My truth...is it anyone else's?

[chachi]

Originally Posted by CouversMom

While your truth is not mine, I do not begrudge you for having a different opinion. It sounds like your pup is treated well and lives a good life.

I, on the other hand... view my two as family members and even as children. I am 25 years old, married with no children and treat my yorkies like my kids. They are also dogs, so they get to experience the life of a dog. They go to the dog park 4 times a week, go with us everywhere, ride in a Kwigy Bo, are fed the best food/treats, sleep with us in bed, have clothes to keep them warm, and are loved with every cell in my body.

I am not as extreme as many are on here with strollers, dresses and bows... But I also do not judge their love for their dogs. People view dogs differently, and as long as they are loved and treated well... I have no qualms

You are like me I dont do the bows, strollers or clothes either but I dont jusdge those that do I think it is wonderful its just not for me but it used to be. we dont take ours everywhere with us because we have an 11 yr old daughter and we take her to amusement parks and things. We are starting to go to dog friendly places for vacations though but not all the time. I think they would go all the time if Alexa rae was raised and out of the house so I do understand those like yourself that take yours everywhere. This has been an interesting thread because it lets you see all sides.

[SophieKatesMom]

I respect your post and can understand exactly how you feel.

I also at first thought Sophie Kate was going totally change my lifestyle and honestly she did. I resented waking up early with her at first and all the attention she required (which took away from other things I thought were more important).

Slowly over time I began to realize I enjoyed the things I did that involved Sophie Kate just as much (walks in the park, gardening, quiet time/reading). I think it is important to have a balance with how much of a priority ANYTHING is in your life, be it work, your pet, your friends.

I think Sami is lucky to have a family who loves her.

[GeorgiesMomma]

I keep checking back on this thread to see everyone's replies. What a great bunch of people here While we all come from different places and are at different phases of our lives we all still take great care of the people/furbabies we love. Sami_girl thank you again for sharing your truth with all of us, this has really been enlightening for me.

[Cha Cha]

My animals will always be a huge center of my life for without them, I really don't know who I would have been otherwise. I personally feel my love for animals was something I was born with, but I also understand and accept that not everyone shares the same views/love as I do. Some quite opposite and many somewhere inbetween. I'm ok with that. Because of my relationship with animals I have been called a social outcast much of my life as many of my "friends" just don't understand. I was literally born into a family of animals via the family farm. Growing up I didn't have afterschool friends, activities like sports or dance, or even a neighborhood of kids, but I did have the animals. It's a life I absolutely loved and our life was always centered around the animals. I even had a prenuptual agreement with my hubby that I come with animals. LOL All my life I have literally slept with some kind of live animal in their bed or mine, and no, my hubby doesn't count.

[horsnaround]

Originally Posted by Cha Cha

My animals will always be a huge center of my life for without them, I really don't know who I would have been otherwise. I personally feel my love for animals was something I was born with, but I also understand and accept that not everyone shares the same views/love as I do. Some quite opposite and many somewhere inbetween. I'm ok with that. Because of my relationship with animals I have been called a social outcast much of my life as many of my "friends" just don't understand. I was literally born into a family of animals via the family farm. Growing up I didn't have afterschool friends, activities like sports or dance, or even a neighborhood of kids, but I did have the animals. It's a life I absolutely loved and our life was always centered around the animals. I even had a prenuptual agreement with my hubby that I come with animals. LOL All my life I have literally slept with some kind of live animal in their bed or mine, and no, my hubby doesn't count.

me too i came with animals lol and i still have both 28 years later dh and animals

[Joyce Adams]

Oh how I love this thread..I know when raising my son and daughter that I wouldn't have time for a puppy. When my children grew up and left home I felt such a void and we got Yoshi, or Peke and then I felt the heartstrings jerk again so that is how I now have Miss Priss too. I am just one of those people that needs to nurture, so it is with dogs.

I respect everyone here on their views and this thread has been a very interesting read. Thank you for starting this..

[MidnightUnicorn]

Originally Posted by southernbelle04

This is the same story for us too! Katie Scarlett is like my child, but then again, I do not have children of my own. She is the center of my world and goes everywhere we do. If she cannot go, she stays with family or at doggy daycare. She is never left alone, but that was our choice. I think whatever works best for you is great. I think that a Yorkie would be just fine as a family dog and not a lap dog. I know many Yorkies that are not pampered to the nine's like Katie Scarlett is...not in any way that it is a bad thing. We all have our different views and opinions, and that is great. As long as you love and take proper care of them, I think any dog would be so blessed and so happy. And I think it's great too that you can share your thoughts on YT. I love YT!

I like YT, too.

Yes, like you, my husband and I don't have children. And it was by choice.

Truthfully, I don't consider Tatiana my child (though sometimes I joke about it). I never wanted children, whereas Tatiana was wanted. Awful to say, right? Well, it's truthful.

In the past, my husband and I often joked that we wanted a yorkie, not a baby. That's what we jokingly told people when we were asked about having children. We chuckled about it, but it was true.

Well, when we finally got Tatiana, she was everything we hoped for. She's our dream dog.

[Lilymo]

I understand you saying sometimes you wish you hadn't got her heck there's times I wish Ic never got my skin kids lol and more often my dh. Less so my dogs does that make Neva bad person? Nope just human lol

[Lil Sis]

I have really enjoyed reading each post. I can see bits and peices of me in most. Unlike Chacha i did not grow up with animals, I had pets a couple of times but they were "animals" and my mom did not like to have animals in the house. I guess you can say I had my first pets for my children. When the girls were young my world was centered around them. We had cats, we had a dog.. but eventhough I provided for them they were pets and I did not bond with them (one of the cat even peed on me).

Later I got Sammy, that is when I changed. The girls were grown, even moved out for a time. That NEED I have to nurture and care for a living creature kicked in. Then I got Zohie.. and she died. I changed. Two years latter I got Remy and now my world centers to a great part around the three dogs. They are just like our children, I take care of them (bath them, cook for them, take them to the vet worry about them ) but dh plays with them so they LOVE him. It hurst sometimes, but thats ok. It is my NEED to nurture that keeps me going.

I just can not see how anyone could hurt a dog, or most animals for that matter. I love my guys. I would say I put the needs of the humans in my life first, but I never put giving my pack love or care as second.

[Britster]

I think it would make a HUGE difference if I was mother to a real baby (lol) at the same time. I really like being able to focus so much on Jackson, and not having a kid to worry about... I think it'd be different if I was busy being a mom at the same time, though I know he would still be a huge part of my family... I do think it'd be different. I lived with my young sister when I got Jackson as a pup - he was 9 weeks, she was about 8 months old and it was hard just living there and she wasn't even MY responsibility. So I can imagine the stress of a baby and a young puppy. But it was also cool at the same time, because those 2 have grown up together, and now that they're both older... it's really sweet to see that they are also best buds! Either way, I look forward very much to going thru all of life's changes with Jackson. I've always been through so much with him (got him at 18, am now going on 22). It's a really cool thing... he's "MY" first dog, so I think he will ALWAYS hold a VERY special place in my heart. Like I said, he's literally my best friend. As much as I loved my childhood dogs, nothing compares to the love I feel for this little guy. And I could never view him as just a pet, he's truly FAMILY.

[My Ladybug]

While Ladybug is a big part of our family, she is just our pet. I have 2 children who live at home and a husband who will always be my main priority. We all love on her every single day. My husband has trained her so well and the kids love to play with her. She lays with them when they have their movie nights in the familyroom and she plays with them when they go out in the backyard, and she either lays on my lap or on the floor next to my office chair every night while I'm working.

We arrange all Petsmart visits so that she always comes along with us, and we can never leave that store without a new toy or treat just for her. She has a weekly bath in our bathtub and my husband works the blowdryer while I hold her in my arms until she's dry.

She is not allowed in any of the bedrooms unless she is invited or if she is told to wake my girls up for school in the morning. She is not allowed on the sofa but is allowed on the window seat. She's up at 6 am when our alarm goes off, and runs around the house until we all leave. She is crated during the day while we're at work and school. She doesn't sleep in her crate at night she chooses to sleep under my office chair on a nice rug. When we go away for the weekend she is looked after by my dad or our oldest daughter who lives on her own.

I have never been an animal lover as far as wanting multiple pets and species in my home, because of all the different animal odors and messes to clean up but, I have wanted a yorkie for quite a few years now. Ladybug looks nothing like I expected her to look, (She has long skinny legs and her fur grows very slow) but I can truly say she is a perfect fit for our family and I wouldn't change anything about her, not even her long skinny legs . She isn't a needy dog who demands attention, but she definitely gets it almost every time she wants it.

I don't do the strollers or top knots but she has accumulated quite the wardrobe in her 10 months of life so far . I don't judge those who do the strollers and top knots or those who carry their babies everywhere in a little hand bag either. I understand that for some dog owners they are just like children but for me and my family, our yorkie is a dearly loved pet. My girls are 9 and 11 years old and I'm still the driver, chef, nurse, tutor, hairstylist, maid, sleepover organizer, and the list goes on. I absolutely love being all of those things to the people that need me to be and I know they aren't going to need me in those ways forever. So maybe in the next few years when they are not so dependent on me, my view of Ladybug may change also.

I'm so glad to hear how you honestly feel about your little Sami and I can relate to your feelings. As long as you're giving the love and attention that each family member including the fur baby needs I say you're doing alright. Thank you for sharing!

[mscat]

I grew up as having poms as family dogs. It was until 4 years ago that I wanted a small dog. My son was 14 at the time and he has autism with intellectual disabilites. I am also disabled and do not leave the house very much, and really am not a 'people person" After getting Suzi things changed so much for the better, we then added a shh tzu to the family a yr later. Skipping up to now these dogs have become a very big part of our family. Suzi loves me, however really loves my son and he treats her like a baby, which we all know yorkie's love that kind of attention. Miely has become more my dog and is so mild mannered and a total lap dog, Suzi will give me tons of kissess all the time and sleeps on my bed. I do go out, but all think about is the dogs. It is hard for me to leave the house for long periods of time. Now that Suzi and Miley are 3-4 years old it is so much better to be out of the puppyhood stage. I also was not thinking about these dogs as being very high maintence, as both are. They are service dogs, yet I prefer to keep them at home, because it would be harder to bring them with us even though we can. My son is nearly 19, I am a single parent , and my son is in a adult program everyday , so it is me and the dogs.
In response to the op, your children come first , it is hard to juggle things around everyday with a family of young kids, and their is nothing to feel guility about. Your doing the best you can and are spending time with your dog. Don't be so hard on yourself. As long as your dog is getting her needs met it is fine.

[IsabelleOllie]

I am a dog person, I always have been and I always will be. I loved my yorkies growing up, and I also loved any dog that I came in contact with. When I went to play at friends' houses, if they had a dog I played with it more than my friend. I had dog stuffed animals, read dog books, drew pictures of dogs, memorized all of the breeds and learned as much as I could about them... I was, and still am, dog crazy.

I have 5 kids, and I'm a single Mom (with a useless ex), so my life is VERY busy. I love my kids, and enjoy being a mother, but I NEED my dogs. They have a very special part of my heart. I love waking up in the morning to their happy little faces and going outside with my dogs, watching them play while I have my coffee. I love playing fetch with them, walking them, training, and just sitting on the couch with them.

My dogs don't really get spoiled with lots of clothing, and I don't do frou frou, but they get plenty of toys. I feed them very good food. They don't come every where I go, but they get to go out to dog friendly places and to visit my parents. We spend quality time training every day and the highlight of Ziggy's week is his CGC class.


They are like perpetual toddlers, but also like my very best friends. I will always have dog(s) and at least one will be a yorkie for the rest of my life. I can't imagine not sharing my home with them, I am a dog mom... and that is my truth.

[MamaZiggy]

I get what you are saying. Its important to take of yourself so we can better take care of our loved ones. For me though i would say Ziggy is my life, i have a different relationship with him than i have ever had with a dog. I love all my dogs as pets, but ziggy is like my baby. Maybe its because i got him at a VERY difficulty time in my life, maybe its because he nearly died the day after i goot him and i had to syringe (akin to bottle feeding a baby) feed and water him every 2 hours for 2 weeks straight! Maybe its the combination, but he's my baby, and i do everything for him. everyone in my life knows its, people on the street stop me and say "wow i've never seen anyone love a dog so much" I cant imagine my life without him, he's my blessing daily. I could go on and on about this...lol. i just love him But i have no children (im still young- 25years old, dont want skin children right now) so i can only speak from my point of view. I respect everyone's point of view too

[crystalsmom]

This thread just keeps getting better and better.