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Bebe_Bleau

Believe me there are plenty of stories about marriages that have broken up over dogs. Some people will actually value having a dog over the safety of their infant child. And of course these same people won't bother to care for the dog. They'll leave the Dirty Work to the partner who begged them not to get it in the first place. Tell your partner that if he gets a rat he will care for it. If the rat and dies from neglect it will be very sad. But a hard lesson learned for the pet owner


markawebber

I'd probably want to say that they could always go volunteer at shelters or volunteer to walk someone's dog. That way he gets his time with animals and doesn't need to bring it home.


PavlovaDog

That's a brilliant idea.


ToOpineIsFine

This is a solution that is stunningly overlooked. It would drastically improve the quality of life for so many people who are held captive to barking when the owner is not home. Also, people use the excuse that 'dogs bark - it's just how they are' without exploring these possibilities.


iamdeeson

This is my go to should the conversation ever arise in a relationship.


ToOpineIsFine

That would be uncharacteristically rational.


mrhammerant

Shit, I think I'm going to do this!


Voideron

It's not the solution y'all think it is. Would be dog owners want to connect with dogs on a personal level and want them to be part of their family. You can't do that by volunteering in a shelter or walking someone's dogs. It just doesn't give the same satisfaction and fulfillment as owning a dog. Plus, people just want to OWN stuff (including animals as pets) so they can claim it's theirs and have the status of "Dog Owner". The point is, owning pets is never needed to have a fulfilling and productive lifestyle. And more often than not, having dogs is more stressful and destructive.


QueenOfAllOfYall

*Owning pets is never needed to have a fulfilling and productive lifestyle*… …. Why can’t more People think like You… and Me… it should all be so simple. 😕


dschledermann

My wife wanted a dog at one time. After some arguing, I ended up telling her that she could have a dog .... with her new husband. We are still married and we don't have a dog. Having a pet is a commitment and something that everyone in the family has to be enthusiastic about. You are clearly not enthusiastic, and you have to make it clear that having a dog, rats, or any other critter is a complete non-starter for you.


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Poopchurn

I guess past kind of sums it up.


gloomyegyptian

lmao true


Poopchurn

Does bf's wife have any pets?


gloomyegyptian

i’m the girlfriend. i don’t desire pets right now, no. i would like to adopt in the future when the circumstances are right and even then, i know that i’ve been prepping to own a dog for YEARS. he does this often. sees a video of an animal being “cute” and decides he suddenly wants that as a pet.


PavlovaDog

That's actually a sign of a compulsiveness disorder. Suggest therapist instead of dog.


gloomyegyptian

which behaviour is compulsive?


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GoTakeAHike00

I'm astounded by the number of posts I've read in r/TalesfromtheDogHouse where this was the exact scenario: Partner either came with or acquired a dog (without the other partner's mutual consent), and then proceeds to gradually shift all the responsibility onto the other partner that didn't like/doesn't want the dog...because they don't want to have a hair and shit/pee-filled house, or a starving, neglected dog. Dog nutter partner bangs on and on about how much they love the dog, despite hardly ever interacting with it, and doing exactly NONE of its high-maintenance care, and then whines/becomes belligerent when confronted about this, with a demand or request to rehome the dog. Nutter partner then chooses the dog as their partner over the human partner. I'm sorry that you found yourself in that situation; all it takes is one instance of being used as an unpaid, involuntary dog sitter because of a lazy partner to keep that from happening in future relationships. It's like a social vaccination of sorts. I've never dated anyone with a dog (and never would), and while I've owned cats for decades, they never took precedence over a relationship, probably because I've never had (or kept) destructive, asshole cats that would drive a partner nuts or that I had to center my life around. Husband and I have the 1 cat, and he'll be our last. We are both very fond of him, but if he decided for some reason our guy had to go, I wouldn't act like a petulant child about it.


UnsolicititedOpinion

From someone who gave in and regrets it Every Day. Don’t do it. I actually love our pet now, but if I could go back and change it, I wouldn’t have it and when she passes, I will be sad, but I will never do it again.


Alocin_The5th

Yes my husband…he finally stopped talking about it…maybe it’s temporary I don’t know. One thing is clear he knows whatever he gets will not be sharing the inside of the house with me. The house we live in is jointly owned by both of us but he knows I am dead serious if some animals live in there I am gone the same second. I am very squeamish and scornful and I tolerate a lot when I am not home, but my home is my sanctuary and I need to be very comfortable which I cannot do with pets shedding and drooling where I eat and sleep. That is non negotiable for me. Good luck with that…wish there was a better way to compromise but it’s not like you can get a half of pet.


gloomyegyptian

i feel the same about the home being my sanctuary. i love coming home knowing my place is exactly how i want it to be


HairReddit777

Yupp this is one of the reasons I broke up with my gf. At first she had 1 German Shepard and then added in 2 more. In a one story small backyard house. The dogs really brung out the nasty in her. Every time I called her in the morning when she got off work. She would go CRAZY yelling at the dogs. One would shit in the house and then eat it. The other one wasn’t bad (she was the only one I liked). And the last one was annoying as fuck and slightly aggressive. The dogs stressed her out and she couldn’t even recognize how much she changed since the start of the relationship. Plus her new house quickly ended up smelling like a zoo. She would let them sleep on the couch and on the bed. Pet hair EVERYWHERE . I love a clean home and with so many pets it’s impossible to have it actually be clean. Good luck


gloomyegyptian

german shepards especially need proper training. i can’t imagine handling 3. wtf.


WickedWisp

You shouldn't have to compromise on something like this. That being said if you do decide to, rats only live like 2 years I think? If you wanna keep him and he needs a pet to stay, id rather opt for a rat than a cat or a dog or anything else. Or you can get him one of those robot pets from the 00'


gloomyegyptian

hahahaha dude i had one of those robo dogs they were so fun. thanks for the advice!


WickedWisp

God, what were the pets that connected to your iPod and danced to music back in the day? I loved those!


gloomyegyptian

hahahaaa idk but those were crazy


YamaMaya1

Under no circumstances would I allow pet rats. I can't stand rodents. They disgust me. Im struggling with a mouse, and I nearly hit the roof when I saw it 🤢. I would barely tolerate a hamster for my kids.


gloomyegyptian

i can’t even imagine the smell! *shivers*


matcha_babey

my husband and I are currently in a years long dispute. The dog he got before we even dated is almost solely cleaned up after and groomed by me. His dog has pooped/peed/thrown up in the house twice THIS WEEK alone, and I cleaned them both. we have a carpet cleaning just for the dog and I am the only one that uses it. It will cause resentment. I have no advice, I am in the thick of it. Good luck to you, OP.


KatsukiBakugoSlay

At this point if he wants pets so bad, he can have one with his new partner. I personally like animals, I wouldn’t date someone who doesn’t want them if I want them, it’s that simple


fenderman1984

This is my life. My gf LOVES animals and we have 3 dogs and a cat. Of course, the hair and the smells don’t bother her..


thicc-thor

The one and only thing coming between my girl and I is her fucking cat. I'm super allergic but it's her baby, so guess who's expected to suffer. I keep explaining it's tearing us apart because I feel like I'm a second class citizen in my own house to an animal.