After going to the humane society today to get a dog for my grandparents and having my grandma refuse to take him as the gift he was intended to be, I would definitely say I prefer dogs to cats (I love both) because they're so much fun to play with and give so much love to you when you spend time with them. The new dog we got today is a black lab with some other breeds mixed in (my stepdad says he has some Doberman in him), and we also have a Jack Russell Terrier that has a 'tude when it comes to any other animal in his 'terf'....he'll slowly get used to having the new dog around (I hope :) )

I will send you pics once I get mine in March or April! :D

Dogs ... man's best friends :)

Cats are annoying and not so reliable (sp?)!

I've always been a cat person, for most of the reasons already stated, but am allergic to them - highly allergic. There is one cat whom I have known who didn't make me sneeze into a frenzy.

Then, my mom got a Bichon Frise. He is small & portable - like a cat - but has a lot of the loving dog personality, too. I didn't want it to happen, but Buffy has his little paw prints all over my heart!
http://www.bichon.org/images/photos/1puponas2.jpg

My brother & his wife have two very poorly trained Dobermans. At Christmas dinner, they put their heads on the table and drooled. If that wasn't enough, we had roast beef - you know how you cut several slices and fan them out, leaving the rest of the 4-5 pound roast intact? The one dog grabbed the big piece of meat and clamped his jaw on it! After wrestling it from the dog's mouth, my brother offered it back to my mom, who passed. Who wants it after it's been Dobified? blech. Anyhow, I've taken to calling them the Bumpkiss' dogs...

As to the original question, I think it's the personality & training of the cat or dog in question. Both improve your life considerably! :)

You can't take a cat hunting.

That's not a dog. That is a teddy bear.

Seriously, that little guy is just so cute it hurts.

Isn't he? I just get all mushy around him.

Of course, he realizes that he has me wrapped around his little paw!

The best part is, he's five! My mama rescued him from a puppy mill where he was the stud! I would have LOVED to have had one of his offspring!!

Awww...what a cutie. :)

My friend has a Bichon...he's 16 and still kicking! It is funny to see him and Barney playing. He makes Barney look like a linebacker. :D

I love Dogs! I have an 11 year old male Cocker Spaniel named Scruffy.

:) Is this the same little guy you're having the problems with honeychile?

I have 2 cats and one dog. I will mostly focus on the "negatives" of having cats and dogs, although, in my opinion "the good" far outweighs the bad when it comes to having pets:

CATS:

Cats are good because they are low maintenance and can be left alone especially if you go away for a couple of days. The con about cats is that they can be very territorial and spiteful and lots of people I find are allergic and/or hate cats for whatever reason. My male cat hated my ex-boyfriend and used to spray and crap and throw up all over my apartment whenever he came over (that's another thread though: ANIMALS KNOW WHEN SOMEONE IS WRONG AND BAD FOR YOU) . It was very annoying. But I think this also has a lot to do with how people treat the cat. Cats also get hair over everything. When I wear black (or any dark colors for that matter) I have to put it on right before I leave my apartment or I will be covered in cat hair. I also vacuum my apartment daily and wash my comforter once a week because of the cat hair (even if I am not using it). If you are not someone who likes to clean regularly I do not recommend getting cats because of the hair. Also you need to remember that you have to clean a smelly litter box or your house will stink!!!!! Oh yeah, when cats are kittens they may also keep you up all night too!!!! I know my cat Skylar I've had since a kitten certainly did! As I said, cats can sometimes be spiteful so you may find "surprises" in places you least expect. (Always keep your closet door closed). Friends and I have also experienced both male and female cats peeing on vinyl/plastic goods.

DOGS:

I love my doggy but having a dog is like having a baby. I am going through the stage right now with my puppy where he cries when he is put in his crate and keeps me up all night long. Dogs are also more expensive than cats in terms of health maintenance. Also I find that whenever I am at a store I constantly "find" things that would be just perfect for Darby, the perfect dog toy, the perfect dog treat, it all adds up money-wise. He hasn't been given unsupervised free reign of my apartment yet but I know people who have had dogs ruin things in their apartment from chewing. I had a friend who left the dog alone for an hour and it ate his whole futon matress. If you value sleep and enjoy a lot of free time I don't recommend getting a dog. They can't be left alone for very long and just think, if you end up going out one night and have too many shots, are you going to be able to go home and deal with walking the dog, and again in the morning if you are hung over? If you leave the dog in his crate for a long time he will most certainly need a bath since his pee and poo will have gotten all over him! Lastly puppies bite and pee and poop all over the place. Sometimes it is runny and gross and icky and smelly. (Sorry to be graphic). Also I was playing with my doggy just last nite and he jumped up and bit my nose. I have 2 marks on my nose now! Oh yeah, as I said, puppies don't sleep! They whine and cry and there is going to be a time where you have to walk them every 1-2 hours during the night!!!! Just some stuff to think about :)