Posted: Jul 15, 2008, 8:37 AM CST
alabamabebe wrote:Do you think you can judge people by how they relate to animals, if they have pets, if your pets like them?
Dogs in particular, just cause I'm a dog person, and cats could give a ratsass.
I don't have any animals from choice because I don't want the responsibility ... and I don't like to restrict their freedom ... I would consider getting a dog if I lived in the middle of several acres of fenced off land because that would be his playground ... I really don't see myself taking dog for walkies as and when he/she needs it

would also have a cat but again would have to be living in the country and it would be like semi-wild: come say hi when he/she feels like it (or is starving coz hasn't managed to catch any mice) then wander off to explore - can't have pets at the mo in rented house ...
I tried to save a minute baby bird (still had no feathers) that fell out of his nest when I was kid ... made him a nest out of one of my socks!! But it died anyway
My kids had small pets hahaha! Some of them very small!!! My son "adopted" a whole family of cheesy bugs (woodlouse) once!!
I agree that dog's senses are very acute so would trust their reactions ...
However, I don't always trust people's reactions to pets because sometimes it's a façade to show people how kind they are kind of like "look I'm nice, I love animals". Saddest example of this was about 20 years ago. Some friends had a teenage daughter. She looked and acted like butter wouldn't melt in her mouth. Loved animals and would cry her eyes out if she saw any creature hurt. We then found out (unbeknown to everyone) she had been regularly punching her younger sister in the stomach until she was sick as soon as her parents had their backs turned (amongst other things). She also accused a boy of attemting to rape her and he had to go through the whole trauma of court etc... Fornunately, in this instence the case was dismissed because of lack of evidence. Several years later she told her parents she had made it up because she was pissed off with him for some reason or other (something like he had rejected her advances) ...
I also know an adult who claimed to love animals then saw how he treated them and his alleged loved ones (people) ...
So for me, trust animal's sense but not always people "acting" loving/caring towards animals ...