S.O's feelings with animals/pets

[MysticExotics]

It's not the topic that's less enraging. It's the decency and respect of how the people are talking to each other. If EsotericForest had talked more fanatic or insulting about the subject (or those opposed of course), everybody would be in armes by now...



I would think that if you honestly believe in a certain religion, you would be convinced that the others are wrong. Otherwise you wouldn't be a true believer right?

I agree that EsotericForest has been very level headed about this topic as a whole, & not personally attacked anyone & he should be recognized for that. I may not agree with his views, but I respect the fact that he's treated others with respect.

I don't believe that any one of us has the right to judge others for what they believe in. One can be a true believer in their religion & stay focused on that. There's no need to judge others for not believing in what they do or do not believe in. If someone is focused how how "wrong" other religions must be, then they're not truely focused on their religion, now are they?

I'll use my job as an example. I am a 911/Fire Dispatcher. There are people there who are focused on what others are doing wrong....instead of focusing on doing their own job right. I chose to focus on doing my best at doing my job right, not pointing out what others are doing wrong.
That is why I now consider myself spiritual, & not part of any organized religion. I respect others for what they chose to believe in, & I respect those who chose not to be a part of any religion.

I've not waded through the entire thread (and don't have time to) but when I broke up with my ex-GF, who was NOT animal oriented, a very wise lady who apparently wrote a book on cornsnakes or something told me this:

If you are going to have a pair or two of pet snakes in your lifetime, any spouse who loves you should be able to deal with that. But if keeping snakes (or pets of any sort) is likely to be a priority in your life, and something you invest considerable time and expendable income in doing, then you are best off finding someone who shares your passion.

So with my second attempt here, I met someone on this forum who is just as interested in pet keeping (and snake keeping in particular) as I am! It's wonderful to be able to share herp shows, dog training classes, and other pet-related events together, instead of me having to always go it alone. It also is nice because we talk together about our interests instead of having a partner who decrees a snake "no good" because of bizarre things like head shape or color pattern.

So that's just me... I would never have been happy with my ex for many reasons, but her dislike of animals was a big one.

That being said, I kind of agree with Stephanie's initial comment here. The initial post reads like something a child would write about a parent who was anti-pet. If you are an adult in an adult relationship, then your partner should respect that and be able to speak about things and make compromises.

Very well stated.
When some of my coworkers found out I had added serpents to my menagerie, they said "you do realize you're reducing your ability to travel, & limiting your options for dating" (meaning not many guys are going to want to date a girl who has dogs, a cat, ferrets & snakes).
I replied that traveling is not a priority for me, & I do not want to date a guy who won't accept all of my creatures. I've been there, & in hindsight, those that didn't share in my love for animals, are not a good match for me, & there's usually other reasons as well.

There's nothing wrong with it as long as both spouses are on the same page as to how their marriage is working. If one partner WANTS the other to lead the family, and the other partner is COMFORTABLE doing the leading, that's a great supportive system in which both are meeting each other's needs. It's not for me, but I highly support it for people who want it that way.

I agree.

 

[oneirogenesis]

My husband loves animals as much as me, although I'm not quite sure he knew how much when we first met.

This sounds just like my boyfriend and I. He knew going into the relationship that I am an animal lover with two cats and a history of collecting odd exotic pets (I had a scorpion when we started dating). He had no idea I would end up with five snakes! So I've been very lucky that through me he's realized the extent of his love for animals. He just didn't have the opportunity to interact with them when he was younger.

I have a friend who suggests that when things get rough you sit down with your partner and go over all of the little things you love about each other. When J and I do this he always tells me that he notices more of the beauty in nature since meeting me and that he's so thankful to have the cats and the snakes in his life. He wouldn't have realized how much he enjoys them if we hadn't started dating.