Do you think that the way people treat their pets or other animals is a good indicator of how they treat their kids or will treat their kids if they have any?
As well as the rest of their immediate household?
This question made me think of this question.
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I don’t know if there’s any data, but I wouldn’t trust a person that couldn’t make responsible decisions with any life to be a parent.
In general, yes.
Although many people have had childhood allergies to pets. You can’t judge a person interacting with your pet, or some random animal.
No. I’ve known plenty of families that allow fish, small animals or birds to die due to starvation or improper care. Yet their children were well-mannered and well educated.
Wow…I can’t imagine that @SpatzieLover. Do you have a specific example? Granted…I wouldn’t spend my life’s savings to save my dog or cat like I would to save my kid, but total neglect is a different thing….
No gooses allowed, Coloma
A lot of the time yes. Severe animal cruelty in childhood is a sign of being a sociopathic personality.
I have many examples. I’ve had tenants neglect all sorts of pets. However, they paid their rent and raised their kids just fine.
Some people do not look upon animals as anything more than entertainment. Imagine you buy your kid a toy at the store…that’s how many look at the purchase of a guinea pig or hamster…or…the list goes on.
No. I’ve seen too many people treat their animals better than they treat their supposed loved ones.
Huh.
OK, what about if they treated a dog that way? Let one starve to death? Would you see it differently @SpatzieLover than letting a guinea pig starve to death?
@Neizvestnaya And then there is that…. :( But, in the end, even people who usually treat their dogs better than their people will turn into AH’s to their animals if the animal inadvertently makes them mad for some reason. I think people who treat animals better do so because there is very little emotional work required for, say, a dog, like there is for a person. Dogs forgive very easily, they’re always happy to see you, they can’t talk back and bring up “remember the time you….” Very shallow people in other words.
@Dutchess_III I have seen more than I care too at this point. You would not believe how many apartment dwellers leave so called “pets” behind when they move. Yes, cats and dogs are often abandoned…when the abandonment happens with a small animal, they often don’t survive.
I can’t imagine that mind set, @SpatzieLover. Can’t imagine. I can imagine giving a pet away, but I can’t imagine abandoning one…..
I can only judge based upon the actions of immediate family members who have both children and pets. From this observation, I would say yes, they treat their pets fairly similar to their children. There has been no sign of pet/child abuse, and the ones that use baby talk to their pets do so with their children, despite their young adult age. I’d be willing to bet that there is a correlation, but my personal sample is too small to put much more than a small wager on it.
@Dutchess_III Hey! I thought you were one of the ones who left.. Good to see you
@Facade Nah…I gotta JOB! I should quit so I can spend more time here!
@Dutchess_III I can’t either.
However, my husband’s parents raised three sons. All are competent adults. They gave up or adopted out every family pet they’ve ever owned. (Dogs and cats)
My husband had parakeets: His parents killed (due to neglect) a pair of parakeets and his elder brother had one die (it was either improper feeding/lack of water or fright) when he had to go away for a HS trip and once in college for a trip.
Really, this type of mentallity is more common than you’d think. Go to the shelter and find out how they acquired the animals. Each one has a story.
Now there are a lot more being abandoned during “closed” hours due to the economy. People literally leave dogs and cats in boxes or tied on a leash near the doors. Pathetic.
Do I know people that are good parents that are horrible pet owners? yep. Bad parents, yet good pet owners? yes to that one, too. I’ve certainly known some that were bad on both accounts, but at least in my personal experience that’s been more of a rarity.
So to answer your direct question: It’s a mixed bag.
I am sure there is some generality you can gain about it. I wouldn’t think it is always right. Some people just have troubles interacting with pets but are fine with other people or kids. The vice-verse is true also.
So many things go into the interaction. GQ…...things that make you go hmmmmm
No. I also agree with @Neizvestnaya.
Children and pets are separate, two completely different things. Some people treat their pets better than their loved ones. Some people treat their loved ones better than their pets. Some people are nice to both. Some are shitty to both.
I know if they treat animals very badly, if they engage in animal cruelty that’s a very, very bad sign. It’s part of the triad of sociopathy. And even if it’s not that bad, hitting a dog for just being a dog might show a lack of tolerance and patience, a person who won’t train a dog but hits it for barking incessantly instead might be the kind of person who might hit or shake a baby because it won’t stop crying. But I don’t know. I think kindness and thoughtfulness toward animals may translate, maybe not discipline though. I imagine a person could have an unruly pet but very well behaved children and there are a lot of people who simply don’t like animals or don’t like having them around who make perfectly good, even superior parents.
I just haven’t known anyone who treated their pets badly and were good parents. I just haven’t. I’ve known people who treated their pets better than people but, as I said, that’s probably because pets require far less emotional “work” than people do.
@lillycoyote Well, I can guarantee you I haven’t put as much effort into “training” my pets as I did “training” my children. The dogs come when I call, they don’t snap and bite, they’re house trained, they’re relatively chill, and that’s enough for me. I had MUCH greater expectations for my kids than that! Seriously…I’d flat ground my kids if they crapped too close to the house and tracked it in!
@Dutchess_III Yeah, I think that’s the thing. You can only tell in one direction sort of. I think if people treat their animals badly they probably won’t treat children or most other people very well either, people who treat their animals reasonably well, or good enough, I don’t know if you can judge how their parenting skills will be because while very small children and pets, may share some issues and characteristics, they are entirely different animals, so to speak and even though some people do complain that some pet owners treat their pets too much like people, a child is just altogether different, I think.
I agree @lillycoyote! Very GA.
Are you ever gonna change your avatarp??
Not necessarily. I know some people who love animals more than children, and if they happened to have kids, that wouldn’t change much.
But I do think that in general, people who care about animals have a “heart”, and this compassion extends to most living things, including children, as well as the world we live in.
I’ve had pets all my life. It started early, since I was about 6 or 7, when I had my first dog. I’ve always had a soft spot for dogs and cats. That “nurturing” instinct got carried over when we had our first child. But it was a different kind of love altogether. It’s like comparing apples and oranges.
Sure it is, comparing apples and oranges. One is overwhelmingly intense. The other for an animal is strong, no doubt, but doesn’t compare with the love you have for your child..
I disagree with your thought that if a person cared more about animals than children, that wouldn’t change if they had children. It’s easy to love a dog more than someone else’s child…can NOT be compared to loving your own child!
You’re doing it for JERUBA???!!! Man! Well, that is very nice of you! And thanks for showing me that thread! It was hilarious!! : )
To some extent.
I’m not good with kids at all, but I do not go about kicking small children. If I did, I shouldn’t be trusted with either. Same goes for the other way around.
There’s a difference between not getting along very well with a living thing and being cruel to it.
@lillycoyote Not just for Jeruba. I need something bright and colorful as an avatar here so I can find myself on a thread. If someone responds to a comment of mine sometimes I have to go back and see what it was I actually said. And if I change my avatar too often I have trouble recognizing myself. It’s my swiss cheese brain. But maybe I’ll haul out the old avatarp sometime, for you, my friend, just for old times sake.
LOL. I didn’t actually mean to address the above post to myself!
The above post was supposed to be:
@Dutchess_III Not just for Jeruba. I need something bright and colorful as an avatar here so I can find myself on a thread. If someone responds to a comment of mine sometimes I have to go back and see what it was I actually said. And if I change my avatar too often I have trouble recognizing myself. It’s my swiss cheese brain. But maybe I’ll haul out the old avatarp sometime, for you, my friend, just for old times sake.
:) I know…I confuse myself sometimes too.
Just don’t take one of mine. That’ll REALLY mess me up!
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