Would you give your pet away for a million dollars?

[33girl]

Another proud moron here. I would never give away my cat for anything, nor would I have given my previous pets away.

Originally Posted by susan314

Absolutely. I love my dog, but my children are my first priority. As long as I knew he'd be going to a good home, there's no question that I would choose providing security to my children first.

I wonder how many of the people who voted "no" in this thread have children? Most of the names I recognize seem to be from childless folks, but I don't know the status of all of 'em. Would be interesting to see the breakdown.

Umm, I don't think whether or not people have children has ANYTHING to do with this thread. If your first thought when you hear "Would you do X for a million dollars" is "yes so it would give my children security" perhaps it's time to re-evaluate your personal investment portfolio.

A million dollars would mean I'd never have to work, my dad would be cared for no matter what, I could give back to my extended family and friends (hey, I could help out my friend who's a couple thou in debt) and I could do a lot of good by donating to charities. Tough shit. No one gets my pets.

[kstar]

Originally Posted by OOhsoflyDELTA#9

Ummmmmmmmm no....36 hours of labor vs. 25 bucks at the pound....sorry, still do't get it.....BUT by all means, do you....if you wanna love the dog as much as the your child thats cool, I just never understood that kinda "pet" relationship....

An animal isn't a 25$ investment.

My dogs cost me about $7,000 dollars last year, for food, medicine, vet bills, training classes, and animals don't generally have pet health insurance, so I would have paid more without. Not to mention the sleepless nights that I'm going through now because Tasha (my new foster) was abused in her previous home and howls all night. Or the sleepless nights after Boomer had his GDV surgery, or before we discovered Tips had eaten a sock and we had to wait for it to all pass. As they age, the cost only goes up as vet bills increase and we have to buy specialty items for geriatric dogs.

In return, I get unconditional love, companionship, and something that simply makes me smile. I understand that.

I don't understand the relationship people have with their kids, as generally kids aren't grateful, don't love you unconditionally, and cost the parents both money and their sanity. And everyone around who has to put up with the rugrat.

[PrettyBoy]

If it was a fish or something small like that, I would take the money, but not for a cat or dog, and in my case my cat. I wouldn't trade her for money.

[DeltAlum]

It's hard to take your fish for a walk.

[SWTXBelle]

While my children are not always grateful(!), I must say that my relationships with them have brought me a joy and depth of happiness that no animal can replicate.
I have dearly loved my horses, cat, and dog - even my chickens. But at the end of the day, they are limited by their very nature as to what they can be to me. Relationships with pets do have the advantage of being very simple - but the very complexity of human relationships is one thing that makes them more satisfying in the long run.
JMHO.

[_Lisa_]

Originally Posted by OOhsoflyDELTA#9

Ummmmmmmmm no....36 hours of labor vs. 25 bucks at the pound....sorry, still do't get it.....BUT by all means, do you....if you wanna love the dog as much as the your child thats cool, I just never understood that kinda "pet" relationship....

I've notice that people who tend to treat their pets as their children generally don't have any children of their own. I know I fall into that rut sometimes, where I feel as if my two dogs are like kids, but my boyfriend's kids really help me put that all in perspective.

And to clarify my earlier statement, I would "give away" my pets for a million dollars, and immediately buy them back. They're both rescues & I wouldn't let them out of my sight. The transactions would go pretty quickly I think.

[EtaPhiZTA]

I could never give up my A.J. Bear -- he truly is my "baby"!

[RU OX Alum]

uh....yeah, screw him

[adpiucf]

This is the dumbest hypothetical question I've ever seen.

[KSUViolet06]

I'm sure there are some people with kids who still love their pets and wouldn't give them away.

[1908Revelations]

Originally Posted by AlphaGamUGAAlum

I think it's only something that people without human children can imagine because anyone with human kids isn't going to really love the dog as much.

But for those of us without kids, pets can be pathetic stand-ins that we enjoy spoiling with attention and love that they probably don't appreciate; the food and vet care, I think they appreciate.

I guess I understand what you mean, but I don't have any children. I value animals, but never to the extent of human relationships.

Originally Posted by SWTXBelle

But at the end of the day, they (animals) are limited by their very nature as to what they can be to me. Relationships with pets do have the advantage of being very simple - but the very complexity of human relationships is one thing that makes them more satisfying in the long run.

Agreed!

[AlphaFrog]

Originally Posted by kstar

An animal isn't a 25$ investment.

My dogs cost me about $7,000 dollars last year, for food, medicine, vet bills, training classes, and animals don't generally have pet health insurance, so I would have paid more without. Not to mention the sleepless nights that I'm going through now because Tasha (my new foster) was abused in her previous home and howls all night. Or the sleepless nights after Boomer had his GDV surgery, or before we discovered Tips had eaten a sock and we had to wait for it to all pass. As they age, the cost only goes up as vet bills increase and we have to buy specialty items for geriatric dogs.

In return, I get unconditional love, companionship, and something that simply makes me smile. I understand that.

I don't understand the relationship people have with their kids, as generally kids aren't grateful, don't love you unconditionally, and cost the parents both money and their sanity. And everyone around who has to put up with the rugrat.

So, what you're saying is that you wouldn't give your animals up for a million dollars, but if you had kids, they'd be gone in a heartbeat?

I have two kids, a dog and a cat. Either or both of the animals would be gone without a thought for $1M.

[honeychile]

Originally Posted by DeltAlum

It's hard to take your fish for a walk.

But they're so grateful when you don't!

[kstar]

Originally Posted by AlphaFrog

So, what you're saying is that you wouldn't give your animals up for a million dollars, but if you had kids, they'd be gone in a heartbeat?

I have two kids, a dog and a cat. Either or both of the animals would be gone without a thought for $1M.

I would never have kids in the first place. It's awfully hard to get preggers when you've voluntarily sterilized yourself.

I believe that humans are overpopulating the earth, and that there should be liscenses to breed. I've met too many bad parents, and I believe that if I bred, I would be one of them.

But yes, if I did indeed have children, they would probably be sold for a lot less than a million.