http://forums.13x.com/index.php?threads/speedy-e-need-help-with-a-raccoon.344214/ You guys should have coordinated on this.
Yea halfway through. I'm not getting one this summer because of school and housing and such, but I'm just planning ahead for either next summer or the one after so I can make an informed decision. It's not a last minute decision, I've been thinking about it since high school. Usually I waver between wanting a dog and wanting a raccoon. Then recently I learned about foxes and they seem cool.
When I was MUCH younger I really wanted a chinchilla, but they were only considered pelt animals at the time, so I'd have to buy a breeding pair. They were also VERY expensive. Mom laid down the law, so no chinchilla for me.
All I ask is that if you are going to go down this road (with any pet, not just an exotic one)...make sure you are committed. Make sure you are ready to take on a family member for the next 10+ years. Make sure you are ready to take care of something and spend time with it, not just lock it up in a cage or leave it outside on a chain. Most people get a wild hair up their ass and think "I want a dog (or other pet)", and then after a little while the "newness" wears off and they realize they are now "stuck" taking care of another living thing. Then they get tired of it and it ends up in an animal shelter. I spent 3hrs at one of my local shelters Tuesday and it makes me sick how many dogs are in there simply because people didn't want them anymore. When I was driving home I felt so sad for them, and wanted to punch about 20 different people in the throat. If you aren't ready to take on a family member, then don't. Don't do that to the animal. It isn't fair to them.
Cool, just wait until after school and maybe even the first couple years of work and things settle. I've had a skunk and a wolf cub and couldn't take care of either properly no matter how much I wanted to so had to find them better homes.
No no. Volunteering at the shelter is supposed to make you feel happy and relaxed not wound quite so tight.
My 13yo wants "her own" pet(like 3 dogs arent enough!!!!). First she wanted some lizard(a dragon of some sort). Momma put the kibosh to that real quick. So now she wants a Hedgehog. It's a battle to get her to do minimal stuff around the house, like she's really going to take care of some little shit after a month. I also dont need one of the dogs getting ahold of the it either. Needless to say, I'll be the bad guy on this one.
This is why I don't even drive past the animal shelter. It breaks my heart that people just toss out their family members like that.
Yup. Walked a couple of shelter dogs last night. Both were surrendered for being "too difficult". I didn't find anything difficult about either of them besides a lot of energy, which was probably the problem if their owner was a lazy fuck. I can't fathom bringing my dog to a shelter and walking away from their sad eyes. Makes me want to simultaneously cry and throat punch.
I think we've found Broome a new career. He can stand outside the shelter and deliver uppercuts to everyone who just dropped off a dog.
This... 17 years ago I thought it would be cool to get a pet so I wandered into the animal shelter to pick up a cat.. well there were two in a cage together and I couldn't pick. The lady didn't want to separate them and talked me into adopting them both. Here I am 17 years later basically a crazy cat guy cause these things are going to live into their 20's just to spite me.. I look forward to the day I can actually have a nice couch again. So yeah.. pets are cool and all, and don't get me wrong, I love mine, but damn, they'd be high school seniors by now.