Dog Breeding: Purity or Functionality?

[Leptos]

I define better pet as in the pet that is generally is better for reducing stress levels.

I currently own a cat but I always wondered if I would enjoy owning a cat more(particularly because my cat favors my sister and is a bit jumpy around me) than owning a dog. I was also considering buying another cat but I want one I can train to prefer me over my sister.

What pets do you guys own, what do you do to maintain your pets, and in the end is it worth it(in terms of stress gained - stress lost)? Excuse me if I'm oversimplifying but I'm sure you guys get the gist of what I'm trying to ask.

My parents say that a dog is too high maintenance and that dogs are a trouble to own. I have to live by my parents rules until graduate school so the only way I can own a dog anytime soon is if I convince my parents it's a good choice.

Dog owners, feel free to posit arguments as to why dogs may be better than cats. The same goes for cat owners.

 

[turbo]

My wife and I have a dog. He is a sweetie, and is always so happy to see us. Ever see a cat that will jump up and down and bark (or kitty vocalizations) and generally act like a maniac when you get home? No? Game over.

 

[MotoH]

Dogs are a hundred times more loyal than the most loyal of cats. If you teach a dog how to sit and stay, he/she will be the best pet you can ever own. A dog would pull you out of a burning building. A cat. . . well not so much. Cats are extremely arrogant from my experiences and only stay at home because it is cold outside.

Dogs are not high maintenance. They take the same care anyone should be willing to give a dog. You have to have time to feed him, play with him, and let him outside. Dogs love attention (where I suppose the "high maintenance" comes into play) and want you to play with them all the time, which I see no problem with.

If you want something that will be loyal to you until the end, a dog is what you want. The bigger dogs are far more protective than the little dogs if it comes to. Most little dogs will bark A LOT but not be much bite, and the bigger dogs (GS's, Gold. Retrievers and the like) will attack someone if they feel that they are threatening you.

 

[Ivan Seeking]

Cats can handle bears.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hfgV9X1uLZ0

 

[MotoH]

well it is hard to argue with that.

 

[Ivan Seeking]

For us, dogs are far more difficult to maintain than are cats, but that is partly a function of our property. Still, I would have to say that cats are generally less maintenance than dogs. A cat can be left alone more than not. Dogs require companionship and plenty of attention.

We love them both but finally had to concede that dogs take too much work. After our gang of three all got old and died, we didn't get any more dogs.

I had three dogs while growing up and another as a young adult. Tsu and I then got three after we moved to Oregon.

 

[DaveC426913]

Dogs are not high maintenance. They take the same care anyone should be willing to give a dog.

Did you review this after you wrote it?

You have to have time to feed him, play with him, and let him outside.

While I do not presume this is an exhaustive account of your idea of dog-ownership, the above is woefully inadequate for most dogs. In general, dogs need to spend time running around and playing outside with their owner. Letting it outside is not enough, and merely going for walks is not enough.

 

[Leptos]

Alright, let's say we forget dogs.

What about getting a brand new cat? Any suggestions for a good breed(appearance doesn't matter, I want one that is friendly for a cat). I like the idea of a pet that stays happy as long as you feed it and give it fresh water to drink once a day.

 

[DaveC426913]

Any suggestions for a good breed?

Not a siamese.

 

[MotoH]

Did you review this after you wrote it?


While I do not presume this is an exhaustive account of your idea of dog-ownership, the above is woefully inadequate for most dogs. In general, dogs need to spend time running around and playing outside with their owner. Letting it outside is not enough, and merely going for walks is not enough.

I thought it was a given you played with your dog outside. I guess not.

 

[turbo]

I like the idea of a pet that stays happy as long as you feed it and give it fresh water to drink once a day.

You sound like a perfect fit for a goldfish.

 

[DaveC426913]

I thought it was a given you played with your dog outside. I guess not.

You said "...feed him, play with him, and let him outside..."

 

[DaveC426913]

You sound like a perfect fit for a goldfish.

Agreed.

Pets need to be treated as companions, not decorations.

Note: even goldfish are pets. They need care. Not a lot, mind, but they do need care.

 

[gravenewworld]

My wife and I have a dog. He is a sweetie, and is always so happy to see us. Ever see a cat that will jump up and down and bark (or kitty vocalizations) and generally act like a maniac when you get home? No? Game over.

I actually consider that quite annoying. I also find it annoying when dogs constantly bring you a tennis ball wanting you to throw it or are constantly trying to jump up in your face trying to lick it. That being said, I don't hate dogs, I like them a lot if they are well trained and obedient. I like cats a lot because they require far less work to keep and housebreak.

 

[turbo]

I actually consider that quite annoying. I also find it annoying when dogs constantly bring you a tennis ball wanting you to throw it or are constantly trying to jump up in your face trying to lick it. That being said, I don't hate dogs, I like them a lot if they are well trained and obedient. I like cats a lot because they require far less work to keep and housebreak.

Our dog is well-trained (Feet on Floor!) but still gets really excited when my wife or I come home. His butt is wiggling and his tail is spinning like a helicopter rotor. He doesn't jump on me or try to intrude, but he will get next to me and lean on me so that I will touch him.

 

[lisab]

I actually consider that quite annoying. I also find it annoying when dogs constantly bring you a tennis ball wanting you to throw it or are constantly trying to jump up in your face trying to lick it. That being said, I don't hate dogs, I like them a lot if they are well trained and obedient. I like cats a lot because they require far less work to keep and housebreak.

That's pretty close to my view, too.

As far as affection, well, the cat I have now is very affectionate. And the cat I had before this one was even more so...he would come in and greet everyone with head-butts (I believe that's a universal feline greeting) before going to check what was in his food dish.

I think it just depends on the cat, although all my cats have been sweeties.

 

[DaveC426913]

Our dog is well-trained (Feet on Floor!) but still gets really excited when my wife or I come home. His butt is wiggling and his tail is spinning like a helicopter rotor. He doesn't jump on me or try to intrude, but he will get next to me and lean on me so that I will touch him.

I just don't get it. I can't respect an animal that is that desparate.

 

[turbo]

I just don't get it. I can't respect an animal that is that desparate.

I can't ignore an animal that is that desparate, when his reactions are so directed to me and my wife. Just pay a bit of attention, and he is happily crashed out at my feet. Good deal.

 

[MotoH]

/sarcasm?

How about a pet rock? I hear they are pretty low maintenance!

 

[turbo]

/sarcasm?

How about a pet rock? I hear they are pretty low maintenance!

Or for the people with lots of attitude and not enough attention-span for a pet rock, how about a pet peeve?

 

[MotoH]

That wasn't directed towards you. As you see the post times are very close, and I was replying to dave.

 

[Tsu]

Get yourself an orange or tan tabby cat. They have very sweet personalities and if you get it as a kitten, you can TRY to train it to like you better than you sister. Just remember. With cats you have to EARN their respect and affection. They aren't just any old DOG... :rofl:

 

[Ivan Seeking]

Get yourself an orange or tan tabby cat. They have very sweet personalities and if you get it as a kitten, you can TRY to train it to like you better than you sister.

Or, your wife can bring home a three-week old kitten who hasn't been weaned, and then say, "I'll be back in a week". Only then will you know the joys of being a mother cat with an attached orange shadow for life.

Almost without fail, if Little Tyke is outside hunting or playing, she comes when I call her. I've never had a cat that would do that.

 

[zoobyshoe]

my cat favors my sister and is a bit jumpy around me

Observe closely how your sister treats the cat and do likewise.

 

[Elfrae]

We've always had rescue cats, all mongrels. By my reckoning, about half of them would be there to greet us when we came in, squeaking and rubbing against us. The other half didn't, but they too enjoyed our company and attention - despite their reputation, cats require more than just feeding to stay happy.
As to whether they will come when called, that seems to depend on the personality of the cat :)

 

[DaveC426913]

We've always had rescue cats...

Rescue cats? They must be really strong to drag a human out of rubble!

 

[zoobyshoe]

Rescue cats? They must be really strong to drag a human out of rubble!

They don't drag you out of the rubble. They bring you dead mice and birds to eat while you wait for the rescue teams.

 

[turbo]

My wife and I live out in the boonies. If someone should try to break in while I am gone, Duke would defend her at all costs. Just hearing him bark inside the house should make any would-be robber high-tail it before forcing the door - he's got a pretty loud and authoritative bark.

In this regard, a pet cat is only marginally better than a pet rock. Well maybe not as good. At least you can throw a rock at the robber.

 

[zoobyshoe]

At least you can throw a rock at the robber.

A cat flying at you at high speed is a lot scarier than a rock.

 

[BobG]

A litter box stinks.

If you walk your dog only at night, then all of the neighbors will have greener grass than you.

A dog can help you in a fire by bringing you your prosthetic leg and the phone.

A cat can set the fire in the first place.

ELKHART LAKE, Wis. --After a disabled woman's cat started a house fire, her specially trained dog came to the rescue, then died trying to help the cat still in the house. Jamie Hanson said the 13-year-old dog named Jesse brought the phone so she could call 911 and also brought her artificial leg.

"She got me outside and then she heard the cat upstairs and she went up there to get the cat and she wouldn't come back to me," Hanson, 49, said at a news conference Monday at Aurora Sheboygan Memorial Medical Center where she was being treated for her injuries.

She received third-degree burns to an arm in the fire Sunday night at her home in the town of Rhine south of Elkhart Lake, the Sheboygan County Sheriff's Department said, adding that both pets died in the fire.

Hanson, who lost a leg in a car accident three years ago, said she was on the couch watching television when the cat ran over the back of the couch.

"And he jumped onto a table that had a candle on it and tipped it over and lighted the artificial plants on fire," she said.

Hanson said she fell off the couch and was unable to get her artificial leg from the table, "so my dog got my leg for me and went and got the phone and brought the phone to me so I could call 911."

She said she tried to put the prosthetic leg on, but it was too hot, and the dog, a golden retriever-German shepherd mix, came to her aid again before going back inside for the cat.

When rescuers arrived, the house was fully engulfed in flames, the sheriff's department said. Hanson was in the doorway and was assisted by a deputy.

She was no longer being treated at the hospital when The Associated Press called Monday evening for further comment.

(The original article is over two years old and doesn't exist on the boston.com website anymore.)

 

[fuzzyfelt]

That reinforces my opinion, dogs are best!

 

[MotoH]

I would never throw my pet rock at someone or something. A cat on the other hand. . .

 

[Pythagorean]

For me it's a matter of the pet's peronailty, not so much the species. I guess an intelligent dog is more useful (obedient) than an intelligent cat.

 

[GeorginaS]

For me it's a matter of the pet's peronailty, not so much the species. I guess an intelligent dog is more useful (obedient) than an intelligent cat.

I suppose if you consider obedience useful.

 

[Leptos]

Rescue cats? They must be really strong to drag a human out of rubble!

Some cats are quite strong, especially bob cats!

I suppose if you consider obedience useful.

Dogs have been breed for hundreds of years to be subservient to human beings.