Cats or dogs?

Had my upper lip almost torn off by one of those small, yappy dogs when I was four. Had my ankle in the teeth of a German shepherd when I was 12.

I still love big dogs. Little yappy ones, not so much.

But I'll take a little yappy dog over a creature that causes my sinuses to clog in less than a minute.

 

I'd rather have a dog, but my work schedule, combined with my enjoyment of getting the hell outta Dodge when possible, makes it inconvenient considering the cost of kennels around here.

So I'm stuck with my two cats and one bunny.

 

Dog. Every time.

Just not right now.

To quote my mother, "Cats are sneaky animals" .

(My mother had a phobia about cats. She was scared to death of them. If she was walking down the street and saw one, she'd cross to the other side.)

And if we had a big enough place or lived in the country, here's the breed I'd get. (Hi, HC!)

Irish Wolfhound.



Regal doesn't begin to describe them. And gentle as a lab.

 

Cats.

 

Somebody wrote above that cats are more hit-or-miss and I agree. Dogs in general are more predictable, and that can be a good thing.

My mother's cousin and his wife love animals and they have a tremendous gift for taking care of them. They have had four dogs in my lifetime, three different breeds, and every single one of them was well-behaved and fun to have around. The current one is a 3-year-old black lab who was abused in his first home. In just a few months, he is a sweet, friendly and well-disciplined dog.

They have also had three cats in that time. One of them is moderately friendly. The other two? One just hid all the time from everybody, including his owners. The one they have now, I won't even let my 4-year-old in the same room with her.

Don't get me wrong. I love both. I grew up with dogs, but my wife and I got cats. Our first never really liked anybody but me and I have to admit, I did enjoy that. I had won her trust when nobody else could.

I think your chances of getting a loving pet are greatly increased if you get a dog rather than a cat. Both are great pets, so it really depends on your situation and what type of animal you want in your home.

 

Beautiful.

A fellow who spends evenings at the dog park I frequent has three of them. They are taller than Shep, who -- every time he sees them -- gets this look of initial shock, like he's thinking 'what the hell, I'm supposed to be the big dog!'

But then he realizes they just want to play, too, and they go ape shit on each other.

 

I don't know. Can't remember ever seeing the headline, "4-year-old mauled by neighbor's cat"

But it looks like I will be bringing a dog into my 3-cat home in a few months.

Should be interesting.

 

Flasher, every time I see a picture of Shep, I wanna meet him.

 

Oh, dogs can definitely be more dangerous as well. Any animal can be unpredictable. But I think you can get a better idea what type of temperment you are getting based on the breed than you can with cats.

 

He has that look about him, doesn't he? He has an amazing personality and I don't remember what life was like without him in it.

 

I'm betting you deserved it.

 

You must have been a fat, retarded kid.

[/chef]