Our Whangārei friends have a very pleasant and comfortable place but their Internet is really poor. So sick of photos taking forever to load. Deb's done a few Zoom calls — with difficulty. I need to stay offline while she does that.
I'm looking forward to our fast Internet back at Waikawa Beach.
Miraz Jordan @cheribaker The dogs are great, but this has been a good reinforcement of our decision not to have dogs (or other pets) for at least the next few years. We want the freedom of no responsibilities.
Hollie Baggins-Kenobi I think about that sometimes with our current two doggos. It's hard to imagine not having another pair of pups someday, when these two pass away, but on the other hand, I watch pet-free friends jump so easily to having a weekend away, there's nothing to worry about leaving behind.
Miraz Jordan @hollie Until Sasha passed away last year I / we had had cats / dogs / both continuously for more than 3 decades so there were always considerations for weekends or weeks away. With the dogs the questions were also around being out for a long day — as you'll also understand. Now we can make any decision on the fly and it's so freeing. Stay out longer? Sure. Visit that thing? Sure.
R Scott Jones that’s what we discovered when we lost our last pets. I was surprised at how freeing it has been and I don’t see us going back to being pet owners until we can no longer travel.
Miraz Jordan @rscottjones The contrast has been especially sharp as our last two to go died of old age after a couple of years of ailments such as arthritis, kidney problems etc so things had been pretty intense, with vet visits etc.
R Scott Jones I hear you. I once went from two cats who both needed shots every four hours, night and day, to no pets… so I finally got to take an actual lunch break at work instead of eating while racing home to give shots and getting back within 30 mins, and also sleeping a full night sleep.
Miraz Jordan @rscottjones Oh wow, 4 times a day! I thought visiting the vet every two weeks and lifting one dog up and down our steps every time she needed to go outside was a challenge!
Miraz Jordan @rscottjones We try hard, don't we! It's so hard to figure out what's best to do.
Hollie Baggins-Kenobi It's soooo beguiling! Greg and I have actually been talking about this a bit over the last week and have agreed that when the puppos pass on, we'll encourage each other to take time and just SEE what it's like. We've been like you both - had dogs and/or cats continuously these last thirty years. It really is a lot.
Miraz Jordan @hollie The good thing is you take a break and then if you discover you just can't live without a pet then you find one to bring home. It doesn't need to be a lifelong choice. 😀
Al Power @hollie @rscottjones we are in the same boat - have had a 10 year old dog for 8 years - while I cant imagine life without her, we both long for weekends away/travel and more flexibility in life, so will definitely be taking a long break before even considering another dog when the time comes.
David Sinclair @alpower @rscottjones @hollie we've had a diabetic cat that needed daily shots, and a big three-legged dog. Don't think we want to deal with that sort of thing anymore. When our current cat (Paladin) passes, we plan to not get another pet, at least for a while.