Pets as Comfort

Elyse, I love this post and your graphic! Our condos are NOT pet friendly and it is quite frustrating! Many sellers cannot/will not move from their homes because of pet restrictions. 

Older pets are getting too stressed not getting enough rest as their masters who used to leave home are feeding them 8X a day during  their time.

Can't imagine not having a pet around. They are the best! You are such a great resource for buyers who want pet-friendly homes to purchase. 

This is so true.  I have a Kitty that brings me great comfort since my husband died 2 years ago.

Such a sweet post. Love this so much. Here is a picture of our newest family member.

Hi Elyse:

What a wonderful post about something near and dear to many. I have had pets almost my entire life...more so when I was a kid...and it's hard to imagine not having a pet of some sort.

There are, indeed, a LOT of pet restrictions, and buyers need to check carefully to make sure they understand what they are if they are pet owners or plan to be.

Jeff

Hi, Elyse.

  You may remember the days when pets were not allowed in Florida State Parks.  I believe it was then-Governor Jeb Bush who changed that policy.  Tourists bring their pets with them... they were being denied entrance into our State Parks.  (So were guns, but that's another post).

 As for condos, I can understand barking dogs, male cats "marking" up the common areas, and other nuisances.  But those are the exceptions, not the rule. 

  It's also common for HOA's and COA's to be run by petty tyrants who want to lord it over their neighbors.  In those cases, the owners need to get together and oust the would-be rulers.  We did it in an HOA that I lived in for 15 years... we called our own meeting, and with legal advice we ditched the existing board.  The downside - yours truly was elected President, with the ensuing obligations and responsibilities.

  I am a "cat person", so my thoughts on this are prejudiced.  However, we do live in a State where the average age is senior citizen plus, and those seniors enjoy their canine and feline friends.

     Let us have our cats and dogs!

You know us, we've got a few of these and a few of those (okay, few is an understatement).  Fortunately we won't be living in a condo because none out there would be fond of our furries, even though they're (mostly) very well behaved.  The Chis do let us know when someone is at the door :)

Good morning Elyse, this is an excellent post. Pets are so helpful for mental health. My father-n-law recently passed away from Covid and I'm convinced the puppy my mother-n-law had while she was in quarintine by herself was a lifesaver for her and helped her through a terrible time. I hope more communities reconsider their pet restrictions.

Yes, pets are the most awesome thing in the world.  I have a purry furball on the pillow next to me. And, they have been extra awesome this past year. Great backlink article, too, BTW.

Certainly a good post and understand exactly what you mean. My dog (13 years now) has always been a comfort to our family and especially our kids. Those rules do seem arbitrary in many ways. But your comment, "people crave the companionship." stuck in my mind because it's so very true! And not only companionshipe, but interaction and relationships. Zoom is great, but interaction, warm hugs and loving conversations are what make people tick and feel good in their soul. I hope that can return soon...

Pets truly are a comfort! This is my assistant's new addition! Her corgi Chilibean 

Elyse, 

What a wonderful article you wrote. Pets fill a void. In my opinion, their clairvoyant temperament has saved many humans. 

An appropriate and timely pot especially at a time when people are so isolated.  Pets do offer a lot of comfort and I can only guess that those condos that do not allow pets are more concerned with the mess in the common areas than the inside of the units. Not to mention that they would be hard pressed to defend a law suit for a comfort pet.

Good post. I have never understood complete pet bans. Here in our coastal community there are very few pet bans.

Pets change people's lives.  I have always been a cat person, never wanted a dog.  I broke down and got a dog 8 years ago and it changed my life.  He has helped me in so many ways!

Any boxer wants to practice with his boxer pet at home? The dog lost the practice.

More than comfort, my dogs are absolutely therapeutic!

Dear Elyse,

You are so right. I am too busy to have my own, but go to visit with some once in a while. Gotta stay 6 feet away from their humans, but they did not get that message, which is endearing.

Well, I really have snails that don't take me anywhere out of the house but to be honest, it's not so lonely with them, and watching them is quite interesting. I like. And recently I went to the website to learn more here and realized that I don't know much about them, but now I understand the care of these snails. And everything is cool with them!