The Pets Thread

[Chibster]

Pets are loving friends and adorable members of the family! Have pets and want to show everyone how awesome they are? Found a cute pet video or picture? Want to discuss the joys and sorrow of pets? Need advice? Share and discuss everything about pets here!

Spoiler:

[Truthseeker4449]

They both look really cute, especially the cat!

[Truthseeker4449]

Oh cool look at this thread that I uncovered.

[varia]

my older sister has a french bulldog named oliver! i think he turned 3 or 4 last month. sometimes i use him as the subject in my photographs as practice heh

imo this is my best photo of him:

accidentally shot him mid-sneeze lmao

a beautiful boy:

[Meyneth]

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

A

GOOD

BOY

[Truthseeker4449]

It is I, the thread nercomaster

So now that my brother is out of the house and things have settled a lot, a pet has been something that has crossed my mind a lot in the last few months.

My sister has now been through a couple Bettas. They can be pretty to look at and surprisingly interactive, but boring after a while. She's also been careless about feeding her latest two and doesn't seem too engaged with them. I've ended up taking some of the cost on my dime, so I eventually started thinking about a pet I would want to take care of.

A corn or milk snake was my first thought, but my mother objected to the thought of me feeding it frozen-thawed mice. She admitted she otherwise wouldn't mind it as long as she never saw the food or me feeding it. My father pretty much outright objected stating space concerns and what would happen if it escaped, not that either species is aggressive or remotely dangerous.

Cat was my next choice, but there is no good place for a litter box. And my little brother is sadly mildly allergic to cats.

Dog is what is on my mind now. I don't love most dogs, but I don't hate them either. Very early on I became fixated on the larger, more wolf-like breeds. Siberian Husky was the first one I really considered. My mother likes Huskies. As I dug deeper I learned that Huskies have a triple layer coat that sheds a ton. Hair I figure I can deal with, but I do live in a temperate climate where temperatures can dip as low as -10 with harsh winds to 115 with humidity. An Arctic work dog would be miserable half the year.

I was talking with a Mabinogi Guildie who has a much stronger interest in dogs and she recommended me a capability test while shying me away from the Husky. Surprisingly my test results revealed that my second-most capable breed at 94% is Alaskan Malamute.

As the name suggest, the Alaskan Malamute is an Arctic work dog like the Huskie, renowed for it's weight pulling capabilities. As the oldest and largest of the sled dog breeds, Alaskan Malamutes can pull loads up to 1,100 to 3,300 lbs depending on its training. Alaskan Malamutes however have a thinner coat than the smaller Huskies, allowing it to put up with heat as well as being lower maintenance. They are rather docile, social dogs that rarely bark, while they can look fierce, they are terrible guard dogs.

It doesn't seem to be terrible starting dog for someone who barely knows anything about dogs. They are regarded as rather nimble for an animal weighing 75-85 pounds, a plus for a small home where space is rather limited. A dog is also a good bit more mobile than a litter box and there is plenty of space for it to rest and have a bed.

However my current rest schedule really doesn't allow much time for care for a dog in the morning, it only being 45 minutes between waking up and leaving for work, which now lasts longer. I have worked as late as 6:30 before and it's another half hour before I come home.

I've talked to my mother about both dogs and she's been pretty receptive so far to me. I have not spoken to my father yet, or a member of my extended family that has kept a dog.

[Meyneth]

A few other things to consider about the Alaskan Malamute:
It will have a high energy level, do you have the time/energy to manage that? It'll need a lot of walks/exercise.

It'll still shed a lot, do you know that your younger bother is only allergic to cats and not the fur/dandruff that a dog can give off? Greece is allergic to cats and dogs so we had to get a hypoallergenic one.

I'd recommend checking out your local shelter/rescue They know a lot about dogs and should be able to answer Questions that you might have. They also tend to know things about the dogs in the shelter, and could tell you if they could be a good fit. Don't be afraid of getting a mutt.

Research any breeders and don't buy from pet stores

If the pet store has dogs/cats from a shelter/rescue that's fine, but don't support any store that might be getting dogs from a puppy mill.

[Truthseeker4449]

That's where I am a bit concerned, I can set aside an hour after getting home for just roaming the trails around my house. I've also kicked around of the idea of a doggy trailer. However the mornings could be challenging, especially if it doesn't wanna go to the bathroom in a short few minutes. And then there's the concern leaving a large dog alone for a good chunk of the day while everyone is out at work and school.

I understand that it'll still shed a lot and he is just allergic to cats. It's a pretty mild allergy to start with.

[Truthseeker4449]

Talked with my mother and found out it's specifically Cat Dandruff that my brother is allergic to. She also affirmed that she will not mind such a large dog provided I take care of it. Actually she seems to like the idea more than she initially let on because she's currently looking up shelters without me asking her.

Turns out there's a couple Alaskan Malamute shelters within a two hour drive so I'll be checking one out in the coming weeks.

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