Fur babies!

The other dog, a little overweight, was being walked by her partner, so the other dog probably has mobility issues.
I suppose it’s better than being cooped up all day.

I've seen the cartoon where the one dog is still alive and imparts that information to the dog who has gone.

Aveline

Babies refers to human infants. Why not say puppies, kittens, chicks etc for young animals and birds?

I agree wholeheartedly! There’s a baby in our family - my three month old great grandson! No others even though most of us have pets.
I must confess though, when my dog was very poorly, I did say, ‘Come on baby, get better’ to him. I didn’t baby him the rest of the time though.

To the OP; I don't think you are turning into a grumpy old woman, more continuing to be a sensible one.
I thought 'fur baby 'referred to a stuffed toy, and I had no idea what a 'rainbow bridge' was.
This thread has enlightened me.

Nowadays 1 household in 3 has a dog and our pets are part of our families. It’s great that we can take our dogs with us to most places and we spend a fortune on food, vets and insurance.
Consideration for my animals is my first priority as they give me love and companionship every single day.
But I don’t call them fur babies nor call my 7 year old a puppy.

I visited a Spanish market. It was packed and the weather had provided intense heat. Low and behold, I saw dogs in prams being pushed where space was at a premium. I really couldn't believe it.

It seems to be dog everything these days. Signs in shops saying dogs welcome, dog ice cream and the latest thing where we live is dog flapjack!

Could someone explain why there are so many dogs with their owners attending The Antiques Roadshow?

What other people choose to call their dogs doesn't concern me in the least. The important thing is that the dogs are well treated and cared for.
I loathe the dressing up of any animal in human clothes or costumes as it is highly disrespectful of the dignity of the animal and probably uncomfortable for it.
I have never met the "rainbow bridge" thingy but I see no harm in it.If it comforts a bereaved owner so much the better. Particularly older peoples' pets might be their main comfort and companion. Anything that eases their grief when their pet dies must be a good thing IMO.

escaped

I've seen the cartoon where the one dog is still alive and imparts that information to the dog who has gone.

It breaks me up no matter how many times I see it. I never stop thinking about my dogs and cats that have gone.

The good thing about having whippets and greyhounds is that they feel the cold so much that they have to wear coats and mine has a selection of them. I am tempted to get her a dinosaur one because I think the grandchildren would like it and she does actually look like a dinosaur. Strange thing is that ever since I’ve had sighthounds I now look at other breeds not wearing coats when it’s cold or wet and for a split second think they should be wearing one. A friend of mine had a whippet that had an autoimmune condition that meant he had to wear boots on his feet ( many greyhounds suffer from corns and have to wear them, too) and they used to get so upset that people used to laugh at him. His paws would bleed if he didn’t wear them. I don’t think people were being deliberately unkind but it did upset them.

Makes me cringe lol

MayBee70

The good thing about having whippets and greyhounds is that they feel the cold so much that they have to wear coats and mine has a selection of them. I am tempted to get her a dinosaur one because I think the grandchildren would like it and she does actually look like a dinosaur. Strange thing is that ever since I’ve had sighthounds I now look at other breeds not wearing coats when it’s cold or wet and for a split second think they should be wearing one. A friend of mine had a whippet that had an autoimmune condition that meant he had to wear boots on his feet ( many greyhounds suffer from corns and have to wear them, too) and they used to get so upset that people used to laugh at him. His paws would bleed if he didn’t wear them. I don’t think people were being deliberately unkind but it did upset them.

A friend of mine has a whippet ( a very sweet animal) but I was so surprised at its daily routine because I thought that they're being , I thought, racing or hunting dogs(is that right??) and, being so thin, they would be very active.
This dog gets her walk , then her breakfast , then she climbs into her basket having been covered with her blanket, where she apparently sleeps for most of the day.
She is neither old , nor ill, and my friend is a devoted owner.

Someone commented on this thread being an animal thread and why had it elicited negative comments about children.
The increasing inclusiveness of society has paradoxically produced a sort of segmentation caused by the opposition of various different interest groups whose needs are now recognised whereas previously they were ignored.
So everyone who wants the increasing inclusiveness of children , or dogs has to respect the viewpoint of those who don't want that and want , as well as spaces that include children or dogs, spaces that* exclude *children or dogs.There are people in both camps who won't accept that what is sauce for the goose is also sauce for the gander.
So another battle in the dreaded so -called Culture Wars is joined.
I'll have to see how I feel when I'm told that old people are too present in all areas and spaces in society and that we must have "old people free" zones.
Watch this space🤣🤣🤣

They won't even go for a walk when it's raining. Not even into the garden for a wee. Their bladder control is unreal. They stand as close to their humans as possible as they crave body warmth. So bony they find lying on a floor uncomfortable so have to have a special blanket carried everywhere. The only thing that usually moves them out of their semi coma like state is the sound of a fridge door opening...Unlike dogs that can get small dog syndrome if spoilt no matter how spoilt they are they never seem to lose their sweet disposition and although rescue sighthounds can be reactive to other dogs [for some reason sighthounds tend to get attacked a lot] no matter how badly they've been treated it doesn't make them aggressive towards people. Mine spends most of her life under a duvet on the sofa; my big fear is that someone will sit on her.

Smileless2012

Each to their own. I don't see why how anyone refers to their pets should be anyone else's concern.

👏👏👏
I applaud that as I stand by the door calling my beautiful ‘baby’ to come for a walk before it rains again. She answers to that as well as her own name.
I now know how lucky I am never to have been reprimanded by anyone for that while we’re out.

I have a friend who used to rehome ex-racing greyhounds and she said exactly the same, MayBee70.

I’ve had my own dogs for 30 years and have never used the term furbabies and I’m not a fan of the term rainbow bridge . Our first dog is in our garden , we did the Marley and Me thing where we all put something in the grave . It was my DC first link with death . And when my mil died my youngest asked to put something on her coffin .
I’ve always had Labradors , and mine are pets not child substitutes. We work hard with training and have recently returned from Devon where our lab got lots of praise for his calm good behaviour.

Dogs in prams are probably either puppies not yet fully inoculated but being exposed to traffic noise, crowds etc as essential part of socialisation
Or they may be old dogs whose mobility is poor where owners don’t want to leave them home alone for long periods

Today on fb a lady was talking about her Fir baby 🤣🤣🤣

Bluebell, I expect fir babies grow on trees!

The first time I heard a woman referring to her ‘fur baby’ I thought it was a euphemism for something completely different 🤭
As for the ridiculous rainbow bridge, where did that come from?
We don’t say that our nearest and dearest have crossed the rainbow bridge or I hope not anyway, so why say it about pets?

SueDonim

*Bluebell*, I expect fir babies grow on trees!

A tiny Christmas tree?😄

Why are people on this forum making fun of a term that might, just might, give someone that has lost a beloved pet a bit of comfort….and yes, you can can make fun of me for saying it, too….

I fear that my cat is actually my baby, but I've never called him a fur baby (I've called him lots of other things!) I do rather like the idea of the rainbow bridge, although I would be rather swamped by the number of cats who would be waiting for me.