After living alone for the past 1.5 years, I've been tediously praying/searching for a roommate. I've had several situations that I thought would work out and then God chose to shut those doors. Many friends/family have suggested I get a pet. Now if you don't know me well, this idea is not going to spark a great deal of enthusiasm.
For starters, I'm don't like the way fur feels or smells. I find it somewhat dirty. Some people are able to still maintain a clean home despite their indoor pets, I'm not sure I'm willing to take that risk.
Secondly, my apartment complex does not allow pets. This actually excited me when I moved in. I believe I said to the rental agent "I don't want pets and I really don't want to live around people who do." Yes this sounds harsh, but the thought of being kept awake at 3:30 every Monday and Thursday morning because the neighbor's dog is barking at the garbage collector really doesn't appeal to me.
I'm also not a pet-cuddle person. Give me a kid or person suitable for hugging and I'm all about it. I love to hug etc...well we'll go with most of the time. Every now and then I get protective of my bubble. Research has shown that the average American woman needs to be lovingly touched 8-12 times per day to promote good health. Yet pets just don't meet that need for me. I don't have a desire to pet them or scratch their head. My brother used to force my hand to pet our dog Bailey at home. I just cannot establish that emotional connection.
Finally, I'm not home enough to be a good pet owner. With my current class on Tuesday and Thursday evenings, I'm not home from 8 a.m. till 9:30 p.m. The other evenings I often have stuff going on plus work during the day. Also since most of my friends and family do not live in South Bend, I do a lot of travel. What would I do with a pet during my crazy weekends?
I currently do have one pet, he is a fish named Russ. He can go easily 5 days without being fed, he never demands extra attention, and he is a fabulous listener. While I appreciate everyone's suggestions, I'm not sure that a pet will make a suitable roommate for me.
1 comment:
Did a google search on pets and found your post. I'm a 28 year old single female, and I'm on your side about this one! I'm a loving person and do love animals - but just not in my home! And, if I pet an animal, I immediately feel the need to wash my hands, because lets face it... animals can carry diseases to humans, and scariest of all, they can transmit parasites! Touching your mouth, food etc after petting an animal is all it can take - yikes! Plus, they are so much to handle - always needed to go outside (this always happens after you sit down to dinner, or when you're asleep!), need to be bathed, roll around in nasty stuff (including their own nastyness) adn then come in YOUR HOME with nastyness all over themselves. They drool everywhere, claw on furniture, dirty up windows, mess up windowseals, get fur everywhere.... man, didn't realize I would have SO much to say. haha Basically - I think a house should be calm, peaceful and easy to keep clean, and you really can't have that with a pet in the house! For those of us that don't need an animal to cuddle with, having an animal to us is oppressive and not at all comforting.
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