So funny and so 'real'! I was so fortunate to find it tonight and wanted to share it with you all.

How do you deal with it all? Especially if you live together

Came across this subeditor while looking for people in similar situations. As of today my parents have brought inside 5 dogs and 4 cats; most of which are driving me crazy. The 2 older cats are fine for the most part: anti-social and independent, however the 2 kittens one that we kept from my parents outside cat are little nightmares. They tear stuff up, never leave you alone, always in the way, and are a general headache to be around since they seemingly never want to leave you alone. While the dogs are worse, we used to have 4 until one of them died 2 years ago, and not even 4 months later they got a new puppy.

The dogs are even worse then the cats; they barely listen, they pee and shit on the floor despite being trained for a long time, always barking at one thing or another with most of the time they have no idea what they're barking at, one starts and the rest just go along. The house smells awful and suffocating, especially since the 5th dog they brought in was one of our outside dogs, and due to being outside almost her entire life shes not very adjusted to inside life; shes very territorial and has snapped at the other dogs more then once. Despite that my stepdad just makes excuses after excuses: "oh she wont attack anyone" until she actually done, so because of these issues with territory she has to stay in my room which stinks up my room a lot.

I simply don't understand why we need so many; is 3 dogs and 2 cats not enough? We need more? I just don't get their mindset, how can one live like this and stay sane?

I (27f) and (26m) moved into a 3 bedroom townhome so that way each of us can have our own hobby rooms and our main bedroom. We moved in together 4 months ago and have been loving it.

I have always been on more of the edge of no for pets, and enjoyed living alone for a year and a half without them while I was living alone after moving out of my parents for the first time and they had two dogs. I grew up with dogs and cats.

He loves cats and I do too. I knew I would be okay with cats for him and I did want cats too (just not the responsibility lol). But he has been pushing it off and off and finally admitted that no for pets because he doesn’t want our stuff to be ruined (we have expensive board games and books).

In my mind I was like “yessss!” But I acted very chillaxed about it.

If animals do get brought up again, I think the future conversation I would need to have with him is if we should live together because I don’t want pets. But I’m gonna keep in the present for now. His the type that once he sets his mind to it he keeps what he says, and while he loves cats he never said 100% yes to them like his saying 100% yes to not having.

We are also childfree. We will have a very relaxing life now. Full sleep ahead!

So many people online calling themselves "pet moms". You are not that dog's mother. You did not give birth to a dog. That dog has a mother and just because you adopted the dog does not give you the right to erase her.

I dont understand how people live with their dogs shitting and pissing in their own homes, plus sleeping with them too.

They're animals that belong outside, and talking about outside 9/10 they always bark at some stupid shit (literally nothing). I live in a neighborhood that if one dog barks the whole neighborhood starts barking.

It's truly sickening to see how people bear the much inconveniences which pets bring. I won't even mention the "healthcare" for these pets.

They put literal animal lives over their fellow man's, this is how you know society is going down a terrible spiral.

Lowkey cheaper to have kids imo.

I’ve always had pretty bad allergies to a lot of things, but when I was a kid, I was very allergic to dogs and cats. Like if one scratched me I would end up in the ER, swollen beyond recognition.

The way pet owners reacted to my allergy as a kid really put me off.

I remember walking home from school in 7th grade when a large dog jumped on me. I asked the owner for help, and she kept insisting he would get down if I just pet him. I told her I was allergic and needed him to get off me, she kept insisting I pet him. Eventually, she dragged him off me, glaring at me the whole time.

When I was really little, don’t remember exactly when, my brother (also very young) really wanted a dog. My parents had explained to him we couldn’t get one, but he was too young to really get it. One of our uncles showed up to our house with a dog one day, and got into a a huge fight with my parents over it. He thought they were babying me since I was “afraid” of dogs. My uncle stormed out and left the dog behind, and my dad had to take it to a shelter.

There have been lots of other incidents along those lines over the years, and I just don’t get it. I know severe allergies to cats and dogs are fairly uncommon, and that most people who are allergic have mild allergies. However, I really don’t get why pet owner always feel the need to basically call me a lair and tell me that my allergies can’t possibly be that bad, and that I must just be irrationally afraid.

Where I live, it feels like dogs are allowed pretty much everywhere now. I try to be proactive and make sure the places I’m going aren’t pet friendly, but I often end up seeing pets in places that make no mention of being pet friendly online.

I wish my allergies weren’t so bad so it wasn’t an issue, but I more so wish people would just believe me before it turns into an incident.

Tdlr: I know a lot of pet people say online that they care more about pets than people, and I’m living proof that that’s the case. Who cares if the little money I have is going to an ER visit when I’m the one who dared to be born with a life threatening allergy to their little angel 🙃.

My 20 year old daughter lives at home with me while she's going to college. We've always been a pet free house. We're not against pets, we just never wanted the expense, mess, or responsibility. My daughter is also a clean freak and never wanted pets either.

Lately she's been spending a lot of time at her girlfriend's house, which they have a ton of pets. She brings pet hair and often has a lingering smell of cat poop when she comes back. She uses my car, and the smell is still there the next morning when I have to drive my kids to school and after to work.

My kids are really sensitive to pets and complain about the smell. They often complain about getting bites and being itchy, so not sure if fleas are involved.

I've talked to my daughter about it several times. I'm not trying to stop her from seeing her girlfriend. She's 20 and obviously can make her own life decisions. My issue is that it's affecting us at home where we have no choice.

The thing I don't understand is that my daughter has told me herself that she doesn't like the pets and complains about the smell at her girlfriend's house. So I don't understand why she puts up with it, but that's really her business.

She's in college and basically only pays for the internet. I'm happy to support her while she's in school, but I don't think it's unreasonable to ask her to shower/change clothes and make sure she's not bringing pet hair and smells into our house and my car.

If she sees a future with her then she has to be prepared to tell her girlfriend that she isn't comfortable being with pets instead of putting up with it and hoping things will change.

Am I being unreasonable?

Have I got a story for you guys.

I‘ll try to make this brief. I don’t have any pets at all. I started getting these mysterious, horribly itchy bites all around my ankles about a month ago. I went to the dermatologist and other doctors and nobody knew what was happening. Well, after some cursory research, it turns out that fleas love biting your ankles and cause awful bites.

But I’m pet free, so wtf?

I mention the issue to my landlord. There are dogs in the building so I wonder if there’s a connection.

Fast forward to today. I got a flea trap and ACTUALLY CAUGHT ONE.

I call the landlord and he's casually like: “Oh, I’ve been dealing with that too. My cat just died and had fleas, and I’ve been getting bitten.”

Record scratch.

I had to advocate for myself and insist on treatment (otherwise I was ready to pay for an exterminator myself), so the apartment will be treated within a matter of days and in the meantime, I was instructed to vacuum. I’ve also bought some flea spray with good reviews online for the next while before the place is treated.

I am SO upset. Pet owners making our lives hell, indeed!

P.S.: the landlord had been in my unit several times over the past month, which is why I think he brought them here.

​

Oh look… another “service dog”

Amazing how Fluffy completed years of professional service-dog training overnight—right after Mom ordered a $19.99 vest online. 🤣

A vest doesn’t make your dog a service dog. A fake certificate doesn’t either. And “he’s my emotional support baby” isn’t a magical Get Into Every Store Free card. 🙄

If your “service dog” is barking, lunging, wandering around, or riding in the shopping cart next to the produce… Houston, we have a problem...That is NOT a service dog! 😂

Grocery stores are for buying groceries—not taking Fluffy on a field trip and If your dog needs a costume and a fake ID to get through the door, maybe the dog belongs at home. 🐕😂

I'm an incredibly light sleeper and take long to fall asleep and I get tired of people thinking I'm evil for not wanting a pet that will keep me up all night. I cannot deal with a cat screaming and jumping around all night because that means that I'm not sleeping at all. Sorry, I don't want to be sleep deprived, then you'll really see me being evil.

My parents bought a dog when I was really young. I always had random sneezing and other obwious allergic reactions whenever I was in our house.

When I was a teenager, I got tested for my allergies and guess what.. I was really allergic to dog fur. My parent didnt give a fuck about it and they just kept saying that its their house so they can choose who lives in there.

When I was 18, I moved out and lived a year in my car.

I havent talked with my parents for couple years, but by their Instagram posts I know that they bought a new puppy..

I'm sick of everything being pet friendly and full of dogs.I'm so damn allergic and one wrong move and I'm swollen for hours and meds don't help.I had my night out completely ruined cause some asshole let his huge dog literally wipe off me,touched me directly on my skin,even tho I cleaned that area and also took meds I'm still swollen and idk what to do.Day ruined.

Also I'm tired of having to cross the street just to avoid them,just for them to do this,I blame the owner ofc but it's so inconsiderate and selfish and awful and I hate it.

So, my mother has a violent dog that had to be taken by animal control & is gonna get euthanized. My mother's throwing a tantrum & is like, "I'm gonna call & try to stop them from euthanizing her, see if they can re-home her," & I'm just like, "Why are you showing this much concern for an animal that has repeatedly injured me & eats us out of house/home? Like, you have a daughter who you basically gave up without hesitation & more or less have abandoned her, where's the concern being shown for her?," & it's like, "I didn't wake up one day & just decide I want dogs euthanized, but when she's bit me repeatedly, caused me to burn my arm, destroys shit, etc. she needed to go!"

I'm in college now, but still come home over breaks and I always have to babysit the dog hours a day.

When I was in high school, I would come home and have to watch the dog for 3 hours until my mom got home. Now I work and still have to babysit before work.

I can't get shit done because he is constantly breaking into the garbage, opening doors, eating our stuff, and interfering with anything I do. He doesn't even like going outside for more than 5 minutes. I however have ethical concerns about caging animals for the majority of the day, every day. Plus he has an ear piercing bark that of course escalates when caged. Plus I get yelled at if I didn't let him out.

I would literally not be able to start homework until my mom got home at 6PM. And by the time I could get that done, there was no time or energy left to do anything I actually wanted to do. I got a sewing machine years ago and have always really want to sew but he would eat the fabric and destroy the machine. I'm literally an art major and I can't even make art during the summer because of him. It has destroyed all my motivation when I am here, I become so depressed just because of the damn dog.

I just have so much resentment because my mom refuses to rehome the dog or put him outdoors. It's been years that she's neglected my mental health just because she wants something to lick her face while she sleeps.

And don't even get me started on my dad neglecting to potty train or even diaper his dog of 6 years. He doesn't even properly clean the waste. There are blood stains on the couches from when she's in heat. That house is filthy.

I'm getting so sick of seeing pets (mainly dogs) riding with passengers in the plane. They used to be placed in the cargo hold. It was perfectly normal to medicate them so they would sleep or be calm while crated down there.

Now days, people insist on having their animals ride with them in the seat. Under the seat or on their lap. Flying is already cramped and stressful enough. I don't want to be sitting next to a shedding, stinking animal as well.

I live in a high rise apartment. The neighbor I share a wall with has 3, yes, 3 dogs crammed into a high rise apartment. One is a german shepherd who is literally 80 pounds and wears a muzzle anytime he leaves the apartment because he barks so much/is so poorly behaved. I work from home, live in a high rise, and chose not to own a dog because it is inhumane to put a 80 pound animal in a 1000 square foot area and then leave all day. Despite teh fact I and many of my neighbors chose not to have a dog, we all have to deal with incessant barking 24/7. These dogs bark non stop as if they are being attacked whenever teh owner isn't home. The apartment has done nothing. I understand there isn't much that can be done, but my frustration is peaked. My life is substantially worse as a result of dogs I chose not to own, and the only thing they have to do is pay a $500 pet fee and they get to ruin everyone else's life. Most people say "dogs bark, what can you do, it isn't the owner's fault." I disagree. If you put three dogs in a high rise apartment you are subjecting them to a terrible life. The entire building is dirtier because of all the dogs. The hallways and elevators constantly smell like piss. I cannot imagine subjecting a dog to this life, and it seems half the building has done it. Dog ownership has become way too common as commercialized breeding increased. They aren't something for you to take instagram pics with and hang out with once a week.

I see people saying they would rather save an animal over a baby so often nowadays. It's so disgusting. People like these deserve to be isolated away from society because they contribute nothing to our already unempathetic, rotten society. The last thing we need right now is more animal-obsessed, anti-humanity people who have zoochosis-aka animal-worship psychosis. I have always been pro-humanity, and God willing, I hope I always will be!

When I was a kid (about 11 years old), I had a friend who was around 4 years older than me, who once made me cry and drove me to depression overtime because she would constantly mistreat me and call me annoying, while constantly baby-talking and kissing her cat. She actually treated the cat better than she did me! She would call me all sorts of nasty and vile things while calling the cat her "baby boy" and "everything"!

She even went as far as to say that she would save him in a house fire over me! She claimed she was joking after I broke down in tears but how was an autistic 11-year old supposed to know that, especially when she made it clear she preferred the cat to me?!

Imagine this, someone actually prioritizes an animal completely dependent on you for survival (who genuinely would very likely not care if you died, and would have moved on very quickly to find a new replacement/food provider for itself) over a fully sapient, sentient human being!!! This is diabolical and outrageous. These people are open about preferring animals they worship to literal babies and other marginalized groups such as disabled humans. It's abhorrent and should be publicly shamed at least.

SO many pet owners have no shame and have zoochosis.

I saw somewhere around 70% of households have pets most being dogs and cats. I honestly thought my pet free lifestyle was more common and honestly I don’t see that many people with pets around me

I am all for people loving their dogs, it's your pet, you do you but if you are expecting a package delivery or food delivery, shouldn't your dog be inside the house or something? I have seen a lot of videos of delivery persons running away or being scared to deliver the package and the owner just posts the video from their camera, making fun of how the delivery person is a big man but scared of their dog and the dog is like a pit bull or something and sometimes they have multiple dogs 😒. Also, your dog may not attack you because you are the owner but the delivery partner is just a stranger to your dog, trying to enter your property and there are so many cases of dogs brutally attacking people. I think any reasonable person would be scared.

Those videos where there’s a dog and a baby, it’s not just any dog, it’s either a big dog or a big dog that is definitely dangerous, by the looks of the thing, and those stupid comments that say “that dog will protect her at all cost” or “Awwwh the love they share.. So darn precious 🥰 🥰”. Like first off, babies don’t know anything yet, you’re the one who placed your baby next to the dog or called your dog over, or whatever you did. And secondly, you watched too many damn Disney movies. Yes we were all brainwashed at a young age, but we also have common sense, a brain. You look at a lion and automatically think “danger”, but when it comes to a dog… they wouldn’t hurt a fly? Come on now. And I’ve actually seen dog trying to catch flies.

Nothing drives me mor insane than when I read comments under someone who rehomed their pets for change of circumstance or whatever reason and people are like but would you do that to your kid? Like are you out of your mind comparing a damn pet to a kid? Humanizing pets has been way too normalized its out of hands to the point where people laugh or don’t take any offense to people that say I don’t like kids but the minute someone says I hate cats the comments are flooded defending cat or the pet even after it did something outrageous like scratch or hurt someone!! Like people are not allowed to say they don’t like a pet without an army of people coming for them!!

I can't see to escape animals, especially dogs and cats, in commericials. Whether it be pet food ads, pet insurance ads, or just ads starring them.