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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

To think some pet owners are nobheads

99 replies

Ishouldprobablywax · 02/09/2010 16:13

Mainly people who 'rehome' their pets for stupid reasons.
They are for life, not until I have a baby/Until it irritates me by not sleeping when I want/chewing the sofa/making noise

other nobheads include people who don't read about what animal they're getting - 'my kitten scratches'! 'my beagle howls!'

plus I think it's a really shitty message to send your kids, that pets are disposable based on how much they annoy you or get in the way.
Aibu?

OP posts:

ShinyAndNew · 02/09/2010 17:00

sparechange you would also have to move to a bungalow. Most injuries in the house are caused by falling/tripping on stairs. And there would be no more hot drinks.

In fact it's probably best if you lock yourself and pfb in a padded room for the next 18-21 years.

JaneS · 02/09/2010 17:00

My first pet was a guinea-pig our neighbours couldn't keep as the dad got a job overseas. They bought him knowing the dad was applying for other jobs, but it did take two years ... I don't see the problem. We loved him to bits, he lived to a grand old age and he was the first of many much-loved pets.

Unless you've good reason to think an animal will pine for you, why not pass it on to someone who can love it more and take care of it better?

Skyrg · 02/09/2010 17:02

'Though I feel forced to add that anyone who gets rid of a cat because it sat on their childs bed is a loon.'

WTWTW, it had shredded the bed and a pile of nappies, not really what you want in a kitten (plus being a kitten it was best to rehome it then if possible, when it was still appealing to adopt). She could have kept it and never let it near me/any nappies/beds etc, but not much of a life for the cat. All things considered, I think it was probably in the little kitten's best interests too!

BellaEmbergsLovechild · 02/09/2010 17:02

ShinyandNew - you're right!
Better get rid of trampolines, bikes and cars too - far, far too risky!

WhereTheWildThingsWere · 02/09/2010 17:03

I've heard of fathers murdering their children.

Best start looking for a new home for dp....

sparechange · 02/09/2010 17:04

Good point, shiny

I'm not sure how you would get hold of one of those indoor crash hats for toddlers though. The obvious thing would be to order it online, but the lack of electricity would cause a problem there. And then you have the added issue that most posties tend to be men, and you wouldn't want them coming to the house just in case

So then you'd have to leave the house to go to a baby show to buy one, but that would involve travelling on a motorway, and statistically, most accidents happen on motorways
Modern life is a MINEFIELD, I tell you.
We should go back to living in caves with packs of dogs for protectio... Oh no! I just don't know what to think any more

WhereTheWildThingsWere · 02/09/2010 17:04

Skyrg

I am having a really shitty day, sorry.

TitsalinaBumSquash · 02/09/2010 17:05

This one wild.

Skyrg · 02/09/2010 17:08

WTWTW, sorry about your day! :)
I think you're right about pets btw, I agree you shouldn't get rid of them for silly reasons, but I assure you my mother is not a loon and would not have done it for a silly reason! She does like animals, and would not have dreamed of getting rid of the dog she also had at the time unless she really considered it a threat (it was actually jealous of me at first and had to be kept away, eventually it became very protective :))

Itsonme · 02/09/2010 17:10

No what I'm suggesting is not to be so utterly ridiculous, clueless and plain stupid as to suggest you 'know' your dog! Hahahahaha of course you do

ChippingIn · 02/09/2010 17:10

YABU to make such a sweeping generalisation.

It is better to re-home an animal than to have it bansihed to the back garden, or to have it badly treat.

It is better to re-home an animal if the animal will get more love where it's going.

Save your venom for people who hurt, kill, dump & abandon animals.

lemonysweet · 02/09/2010 17:16

and dont take kids to their grandparents house because they might give them something with aspartame in it. which as we all know kills millions of kids a year.

OP, i totally agree. id rather my child grow up around animals and hate them, having a full understanding, than be the kind of parent who thinks ... sorry, i got dangerously close to mentioning a certain thread which makes me want to go round to the OP's house and chop her legs off.

KERALA1 · 02/09/2010 17:18

The ones that proudly walk their dogs along a clearly marked "no dogs or you get fined" beach and get all narked when you point it out . They are nobheads.

sparechange · 02/09/2010 17:18

Itsonme - many, many people trust dogs to walk a blind person across a busy road, yet you can't see why anyone would trust it to be in the same house as a child without mauling it?

I think very few people would advocate leaving a dog unsupervised with a young child, but the idea that the two can't live under the same roof without risking the safety of a child isn't just plain thick. It is also rather insulting to the millions of parents who have dogs.

prozacfairy · 02/09/2010 17:21

We rehomed our alsation when she started to get grouchy with our baby. We took her to the vet to make sure there was nothing wrong. Vet said there wasn'y She went off to live with my now ex DP's sister so we do see her often.

As it turned out the reason that the dog was so grumpy was because she had bad arthiritus (no I can't spell ). SIL took her to a different vet, so was grouchy coz she was in alot of pain. Now with medication and gentle exercise she is much happier but still at ex SIL's as she's an old lady now and likes her peace and quiet. She does like to trot round with DD and has always been protective of her.

I did feel awful at sending off to SIL despite the fact she is very well looked after and happy there, but my baby was my priority- no way was I prepared to take any chances.

Do agree with you about people who get animals without doing research first. And those who get a puppy and then whine that it pisses everywhere and misbehaves. hellooooo! It's a baby. Would you really expect a human baby to be born already toilet trained, able to entertain itself and have the ability to do as it's told pronto?

BellaEmbergsLovechild · 02/09/2010 17:23

Itsonme - (and by the way, I know I'm wasting my breath, but PG hormones are rife and I'm struggling to ignore ignorant comments, so sorry to bore anyone :o)

A good dog owner never claims that to "know" his/her dog is enough for them to trust them, and if these are the cases you've come across, then you know bad dog owners.

A good dog owner assumes that all dogs are unpredictable, and as such, are responsible enough to never ever put their dog, or child in a situation where a problem might occur.

When my dc's were too young to understand that prodding/pulling/kicking a dog might cause it to bite, they were never alone with the dog. I trust my dogs, but not under extreme circumstances when the dog doesn't understand that a baby/toddler means no harm.

Now my dc's are older, they know the rules when it comes to the dogs, for their sakes and the dogs. The dogs have areas in the house where they go to sleep, or if they want to be out of the way of the dc's, and the dc's know that these areas are out of bounds.

ShinyAndNew · 02/09/2010 17:23

I wonder what would happen if someone with a helping dog (i.e seeing or hearing dog or those ones that predict epileptic fits) got pregnant? Or are those dogs somehow different?

prozacfairy · 02/09/2010 17:29

As my great aunty Pauline used to tell anyone who would listen, "there are no such thing as bad dogs! Only bad owners!"

And she was right.

Itsonme · 02/09/2010 17:29

I love to see dog owners/parents justify it. Really amusing to me. And I'm the ignorant one pfttt! (by the way, I know I'm wasting my breath, but my non pregnant hormones are rife...)

BellaEmbergsLovechild · 02/09/2010 17:32

Please to be of service Itsonme - it's nice to be amusing someone :o

BellasFormerFriend · 02/09/2010 17:43

Hehe, I love to see all those horrible car owners out there justifying putting their children into those death-traps..after all sooo many children are killed/maimed/injured in cars every day, how on earth can anyone justify such complete idiocy?? [tounge in cheek emoticon]

Honestly, there are so many arguments around child safety, dogs, cars, swings, trampolines - marbles err... pavements, zebra crossings and on and on... no one of us can profess to have all the answers when it comes to children and day to day life. We each make our decisions, some more questionable than others maybe but hey ho, we are all entitled to our views and decisions.

TheSmallClanger · 02/09/2010 17:47

I would LOVE all the squealy dog haters on here to meet my giant mastiff.

I had a Staffordshire Bull Terrier and a 2yo in the house at the same time many moons ago, as well.

Original poster

Ishouldprobablywax · 02/09/2010 17:48

I'm not advocating owning an aggressive dog OR keeping a pet that you either cannot/willnot look after.
My gripe s with people being irresponsible when buying the animal without research or thought

OP posts:

spikeycow · 02/09/2010 17:54

One person on this thread is stooopid.

BoojaB · 02/09/2010 17:56

YANBU. I totally agree!

I can't stand it when people use the excuse of being pregnant or having a young child, as this often means that they just can't be bothered to look after the animal anymore.

I worked in a re-homing centre, and was really annoyed when one woman brought an elderly cat in because she (the woman!)was pregnant, and so had a "real" baby coming. Pathetic.

My DD's life has been fully enriched by the dogs, cats, rabbits and guineapigs we have. She has a very responsible attitude to dealing with animals. I despair when children visit and are either terrified of the animals or run in and are loud and heavy-handed with them.

Looking after an animal throughout their life is a valuable lesson for a child. Just getting rid, like an inanimate object is unforgiveable in terms of the child's education about responsibility and empathy with animals.

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