Why do families who are poor, have pets

I remember that too.

@hostleg are you coming back?

If you can't afford them they why should you or more importantly why would you?

I get fed up of people saying it's the middle classes who want 'poor' people to have no luxuries, not to smoke, not to have pets or children. They use this to make it sound awful but the reality is many people who think this are just ordinary working people.

Myself and my partner work full time and do not own a pet because of cost involved. We would love a dog but we think it through. We have one child and we waited untill we thought it would be more manageable and have decided with childcare and other costs we could not afford another.

I get some people cannot help their situations (illness/disabilities) and others have circumstances that change - but if you are on a low paid income and/on benefits why should everyone else pay for your wants. It's a piss take.

Rabbits are also exotic pets. Our vet explained that ti's because there are no rabbit specific medications so the vet has to use their knowledge to prescibe a combination of cat, dog and human medicines.

Because when I got them I was still with XH so one of us was usually around the house. Insurance premiums (even allowing for them going up with age) and vets bills were much cheaper. There was far less up selling from vets and we saw the same one usually.

Sadly XH failed to address his MH issues and used me as a scapegoat, since we split he has paid very little towards DD, let alone Ddog (Dcat was always mine). He does have DDog to stay if I am away. Add the cost of living crisis and health issues which mean I can’t work anymore than the 30 hours I do I am now much poorer than I was. But I still make sure I can cover the costs of pet ownership, usually by going without stuff myself. My pets do help my mental health enormously.

Animals don't suffer because their owners are poor. They are kept strong, fit and healthy by their owners and they take pride in that. My girl eats better than I do and I use an animal charity vet service. She wants for nothing. Big pharma has ruined animal care and filled our animals full of poison unnecessarily, just in case they get a flea! People are made to feel like bad owners if they don't willingly poison their pets. The dog population (pedigrees) have endured a shortened life expectancy and a raise in aggressive blood cancers thought to be attributable to these chemicals over the last 10 years. There are plenty of measures one is able to take to keep your dog healthy with out poisons. It is thought that the decline in the song bird population and butterflies is due to poisons appearing in the environment from domestic and agricultural animals and pesticides, that's worth thinking about. A study was done to show that the chemicals in these products remain on children's hands even after washing so we fill our children full of these. Chemicals too. Why do we poor folk have dogs? Because we love them, be cause they love us, because they are our assistance and therapy dogs. Because they are our friends etc. etc. well heeled people don't get to choose lifestyles for others, that's strange.

I always wonder what 'poor people' look like to some posters? Healthy, strong feckless layabouts? My DD did her work placement with the PDSA and most of their clients were elderly, or mentally or physically disabled. People who were very poor, in most cases unlikely to get a job, with little to no family nearby. Their pets gave them structure in their day, got them out of the house, in the case of dogs, and got them talking to other people. Gave them something to love and who loved them back. In a society with very little mental health care available on the NHS, these pets were doing a lot of heavy lifting, and all of them were happy and well loved. Clients frequently went without food and other necessities to give their pets what they needed, so while there was a real human need to have these pets, it was a mutually beneficial relationship. I am glad schemes like the PDSA exist - with so many community centers and schemes being shut down, they are some people's only solace and connection with the outside world. We might not see them as service animals but they are often the only thing that keeps their owners mental health together.

People who work full time or travel a lot or just can't be bothered to put any work into looking after their pets, they are the ones that should be banned from having animals.

I got my first pet when I was 9. I am considerably older than 9 now and have always had at least a dog.

why would you think I don’t expect expense from my pets if I am unlucky?

Yes we ought to have public information campaigns making sure people know exactly how expensive it can be to have a pet🔊
But that would hurt the profits of the pet industry and they will push back and lobby the government to stop people realizing before it's too late and they end up paying through the nose for hamster chemotherapy.

People's circumstances change and many (most?) pet owners continue to try to keep them rather than signing them over to non-existent rescue spaces at the first sign of hardship.

Otherwise, YANBU. Same as kids: if you're overcrowded and struggling with essentials for the children you have, don't have more! My two cats have cost nearly £5k so far this year in vet bills, insurance, food and equipment. £3k of that was emergency treatment one month after we got DCat1 and wasn't covered by insurance. Pets are expensive!

There are cheaper ways of having animals in your life. Fostering means you have a dog/cat/rabbit/hamster/guinea pig at home but food and vet bills are covered by the rescue. Volunteering at a shelter is free and you don't need the space required for fostering. Stick insects just need a bit of privet and only live a year or so if you're diligent at collecting and destroying eggs. Butterfly hatching kits are £25 and a temporary commitment. All fantastic for teaching DC about animals and the responsibilities involved in taking owning them.

YABU. Most people who have a pet do not expect the expense that can occur if you are unlucky.

If you are to criticise the spending of those on a low income, there are far more things to use as examples, as other responses have mentioned.

Anyone who is genuinely poor should consider what they can afford based on the expense of keeping a pet and indeed having dc. Unfortunately we have millions of people who expect a lot of state or charity help for both these options whilst the better off get no benefits and have to pay for everything so limit their families to one child.

OP, do you also think poor people shouldn’t have children? I hear they can cost a fair bit too

At least you can get help with dc though

I totally agree. But it's not just the poor that neglect their animals. I know homeless people who would feed their dog before themselves.

Rich people abuse animals on a grand scale sometimes. I would rather a homeless man had a dog to keep him company and give warmth and love, than a billionaire shooting birds and hunting foxes every few days.

Yes, I completely agree. They should know their place in society. The government need to sort this out.

Poor people really are spoiling the whole tone of the country.

Bring back the workhouse and teach them a lesson.

Have you seen the 'why are we having children later' thread? "Oh well I made sure to wait until I was earning 100k and had 10 years of savings, it's irresponsible otherwise." It smacks of privilege.

It's sensible to do the above though. I would like another dc & a dog but it would be too much upheaval.

If you can’t afford to look after a pet then I’d agree you shouldn’t have one. They can be expensive, it’s not fair for an animal to have to go on in pain because you can’t afford to take them to the vets or to go hungry because you can’t afford to feed them.

I would say though not many people have £900 to spend, you don’t really need that but you need to be able to afford insurance.

That would depend.
I'm all for people doing what they wish and spending their money how they want.... but if they have pets they cant feed and look after appropriately .. then thats far more fucking unpleasant IMO.

Utter lunacy!

Pets need to be looked after, fed, kept warm, innoculated, treated if ill, insured etc.... these are often the first thing to be cut back in a poor household.

Shame on you and your lunacy politically correct views.

OP, do you also think poor people shouldn’t have children? I hear they can cost a fair bit too 😂

The bottom line is that most pet rehoming charities are busier than they have ever been because so many owners are relinquishing pets they can no longer afford.

possibly their circumstances have changed which is really sad but equally they may have just been completely unaware of the actual cost of pet ownership. This can so often lead to pets not receiving adequate medical care, grooming and training and is sad for everyone involved. We have no NHS for pets. The PDSA can sometimes offer some help to some animals- by no means to all.

Many of the pets that are relinquished end up euthanised. It’s not a moral judgement to suggest that people should honestly consider if they can afford a pet.

I agree. I worked with a child whose family had 3 dogs. The family have 5 children, mum ended up being a single parent as dad left, her accommodation fell through and they had to be moved into temporary accommodation. The dogs had to be rehomed. I don't think at any point in the time I knew this child the parents ever worked or they have been in a position to provide for their children, let alone take on multiple animals. (The family rely on the school providing uniform, including new shoes and trainers, and more recently they have been in need of home clothes too).

• Children Pets TVs Drink Smoke Any other luxury

This is greed personified. Only humans with money should live whole, satisfying lives?

You don't need the above for satisfying lives though? And plenty of people aren't having dc these days including the middle class.

100% this. Have you seen the 'why are we having children later' thread? "Oh well I made sure to wait until I was earning 100k and had 10 years of savings, it's irresponsible otherwise." It smacks of privilege.

I agree, the real reason people have pets is to enhance the coffers of the pet industry🤑🤑🤑