I think giving an animal special food (which many people do or else most food companies would create special diets) is very different than cooking special food. A woman I do yoga with has a pack of dogs and, though she is a vegan herself, she does have her personal assistant cook special all-meat meals for her dogs because she finds the toxins in all processed dog foods too terrible for her dogs.

It seems like there is a lot of privilege wrapped up in the ability to do that.

My medical treatments for a dog (not our current dog) would be predicated on what is actually beneficial for the dog vs. the amount of pain it would cause the animal + the expense.

I view pets as more trouble and expense than they are worth. Though I accept that this is not the way people who love their pets feel.

I'm a pet agnostic.

Kathy, if the power of my will can affect people in Chicago, someone will be asking you about that bandage soon. That's awesome.

A major bone of contention (no pun intended) in our family is that I do NOT want another pet after our current dog dies. Again, I have very little mental bandwidth for caretaking critters that are not my progeny at this point, given how much work my progeny take.

And frankly, our family is not a good place for a dog. Low animal on the totem pole and not enough attention. Plus Grace has boundary issues and is a trial for our current dog. Cannot imagine another.

Plus, a hair-free environment would be thrillingly fun for a bit.

I cannot imagine going through the hospital scenarios that I currently go through on a 6 week cycle for a pet. I get that other people do it, but I cannot and would not.

Glad the surgery went well!

I think I fall into a little of all three or possibly none of those pet owner categories. None of them really describe how I feel about my pets. I feel like I have chosen to make their care my responsibility so I pay for their vet care, and meds, and make sure there is someone to take care of them when I can't. And they give me a lot of joy (although I can't say I like them better, or in the same way, as the humans I like) and a lot of irritation (but they don't irritate in the same way that the humans that irritate me do).

I am incredibly grateful that my parents were able to take care of my very elderly, incontinent, senile dog for a month last year while Bob was recovering. Mustering the emotional resources to care for Frank would have, I think, completely overwhelmed me at that time.

Ah, I didn't read that far into the article.

Being, of course, the dominionist that I am. I'm pretty textbook there, and I'm not even sure the rest of my family would qualify. I don't think my parents would go as far as "beloved." "Tolerated" is more like it. They'd never have a pet. Just a working animal, and that would include "amuse the children."

We did, however, cook for our pets. But that was because buying food for them was considered excessive.

Here's that same video with more background.

I view pets as more trouble and expense than they are worth. Though I accept that this is not the way people who love their pets feel.

I'm a pet agnostic.

This is me. I like other people's pets fine (or, shall I say some other people's pets - insert rant about poorly trained dogs here), but have no desire for them myself. I defnitely got that from my parents, neither of whom were pet people (though most of my siblings are).

Hell, I can't even remember to do the work to keep a plant alive; I'm not going to subject an animal to that.

Whoa! I'm totally having deja vu about this conversation!

I can't keep a plant alive but, evidently, have no problem keeping pets alive into advanced old age.

Plus, a hair-free environment would be thrillingly fun for a bit.

yes, it is. Until you realize that the dog had been eating all the crumbs that the ants like.

and I say this with love. not for the ants.