“What Would You Warn Someone Before They Got Your Type Of Pet?”: 46 Honest Tips From Our Community

And please, for the love of whatever is holy, research your breeds. If you pick a working breed then expect it to want to work.

My dog was diagnosed with IMTP and has had two ACL repairs. Two surgeries for the ACLs were about $10,000 total. IMTP diagnosis and management somewhere around $20,000 so far. So yes, if you can't afford them, then don't get one

Don’t forget taking care of them when they get old and slow down instead of wanting to play all the time. We are ALL going to get old one day and slow down and not want to play all the time. That doesn’t mean we don’t still have value and don’t matter to our family, just because we have aches and pains and can’t keep up anymore. You adopt an animal for THEIR ENTIRE LIFE, which is only a fraction of your own life. If you can’t make them happy until the day they pass on, then you should never bring them home in the first place. Let someone who will fulfill ALL their needs their whole life adopt them.

When you have a dog, that dog only has you. Their whole life comes directly or indirectly from you. All their relationships, all their companionship, their work, their play, their education, their stability, their home. You choose if they have other dogs and other people in their lives to help fill those needs. Everything in their life depends on you.

Crissy Newbury

Crissy Newbury

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A friend of ours only adopts elderly dogs and gives them a few more quality of life years. His last one died recently. She was a ten year old Labrador that was given up and replaced by a puppy because she wasn’t fun anymore. He gave her three more loving years before she succumbed to cancer.

Carpet shark! ❤️ That does sound kind of terrifying though. Brave little things for their size. Is it true that they have a bad smell? I've heard people complaining about it (I suppose as an owner of ferrets, you might be accustomed to their scent, though) but frankly, all pets smell of something (everyone smells of *something*!) so no judgement!

I've wanted a ferret as a pet for as long as I can remember, but ferrets are illegal to have as pets in California :( I really wish that they were allowed as long as they could be imported from another state/area already spayed/neutered! (Since the major concern, I guess, is intact pet ferrets escaping captivity and breeding in the wild and decimating our native small-animal population.)

We had several ferrets when I was young and I always thought they were very reliable with using a litterbox.

And they’re stinky

I've always wanted a ferret or some other cool exotic animal but they seem like a lot.

Some Chihuahuas have been bred to unhealthy size, they are difformed and suffer from it. I've had three of normal size and weight (above 2,5 kg) and they never had any significant health issue except a bit of joint weakness in their old age. (Still that personality though) DO NOT BUY "TEACUP" ANIMALS, it's just cruel.

People that use any animal as an accessory are gross. I would love a Chi if I ever got a dog (or a Pom). I love the small but with personality dogs. (Not saying that other small dogs don't have a personality, but those two have always particularly interested me.)

I agree with this except the health problems…bad teeth are common because of how small their mouths are but is preventable with yearly cleanings, but the trachea collapse and heart problems are often hereditary conditions. You should NEVER breed a dog with a genetic history of these conditions! This is EXACTLY why my dogs are all genetically tested before I’ll consider them for breeding.

Picking the right breeding is essential. Chihuahuas skulls are so tiny that it often forces the skull into a domed shape with a gap in the skull. This is a major deformity and is painful for the poor wee mites. The more domed the skull, the worse.

In the UK there is a charity called The Cinnamon Trust that will work with older people to bring them peace of mind about what happens to their pet after they die. They will also help if someone becomes ill and can’t look after their pet properly. Of course it is the responsible thing to do to plan ahead and not bring a long lived animal into the home at age 85, but unplanned things happen and health changes.

Home: where the cat hair sticks to everything but the cat

Hey, lucky day for me. Today I found just one dog hair in my food!

This is why you color coordinate your furnishing with your pets.

but a wonderful reaaon to adopt a senior cat!

An acquaintance of mine has a tortoise (not a Hermann) and he is quite a delightful pet. He lives outside in summer and inside in winter. He comes when called. Just don't paint your toenails red-- they look too much like strawberries, and he can't resist a strawberry!

Tortoises and turtles are different animals.

You can do careful research and get a malinois from working line (like nose work/sheep herding) instead of defense oriented. You will still get F1 car, but now you have better chances to manage the wheel, LOL. Forget the brakes, tho. They don’t exist 😂

Beautiful dogs, had a colleague in germany who had one. It allways tried to bite me, you could not pet it or come to close to her, it would end in being bitten. I allways thought that dog is unusual aggressive but according to the owner, they are like that. I love dogs but i would not want a dog where i have to worry that it is mauling my guests

I couldn't but I'll happily take you sending pictures of you handling yours ❤️ That face. Ugh. So cute.

Same with Jacks. Love those dogs, but Im too old to chase one anymore.