"Pet" VS "Family"

Okay, so I know that a lot of people here have different animals, and a lot of people have cats and dogs.
The real question is, which ones do you consider "pets" and which ones do you consider "family"?

My dog is my baby, and he knows it. We pretty much treat him like a kid. We talk to him in full sentances and he knows how to communicate pretty well. And we CAN talk to him like a kid because we always have, he listens to voices more than words, I think (he knows when he's being given a command, asked a question, etc.).
We also have three tarantulas (one belongs to my roommate, the other two to my husband and me). I've had one of them for 5 years now, and the other is just a spiderling, but we still kinda consider them all "pets". They can't communicate, can't really be trained or even get used to being held, etc. As for aggression, they either are or they aren't, there's no changing it (we have more docile species, they can easily be held and such). They don't require much care or attention, preferring to just be left alone most of the time.

But there are other animals, too. I mean, if we had a bird that just looked and sang pretty, it would be a pet. If we had a bird that talked and communicated, it would be more like a family member. Same with cats, it depends on their general attitude... even snakes, lizards, fish, etc. My brother-in-law (he's 16) had a fish that would play in the bubbles in the aquarium, roll over/play dead (if he left the house for more than a few hours at a time, it would float on it's back and play dead, seriously...) and he would swim into the fake plants and just lay in the leaves. The other fish, however, were just "pets". So ANY animal can count, I'm just curious...

 

I would run into a burring building to save my – family – dog - cat – maybe a talking bird - but not a spider or gold fish. So maybe that would be a way to determine if a pet should be considered family. (if you would put yourself in harms way to save it - it’s family.) Cheers!

 

We have a pair of guinea pigs, and they are very much "family" to us. Any fur-friends that entered our home would be considered family. I think any feathered "pets" would also be considered family, as you can interract with them, pet them & really make a connection.

My son has an aquarium with fish & frogs in it. And while he considers the frogs family, the fish don't even have names. So I suppose they're "just pets." I guess for us, with pets that you can't touch... it wholly depends on how you feel about them.
love,
mom

 

Kitty drinks bottled water and I drink tap. lol
Everyone in the family knows she is not our pet...

I think animals should be treated like your children...
If you wouldnt put them in a cage, make them drink dirty water, or give them away when theyre too much to handle...then your "pets" should be treated the same...

 

I just recently started to really notice that my dog occasionally looks up at the clock for a couple seconds at a time, then looks away. As if he's picked up on the fact that we all do it several times a day, even though he doesn't know what it means...

He's officially a human, not a dog.

 

My cats and my dog are family. My fish are borderline family. (Right now I have too many fish, so I'm not as emotionally attached to them. I'm thinking of giving some away come summertime.)

 

my dogs are totaly family, my cat too. my rats sort of are, they are very intelligent but i know they feel little actual affection for me, and while i love them i think theyre more pets. we have a guinea pig who is family, im not sure why he is and not the rats lol. then theres the chickens. one is a pet because she is uncommonly friendly and communicative, always looking up at me and following me around. the others are livestock because their purpose is to provide me with food and i would not be sad if they died. theres a horse in my life too and shes been with me for 6 years, ever since she was a baby. shes a family member for sure. i trained her and know her through and through. im her favourite person and she greets me, plays with me and treats me like a horse lol.
its funny how we feel differently about the different animals (and people) in our lives. well, not funny really, it makes sense, but still... their lives all have equal value.

 

My cat is a part of my family. any animal i take in and care for becomes family. I don't really like calling animals "pets" it just doesn't sound right. anyway my animals are my adopted children only different species i guess you could say. peace.

 

my bengal cats are my children..
i'd be lost with out m

 

I Have A Stock Of Well Train Puppies Of All Breed Including Pug Terrir And Bull I Am Giving Them For Free Adoptation First They Are All Vet Checked And Very Playful Contact Me For More

 

I Have A Stock Of Well Train Puppies Of All Breed Including Pug Terrir And Bull I Am Giving Them For Free Adoptation First They Are All Vet Checked And Very Playful Contact Me For More

 

We only have the one cat. But he's "our boy". He's just as much a part of our family as each other.

 

All of my furry friends are family... my fish that I have now? I'd concider them more as pets. I had a chinchilla who died recently, I cried for hours, if one of my fish died I'd be sad, but I wouldn't cry... I had an Oscar fish that I rescued, my tank was too small, so I was more of a safe house till he could go to a better home, I was very sad to see him go and I miss him, I'd concider him family. When an animal recognizes you I think you grow a stronger attachment. Oscar the Oscar fish recognized me and Chiroo my chinchilla did a little dance whenever I came into the room. Isis and Mr. Kittems, my cats.... well, there my babies! Either way you go about it, all the animals in my house are given the respect and care that they deserve, whether I concider them family or pets.

 

I only have one dog but she is definetly part of my family

 

Our cats are are kids. We consider any animals that we know to be family and companions, although we sometimes call them pets to make life easier.

 

my kitties are my family. in my eyes i am married with two children. one boy cat and one girl cat. i love them so much and would cry my eyes out if something ever happened to them. i basically always take them to the vet if they even sneeze cause i worry so much. know i shouldn't do that so much so hubby is helping out with "diagnosing" if they should go to the vet or not. but i do not plan on having actual children for personal reasons but i do know i want to work around animals.

 

Wow, you sounded almost exactly like me in that post. I do the same thing with the vet too. Is the boy older or the girl? Or girl is a little over a year older.

 

My baby German Shepherd Heinrich is my child - he is my family. He is spoiled and he knows it. He gets everything he wants, and more. He sleeps on my bed, eats my food, bathes in my tub lol.....