If you see pets merely as animals, you shouldn't have pets, amirite?

People we care about can objectively be nuisances at specific moments during your life. This doesn't mean you love them any less. They just happen to be annoying in that moment. Humans like to vent their frustrations with others they hope will be receptive and supportive to their complaints. So venting a perfectly valid frustration about an animal you love and care for means absolutely nothing regarding the amount of care or respect that animal receives from that person. It is literally only a complaint about a sliver of time where the animal happened to be annoying and their owner felt like venting about it. Nothing more or less.

by Newell96 1 week ago

I actually think people who don't treat them like animals are usually the worst pet owners. They let their dogs run around off lead, feed them things they shouldn't, don't train them... as an animal, dogs (especially certain breeds) have needs that include structure and keeping them safe. Every dog I had tried to creatively kill itself for the entirety of their lives. The only reason they lived was I kept them on a lead so they didn't run into the street after a squirrel, I kept their weight in check through diet, and I trained them so they weren't aggressive (even if a person was being a jerk).

by hughosinski 1 week ago

yup.

by Maximillianscha 1 week ago

nah this guy is one of those idiots who think their pets are actually a part of their family lmfao

by Kutchmaryam 1 week ago

Lmfao 🤣

by Lueilwitzjustyn 1 week ago

😂

by Anonymous 1 week ago

This implies that seeing something as an animal means you think you're better than it and don't care about it's needs. Animals need more than bare essentials. If you truly see something as an animal, you want it thrive, not just survive.

by Anonymous 1 week ago

No, it implies we are grounded in reality.

by Anonymous 1 week ago

I'm reminded of this scene from Curb Your Enthusiasm.

by Anonymous 1 week ago

They literally are just animals. YOUR pet is "more than" an animal to YOU, but your pet is just like every other pet to me, individually.

by Anonymous 1 week ago

But, they are animals…

by Anonymous 1 week ago

Less people with animals? Yes please

by Anonymous 1 week ago

Hahaha agreed! My neighborhood is filled with people that just leave their dogs outside barking all damn day

by charliegibson 1 week ago

Seriously. What kind of entitled ass-clown thinks that they are being some kind of ‘friend to animals' by chaining two Pit Bulls to a tree and going to work all day?

by Wspencer 1 week ago

I agree I hated having dogs gave them away and felt happier more free I can be spontaneous and not have to worry about a dog at home more people need to realise this and not be selfish and get dogs

by Anonymous 1 week ago

I'm so glad I'm not the only one.

by Wspencer 1 week ago

Pets are animals just like us.

by Anonymous 1 week ago

People just need to treat animals as living, breathing things. I think you need to see them as an animal with their own personality and life and not as an accessorie or toy. They are not an item to toss to the side when you are bored. They are not an item to show off your friends, and then ignore the rest of the time. They are not an item you must keep in pristine condition, so you never let them run and play and get dirty like an animal should. They are not an item to pump out money that you barely give enough food to to keep alive. I see too many pet people who won't let their dog dog. Or their cat be a cat. They get angry when they run, play, bark, scratch, or roll in dirt. They want them to look pretty and be quiet. As a dog groomer, I see people and other groomers who shouldn't own pets at all. They are just a show-off accessory to them.

by Anonymous 1 week ago

Pets are animals

by Anonymous 1 week ago

Nobody said that, what a crap argument.

by herminiokoelpin 1 week ago

If pets are not animals, then what are they? OP confuses me.

by chaserunolfsdot 1 week ago

OP is probably the kind of person who thinks pets are "fur babies"

by Anonymous 1 week ago

My apartment used that on their marketing website and it was cringe.

by Anonymous 1 week ago

Well said! Projecting human traits onto other animals really does them a disservice and comes from a misunderstanding/incorrect interpretation of their needs. Maybe, even, from putting one's own emotional needs before their actual needs.

by myrtiswuckert 1 week ago

So, because I don't know what other people have gone through, it's "insensitive" for me to be sad my dog died? You could apply that to everything. Someone always has it worse than you, so that would mean it's insensitive to be upset about literally anything. I agree people shouldn't be going "this is just like when you lost your wife!" Or whatever, but you made it sound like simply grieving a pet and feeling you've lost a loved one or family member somehow implies a lack of humanity. Different people put different value on pets. I guess it's important to realize a lot of people do see them as family.

by margarettkerluk 1 week ago

If you call your pets, "fur babies" or refer to them as children, you need therapy.

by Anonymous 1 week ago

anthropomorphizing pets is sick and twisted

by Bdaniel 1 week ago

See my issue is when people compare a passed pet to a passed loved one.

by Remote-Book 1 week ago

I love my Dog more than I love any human. End of story.

by Anonymous 1 week ago

They are animals. What

by Anonymous 1 week ago

we're looking to buy a house that can be best suited for our 3 cats. we literally put their needs first before ours so they can live comfortably

by Aggressive_Corgi 1 week ago

Yep when we went house hunting, a house suitable for our 2 indoor cats was our priority

by Anonymous 1 week ago

All the pets in my parents house I see as my children. That goes from the two dogs, to the two cats, to the parakeet and five remaining fish in the fish tank. I worry excessively over their health and safety, while spoiling all of them rotten.

by carrollmorris 1 week ago

Well yeah, but i don't want pets either. Rest of the family wants and I'm stuck with taking care of them. The trade of taking care of them vs them giving something unknown, maybe oxytocin or companionship, isn't in balance for me. It's just an extra obligation/duty. So yeah i don't see the point in pets neither do i want any. Though don't get me wrong, I'm not a sociopath/psychopath and i would never harm a defenseless animal or any human, excluding self defense.

by Anonymous 1 week ago

Yeah majority of people totally missed the point. Took OPs point and went to the extreme end of it.

by Anonymous 1 week ago

Our whole culture regards animals as property. It's not surprising to see this behavior, as much as it sucks.

by Anonymous 1 week ago

I'm sorry but if you think I don't deserve my cats even though I will complain until the cows come home about them waking me up at 5am on a workday because they're bored and want crunchies, you are a bit delulu.

by Anonymous 1 week ago

Pets are literally purely animals.

by Wspencer 1 week ago

I agree wholeheartedly that people who aren't prepared to love and care for their pet(s) as members of their household, they should not have the pet(s)

by Wizastephen 1 week ago

Fish are friends, not food.

by Anonymous 1 week ago

Uhh disagree They are animals. I just happen to treat animals with kindness. I don't eat them. I don't wear their skin. I do my best to minimize how much my consumption requirements and habits affects the lives of wild animals.

by Anonymous 1 week ago

I understand what you're saying and I agree <3

by Wisokydahlia 1 week ago

So basically be uneducated or don't own pets?

by Anderson65 1 week ago

I think we project our own humanity and feelings onto them so losing a longtime animal companion feels like losing a piece of yourself. My 19 year old cat was put to sleep a few weeks ago and I feel the loss quite sharply.

by Anonymous 1 week ago

Agreed I truly see my 2 cats as my children and definitely family members, I take them into consideration with absolutely everything I do, they are more important to me than a lot of my other family members. No decision is made in my household without thinking of the cats and how it would affect them

by Anonymous 1 week ago

Do you let your children roam freely and defecate in your neighbour's garden?

by shannymarks 1 week ago

No but I don't let my cats do that either, my cats are indoor cats because I love them and want to keep them safe :) Nice try though lol

by Anonymous 1 week ago

I wasn't trying anything, I respect your approach and wish more people did it that way.

by shannymarks 1 week ago

Absolutely me too, people who let their cats outside make me feel physically sick

by Anonymous 1 week ago

i so wish that i could keep my cat indoors. she was a stray baby and had multiple litters on her own before she was picked up and spayed, and she lives with us now. i tried so hard to keep her indoors, but we also have dogs (they are friends lol they're like the same size) and we have to keep the dog door open for them always and she just gets out. we can't have the dog door closed because when we are gone for the day, they still need to go to the bathroom. 🙁

by Anonymous 1 week ago