I tried to edit my previous post, but it went over the 5 minute limit. Please ignore that one. What I wanted to say was:

Good on you for giving the guy the boot! Animal lovers and non-animal lovers will never mix.

I found that these things don't always happen naturally when you meet someone new. My boyfriend loves big dogs and I love small dogs, but he makes an effort to play with my dogs, he goes to the park with us and he cuddles them.

He just doesn't like the dogs sleeping in my bed because he's a really light sleeper who gets woken up every time that the dogs move on the bed. We made a compromise - he is building a big doggie palace with heating, light, a porch and a balcony for the dogs and I am letting them sleep in their own beds when he's here.

The trick is to take the other person's feelings into consideration and come up with a plan that will suit both of you.

Happy dating!

I could agree with you if a person is in a committed relationship and not still in the dating stage. Experimental stage is not the time to be surrendering things that are very important to you. A person should be mature enough to realize the things that are most important to them so as not to live in regret later on as the glow wears off. It takes time to learn what a person is really like. Many times we are more willing to accommodate a new person in our lives than later on when the wear and tear of life happens.

My husband does not like Foxy or our cat in the bed with us,so we had to come up with a mutual agreement..lol.., she has a dog bed right beside our bed, and i can reach down and pet her or cover her up with her blanket..lol...And as for the cat, he usually just sneaks and does what he wants anyways..lol..

:D Does make you wonder how many people are in a FULLY functioning relationship doesn't it? lol

AMEN! My uncle is this way! He thinks all animal homes have a "smell". What is strange and rather ironic is he had a beloved Doxie for 16 years. She was there long before their skin kids. It took them 10 years before they were able to conceive. Until the skin kids were born they treated her like their child. Had professional pictures done of the little pup every year, the whole nine yards.

Once the kids came along Katie was pushed to the side and became the "dog". It got even worse as she became older and started to have incontinence problems.They just did not want to fool with her. They would practically kick her out the front door to go do her business.

While babysitting their middle child Ellie when she was around 7 years old I caught her imitating daddy and kicking at Katie to go out the front door. Man did I light into that kid. Katie was going blind to top it all off and it just took her a bit to grasp her bearings.

Once I sat down and talked to Ellie and explained that we don't treat our pets that way she was so sweet and understood so well. She really took to heart every bit of that conversation and watched out for little Katie from that point on.

That poor little dog put up with so much with those girls growing up. There are 3 girls and the youngest of them has downs syndrome. Their parents never taught them to be very gentle so Katie put up with ears and tails being tugged on, being lugged around in play grocery carts, puppy tea parties, and of course lots of dress up and fashion shows. Hah!

I will never forget most of all though how she watched after the youngest girl Audrey when they brought her home from the hospital. Audrey is downs syndrome like I mentioned and she was also born with a heart defect. She was very small and had to have a billy blanket and some other special things.

Katie was already fairly old but she would lay next to that babies crib and just whimper wanting to make sure she was okay. She would watch so carefully and follow anywhere they took Audrey. No doubt she knew that little girl was very sick and she was going to take care of her. Sweetest thing I have ever seen. She was not like that when the other girls were born. She was careful to follow them and look after them of course but the way she watched Audrey was so different.

Audrey was still toddling around when they had to put Katie to sleep and it breaks my heart that she did not get to spend more time around her because now Audrey is terrified of animals. ALL animals. I have been told this is a downs trait but I don't believe that at all. I have worked with her some around our pets and with patience she does begin to trust them.

Her parents do nothing to teach her that pets are a good thing. Her fear of animals is honestly a danger to her because she is so terrified of them that if she sees a cat in her yard or the neighbors lab across the street she will literally scream and cry and start doing her little ticks that mean shes afraid (for her its sticking her tongue out and clapping her hands for some reason) and she will literally jump off the high side of porches or anything to get away from the animal. She is going to hurt herself.

I wish they would get a therapy dog to come visit her or something but they don't care. They don't see the issue. When she gets a broken leg or arm I suppose they will. Audrey is very high functioning and so sweet. She is only eleven and I firmly believe the fear can be tackled and she could get over it. Just because this little girl is so beautiful I am going to attach a little photo of her down here. She is my world and I have never met a funnier or more caring child. She loves life so much more than most "normal" people. We could learn so much from the simple child like joys downs kids find in so many simple things!

Sorry for the life story guys! This post right here exhibits my A.D.D. at it's best! I swear even with my medicine I can turn one subject into 5! lol! Anyway what I was getting at more than anything is that it is strange to me how someone can be a dog lover for so many years, even cherish a pet, and then become someone who hates pets now. This is the case with my uncle. When I moved in with my boyfriend he helped to move my furniture and was not even going to come inside because he said there would be smells :rolleyes: funny he came in and quickly found my home is cleaner than his. Hah! Gotta love those little moments :D

I totally agree. I didn't make the compromise until we were in a committed relationship, but it was a compromise, not a surrender. I didn't give up - we worked out a plan that suits the both of us. I think that's what relationships are all about. I think it's important to take the other person's feelings into consideration if you want that person to stick around, even if that means you sometimes have to give up cuddling with your furbabies to get a chance to cuddle with the guy you love.

You shouldn't do anything in the beginning that you aren't prepared to do for the rest of your life.