Do you think there's a difference between the type of people who prefer either dogs or cats? Which are you? Maybe you don't discriminate. Or maybe, you don't like either, and you like rats or something. In which case, I must assume, you are a kind all of your own. o.O Though we still love you and your rat fetish. Maybe you don't like any kinds of pets, or you're too allergic to have one.

Well, what do you think? What are you? :)

Personally, I like all animals. I've had dogs, cats, a hamster, fish, hermit crabs, snakes, a turtle, a bunny, birds, you name it. Well, that's a lie. I will not ever own anything like a spider or a rat or something. No way, no how.

I would LOVE a chameleon or a chinchilla. Though I have a toddler now, and she's a special kind of animal allll on her own, lol.

I think I'm more of a dog person myself, but I love cats as well. I just never had cats for too long until I moved in with my guy. My dad was allergic to cats so we had to get rid of the ones I had as a kid. Always had dogs though, but now.

The only animals that really don't get along with me are hamsters and horses. Just don't like me for whatever reason. Been bit by both and thrown from one. Cats find me and demand pets, dogs find me and demand butt scratchies, birds sing at me, lizards.... uh, lizard?

i'm an all animal♥people

Sadly dogs no matter which one it is always attack me. Either my step mom's dogs, or random dog on the street even if it's with it's owner! Dogs hate me! So I fear dogs.

I love cats though~! They cuddle me when I'm down or sick. They give me wonderful back massages at night, and listen to what I say. I guess you could call me an all out cat person. I wish I could get along with dogs but they all attack me!!

I'm more of a dog person, but cats are okay if they're nice. xD

I have 6 chinchillas so I'm more of a chinchilla person than anything. xD

My family has always been a cat family, but I do love dogs, and I live with a dog at the moment- my roommate's dog. Who's currently curled up in bed with me. :]

I'd say I'm an all animal person too. We have 8 cats right now, but I'd love to have a doggie. Like a pug or french bulldog. Oh I also have fish, and i've owned guinea pigs.

I think I'm more of a cat person, even though I work at a dog kennel. xD
I love doggies too though, I just like kitties more.

i'm more of a dog person, but cats are definatly easier to take care of, as you don't have to walk them when they have to poo or exercise with them (which is a huge plus for people who are working/gone most of the day).

um... I've had both fish, cats, dogs, rabbits, a salamander, a lizard, and mice as pets. I love certain dogs, not all dogs. Personally, I find bulldogs, pugs, and anything like those types of dogs ugly as heck. I don't approve of boxers because they are vicious. We used to have one when I was 6? 7? It snapped it's teeth onto my left side and tore a flesh sized hole. I had to get stitches.

Cat wise, in the beginning, the only cat I've ever liked was Stormy. When she died, every cat was like "eh." Although, we did keep a stray orange tabby cat and he was nice but my step dad hated the cat and ran over him on purpose with his van and killed him. :/

The only dogs I've liked growing up was the yellow male terrier collie, Jamie. He was a sweetheart. We also had a black dog that was just as tall as Jamie and his name was Oreo. But our small schnauzer/terrier made the two adult dogs chase her out into the road and ran back into the yard, while leaving Jamie and Oreo to get hit by cars and die instantly. I was at least 5 years old or 4? I saw it happen but I still don't understand why they were loose. I'm guessing the downstairs neighbor did it (we lived in a upstairs apartment at the time). They were rotten people.

Then when my moms ex bf and my mom found an Amish family breeding huskies, we drove 100 miles out into the country somewhere. I picked out a chubby white/black/gray male huskie with big baby blue eyes! He was only 96$. :) But it was hell during the summer time... fists of his white winter fur coat would get everywhere... Plus, we had a white/terrier, she was calm and nice. She had a heart murmur and a hole in her heart because of heart worms she used to have. My mom got her fixed before she gave her as a Christmas present to her ex bf because it made her live longer (she's still alive even today).

We also had 7 cats and one time and that was a bloody mess. But at least every pet we had, we got neutered (both male/female) - they had their shots and they were de-clawed (except for the dogs).

Right now, I only have two cats. But my bf is severely allergic, so, I have to let my mom keep 'em. I'm okay with that, though. My bf is a dog person because he's not allergic to them but he wishes he wasn't since he does love cats. However, I'm not sure if we'll ever get a dog... it's too much fuss. I hate fleas. I can't stand bathroom accidents or their throw-up anymore.

M i r o: I'm sorry for the losses you've had. I've lost family pets before as well. It's hard. Very similar to losing a close friend or a family member.

One thing I have to say though, because I can't let it go like I tried, is that Boxers aren't naturally aggressive dogs. While I can understand you being scarred (and literally) or somewhat traumatized by the experience, you can't hold one incident against an entire breed. I personally have at least three friends who own boxers and (while I think they're ugly) they are incredibly sweet family dogs. When I was four, a cat scratched me with every claw down both sides of my rib cage. I couldn't put my arms down at my sides for days and I was terrified of all cats for a long time after that. I could say that every tabby is vicious. But that wouldn't be true.

Although it might seem that some dogs are born naturally aggressive, it's more accurate to say that they're born with inherited tendencies that might make aggressive behavior more likely, if not taught otherwise. Aggression is always a response from most dogs when they feel threatened or feel that something that they love or is theirs is threatened. There's no reason why a dog cannot learn alternative responses instead of aggression (similar to how human children are raised to be kind and caring). Aggression is taught and learned. It's all about the dog's owners and how they treat it and teach it to behave.

I grew up with a Fila Brasilero (a Brazilian Mastiff), among other mastiffs. Filas are actually banned in the UK, Israel, Denmark, Norway, Malta, Cyprus, Australia, the states of Qld, N.S.W., Victoria, S.A and W.A. They're automatically classified as a dangerous dog in New Zealand and Trinidad & Tobago as well. She was the best dog we ever owned, and the smartest (which made her a pain in the ass since she could open our fridge, oven, any door in the house and ripped the back bumper off my car when I was in high school).

My mom ran a Pitbull rescue group, and even some of those dogs can be absolutely precious. We fostered Pitbull puppies who had been used as bait in fighting rings, and even those dogs could be taught love and didn't grow up aggressive. And Pitbulls get a really bad rap for being aggressive, and a lot of them are, because they're taught to be.

I've grown up volunteering at our local animal shelter, helping my mom with her rescue groups, and owning a Dachshund, a Papillon, an English Mastiff, a Brazilian Mastiff, an Itatlian Mastiff and an English Bulldog, while fostering Pitbulls and a few other random dogs here and there, and have never come across any dogs more aggressive than Chihuahuas and Chow Chows. People are just naturally more afraid of bigger dogs that can do more damage. *shrugs*

I myself am scared to be walking my toddler around the block to run into my neighbors American Bulldogs. They're huge and muscly and I can't tell if they're friendly or not. But if they aren't, I'm not going to judge the entire breed because they aren't taught manners. All I'm sayin'. :) Sorry for the huge block of text. I just didn't want you to have your facts wrong and condemn a whole breed for the bad habits of a few of their kin!

It is. We've always buried them in our back yards, though. So, they've always had proper burials. Although, when our schnauzer (her name was Bell bell) ran away from my grasp before I put the outside leash on her because my step dads mother yanked my arm, yelling at me that I don't need to take the dog outside to use the restroom. But she wasn't going to do it herself.

When I ignored her and tried to capture Bell bell, I was dragged inside the house and I was whipped for trying to get the dog back in the house. A week later, Bell bell showed up but she was sick. Apparently, she drank car anti-freeze and she died in the animal hospital. My mom had her cremated. We still have her ashes in a heart-shaped box.

Well, I'm saying personally I don't approve of ever having another one in my life. Everyone else can love boxers all they want. I think it's just because we didn't raise it as a pup. The boxer was a female, which my mom named Mookie.

Ouch. Well, cats are horrible with their claws. That's why we always de-claw them. Any cats we had/have are strictly indoor cats. And it's especially dangerous when you have babies if you own a cat because cats love the milk-y breathe they have and they shove their heads in their mouths and steal their oxygen. Some babies have died that way. Cats can be just as dangerous as dogs.

Are Mastiffs guard dogs? I've always saw old people have fake replicas of them like statues or something outside of their drive-ways. Have they ever ate anyone? Is that why they're dangerous?

Ah, the dog cages. That's kind of like cock fighting. I don't approve of those things. I mean, I don't like them but that doesn't mean I would want an animal killed. And there seems to be a lot of pitbull breeders lately.

Chihuahuas... rofl! Those things are HORRIBLY annoying. I got wring-worm once from my grandmas Chihuahua. I still have the scar on my right arm, it's a perfect circle.

Well, I applaud you for helping in animal rescues business. That's a nice thing to do. That's where we've gotten our other animals from. But the place we got them from was called Pet for Paws? The animals come already neutered, their shots, and some already have the micro-chips implanted somewhere around their ears. You get DVDs showing how to take care of your animal and the bar-codes for the micro-chips. Although, they don't have a permanent establishment. The people who run it are basically like squatters.

Ew... aren't Chow Chows a breed related to Pomeranian's? My friend had gotten a Pomeranian since she's always wanted one. However, it was a nasty little devil. It bit peoples ankles and it barked non-stop at everyone. It snarled and growled for no reason too.

That's fine. That last comment was a little mean. It's just my personal dislike for that type of dog from my own experience. Not just because it was aggressive with me! It always bit and tore the fur off my kittens head and tried to eat it. It also tore open the cage to my mothers black rabbit and ripped and ate its stomach off. We came home and saw it's insides exposed on my brothers blanket, in the living room. It was lying on its back, dead. And it was more than traumatic after seeing that. We got rid of the dog afterwards.*

But if someone has a better dog of that breed, then that's good for them. I'm saying it as my own personal reasons. Everyone else can have whatever pet they want.

Though, I don't particularly fancy having pets much anymore, that's my own choice. They're cute in everything. But if I want kids, I don't want to deal with it anymore. lol

I feel exactly the same way now that I have a toddler. She's a handful. I don't have the time for pets anymore. We have three hermit crabs, a beta fish, and a Papillon and luckily none of them require endless amounts of attention. Your stepdad's mom sounds like a real dragon lady. -_- I'd be really upset if she caused all that in my house.

I agree that cats can be just as dangerous. Most animals have the potential to be dangerous. They are animals after all. Mastiffs can be guard dogs, sure. So can pits, rotties, boxers, dobermans, german sheperds, oucharkas, great danes, bulldogs, dogos, cane corsos, bull terriers... I could go on. Like I said, it's all in how the dog is raised and what it's taught. (I worked at the zoo here and we rescued a pair of lions who had been used as guard cats in a drug ring. I mean, anything can be taught to guard I guess, lol. It's just a matter of picking something that looks scary to people.)

I don't know of any instances of mastiffs actually eating anyone. But the Brazilian Mastiff is banned because of their size and the potential damage they could cause should they be taught improperly. They were originally bred to take down bears, and are very very territorial and protective. It's possible that they also give mixed signals. I don't know for sure, but our Sadie never used to wag her tail. When she did, it meant she wanted to bite someone, lol. She never actually bit anybody, just a few warning nips here and there, never brought blood of course.

Well, I saw your darling cutie! (@ Your Art Request thread). She looks just like you! I would be protective my child too.
You two look so precious together I'm actually hoping I'd have a boy for my first child, so I can play with suits :)

OOo! I've never had anyone I know own hermit crabs. Do you have to buy them bigger shells to hide in? I've always wanted a Turtle but my mom always told me: "Keep dreaming." XD

Yes... she was a alcoholic smoker, she didn't like kids. But my mom and my step dad were away and there wasn't anyone else.

That's probably a better way to say it. I'm sorry if I hurt your feelings on the breed matter, though. But I wasn't trying to attack the breed other than my own personal experience. And that's true. I don't particularly know where Mookie came from. My step dad just came home with it out of the blue.

You worked at a zoo!? Omg! Did you have get to see Pandas? Like the real ones? Not the red panda ones.

Oh, okay. Kinda like the... um, darn! I can't remember the breeds name. But have you watched that one commercial with the black speckled white dog that's almost as huge as a bear? Is that breed also banned too? It's bigger than a Brazilian Mastiff.

But that is very scary
I'm guessing you have to raise them from pups with positive reinforcement throughout their life with families.

lol Wagging her tail meant she wanted to bite someone? What does she do if she's happy? That's good.

---------- Post added 09-16-2013 at 04:10 PM ----------

Or wait no! It was a big gray dog that looked like a stuffed animal! It was a commercial where a military woman was coming home and it came to her, wagging its tail and she was petting its head.

I think you're talking about an Irish Wolfhound. They're the tallest breed of dog, but mastiffs are still typically thicker, weighing more overall. I love Irish Wolfhounds! I love big dogs in general, lol. And no you didn't hurt my feelings at all! I wasn't upset at all, I just didn't know if you knew the facts. I like to educate people when I can. I don't know a lot, but what I know I know. A lot of people see one dog get aggressive and suddenly they want to condemn the whole breed. I just wanted to be sure you weren't trying to do that, lol.

Yes, we do have to buy bigger shells for our crabs. They move around. We just leave the extra shells in the tank and they can move whenever they feel the need to/grow out of their old ones. They're pretty neat. They don't smell yucky or anything and all we have to do is refill their water bowl every few days and they'll eat almost anything, so we can really just drop anything in there (though we also have crab food to make sure they're getting everything they need).

And yes, it's good to raise any dog from birth so that it's lovable and friendly. Not all dogs that come from other homes or shelters are mean though. It's just that if you want a pit or a boxer or chow or something like that, your best bet is to get a puppy so that you can avoid any future problems stemming from the life they had in the home before you.

Thank you for the sweet comments about my daughter and I. :) I used to want a boy just so that I could put him in a tuxedo onsie. But I guess if that's the only reason I wanted a boy, I did good to have a girl.

I worked at a zoo as the assistant to the director, who happened to be my mom. We didn't have pandas here. But it was very fun and educational. I pretty much got to do whatever I wanted, whenever I wanted, as long as I got my work done. It was an amazing experience. Unfortunately the zoo got a new board of directors when the owner moved out of the country and my mom and I quit. They ran the zoo into the ground and killed a lot of animals after that. It was heart breaking.

I love all animals. I have a 3 year old male bun bun whom I love with all my heart<3
I've had cats before but I've always ended up giving them away because my mum doesn't like cats and dogs. I like small dogs if they're friendly but I don't like big dogs because they scare me :( my neighbor has a staffie and he's really big and whenever he runs towards me and my mum, we freak out so bad xD it's funny. I love bunnies but they are a pain sometimes, as they hate being picked up and I really love cuddles so it really sucks that my bun bun won't give me any o3o but ah well, all good! At least we can play together a lot and he's incredibly amusing to watch ;D you never get bored of a rabbit.

I love all animals, but I am most definitely a cat person. I read an article some time ago about a study that linked personality traits to cat people and dog people, and I almost perfectly fit the profile for a cat person. I don't remember all of the traits listed, but introversion and tidiness were two of them, I believe. Those are pretty cliche, but there were a few others that were more surprising. But anyway, I do notice differences between "cat people" and "dog people," and I usually find out that the people I get along best with turn out to be cat people. Not to say that I can't like dog people, we just usually don't click quite as well; friends but not besties, you know?

I do remember one time I was talking to this classmate of mine, and I said something to the effect of "I really love cats," and she said "yeah, I know." So I asked if I had mentioned that before, as I couldn't remember ever bringing up cats around her, and she said "no, you just really struck me as a cat person, so I'm not surprised."

I do love dogs. Every time I see a dog I have to stop and look at it (usually after yelling "DOGGIE!!"), and I love playing with other people's dogs, but I don't really want one of my own. It's hard to explain; I could probably best equate it to why I'm not romantically attracted to women: "I don't know, I'm just not???"

Cherry Who?: Here's a little slide-show I found of the differences between cat and dog people.

And OMG this is hilarious!

I think I'm going to add these links to the main post.

I don't know if I buy that there's a cut and dry difference between cat and dog people.

I for one love cats and also like dogs, but I am a cat person. I would most likely own both a cat and a dog if dogs were easier to take care of, but for me they're more trouble than they're worth right now. Maybe when I'm older I'll have the time and patience. With my kitties I can just bring them home, put them in the litter box twice and they're potty trained. Dogs aren't so easy in that aspect. I also don't have to walk my cats and they're typically quite fine entertaining themselves if I'm busy.

Other than that my kitties love the snuggles and as long as they give me the snuggles on a daily basis they're worth their keep. ^^

I do wish I could train my cats to do the types of tricks dogs do, and I wish I COULD walk them if I wanted to every now and then. They also definitely aren't as enthusiastically loving and loyal as dogs and that's a down side but I still love my babies.

Anyway, I don't think there's much difference between dog people and cat people. My only difference is I don't have the patience for dogs right now.

I think I might also have to put my two-cents in about the Boxer comment. That's just one dog. I work at a kennel and have met tons of Boxers, and every single one of them has been a playful sweetheart! I'm not trying to say you should go out an adopt one, but it really pushes my buttons I guess when someone judges a whole breed based on one experience with a dog.
I've only ever been bitten by a Pitbull (not so bad I needed stitches, but it did leave a scar) and I've never judged the breed as a whole because of it. In fact, they are one of my favorite breeds. I was aware the dog had been rescued and had some issues. Never believe breed "stereotypes," dog breeds as a whole don't have one personality. Every dog is different, and every dog has its own temperament. Labs and Goldens are supposed to be some of the kindest dogs, and in my day I've definitely met a few that were nasty. Some dogs are just brought up in bad environments.

I find it easier to train cats to do stuff than dogs. You don't even have to give cats a treat to train them! They just do it!

I had a cat that could do some english speaking like "Hello", "food", and one that got me was "good morning"! Yeah it took him a while to do the last one. He started doing that when he would open my door to wake me up for school lol! He was also heavily into tv and video games... It's a shame I can't get my newer cats to do that. Though my kitten Jimmy is on the verge. He does try to hold conversations with me. Jimmy has his own tricks too. Like he helps me do laundry by taking out any stuck socks in the dryer. When I cook he opens up the drawers so I can get what I need out. When he wants our attention and we are not giving it to him he will stand on his back legs and give out a loud meow. Yup fun kitty~! Try training a dog to do all that without treats?!

You should have added a poll :P I like both animals, but it goes down to the breeds for specifics.

If offered a husky over a sphinx, I would choose the pup. But if offered a maine coon against a poodle? I'd take the pussy cat. I prefer bigger, fluffier animals. Long, soft fur.

Currently, I have two cats. A calico girl named Aly, about three years old. And little Ein, a striped mix with similar features to the maine coon, about six months old. They didn't get along at first, since I had Aly first (for about a year and half before picking up Ein). But now they're getting along fantastically, and are definitely partners in crime.

I'll see if I can upload some pictures and post it in the pet photo thread.

I agree pweep!
I love the bigger fluffy animals, they're always my favorite breeds. In fact if I had my choice of dog and cat, it would be a husky and a maine coon. xD

I agree on the soft silky fur. It doesn't matter what animal it is: if it has wiry fur I don't want it as a pet. >.> Personality does come first for me, but if the fur isn't soft I'm not happy either.

Hmm, I suppose I'd have to say I'm definitely a dog person. Doggies like me =3 I'm allergic to cats, so that obviously has a big impact on the amount I have to do with them compared to dogs, but I like both species when it's a nice friendly animal. My Nan's cat used to love sitting on me, and I'd happily let her, until I started suffering too badly, then I'd turf her off me and sit with my legs crossed so she couldn't get comfortable on my lap ><

Interesting that one of the "cat person traits" is introversion, as I'm very introverted. I'm intriguedd by how there's traits in the first place.