I recently read a book about pet ownership in America and there was a chapter about how pets (dogs mostly) are often a big part of every aspect of everyday life.
For example, people will buy cars based on what comfortably fits their canine companions. Or, people will only take vacations they can bring their dogs on as well.
If you are American: Do you fit this mold?
If you aren't American: do you fit this mold, or do you think your country's sentiment for pets is similar?|||Im Canadian, and yes. We even bought our vehicle for our dogs.. I wanted a smaller car like a VW golf but since we got the dogs, we opted for a toyota tundra extended cab to accomodate them.
We plan vacations for our dogs when we go. They go back to their breeders farm where they have 3000 acres of room to run and explore with other of their breed (6 other berners)
Same with when we bought our house.. we could have bought a larger nicer house but it had a tiny backyard so we opted for a smaller older house with a huge backyard for them.
They are family and their needs have to be considered as much as ours. They are a lifelong commitment. :)|||I don't fit that mold exactly, but Rock has extreme separation anxiety, so I do have to schedule things around her. I try to at least one person with her if I can't be with her, or only be gone for an hour at the most. Obviously, this means I can't go on vacations without her (she can't be kenneled because of anxieties and claustrophobia, so boarding places are out. she also can't be left with a sitter because she goes INSANE without me or someone in my family) or anything of the sort.
I do love Rock to death and I love doing things with her and getting her things, but I only go out of my way for her in the sense of her anxieties- I always make sure someone, if not myself, is with her or that she is only left alone for a short time. (I will admit that sometimes it feels like she's smothering me [I can't even be in the bathroom without her], lol) I still treat her like a dog, and the only reason I'd go broke for her is for medical needs.
ADD: Oh, TD faeries. You make me laugh.|||My country (Australia) is very much the same as America, in terms of pet ownership.
I however don't base everything in my life around my dogs. For instance, I have a little 3 door hatchback and two big Dalmatians. I didn't choose the car based on whether my dogs would be comfortable, I chose it because it's what I was looking for in a car.
My partner and I will be getting a 4 x 4 sometime soon, so the dogs will be comfortable travelling around in that.
I also can't take them to work with me. When I go out with friends, they don't come either.
I do, however base my holidays around them. I dislike leaving them when we go away, so we try and go places that allow dogs. I don't think they can come with us this time on our Christmas break holiday, so I'll have to kennel them for the first time ..
They do come to the beach, parks, to visit my parents when we go.|||I am an American and I think I fit the mold. I bought the house with a yard for the dog I was going to get. It had to be a fenced yard for the puppy. I got the puppy about a month after I moved into the house. If I had gotten a bigger dog I would have looked for a house with a bigger yard. My dogs are small (westie and sheltie) so my car doesn't have to be a SUV and yes they were taken into account. When I go on vacation they go or they stay with friends. (I watch the friends dogs when they go somewhere their pets can't go)
I don't take the boys to work nornally, If I have to go in on a weekend they come. I have some places that I go the boys don't, but that is usually only for a few hours.|||haha
My husband I have recently been talking about trading in my little Neon for a Jeep or a van because at any given time I have 1 or 2 wire kennels and a 48" exercise pen in the back seat, so if anyone needs a ride they are out of luck and since we are starting fertility treatments soon we might need room for car seats.
We live in a smallish house, with a smallish yard, and we are over our pet limit in town(shhh) so we are looking for a house out in the country to buy in the spring.
We never go on vacation besides going camping once a year for 2 nights, the small dogs come with us, the big dogs stay at my dad's house(a mile from the camp ground and I go over and feed them twice a day) and a neighbour comes over to feed my cats and guinea pigs.|||I would say that is pretty accurate. I am an American and I bring my dog EVERYWHERE! I have taken her on vacations before and I loved every minute of it. I cant imagine any aspect of my day without her...there's just a bond that I dont think anyone knows how to explain. Its amazing :)|||I'm an American and I fit the mold. We have 3 kids but bought a suburban to accommodate crates and dogs in the back. When we leave the house, I'm always checking the clock because we have 3 dogs that live inside and I need to get back to let them out. If we have to go out of town, my Mom will come over to dog sit. Heaven forbid my dogs sleep outside like dogs! Yep, life is pretty much gone to the dogs here at my house!|||I bought my car with my dogs in mind. That's just common sense, to me--I do have to take them places, and I want to as well.
I don't include them in my everyday life. Some people do, I don't.
I will say that I vacation in Colorado often (Rocky Mountain National Park--near Estes) and while Colorado is quite dog-friendly, it wasn't nearly as dog friendly as I saw visiting Alberta, Canada last summer. In Colorado, dogs are restricted in some areas, particularly on nature trails, and especially in the national parks. In Alberta, dogs on trails were a very common occurrence.|||Hi Sarah -
Yes, I fit the mold. I have a Taurus which I love however I do notice other vehicles which are "pet friendly" that i would really love to get. My car does everything I need it to do and the dogs travel well inside it. I'd rather have larger "pet friendly" vehicle with more room for every BODY in the vehicle but I can't justify a monthly vehicle payment when "Paid For" is so much better! =o)
My car will do just fine. =o)
When traveling out of state I stay in motels that are specifically "pet friendly".|||I'm Aussie, and I don't think people are as.. up tight about their pets. Most people I know have dogs that sleep outside, their dogs know come, sit, and maybe shake. They're fed pedigree or purina and fed table scraps.. stuff like that.
Our cars were bought so we could fit in the dogs, since they're in the car often. We don't go on holiday because of our animals.. I mean we have 7 cats, 4 dogs, a horse, and soon a goat.. I'd hate to leave them all behind lol.|||Okay well for cars, my family (I'm not old enough to drive just yet!) will get a car they like. The dog will eventually get used to it. My dog doesn't have a problem getting adjusted to new houses/cars so he wouldn't mind, so if we need a car we'll get what we want. The dog is very... hm.. I can't find the right word, but he just doesn't really mind; I'll put it that way.
For vacations, yes. We go places the dog can come with us. I honestly don't trust to leave him at doggy day-care or at anyone elses home because my dog is different. For instance, bad recall. If he accidentally runs out and chases somebody on their bicycle, somebody jogging, or a neighbors cat, he most likely won't come back if he's called. So, yeah. On vacations we bring him.
I am American.|||i am not american but canadian and i think i do include my dog with many aspects of daily life ... i moved within walking distance to the beach because my dog loves to swim and dig ... i do not own a car, i own a bike and it does have a super deluxe basket on the front for her to ride in ... i do occasionally vacation without her though ... three times in her 11 years i have gone on vacation without her ...|||LoL! That's interesting. I will be getting a new vehicle at the beginning of the year and one of the things I have taken into consideration is if it is Pug friendly!
Yes, my Pug is involved in almost every aspect of my life...except work.|||Our dog is a big thing in our family and we spoil her rotten and in return she loves us as much as we love her.I had to search for a hotel that allowed pets before we went on vacation our family would not think of going and leaving her behind she is our baby.|||I fit the mold with the car, but not the vacation. I include my dogs in my thoughts about a lot of things, but I do not include them in my vacation plans other than deciding who will feed them and let them out. That's ridiculous.|||yes, i take my dog everywhere, she is like my child, i include her in every activity or if she can't come, i make sure she will be ok.|||i rescued my dog so he is VERY VERY VERY close to me. often i say that he is my child because he really is. i am american and i do fit the mold!|||Yes, my dogs are my family. They travel with us, sleep with us, go on vacations with us, get as good (probably better) medical as we do, and are spoiled rotten.
Papaw
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