Do people have pets in your communities?

amother

Ebony

Wed, Mar 27 2024, 6:32 am

I live in Lakewood, but in a small, secluded, far-out neighborhood. We joke that we're Lakewood's best kept secret.

So far, three families have dogs. A few have cats. Many have bunnies, hamsters, white mice. One has goats.

As an aside, when consulting with Rav Shimon Galey about our shy, sweet son, he suggested that we a)stop worrying so much because he's a great kid, but if we really did want to get him some help, we should b) get him a dog. We haven't because I've got enough on my plate, but I thought it was interesting advice. Not at all what we were expecting!)

shabbatiscoming

Wed, Mar 27 2024, 6:39 am

#BestBubby wrote:

Frum families spend so much $$$ and time on their large families, bh.

Don't have $$$ or time to spare on pets.

That's for gentiles with 2 kids.

That is BEYOND judgemental.
But Im sure you knew that 😡

amother

Moonstone

Wed, Mar 27 2024, 7:00 am

First of all, 2 kids is still a full family! Open your minds a bit!

Second of all, after the Holocaust there was trauma because large dogs would kill any prisoner who tried to escape. So for the past 50 years or so, dogs have been an unspoken no no.

Nowadays many therapists encourage dogs for kids that need an extra boost.

I don’t dislike dogs, and I’m not afraid of them, but where I live the houses are too small and we don’t have real yards. Also, I find them to be smelly, and it’s a lot of work to take care of a dog, and a TON of money (from what my coworkers tell me). (Also my single lady coworkers who want a pet to cuddle with sometimes get cats because they are neater and cleaner and still cuddle nicely. I hardly ever see cats as pets where I live because there are a gazillion feral cats all over so why add one more, I guess)

amother

Eggshell

Wed, Mar 27 2024, 7:05 am

It depends who. But where I live , outskirts of Monsey people have dogs, bunnies, cats, chickens, fish, Guinea pigs, goats, sheep, etc.
Dogs is the least common. The yeshivish people in the area do not own any of these pets though. You see it more amongst chasiddish , heimish or jpf.

Debbie

Wed, Mar 27 2024, 7:17 am

#BestBubby wrote:

Frum families spend so much $$$ and time on their large families, bh.

Don't have $$$ or time to spare on pets.

That's for gentiles with 2 kids.

My husband and I were only able to have 2 kids, we have also had a few cats over the years.
I know of larger families that have rabbits, or guinea pigs.
Not every Frum family has lots of kids and even those that do might still have pets.

shabbatiscoming

Wed, Mar 27 2024, 7:23 am

amother Moonstone wrote:

This may be true in certain communities.
Ive seen dogs in frum homes in the last 50 years.
And not all holocaust survivors felt that way.

amother

Lime

Wed, Mar 27 2024, 7:35 am

It's common in my community to have pets (my kids' personal favorite is the neighbor's bearded dragon). We don't have because I have a hard enough time managing my life without pets, so I'm not taking on the additional responsibility (and if I was in a place to take on another responsibility, I'd be having another child, not getting a pet). We might get a cat once all the kids are grown, we'll see. For now, grateful to all the people I know who have pets and let us play with them so that we can enjoy animals but get to give them back at the end 😀

amother

Blue

Wed, Mar 27 2024, 9:07 am

I live in Lakewood.
We’ve had Guinea pigs, bunnies, hamsters, frogs, and fish. Kids and DH are dying for a dog and I love dogs too but am unwilling to take on that responsibility right now.
We have friends who have farms. Neighbors who have cats, chickens, birds. A couple of people have dogs and some others “dog sit” and our kids are always thrilled to go play with the dogs.
It’s not super typical but not unheard of either.

amother

Papayawhip

Wed, Mar 27 2024, 9:52 am

I live in Hollywood. Feel like we are in a minority NOT having a dog.

I happen to really like animals and would love having a dog, but feel like it's not the right thing with our lifestyle. Kids are in school all day, DH and I work f/t. Poor dog would be alone so much. Then come shabbos we'll have to lock him up when company comes (and we have a lot of company every week) because there will always be someone kid who is terrified. Just doesn't make sense to me.

NechaMom

Wed, Mar 27 2024, 10:01 am

I cannot for the life of me understand how someone chooses to own a mouse. Respectfully asking for someone to explain.
Those who own one as a pet, if a mouse would come through their wall on a random day, wouldn't they jump onto the table and yell (like I would)?

amother

Freesia

Wed, Mar 27 2024, 10:04 am

NechaMom wrote:

They can be interesting to watch- in a closed cage only!

But I will say they aren't the best pets. They bite if you try to hold them. They smell awful. They die quickly. I had some mice for a while because kids wanted gerbils and we couldn't find them so mice were the alternative. Not a great choice.

unclemoishy

Wed, Mar 27 2024, 10:47 am

>If anyone here had experience with any rodent pets, feel free to chime in with recommendations.
Edit: I tried to respond to a specific person but am not sure how to do that yet lol. Regardless, leaving it up just in case Smile

(Sorry dont know how to properly format quote blocks yet)

If I could give a recommendation, I'd say rats! In my experience, they're a lot friendlier than hamsters, less likely to bite when stressed, and wont wake everyone up running on the wheel all night. They're also a lot easier to house, because more pet stores carry appropriately sized cages for rats then hamsters. And of course a lot easier to locate if they get lost, because they are larger and can be trained to come when called.

Guinea pigs are also lovely if you have space for them, they're currently my favorite rodent. They're a bit trickier to care for than rats however, because they need vitamin C-rich vegetables every day in addition to their hay and pellets, plus they tend to make a mess. But on the plus side, they arent escape artists like most other rodents, and if they escape they may try to return to the cage after exploring a bit. They are very charming and talkative once they get to know you! Very Happy

Iymnok

Wed, Mar 27 2024, 6:23 pm

We live in a Chareidi community in Israel.
We have had a turtle, birds, dwarf hamsters, a pheasant, rabbits, and various fish and loaches.
I told my nephew that when our yard grows big enough, I'll get a horse. I like animals. My son lives all animals, he will go up to anyone with a dog and ask permission to pet it. The chilonim love it!