Have you decided you won't be getting anymore pets and, if so, why?

I tell myself that I won’t get anymore pets after one has died, but I always do. They are a lot of company and having a pet is incentive to get up off the couch and take the animal outside or go for a walk. After this one, I don’t know if I will get another one. As much joy as she brings me, it’s hard to do things. I work 25 miles from home and I have to come home after work to feed her and let her out. I can’t stay in the city and shop or meet up with friends after work. To go on vacation, it’s 30.00 a day to board her.

My husband always says we won’t get another cat after one passes, but strays just seem to find us and he can never say no.

This dog I have now is the last puppy I’ll raise (too old for more puppies!) but as long as I can, I’ll have a dog. I’ll probably bring in senior dogs to let them have a comfy, loved end time. When I can’t have dogs anymore, I’ll probably have cats again.

@augustlan, that’s how I have acquired cats, they just sort of seem to find me when it’s time.

Since the last pet I owned, I met a man that doesn’t want one. His reasons not to make sense. The upkeep, the cost, the hair, disturbing the neighbors, having to find someone to watch them when we go on vacation, etc. It just doesn’t suit our lifestyle.

I travel too much, and I don’t want to always be looking for someone to dogsit.

I decided I would never get another dog after the loss of my dog in 2003. It hurt so bad, and I decided it just wasn’t worth it. Four years ago, however, we got another dog. I now realize that it’s worth it, even though I know the pain I will feel at her loss in the future will be unbearable.

@notnotnotnot, that’s the rub, isn’t it? But I find that the years of joy outweigh the heartbreak. Although I still dream about and miss every one I’ve ever had.

We had two cocker spaniels and a flame point Himalayan cat who all passed within a year and a half. They weren’t pets. They were members of the family, and I still miss them.
They’ve been gone 10 years. I don’t want to deal with the pain of losing like that again.

No, I plan on having more cats in the future. I can understand not wanting any more after dealing with the death of pets and the expenses, but I look forward to future pet ownership. I will probably decide I’m done with them at a later stage of life.

Danger from cars, other animals, household issues, yard issues, healthcare costs.

We have a 7.5 yo dog right now. A real charmer. He is smaller so he will probably live to be 14 or 15…another 7 or 8 years. At that point I will be in my late 60’s and my wife will probably be 70. At that point, trying to raise a dog may not be the effort we want. Right now, no plans for raising a dog. When this one dies, I’m leaning towards no more, but my wife may overrule that.

I just recently lost my cat of 16 years & I was really lonesome at first. Now that I’ve begun to work through my grief, I’m beginning to face the fact that he was a lot more work than I realized. I’m kinda enjoying not having that 4:00 am wake up call because he decided he was hungry!!! There’s a lot less pet fur to be cleaned up. At my age, I’m finding just these 2 things to be very important!!! I’ve ALWAYS taken in strays who needed a home & each & everyone of them gave me TONS of joy!!! Since my little guy passed, I’ve checked my local shelters for a senior cat that needs a loving home & I’m finding that the shelters only supply kittens or young adults. I’ve only found ONE senior & she & I just didn’t jive. So for me & my logical thinking, I really shouldn’t start over with a kitten because it will more than likely outlive me & my ONLY family member left to disperse my estate will curse me with having a cat to either maintain or dispose of. I also have to take into account that at my age, training another feline to stay out from under my feet is a challenge that I’m not sure I want to tackle!!! So, I’ve decided to NOT get another cat UNLESS another stray shows up at my front door & it just feels right!!!

I also have 2 senior dogs who are 10 & 11 with a life expectancy of 15. They are so close that I’ve requested that my last surviving relative have them adopted out together assuming that they outlive me. Anytime it is mentioned, he always agrees…but with the enthusiasm of someone who does NOT mean it!!! It worries me that once I’m gone that my babies will not only lose the ONLY mommy they’ve ever known but also lose each other!!! I don’t know many people who would be willing to take on the responsibilities of taking in 2 senior dogs. At this point, I just selfishly hope that I outlive both of them!!! I’m telling myself that IF that happens, I won’t get another pet so I don’t spend my time worrying about preceding them in death & wondering IF they will be happy with someone else. I’m just hoping that life is kind to me & that I’ll need to go into a nursing home about the same time I lose my 2 babies. That way I can tell myself that I “can’t” have another pet due to the home’s regulations!!! We have a really sweet lady here who raises service animals & she spends her time visiting the local nursing homes with her dogs & cats so EVERY elderly patient has the opportunity to share their love with a loving cat or dog. For the ones who develop a bond, she does her best to pair them up until their final visit (which in this case is most often the human). This has also given the resident a way to love their little critter without the worry of what will happen to them when the human is no longer there. The residents also get to look forward to their weekly visit whether or not it’s the same one coming weekly. Some residents don’t want to get attached to another pet & they’re visited by a different one weekly. The others get their very own furbaby to see regularly. I don’t know that my plan will turn out as expected; but, I can ONLY hope!!!

My in-laws have said no more dogs after this last one passes. (It’s not imminent, he’s in good health.) They’re in their early 70’s and don’t feel they can handle the upkeep. I admire that they want to be able to take care of a dog well, but it makes me a little sad for them.

As an adult I have never had any pets. My husband talks about getting a dog, he likes cats too. I just knock it right down when he brings it up. I’d love to have a cat that was always healthy and that someone else took care of. Maybe one day I’ll let my husband get a pet. I’m so mean.

A friend of mine just got a new puppy and my friend is 70 years old. I just don’t understand it. She’s married, so it’s not that she is alone.

@tedibear It is sad for them in one way; but, at least they want to be responsible parents by knowing that they are getting to the age where it is irresponsible to bring in another pet that they aren’t sure they can handle. I missing my furbaby; but I’m finding that I’m NOT missing the responsibility that went with him & it would be selfish to try & raise another when I’m NOT sure that I can!!! Your in-laws are being VERY responsible!!!

@JLeslie, a pet is not a substitute for a spouse.

^^I didn’t mean to imply it was. I didn’t state the entire situation. She’s married, and her husband isn’t a dog person, he has never owned a dog. My friend travels every couple of months to visit her kids, and is typically gone a week or more.

Some women like to have a dog for protection being home alone, but she is not alone. I realize people get dogs because they love and enjoy them, not just for protection, but what my friend has done is saddle her husband with taking care of the dog when she is gone, she left the puppy for a week when he had only been in their house a couple of months.

My friend complained to me that her husband only bought the dog to try to control her, because when she said she was leaving again for a week, he said to her, “I didn’t think you would leave with the new puppy here.” My perception is he isn’t trying to control her, he just never really agreed to have to be the primary caretaker of the dog, she was the one who wanted the dog.

I think everyone in the house needs to take some responsibility for the pets in the household. It’s not that hard or complicated.

@chyna Are you talking to me?

Yes

I would like to have another dog but I am on the go far too much for it to be fair to a dog or me. Perhaps if I stop traveling but am fit enough to walk a dog, I will get another one. Cats really don’t interest me much although I think they’re pretty.

@chyna Her husband does help with the dog, but she was the one insisting on getting the dog. He works full time and is in his early 70’s. He doesn’t want more work, and I don’t blame him. She is a house wife, and doesn’t go out much, and has a maid clean her house every week. My friend has this constant complaint that her husband is controlling, and I do believe he is picky about some things that I would find very annoying as a wife.

I don’t see how controlling he can be if she leaves town to visit her sons. She says her husband always wants her home, but he pays for her to travel in a private room by train round trip to see her sons. He drives her to the connection point, so she doesn’t have to take the bus to the train. Sometimes she flies, and he drives her to the airport. Usually he does these things, once in a while she takes the bus or a car if he can’t do it. Both the train transfer point and airport are over an hour away.

He bought her a car so she can do whatever she wants all day. She hadn’t driven in 15 years. He bought her the car she has wanted for years.

They are only married a year, I guess that’s worth mentioning, so their money isn’t combined like it would be if they had been married since she 22.

He told her to get involved with more of the activities here.

He bought annual Disney passes because she loves Disney and he paid for her son and his husband to go to Disney because she wanted them to come one weekend.

He seems to do things for her constantly, and she keeps complaining.

I know it’s impossible for me to really know what it’s like behind closed doors, but I think part of her complaining is miscommunication and made up in her head.

She hasn’t had a dog in over 20 years, she didn’t have one when she was a single mother and working. Now, she gets a dog, and shortly after leaves it. She told me she is fine taking it with her when she goes to visit her kids. I find that unrealistic. The dog is stilled an untrained puppy. It would be traveling on a train or plane and staying in a hotel, which is why she didn’t take the dog this recent visit to her kids. Soon it will be trained, let’s see what happens. I think she is being unfair to her dog and husband.

@jleslie Please let me know if they get divorced. I’d love to be spoiled like that! :-)

@chyna Lol. Are you serious? Or, sarcastic?

Serious. He sounds like he does a lot for her.
@Aster sorry I derailed your thread!

Our Buddy is 10 month old tomorrow so it should hopefully be a long time before we need to consider or even think about getting another dawg.
Probably will do though coz I bloody love dogs they’re frickin awesome.

@LadyMarissa – I agree with you completely. I respect that they know now that they might have limitations later.