The family is staying for a week. And bringing the cat.
My sister’s elderly dog and my mother’s enormous alpha cat, after several extended visits, have come to an understanding. When “grandma” dog is in town, she and the cat largely stay away from each other. When the cat decides she’s going to sleep on the dog’s bed, the dog shuffles away and settles elsewhere. As for my mom, she’s always happy to see the dog and accommodate her.
Other families aren’t so lucky. I’ve heard horror stories about a guest’s little yappy dog urinating on everything, to which the owner says, “Oh, that’s just what he does.” Or how about relatives who are terrified of a harmless dog they’ve known for 11 years?
I’ve not had overnight guests who brought their pets along, but I’m sure we’d figure out a way to make it work, as long as the visitor didn’t mind an overzealous, muscular dog or a cat that does not take well to interlopers.
So, who is putting up extended family (as in family and their pets) in the next few weeks? Are you dreading it or excited to see the non-human travelers?
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I have grown to enjoy the encounters between my sister-in-law’s Pekingese and my tom cat.The fur flies and the dog yelps and runs and hides but I’ll give the little guy credit.He’ll do the same thing next trip.
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I look forward to visits with our “granddog”. We have an aging outdoor Black Lab. Our daughter and her hubby have a young indoor American Bulldog mix. Their dog is a lot of fun. We put a gate on our deck so the two dogs can only play if they are supervised, because the older ones get tired.
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We decend on my poor parents with THREE Papillon dogs. Mom has a Papillon as well. Four dogs in her house! Years ago she would have freaked. Age has a way of making things that should matter, really matter.
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My family is 13 hours away by car. My mom has told us we cannot come for the holiday if we do not bring her grand-dog (the 80 pound lap dog). I think she’d rather have him visit than us- LOL! My brother and his wife will not allow their own dog into the house beyond the mud room, but they allow our dog full access (their idea, not ours). Everyone tells us our dog is better behaved than the human grandchildren, and he’s a great traveler, so visiting with the dog works out great for us. We enjoy the holiday a lot more with our dog along with us rather than in “Doggie Camp”.
We bring along bedding, food, treats, toys and establish where the approved “den” is. We immediately clean up the crumbs, drips, drools, hair, and land mines. Being considerate of the property of others is a must to remain welcome.
It is important to be sure to ask and be aware of and respectful of what your hosts’ wishes and tolerances are. Another side of our family does not want the dog present even in their fenced-in back yard, and that’s fine, too.
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I just got back from a trip to PA with my 1 year old German Shepherd mix to visit his “Grandma” for Thanksgiving. He was great at her house, except for eating her cat’s food every chance he got. The car ride wasn’t really fun, especially on the way up, but he eventually calmed down and either laid down or looked out the window. I’m still debating whether or not we’ll do that again next year…
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I don’t like people showing up with pets without any notice, that’s just rude. I have a friend who comes over all the time, and brings her dog. It causes such an uproar in my home. I have asked her numerous times to not bring the dog, but she doesn’t hear me. I have two rather large dogs, and three kids, so throw in another strange dog, and mine go nuts.
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Both my parents and my husband’s parents know that our lab mix will be joining us on any holiday visits because she is part of the family. Luckily, she is very sweet and well behaved and gets a long with all the other family pets. My mother in law gets annoyed with the shedding (she’s a little OCD about cleaning), but we don’t allow the dog on the furniture and give her a bath before our visit. I’m sure the cat would be welcome too, but he prefers to stay home.
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Just spent the Thanksgiving holiday
with family and we had a total
of 10 dogs for several days.
The sizes ranged from a 10 week
old doxie puppy to a very tall
black lab. They all got along and
were very well behaved.
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RMS- We have been traveling long distances with our dogs for years, and have always had to deal with their “excitement” for at least the first leg of the trip. Next time you consider travel with your pup, ask your vet ahead of time for some Acepromazine- aka Doggy Valium. It lasts about 8 hours, and your dog should be very still and quiet during that time. We never leave home without it
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I have a Jack Russell Terrier. He’s very friendly to my family’s dogs. I have to “dog-sit” my daughter’s two dogs often (in fact, they just went home this afternoon). She has a tiny-toy poodle and a Japanese Chin. The only part I don’t like about them “spending the night” with me is that they ALL insist on sleeping with me UNDER the covers, and the Chin has a bad habit of lifting his leg on EVERYTHING, even tho I’m promised that he is “piddle-pad trained”. He uses it, but he also uses my furniture. I’ve done everything I can think of to keep him from doing it, with no success. Anyone with any suggestions? (He’s old, and blind in one eye.) Also, the poodle likes to poo ON furniture. It drives me NUTS!
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Just spent Thanksgiving in Massachusetts with my 2 dogs. We drove about 16 hours and stopped outside of Richmond, VA for a night then continued the next day. My husband ALWAYS asks me to either board the dogs or fly up with them in the airplane’s cargo hold up to Massachusetts. Each time, I tell him all the horror stories I hear about dogs being killed on planes, being lost at the airport and being mistreated in boarding kennels. I “win” but in the end, he doesn’t mind them traveling with us; he just hates driving from Georgia to our relatives. I also make sure we stay in pet friendly hotels and let our relatives know in advance that we are bringing them up.
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Re: the little male dog who pees on everything. First, be sure he is neutered, that will help. Then, buy (or make) several “belly bands” which Velcro around his..ahhh…errr…you know….and keep him from urinating on anything.
The poodle who likes to “poo” on the furniture? He’d be eating Thanksgiving dinner through a tube in his nose! There is NO excuse for that kind of behavior.
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To Deb:
To read that you have an aging outdoor lab made me sad. I don’t know why the lab is “outdoor”, maybe allergy issues, but you miss out so much interacting with them. Also, due to the “aging” issue you will miss so many signs of impending health issues. I just lost my 12 year old Golden and I’m totally without words over missing her. Charlotte was an inside girl and I was on top of all of her health issues, blood work, and vet visits. Give the “aging lab” a break before it’s too late.
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as a regular business traveler, the one thing that REALLY ruins a flight is a barking/whimpering/whining/meowing cats/dogs….I still can’t believe airlines actually let peoples animals on the plane. Seeing Eye Dogs are of course the exception because they are invaluable. Animals on planes are just plain annoying to everyone but the owners, who seem to never notice the whining/whimpering animals.
Just as annoying are people who bring their animals everywhere and expect everyone else to accomodate. I especially like dogs that run up and jump on you repeatedly….really, it’s not cute at all. Oh of course, peeing and pooping, and the inevitable “oh he’s never done that before!” “i’m so surprised”…yeah. whatever.
Animals are very self sufficient and do not need to carried around like small children.
I’m not writing this because I dislike animals. I have two dogs which I love dearly but they remain dogs aka animals, not pseudo children.
So to all those people out there, who carry their dogs on MARTA, in malls, etc…no one loves your dogs like you do. So please spare us all and leave them at home.
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Grammaw,
Actually I have a great suggestion. Male wraps! You wrap them around the male dog and his pee-pee part, and they velcro. The only place I have been able to find them is Drs. Foster & Smith, which has an online website. Love them, they are a lifesaver. Yes, the dog wets them but buy a few and wash them, better than a stinky house or ruined furniture.
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Oh, Martha K. beat me to the idea!
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My family knows that I don’t care for pets. They also know that if they showed up at my house with one that they aren’t getting in PERIOD END OF STORY.
@SUGAR next time she comes just look through the peep hole and when you see her with her pet(s) just go back to what you were doing and leave her standing there ringing the bell.
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Amen NavyMom. I don’t care for pets either. Especially not in my house. Also, well said mhcatlanta . . .pets are not kids. I don’t understand the outbreak of pet freaks over the last 10 years. I bet most of you treat your pets better than you do people. Wake up . . .they’re animals and they smell! Eww . . .you guys kiss them and even sleep with them.
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My moronic sister in law has a poop machine of a yorkie.
She brings the vile, vicious beast everywhere. No one likes him-not even my niece and nephew….my brother cautioned us once NOT to mention how bad the dog is because, “it makes her feel bad.” Are you kidding me?!?!? So of course, we all had to ignore the little, yipping, nipping, horror all weekend, and not say a word about how if you walked anywhere near the beast, it would try to bite you. (Apparently the beast has bitten HER as well, and continues, after years, eating everything that is not nailed down).
She came here a year ago for a long weekend. Immediately threw down those “wee wee pads,” one at my front door (hardwoods!), one in my DINING ROOM (oh yah, let’s sit down and eat next to that) and several scattered downstairs and upstairs. She wasn’t really vigilant about removing “solid waste” from them and even left one upstairs totally loaded.
When she’d leave, she’d lock him up in his little carrying case and he’d BARK the entire time. My husband wanted to step on it!
I was rooting for my cat to eviscerate the beast.
Now: my son has an aussie mix, and I’ve since adopted a pure-bred Aussie. Our dogs, especially mine-are totally trained and voice controlled. No special little presents, NO wee wee pads here.
BTW: after last year’s disaster, neither the offending beast or her dog are welcome here!
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JH-
My dog doesn’t sleep with me…though I will admit to kissing the top of her snout or head….and trust me, I’ve kissed worse!!! (but i do hate when she reciprocates!)
I adopted my dog-a rescue- and became one of those “freaks.” It was simple. My sons are in college, and my husband works 6 days a week, often late. My dog is a terrific companion-and a great watch-dog for when i am alone in my house here in the woods! Also, because she needs daily exercise, I have NO excuses..However, she IS a dog, no matter how much I adore and love her (and talk to her!)-but she is a great source of comfort and happiness.
And the great part? I’m losing weight and in better shape all because of her..! I do NOT treat her better than I do most people, but I will tell you this-she is NICER than most people!
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I agree with mhcatlanta I have 3 dogs and 4 cats.They are pets not children.I hate when family shows up with fluffy or muffy. No I don’t think they are cute,funny,or adoreble.When one person asked “if I die will you take care of my baby?” I said “sure”.It brought a smile to my face thinking of leaving the nasty monster at the pound.
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Ahh, Debora…*g* Those little “belly bands” are great for the ones who are not trained or are having problems due to age, medication or illness.
But, if anyone thinks for ONE SINGLE minute that I would have a pee pad with pooh sitting on it. No, nevermind with the pooh, I wouldn’t have those things in my house. Housetrain the damn dog, for crying out loud (see above exceptions.)
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And let’s not get into a moan and bitch contest over animals or whining children on planes, again. The whining kids can be stacked like cordwood in the lavatory for all I care. Give me a nice, quiet, dog anytime.
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I would never dream of taking my dog, cats or ferrets with us when visiting friends or relatives. It seems extraordinarly rude to impose your zoo on unsuspecting relatives who aren’t “pet-proofed”, and expect them to bend over backwards to accomodate your PETS. And to put my pets in the position of having to be “extra-good”, when they are in a new and stressful situation, isn’t fair to the pets.
That’s what a good, caring kennel is for.
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I do not have animals in my home, and wont allow others to visit with theirs. Unfortunately, I dont have a fenced in yard either. So the relatives who do have inside animals, either have to keep them in my garage when they visit, or they stay in the local motel. My home is just not pet-proof, and I am not interested in potty stains in my carpet/padding. Some relatives rarely visit us because of this, but thats okay. I have asked them to board them, but they refuse. So they would rather give up time with their grandkids before they will board the things. I have been called lots of fun names behind my back, but thats okay too. I have my sanity and my clean carpet, even if I am the only one that cares.
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We bring our Papillon to friends houses who allow her. She is very well trained and has never made a mess or eaten anything at our house or anyone elses. Our friends kids love it when she comes over for a play date. Even my mother likes to see her for Christmas dinner because she knows how clean and well behaved she is. But if a friend was scared or just didn’t like dogs in their house, we would leave her at home.
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Honestly, I’d much rather have people bring over their pets unannounced than their children! In my experience, children tend to make a heck of a lot more noise and leave a wider trail of destruction than dogs do.
My dog doesn’t throw temper tantrums, spill grape juice all over the carpet, or get goop all over my couch. He’s more polite AND he smells better than most kids.
That being said, I think it’s rude to bring EITHER without prior permission.
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I wonder if my sister will lose it…this Christmas my husband and I will be bringing our 3 dogs (a Lab, German Shepherd and Chihuahua) and my parents will be bringing their 3 dogs (two Fox Terriers and their 3 month old Jack Russell)to my sisters small apartment where she lives with her dog, a Siberian Husky, to spend the holiday. It might get hairy (pun intended)!!!
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To: tyler2
Sorry you’re missing your Lab.
We inherited ours recently from mother-in-law (now deceased). When mother-in-law had to relocate to an assisted living environment (Alzheimers)–we took the dog for regular visits. They never lived inside together, but they shared a special bond. We tried inside time with her, but she has no concept of “potty” training and is afraid to walk on tile or hardwood floors. She is happy in the great outdoors and looks forward to daily interaction with us. She likes to see inside, but doesn’t care to be inside. She is a great old gal & we are aware of her health issues. After she’s gone, I think we will choose a dog we can have inside with us, but it will probably be a smaller dog.
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I have 3 dogs and when I travel, I get a pet sitter. On the other hand, my sister-in-law and brother have 4 small dogs that they bring everytime they visit. These dogs are not trained (she always says “they never have accidents at my house, your rugs must have doggy smells they want to mark”) and they are very yappy. Their dogs are not welcome at her parent’s house so we get stuck with the brood for the entire visit!
Once I took one of my dog’s to her house because the dog was sick and needed constant attention and I did not feel as if I could leave her for the long weekend we had planned. She was quick to inform me that my dog was not welcome at her house and if my dog had an accident, I would have to pay for the carpet or hardwoods to be cleaned. When I remind her that if my dogs are not welcome at her house, her animals are not welcome at mind, she laughs and brings them anyway.
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I agree that it’s very rude to show up at someone’s house with pets or children that have not been announced beforehand.
If you are considering taking your pets with you to someone’s house (and they have welcomed the pets), they need to be properly trained and/or contained. No exceptions. Accidents happen, but be prepared. Don’t expect the hostess to clean up after your pet, ever. Don’t expect her to entertain or even handle your pet, unless she wants to.
This is just another reason to crate-train your dog: you might actually get to take him places with you if he can be crated without whining or barking. be respectful of others, always.
It’s true that no one loves your pets (or your kids) as much as you do. No one finds them as cute as you do, and most people are not willing to overlook bad habits like you do.
Pets can get stressed by changes in routine, too. So be prepared for that. And, if your dog or cat has not been around kids, and there will be kids at this gathering, for Dog’s sake don’t make the dog put up with the kids if he or she doesn’t want to. If you can’t leave a child-phobic dog at home, or board it, then you’d better be very clear about its safety, and the safety of the people in the home.
My pets are part of my family, but I know they are not children, and I do not treat them like it. I will only take them if the host invites them. And I am always vigilant about their behavior.
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I love pets, but I love well trained pets. I have a hard time being around my sister-in-law’s dog. She just left it alone all day and never house trained it so every time I see the dog it pees on someone or something. I know its not the dog’s fault but everyone has been told NEVER to bring that dog to our house. My cat has NEVER pee’d on anything, anywhere, not at my office or my parent’s house where she stays when we’re on vacation.
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People like “Brenda” scare me. If you’re going to be a pet-hater, at least have the guts to be an honest one.
Traveling with your pet is a lot easier if you map out national parks on your route. There’s inevitably one just off the highway every few hours. It’s much less stressful than the roadside rest-stops, and throw in the playgrounds at many parks and it’s a great playbreak for the kids too!
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My child is part of my family. If I have to ask permission to bring him to your house, you are not someone I want to visit. On the other hand, I wouldn’t dream of taking any of my animals to anybody’s house without permission - and probably wouldn’t do it even then. Too much trouble to travel with animals.
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I cannot imagine taking my cat’s to someones home for the holiday’s. Jake in his younger day’s was quite different and I took him everywhere with me, even camping as all you regular reader’s know. But now it would be too stressfull on him, although he could probably handle a short visit to grandma’s. The other three, no way, they would freak. Also I cannot imagine taking any pet anywhere without knowing that not only was the family member aware they would be present. But I would also like to know that they would be welcome. Otherwise I would do as I always do and get one of my girls or close friends to come over every day and spend a little play time with them. Clean the litter box, feed them and check the water fountain add water or give it a complete cleaning. Sometimes I get someone to stay at the house with them, but cat’s ARE different than dogs and especially since there are four they don’t have to have someone with them as much.
If I had a dog I would probably hope it would be welcome and I think it would be with most of my family members, as long as it was housebroken and well behaved. I would not excpect any one to welcome an animal that barked constantly, bite or was aggresive, had to have pee pee pads spread about. Or any of the annoying things that NO ONE would welcome in their home.
Happy Holidays everybody and please remember to give your pet a gift too. Spaying or neutering is the perfect present for any pet!
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