For multiple pet owners: Do you have a favorite?

We have two dogs. One is a five year old yellow lab we adopted about a year and a half ago. The other is a ten year old golden retriever I got as a puppy. He was with me when I got married, moved, changed jobs, and had children. He makes sure my kids are never alone. I don’t remember what it was like to chill in front of the TV without him at my feet. Yeah, I have a favorite.

It would be hard not to treat each pet differently when they have such a wonderful range of personalities. We have the cat with the superiority complex, the cat who is afraid of everything, including himself, and the cat who lives in the basement, the better to hump your leg the moment you step out of doors. Meanwhile, our dog shifts between really cute to wants-to-bite-your-leg-off in an instant, all the time with an undercurrent of old. Naturally, my relations with some of them are different with others, just as they would be with people (although I have yet to meet the person who forgets what he is doing in the middle of licking his crotch).

We have a dog and a cat.
The dog is mine, the cat is my brothers.

I’ll take my dog.
I mean, I got her when I was eight, fourteen years of friendship – and the important years at that – mean a lot.

This is a hard question to answer. I love each of my pets for different reasons and they all bring different things into my life.

Right now I have a dog, a cat, and two (maybe three) horses which are truly mine. The horses live with my parents at the time being, but will come with me once I graduate.. which is why I don’t know if I’m only bringing the two or all three. Because they are all different types of pets and each function different in the pet-owner relationship, I don’t really have a favorite.

My dog is amazing and makes me happy because he’s one of those goofy dogs that views life ‘half full’. There is never a dull moment when he is around. My cat was only recently acquired so I haven’t formed as much of a bond with him, but I love him more and more every day (and he is technically “my dog’s cat” so it’s not really my decision whether he stays or goes…) As for my horses… well one is my “once in a lifetime horse” She is basically my soul mate of horses, and I could never part with her (so I guess she could be considerd my favorite out of all the horses). The other is my “dream horse” whom we foaled and I can’t wait to train him. He is the horse that could take me further than I’ve ever imagined. The final horse is my “old buddy” who helped me learn so much and was a devoted friend, but whose poor conformation has required an early retirement.

In conclusion, it would probably be a cold day in hell before I parted with any of them.
My fiance is in real trouble ;)

I have two dogs. A Blue Heeler named Bleu and a Heeler/Border Collie mix named Angus. I also have a Tortie cat named Sophie.

Bleu is energetic and bouncy. He’s always up for a good game of fetch and he has the heart of a warrior – he won’t quit playing unless you make him, he’d kill himself before he quit voluntarily. On the other hand, he is one of the most affectionate dogs I’ve ever had. He loves giving kisses and being cuddled. If he could sit in your lap all day he would. He follows my uncle around everywhere and if my uncle needs to drive someplace, Bleu goes in the truck with him.
Angus is more like me. He likes to sleep. He really likes to sleep. Most of the time he’s napping somewhere. He’s a big, clumsy oaf, but he’s as gentle as a buttercup. The only time I’ve seen him get angry is when someone he doesn’t trust gets too close to me or my family (this includes Bleu).
Sophie, ah Sophie. The cat who thinks she’s a dog. She plays fetch, chases her tail (to the point of doing somersaults in a row sometimes), and she likes belly rubs. I’m not quite sure what goes on in her brain.

To answer the question.. no, I could not pick one.

Aw, you have a pet can. How sweet. :)

(gasp) Edited. Thanks. =] (Soph really hates it when I call her a can.)

I hate to admit it, but I do have a favorite. I have two Labradors: Calvin and Hobbes. Hobbes is the “doggier” dog—he’ll do anything for food, he slobbers on everything, he stinks to high heaven, and he pees on himself (obviously this is why he stinks). Calvin is more “human” like. He is stubborn and food does not always insure that he will do what you want. He prefers human company over Hobbes’ company, and is very, very, cuddly. He thinks he is a lap dog, but at 85 pounds, when he crams himself into the lawn chair with me we make a funny sight.

I can’t help but favor Calvin simply because he is a cuddler. He poses for pictures, he smiles, and he looks at you with big brown eyes that say, “I adore you.” Hobbes, on the other hand, just wants food. He’s cute too, and I love him, but I don’t “relate” to him like I do to Calvin.

I love them all for different reasons, but no one more than another. I do have a special spot for Flower, the oldest and first cat my wife and I ever got. It was only us 3 for a few years, and she is my wife’s first cat ever, so the three of us have a special bond.

NO!
They are all my favorite.

No, I appreciate them each differently – it’s not a question of amount or favorites.

My wife has 2 cats – Saffron (male) and Sabra (feline) – which came to us before we had children, as a way for my wife to get accustomed with the idea of becoming a family with kids and all, as she was very reluctant to the whole thing at first.

I simply had to agree on her terms, letting those animals enter in my daily life.

Which one of them do I ‘hate’ most? Probably the white Birman cat (Sabra). She always comes running, wanting to be patted, but when you try to do it, she ducks away so you never get no physical contact. Plus, each day when I arrive at work, I’m full of nasty cat hair, feeling like a hobo.

I can’t say any of our animal family members are my favorites over others, but I like them all for different reasons.

Among the cats I enjoy Rena a great deal because she has a lovely loud purr. I feel so rewarded when I pet her because she makes it so clear that she is happy. Also, her beautiful emerald eyes contrast so brilliantly with her pure black fur that I just enjoy looking at her.

Shirley, Goodness and Mercy are all handsome brothers and all equally stupid, but Goodness is more of a cuddler, Mercy walks very, very heavily on body parts that don’t like pressure (like full bladders), and Shirley likes rough petting only – nothing gentle about him. None of them understand what is happening when you need to stand up and hang on with their claws until you are fully upright. However, they are all most welcome on cold nights because they do indeed keep you warm.

Milo the Invisible is just that: invisible. He’s beautiful but distant. However, he is very decorative.

Outdoor Kitty is equally gorgeous but has a nasty tendency to show you where to pet him by grabbing your hand with his claws. However, he also has the softest fur I have ever run across and when he does lap sit he is lovely and warm.

Peanut Butter isn’t much for being petted but he is the most amusing. He is lithe and lean but surprisingly awkward, always looking as if he is going to go splat when he jumps but miraculously landing perfectly every time. He is also the bathroom cat, spending most of his time in the sink but making sure to greet anyone who comes to use the facilities.

And then there is Franklin the Blue-Eyed Wonder Cat. He complains about everything in a rusty Siamese meow, but has a way of relaxing on your chest that lets you know that he trusts you implicitly. He makes you feel special when he chooses you to serve as his bed.

And then there are the dogs: Boudreaux the ADD Dog, always up for a game or a walk; Miss Scarlett, the giant lap dog who cheerfully shares everything with her people: the couch, your bed, mucus, drool, leftovers from dinner, mud, and so on; Shorty, the incurable optimist who just knows that everything you do will be wonderful; Sally, the rule-setter who talks to us constantly in a series of whines, grunts, whuffles, and other odd sounds; and finally, the beautiful Bourbon, the Greta Garbo of the house and a true lady with the petticoats to prove it.

How could I not love all of these animals? How could I give away any one of them?

I have a favorite. My Mackie was 10 weeks old when I got him. He will be nine in April. We love our adopted greyhound very much. We work hard to treat the dogs equally in terms of attention and food and play, but Mackie is the child of my heart.

I had a wonderful moment the other evening. Mackie was sitting next to me on the couch licking me and I was petting and kissing him. Kobe, our greyhound walked up. Then Mackie licked Kobe and Kobe licked me and Mackie! This was a big moment because Kobe had to learn how to show affection when he came to us. Also, I was so touched the two of them love each other.

I have 4 outdoor dogs and a chihuahua that stays inside. Three outside cats. My 14 month old Golden Retriever Ember is my favorite dog but I love and have a tight relationships with all of then. I take Ember everywhere I go. Krooks is my favorite cat because he is a gangsta.

I do. I love both my cats, but Katy is my favorite. Probably just because she is incredibly affectionate. She is midnight black, short and fat and the queen of the house, even if she is goofy. A lap cat with the softest fur ever. Chance is skittish…always wanting to be petted, but afraid to actually let you touch her. God forbid you should pick her up! They are both good girls, though, and I’d hate to lose either one.

I killed Allie’s dogs with a poisoned giraffe animal cracker. True story.~

D: asmonet!!!!
Poor giraffe animal cracker!!

Fuck the cracker! What about my puppies?!

What? Oh it was a dog?

@Allie: I ate your baby puppies.

What type of cracker….I mean dog…?