Pets!

[LizardViolet]

Supporter here, posting to report that my bf got a dog yesterday! His beloved mastiff died a few years ago and he grieved for a long time, but he's been talking about getting another dog this year. I tried to matchmake a bit (looking at dogs on craigslist) and he and I went to the Humane Society but then he said he felt pressured and I backed off.

His sister trains dogs. She was contacted by a vet about a puppy that was left tied to their door. I don't think he had mentioned to her that he was considering getting another dog, but she called him up and he said YES.

The dog is a black chihuahua, about three months old. I went to spend the evening with him yesterday and arrived just as his sister was unloading doggy stuff from her car and the puppy was getting oriented. She was racing around and bitey and very excited! to meet new people! and to play with awesome toys! She's bigger than I expected, and doesn't have the big floppy ears of the stereotypical chihuahua. And she's not yappy or barky.

She had some dinner, and played a bunch, and then he crated her while we had dinner. And then she fell asleep on our laps while we watched a movie. My bf was petting her all the while. Having her there was calming. He is a functional alcoholic who drinks at night, and he drank very little.

We crated her overnight but put the crate on the corner of the bed so she could see us, and she cried just a little but then she went to sleep and didn't cry at all during the night.

She's a very sweet dog, and smart and friendly. She's going to be a great companion for him.

How about you? Do you have a pet? Do you find that having a pet has beneficial effects? What are they?

 

[JustBe]

Photos Please! ;)

 

[JustBe]

Kira is my service dog.

She follows me from room to room so I'm never alone and alerts if anything is not OK. She sleeps curled up against my side or back and keeps me warm and safe (again, if she's sleeping, I know we are alone and OK). If I'm having a nightmare she will lick my face and wake me up. When I am anxious or restless, she lies across my legs or chest and helps to ground me. When we're out, she greets people first (she's a great judge of character and if someone is not OK she leads me away) and creates a buffer for me. She alerts if I am going to have a panic attack and if needed pulls me to the exit. When we get home or go to a new place I feel safe with her because she will alert me if it's not. If I freeze or begin to fade out she pokes my leg with her nose repeatedly to ground me and if necessary jumps up and gives me a “hug" and "talks" to get my attention. She gives me unconditional Love and total acceptance, a reason to get up every day and to go out for walks and to play. If I sit at the computer for more than an hour or if I'm on the phone and sound upset, she will bring me toys until she has my attention and I play with her which gets me moving and calms me down. She is always aware of where I am and how I am feeling and reflects it back to me. This makes me try harder to stay calm. I Love my Kira! Now Doozer is the comic relief and snuggler! He stays home with the cat when we go to town unless I'm training him.

 

[MissMacD]

I have 2 dogs (they are my profile pic) - a big and a little one. Both are rescues and both we got as puppies. I got Lulu when she was about 8 weeks old - she was really sick and hanging on for dear life at a pet shop. Nobody wanted to buy her because she bit everyone. A few months later my boyfriend and I met Ares at a dog shelter and knew that he was the perfect fit for our family. He came home with us when he was 6 months old and Lulu was 4 months. Lulu is pug/scottish terrier and Ares is doberman/rottie/lab/border collie and who knows what else.

My dogs are my best friends - I prefer them to most humans because they are always there for me and never judge me. Both dogs have been a challenge because they had a bad start at life but watching them accomplish little things is really special. My big dog didn't like to be close to anyone when he first came home and this week he started falling asleep with his head on my lap. He is really special. When he got to the dog shelter he was on his deathbed because his owner (a backyard breeder) didn't feed him or his siblings enough and then they got really sick and he neglected them until they were literally skeletons. He was very untrusting of humans and even us at first but has started to warm up and understand that this is his home. I think that his start in life has made him more grateful for the little things in life, like enough food to eat and a warm place to sleep. Heck, I even bought him a wool sweater for the winter with a monkey on it (it has monkey ears on the hood too).

I will always choose tough unwanted dogs because I know what it's like to be given a second chance. My dogs follow me everywhere and I let them because they bring so much comfort to me.