Dogs' "Mommy & Daddy"

[Lathum]

My pets are in my will!!!

[digamma]

Originally Posted by JonInMiddleGA

As in "oh I'm daddy when he needs something". As in me handing the baby to my wife back in my SAHD days and saying "here's your son"

Or maybe you just had to be in my head to get the humor, I dunno.

We do the same. For us, it is more of a cute or funny way to tease one another rather than communicate with the dog.

[saldana]

Originally Posted by Lathum

My pets are in my will!!!

just as long as you arent leaving the f'n cat back to me.

[Fidatelo]

Originally Posted by RedHawk00

my point is there is a lot more to being a mommy & daddy to children.

My boy is only 5 months old, but my wife and I have commented several times that he's been easier than our dog was for the first 5 months.

Now, obviously that will change, but do not underestimate the chaos of a puppy. We couldn't even sit down and watch a rented movie in one evening until the puppy was almost a year old.

[lungs]

Originally Posted by Drake

For the record, our outdoor cats (farm cats/mousers) don't even get names...partially because I go through about 15 a year due to bobcats/coyotes/dogs and partially because I view them as employees rather than pets. So I understand this relationship, too.

Same here. There is usually about 30 cats around my farm in the late spring/early summer time and by the time the next spring rolls around we are down to 5 or 6 mainstays that seem to make it through every winter.

I usually pick out one kitten to make my office cat and name it, but they usually die within a year. My last one I actually had to shoot because I found him laying there all fucked up. I actually have a harder time shooting some of my favorite cows when they are sick beyond repair than any of my cats. The cows at least make me some money (minus the current economic climate where it's a matter of a cow losing me less money).

[DaddyTorgo]

Originally Posted by RedHawk00

my point is there is a lot more to being a mommy & daddy to children. it is very different than being the caretaker of pets. why not use your name people, the dog will learn "come to johnny" "come to suzie", just as well. Mommy & Daddy should be reserved for the actual parents.

Now if you are telling your dog to go see her mommy & her mommy is a dog across the room, then all is good.

so you're sayin your old lady never calls you "daddy?" Or is that different?

[Subby]

Lathum pretty much has it right in this thread.

If you are getting really worked up about it, it might be time to drop to your knees and thank god you have the luxury of opining about such meaningless bullshit.

[Subby]

That said, the wife of one of my childless co-workers showed up at one of our conferences at the Four Seasons pushing her dog around in a baby stroller. I thought that might have been a little borderline.

[DaddyTorgo]

Originally Posted by Subby

That said, the wife of one of my childless co-workers showed up at one of our conferences at the Four Seasons pushing her dog around in a baby stroller. I thought that might have been a little borderline.

that's overboard

[Passacaglia]

Oh my God yes! A few years ago I was visiting my mom shortly after she got a cat. The cat was a little shy with someone she'd never seen before showing up, and my mom kept saying, "come on out and meet your brother!" I'm in my 30's, haven't lived with my mom for over ten years. I am not this cat's brother.

At our place, we call our cats by their names -- they pretty well know their names, although they sometimes respond to each other's names -- they're probably responding more to the tone of our voices really. Anyway, our cats are mother and daughter, so thinking of them as our children brings up all kinds of family tree issues.

[M GO BLUE!!!]

Originally Posted by Subby

That said, the wife of one of my childless co-workers showed up at one of our conferences at the Four Seasons pushing her dog around in a baby stroller. I thought that might have been a little borderline.

Does little baby love her mommy-wommy? Yes she does! Yes She does!

Perfectly normal.

[RedHawk00]

Originally Posted by DaddyTorgo

so you're sayin your old lady never calls you "daddy?" Or is that different?

Nope, but I do like the mom jokes, they never get old.

[Passacaglia]

Originally Posted by Passacaglia

Oh my God yes! A few years ago I was visiting my mom shortly after she got a cat. The cat was a little shy with someone she'd never seen before showing up, and my mom kept saying, "come on out and meet your brother!" I'm in my 30's, haven't lived with my mom for over ten years. I am not this cat's brother.

At our place, we call our cats by their names -- they pretty well know their names, although they sometimes respond to each other's names -- they're probably responding more to the tone of our voices really. Anyway, our cats are mother and daughter, so thinking of them as our children brings up all kinds of family tree issues.

bumpity

So this has gone too far. I posted some pictures of me with one of my cats on facebook, and my mom said something about how her cats say hi to their cat cousins -- or are they cat aunts. Now my cats are related to her cats?

A few days later, she was back on facebook, talking about taking one of her cats to the vet -- her ex-husband, my ex-stepfather. She said something like, "good thing the cats' vet is also their dad" -- so now her ex-husband -- who she divorced at least five years before she got these cats -- is their dad?

Sheesh! I think that even some of you who are down with calling yourselves parents to your pets have to agree that this is going too far.

[M GO BLUE!!!]

aww... that's cutesy-wootsie that mommy-wommy took precious & sunggles to see daddy waddy. the auntie & cousins thing is so cute too! i think i'm going to go right out and buy an outfit for my dog for the occasion!

[CamEdwards]

I'm with M Go Blue on this. My dog is my pet, my kids are my kids.

[wade moore]

Originally Posted by Passacaglia

Sheesh! I think that even some of you who are down with calling yourselves parents to your pets have to agree that this is going too far.

Yup.

[Marc Vaughan]

My wife calls her dogs her children and does the whole mommy/daddy thing - I don't get it, but there are more important things in life to worry about imho ...

[Passacaglia]

Originally Posted by RendeR

Those of us with Kids will attest to the fact that we're no longer really known by our actual names at home, we are "mommy and Daddy"

Its just a general reference, its not like we're claiming that our pets are actually our children (no matter how much they ACT like them)

This makes sense to me. I don't know the particulars of MGB's case, but something like this I can understand -- but there are definitely cases where it's worse.

[Passacaglia]

Originally Posted by Subby

That said, the wife of one of my childless co-workers showed up at one of our conferences at the Four Seasons pushing her dog around in a baby stroller. I thought that might have been a little borderline.

Twice in the past week when walking by Walgreen's, I've seen this woman pushing a stroller with at least four puppies in it. Creeeeepy!

[Marc Vaughan]

Originally Posted by Passacaglia

Twice in the past week when walking by Walgreen's, I've seen this woman pushing a stroller with at least four puppies in it. Creeeeepy!

My wife had a stroller for her dogs for a short while, I viewed it as being an acceptable thing on the basis that her dogs help keep her from being broody and I really couldn't hack doing the whole baby thing again (if I have to I'm sure I'll survive and love the little one - but heck we've 3 now and already outnumbered by the little bleeders ).