What was your first pet?

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leni

Hardcore Fleece Addict
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Just curious as to what pet got you guys started on your love of pets? Could be your first pet ever that you can remember as a child or a pet that you got that had a big impact on how you feel about pets now.

For me, being an Army brat meant we didn't really have pets since we moved so much and my parents weren't interested. But when I was in about 4th grade my dad got stationed for five years in one place and they decided we could probably have a pet since we would be settled for a while. We got a shepherd mix puppy, named him Robby, I LOVED that dog. I had always been interested in animals but he taught me what it was like to really love and care for one. He used to howl along to when my brother practiced his trumpet, and he saved our lives once. We lived in a duplex and the neighbor's side caught on fire at about 2 a.m. and Robby did not stop barking until we all got up and saw the smoke and got out.

I had Robby for 2 years. One day when I was at school Robby broke out of our yard chasing a jackrabbit and got hit by a car. The man didn't even stop to see what he had done. My parents said despite the fact that he was seriously hurt he still managed to come back to them. They took him to the vet, he had a severely broken back leg and was bleeding from the ears. The vet said it was possible to fix the leg but that brain damage was possible and they decided to put him to sleep. I will never forget that dog. My parents now have 2 dogs, a golden retriever and a beagle that I am very attached to, and I have my two cats and chinnies, and I love them all like they were part of my family. But Robby was what got me started on my love for animals and I know I will never forget how much I loved that dog. Since becoming a member here I found out about the rainbow bridge and I'm sure he is up there now, running around like he always did, waiting for the day we can meet again :)
 
My first pet was a Bird i love it , but again since i was younger i didn't care to much for animals and my mom took care of it . So yes my outlooks on pets are alot different now.
 
I grew up with dogs ever since I was born, but none that I could say were mine, they belonged to the whole family. The first pet I had when I was a kid was a box turtle. His name was Herman. I got him when I was five or six and he was around for along time..I think I was 21 when he died. He was a good pet. I remember feeding him lettuce and vegtables and I loved to watch him eat.

Erin
 
I remember having a gold fish when I was really little. But my first "real" pet was our yellow lab Angel, although she was a 'family' dog. My first pet that was more for me than the family was a guinea pig named Oscar who lived to be 8 years old or so. To this day, I have a suspicion that Oscar may have been a girl, but we weren't exactly pig-savvy people. lol.
 
My first pet was a dachshund named Heidi, she was a lovely dog and slept with either Lisa or I when we were young. Lisa and I also had gerbils but her gerbil started to eat the leg of my gerbil so they were taken away to "live on the farm". My father got an English Springer Spaniel named Beauregard Huntington Lutze--he was the absolute love of my dad's life and ours as well. I was with my dad when he had to be put to sleep. I don't remember a more loving and devoted dog than Beauregard.

All of girls also had rabbits--mine was white and black and his name was Brandy. I will admit we weren't so great cleaning up the poo under the cages outside so after a couple of years all the rabbits went to live on the farm for real at our friend Henry's house. We did use to visit them quite often.

Of the entire family I am definitely the animal lover. I would have a house full if I could. I am also the only one in the family who loves rodents and is not "creeped out" by them.
 
fanofdmb84 said:
"To this day, I have a suspicion that Oscar may have been a girl, but we weren't exactly pig-savvy people. lol.
Click to expand...

That's how we ended up with three little guinea pigs..lol. I got two guinea pigs when I was about 10. I was so proud of myself because I saved up and bought them with my own money. The petshop told us they were both females. We didn't know any different. OPPS!! Then we learned what to look for and kept one of the babies. We found homes for the male and two other little ones.
 
in some way, i define my life by my pets. without exaggeration, ive lived each day of my life with a pet. granted, for 3 years of college, i was away from my pet, but i still had her.

my first pet was our family dog Snitchey. he was there before i was born and we had him until ;he died when i was in 5th grade. i loved him so so much and he was even incorporated into my night time prayer: "Goodnight baby jesus, goodnight guardian angel, take good care of me. take care of mom and dad, dida and snitch, make me a good girl, see you in the morning". to this day, i still say that night time prayer, but havent adjusted it to reflect my current pets. but having him in my life from day one made me appreciate animals so much. i cant imagine live without pets.

since then, ive had about 15 gerbils (not all at once), 2 rabbits, 2 rats, a snake, a few fish, a dwarf hamster, and now sandie (schnauzer) and gizmo.

sandie is probably my bestest friend on the entire planet. shes the smartest dog in the world...no lie. i miss her so so much, but gizmo keeps me company and i love him.

i know you asked what our first pet was, but i like to think of my life as a continuum of pets that have made me such a compassionate person. i think pets are the perfect way to learn what love is. none of my pets have ever broken my heart lol
 
Laurie said:
Lisa and I also had gerbils but her gerbil started to eat the leg of my gerbil so they were taken away to "live on the farm".
Click to expand...

"Live on the farm" lmao that is to great. (not great that they went there) I tell my niece (who is now 6) this all the time. If we have a pet that dies, (like my German Shepherd, Lady) or when she catches a frog or turtle or something from outside and we let it go when she's not looking. We always tell her it went to "live on the farm". Her cat Lion Heart died 2 weeks ago and when people ask what happened she says "he went to live on the farm" because she doesnt know he died.

I didnt think any else used that line.


Anyways, as for the question...I've been an animal lover my whole life and had all kinds of animals. I live at the very end of little back road and we get strays or animals that people just drop off down here a lot when I was younger, so we just always keep them. Feed them, loved them, etc.
We had 15 cats at one time before. It was crazy! lol
 
Live on the farm? Does that mean he killed them? Wow.

We always had dogs and cats growing up, but MY first pet was, surprise - a rat! I think I was 8 or 9?
 
we had cats in the house since before I was born. I grew up with dogs as well, but my passion is with cats, and I can't have too many. I got to buy my own cat from a petstore in the local mall when I was a teen, so that was really my first pet all to myself. He was an orange and white kitty, and even tho I am a huge kitty fan, I love orange kitties the most. He stayed at home with my parents when I moved out, since that was home to him, and I promptly ended up with a couple more cats. My husband is not an animal lover, but over the years, they have made their way into the home anyway!
 
When I was 3, my Sunday school teacher was a breeder of Am. Fox Hounds. My mother's beagle had been put to sleep a few years before, and apparently she'd been thinking it was about time for another dog in the family, just as Mrs. M's female fox hound was bred by a neighbor who let his lab through the gate while Mrs. M wasn't home. (She took his butt to court, but then had the puppies to deal with since she didn't want to spay the female unless she had to.) I distinctly remember this one little brown one getting out of the laundry basket, walking to a corner to pee on the floor, and then climbing into my lap and conking out. :D Three hours later, he was christened "Jackpot", which turned out to be a perfect name. Of the 7 puppies in his litter, he was the only one that didn't end up with the working dog high prey drive/hyper personality, he loved people, he was the perfect 'little brother' to me; we hit the jackpot in every sense of the word.

Losing him to a stroke ten years later broke my heart; but he was overfed junk food treats and given crap food (Gravy Train), just like mother's dog had before I came along. Seeing it happen to two dogs in a row was enough for my parents. My mother hasn't owned a dog since, and the cat they have is on one of the best foods on the market. My father insists on healthy food and pure water for himself, and now won't offer any less to his animals. And neither do I. Their little lives are too short as it is.

What did all that teach me? That bad things happen to good animals, often thanks to ignorant or mean people. That it's better to rescue, or buy from an ethical breeder, than to go to a pet store where the selfish and ignorant use cute animals to make money. That just like our own diets, feeding pets is very much a 'garbage in, garbage out' situation. And that, while love can go a long way toward healing hurts between people, it is a very different and much more powerful balm when offered by something with four legs and fur.
 
My first pet that was actually mine was a grey and white dwarf hamster named Suzie. I named her after my grandma...haha. I took her with me to my dad's every weekend and had a special backpack that had all her food, treats, and toys in it. I was at my dad's and she got out of her cage overnight on Easter morning. Dad found her and buried her under my favorite tree I climbed. :( He made a cross for her and everything. He bought me Suzie 2 a week later, but Suzie 1 will always be special!
 
My first was a cat name Piewacket.. But I dont remember her. Just in pictures. MY second was a cat name Blackfoot.. She was an outdoor cat so she kind of didnt count either. My mom bought be a Rottie and we names were Belle after Belle from Beauty and the Beast.. Still to this day my favorite movie. My abuela didnt like her so we had to give her back to the breeder. Then we had a pitt named Bandit and he attacked me when I was 7 so animal control took him away. My parents gave me the farm excuse but I knew what happened. Then came Shadow the huskey, the stray my mother found on the highway. We had her until she died when I was 15 of a tumor on her stomach erupting. These were all family animals... pepper some fish in there are you have my childhood animals.

My first "one my own" pet was Aero my hedgie. Then Rosa and Needler(both hedgies). Then Lola my pup. Then hedgies, Cavalier Thorne and Honey. And finally Koa the Immokalee Rat dog.
 
We always had pets growing up as well, so I don't really exactly remember the first one. I've seen pictures of me as a wee one with a rabbit and fish, but I don't remember at all. The first pet I do remember was a dog named Pierette. She was a retired police dog that we took in. I was probably about 6 or so when we got her. The first pet that was "mine" is my Goffin cockatoo, Calypso. He was a present for me when I graduated 8th grade. He was more a family pet, but I took most responsibility for him, training him, and he bonded with me the most. So many pets throughout my life... oh the memories and good times!
 
Mine was a black and white rabbit that we named Cottontail. I was about 4 I think, but I was scared of the rabbit.

After that I had a whole plethora of gerbils growing up and we finally did get 2 cats. My cat's name was Rascal, and he was one! He was the best cat ever. We got him as a stray kitten and he had fleas so we gave him flea baths and after that he loved water. If anyone left the toilet seat up you could guarantee he'd jump in. And if you brushed your teeth and left the water run, he'd stick his whole head under the water.

Unfortunately he had a heart condition and died by the age of 3 :(
 
I blame My Little Ponies for my love of animals. Even though my parents never let me have a "real" pet, I still always wanted one. I went through a few hermit crabs and goldfish before I finally got a mouse named Spike.
 
I grew up with many cats and dogs. Our family always took in the neighborhood strays. My first pet of my own was a baby chick. I went to a fair with a friend when I was 6 and my grandparents gave me $1 to spend while I was there. I found chicks for sale for .50 each and I just HAD to have one. I brought it home and my grandparents almost crapped a brick. I kept Lil' Dude in a box in the bathroom while I was at school and I would take him out and let him roam the house in the afternoon while I was home. Lil' Dude didn't like ceiling lights, whenever I'd turn them on, he'd run and hide. I'd turn them off and he'd come out and explore. He'd also chase behind me like I was his mom. Oh, those were the days.
 
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