with one hand as she plugged in (she was a thumb sucker).

Now we are pet free unless we are baby sitting our children's pets - a win-win situation.

I have a friend who has three retired racing greyhounds - she has her own business and they are lined up in their baskets in her office! Lovely doggies.

Oh downtoearth so sad for what Ellie is going through. Sending hugs to you and hope she gets through Wednesday OK. .

numberplease, my goodness, how unlucky you have been with your family pets. Here's to a long and uneventful life for little Mia

When I was expecting our first baby, we looked after my sister's golden lab for a few days while they went away and oh, how bereft we felt when they returned for her! We decided then and there to get a dog of our own, and that's how Bunty, our scatter-brained Dalmatian, came into our lives. Or more popularly referred to as a Damnation . Brain-dead, she would escape and run off at the slightest sniff of fresh air coming through the tiniest gap in the front door. The children grew up to the constant refrain, "mind the dog!" every time someone came to the front door. But what a wonderful companion she was, so gentle with the children, so affectionate. She had 8 puppies at 3 years old and was a lovely mother.
After she left us, following a stroke at 14, we bought a Golden Retriever, named Bella after the last of Bunty's puppies to leave us. Sadly she died at only 4 years old of pyometra. Looking back, we realised she was never really a healthy dog, never ran around as a tiny pup, very sedate and solitary in her behaviour. She had been the runt of the litter and we'd taken pity, but it was a mistake. We loved her so much though, and it took me a long while to come to terms with how she died, alone and with strangers at the veterinary hospital.
Next came Sadie, another Goldie. She was the most entertaining animal, always playing with toys, amusing herself and everyone in the room, or chasing sun pennies around the room - she never cottoned on to what they were!

Now we have no pets of our own, but our DS has a gorgeous, crazy 18 month old Retriever/Red Fox Lab cross who stays with us when they go away. And our DD has a beautiful Black Lab who I'm sure thinks this is her second home. They visit so frequently, several times a week, and DH is always walking Connie - we always keep a sack of her food in the cupboard for her as well! She is as near to being 'our' dog as it gets, so we don't feel that we are dog free, but we don't have all the expenses of pet insurance, boarding kennels and so on - perfect

We have Poppy now who was a rescued Lhasa Apso she came to us after being left in a house with her owner who had sadly died,before Poppy we had the handsome Barney The JR who had the most scruffy coat you could imagine he was also a rescue boy and so so loyal and loved he had the best 5 years of his life when he was here sadly died in his bed surrounded by his favourite toys.
When we had the family house we fostered hard to place dogs and also had our own Bassets and Labrador one month we had as many as 9 fosters to look after but we managed fine and they all found new forever homes,we have always had animals whilst the children where growing up its just part of our lifestyle.

We have owned one dog over the years - the only lab I ever met who didn't like water! We have had several cats. When DD was small (4) we lived next door to a couple who had a cat that DD took to kidnapping because she wanted a cat and we said no. Being a service family made pet owning impractical. She would bring the poor thing into the house and say "Sooty says she wants to live here now", and howled the place down when we took it back! Once, she shut it in the wardrobe. My neighbour was very understanding! When we had a permanent home, we got a cat which we had for seventeen years, during which time, we decided to get another from the RSPCA. He was a poor little runt of a thing, in a pen, soaked in his own urine and my heart went out to him immediately. He ran sideways like a crab and we called him Skipper, but he came with all sorts of health difficulties that eventually finished him off at an early age. I cried buckets. Each time we have lost a cat, I swore we wouldn't have another, and with our last one, I stuck to my guns. Animals tie you down and eventually break your heart but when they are with you they're a joy.

Had lots of pets over the years, dogs,lots of cats, usually two at a time.Children had gerbils, hamsters and goldfish as well.The last cat sadly died a couple of years ago, he was very old, so now we are pet free for a while.I must say, it's a lot easier without one around, also cleaner, and we can go away at the drop of a hat, so don't know if we ever will get another one.

Loving reading all your stories ! Goodness some of you have had so many pets over the years....and when they leave us they take such a chunk of our heats don't they....never forgotten .