It was never my intention to own five dogs and a cat.  But, whenever I see an animal in need, I can’t not help.  Somehow, my husband and I always  find room for one more.

I  also never said it was easy.  My husband and I are certainly not  millionaires.  And vet bills don’t ever seem to get cheaper.  Still, we  wouldn’t have it any other way.

That being said, I was very upset to find out that counties and cities place limits on the number of animals that you are allowed to own.  I  understand that the powers that be are trying to prevent noise  pollution, but, that can be attributed to a careless owner.  We are always quick to nip any excessive barking  in the bud.  Who wants to hear a pack of dogs barking for hours on end?

Yet, we still have a neighbor who lives down the street that allows its’ dog to bark continuously.  And the dog is small and kept indoors!  I must say, it does drive me crazy.  I can’t fathom how the owner can put up with  it.

Then, there is the fear of  over breeding.  However, the counties and cities also include that the  animals must be spayed/neutered.  And I agree with this wholeheartedly.  I cannot tell you how many kittens have been discovered in our town within the last three weeks.  We do need to control the pet population, as Bob Barker always suggested.

But, my real issue is with the word “hoarding.”  To me, hoarding occurs when you have an outrageously large number of animals, say 15 or more.   There is no way that a person can afford to take care of that many  animals.  The food bill alone would be enough to cause someone to go  bankrupt.  Dog food is not cheap!

And I also tend to think of hoarders as abusive.  They do not see to the  needs of their animals, physical and social as well as their basic  needs.  Then, fights between the large groups of animals occur because  life becomes a survival of the fittest.  This is certainly no way for an animal to live.

However, there are some hoarders that simply love animals.  My husband and I  were watching a show about the Animal Task Force in Florida.  Two  officers approached the home of a woman who was hoarding 13 dogs.  But,  the dogs were all being well cared for.  They had plenty of food and water and were even kept  inside the house.  There were no signs of abuse.  Just an abundance of  love.

The woman claimed that she was simply trying to foster dogs that were about to be euthanized at the local shelter.  She had no intention of keeping them all and was in the process of finding them forever homes.  I could totally relate to this woman!  My heart breaks whenever I see dogs at charity events  wearing the “Adopt Me” sign.  I want to take them all home with me where I know that they will be given the love and attention that they  deserve.

The officers told the woman that she had two weeks to find homes for the  dogs or the dogs would be taken back to the shelter and she would be  fined (and possibly face jail time).  Within the two weeks, she managed  to find homes for all but four of the dogs and I believe that she owned two of them.   This is an example of a good hoarder.  She meant the dogs no harm, but  to give them hope and a second chance at life.

I  feel that if you have the means to support the animals and they are  spayed/neutered and well-behaved (no dog fighting rings or late night  bark fests), that you should be allowed to own as many animals as you  wish.  This is the United States of America where we pride ourselves on having freedoms that are denied  to the citizens of other countries.  Yet, the government seems to  continue to whittle away at these freedoms by constantly placing  limitations on them.

What agitates me even more is that  some people appear to be exempt from the rules.  Why?  They are famous!  I read in one magazine article that Mariah Carey owns 22 Jack  Russells.  Twenty-two!  How do you get away with something like that?  Bribe the city officials?  Bribe the police officers?

Then there is Paris Hilton.  She  recently posted a video of her seven dogs
on Instagram.  They were all  sitting in their “doggie mansion,” as she called it.  And it truly was!  A chandelier was dangling above their heads.  A sweeping staircase led up to a second level that was decorated in a princess motif.  I  have to admit, it looked nicer than my house!

So, why are these ladies able to get  away with breaking city ordinances?  I once inquired of our local  government what it would take to be able to raise the limit of how many  dogs we can own.  I was told that our house would have to be re-zoned as a kennel.  A kennel!  Then, our taxes would skyrocket due to the  re-zoning.

Of course, many people simply say, “Adopt as many as you want.  Who’s going to find out?”  But, I would  prefer to go about it the legal way.  And I am positive that I would not be able to pay the fine that I would receive and could NEVER be able to make the gut wrenching decision of which dog to “get rid  of.”

However, when volunteering at an  adoption event for a local rescue group, I met a woman who told me that  she currently had 14 dogs in her house.  She was very secretive about it and said, “My vet gives me the dogs that nobody wants.  I take care of them while he tries to find them a home.  This way, they  stay out of the humane societies and are not in danger of being  euthanized.” 
 
As it turns out, there are many of  these secret “underground dog railroads” within the area.  No one is  trying to break any rules.  They are simply trying to save lives.

The government does not place a limit  on how many children a family can have.  If they did, the Duggars would  be in serious trouble!  We would revolt and tell the government that  they are being unconstitutional.  So, why are those that are choosing to have animals instead of children being penalized? 
 
I have seen plenty of people who have  had a large number of children that were not truly able to care for  them.  So, what does the government do?  They offer food stamps and  other provisions to help ease costs for such families.

Unlike dogs, humans have the ability  to reason.  If you know you cannot support six children, why do you  continue to have them?  Then, these families become a burden to the  entire nation as a portion of our tax money goes to help
meet their basic needs.




I hope that other fur parents feel the same.  We need to stand together and
speak for those that don't have a voice.  The government should not place a
limit on love.


 

It appears that a great division is forming within our nation.  No, it has nothing to do with politics.  The chaos is being caused by...fur parents!

This term has become quite popular within the last few years.  And there certainly is no lack of propaganda.  I own a t-shirt that reads "Dog Mom" and proudly display a magnet on my car that reads the same.

But, not everyone is happy with this term.  Who, you may ask?  Those that have human children.  To them, fur parents are two steps away from being carted off to a padded room.

Clearly, we are crazy because we speak to our pets (like they do to their babies) dress them up (like they do to their children) and make them a part of our families.

Quite honestly, I have never felt the dire need to be mother, like so many women claim to have had.  The idea of waking up at all hours of the night to feed and change a baby just doesn't appeal to me.  Don't get me wrong, I am certainly glad that my mother wanted to, but, it isn't a part of my life plan.

So, the battle begins. Many people seem to think that fur parents are not able to have children and are compensating with animals.  Really?  I don't remember reading anywhere in the Constitution where it states that all married couples MUST have children.  Yet, we are judged as "freaks" for exercising our right to not create a life.

More ridicule comes when we refer to our animals as "fur babies."  I don't see why this term is so offensive.  We take care of our dogs just like any human takes care of its' child.  We take them to the vet for check-ups; we buy them food and treats; we provide a loving home where the dogs are safe.

But, because we did not birth our dogs, we should not call them "babies" or ourselves "parents."  Interesting.  I remember the time that Adriel began yelping for no apparent reason.  Any time you tried to touch her or pick her up, she would let out a blood curdling sound.

Matt and I were scared.  I cried because more than anything, I just wanted to hold and comfort her.  Yet, my touch seemed to only bring her pain.  We took her to our vet where she was given an antibiotic.  However, in three days, she continued this bizarre behavior.

Of course, she decided to do this on a Sunday evening when all of the local vets' offices were closed.  Without hesitation, we carefully loaded her into the car and drove for an hour to Hawthorne Animal Hospital.  Even after the $100 check-up and medicine, she was still yelping.

Our vet thought she may need a cat scan.  We were terrified.  Luckily, the vet prescribed prednisone, of all things, and Adriel's pain was gone!

Doesn't the above story sound just like what a child's parent would do?  If your child is sick, don't you worry?  If his/her condition worsens, do you not take them to the Emergency Room at the nearest hospital to try to get them the best treatment possible?  Us fur parents may not be so different from the human kind after all.

I think where people believe we cross the line is when we choose to dress up our animals.  I will agree that I do not think animals need to wear clothing 24/7.  But, I see nothing wrong with dressing them up for Halloween or Christmas.

Every year, Petsmart holds a costume contest the Saturday before Halloween and offers a photo opportunity in front of a spooky background.  How is this any different from taking photos of your child all dressed up for Halloween?  Keep in mind, my husband and I are NOT actually going around the neighborhood trick-or-treating with our dogs.  We like to dress them up FOR the trick-or-treaters that stop by.

Petsmart also offers a photo with Santa every weekend in December.  My husband and I have a collection of "ugly" dog sweaters that we like to make our dogs where.  It is a funny commentary on the old style family Christmas photos.  Once again, how is this any different than dressing up your child and taking him/her to the mall to wait in line for your photo opportunity with the man in red?

I used to be embarrassed of how many dogs I have.  But, then I discovered that there are actually a lot of people out there just like me.  The more dog centered events that Matt and I attended, the more we met people who felt the exact same way about their pets as we do.

And we found out that we are actually part of a very large fur parent population.  It is wonderful to feel the love and support from fellow animal lovers at these events.  A sort of animal support group, if you will.  

Have you also noticed the emergence of specialty shops for dogs?  Treats Unleashed and Three Dog Bakery come to mind.  They sell everything from homemade treats to healthy food and everything in between.  Plus, pets are encouraged to come in to the stores.  And one of the new strip malls in St. Louis, MO welcomes pets.

Yes, we love to brag about our fur babies and their many talents.   Let's face it, if you owned a three-legged dog that could jump over a pet gate, wouldn't you brag about her, too?  This is no different from a parent whipping out photos of their child or talking about their latest finger painting.

Play dates and birthday parties are staples in a child's life.  Why  does this concept suddenly become strange when animals partake in these  events?  Animals need to be socialized.  And why wouldn't we celebrate  the birthday of the pets that are such a huge part of our lives?

So, why all the hostility?  We are not trying to diminish or mock the importance of people parents.  We are simply asking to be acknowledged as
parents in our own right.