[speaker001:] Okay. What kind of pet do you have, Gail?
[speaker002:] Well, I don't. I have children [LAUGHTER].
[speaker001:] Oh, you have children [LAUGHTER].
[speaker002:] I have little children. Both of my kids are under two so right now we don't have pets, but we've had lots of them in the past.
[speaker001:] Have you?
[speaker002:] Uh-huh.
[speaker001:] Uh, what have you had?
[speaker002:] Well, we had a dog before we moved here. Uh, and we couldn't bring her with us. We came from Colorado, and we've had hamsters and fish and birds.
[speaker001:] Oh.
[speaker002:] Okay, I've,
[speaker001:] Well, you're going to have lots of pets with your children [LAUGHTER] growing up.
[speaker002:] Uh-huh.
[speaker001:] [LAUGHTER] Well, we had a, a Schnauzer that we lost this summer, and he was fourteen years old. And, uh, [lipsmack] we've had two Schnauzers and before that we had all Dachshunds, and I think my husband wants another Dachshund, and we're trying to debate because our children are grown and, and, uh, I don't know whether we really want to be tied down to a pe-, you know, another dog. And we do have a very loving cat that's, you know, kind of our baby.
[speaker002:] Uh-huh.
[speaker001:] And, uh, and we like pets. We like them around. We have grandchildren that run through and they think we should have a dog, and that's because they have a Great Dane [LAUGHTER].
[speaker002:] [Baby talking] Huh. Yes.
[speaker001:] They're just huge [LAUGHTER].
[speaker002:] Definitely. Well, we, you know, if it, um, if it were just more peaceful, you know, with the little ones, [baby talking] we would definitely have a pet. I just think it's nice to have around. We had a cat that had kittens. So any pet that I get from now on will definitely be spayed or neutered.
[speaker001:] Oh, yes, yes.
[speaker002:] Because, uh, I did. That experience was awful [groan].
[speaker001:] Yes, I have never wanted to, that's why we've never gotten a female, you know, in anything.
[speaker002:] Uh-huh.
[speaker001:] And, uh, uh, and our male cats, you know, we had,
[speaker002:] [Talks to baby very faint] what you doing?
[speaker001:] uh, neutered right away, and, of course, it, he doesn't know it. He's still out partying.
[speaker002:] Oh.
[speaker001:] But, um, you know I do think that maybe we'll get a female next time and just had her, have her spayed, you know. And, uh,
[speaker002:] Well, a lot of times now when you buy them from like the S P C A or
[speaker001:] Yes.
[speaker002:] from the humane societies or whatever, their adoption includes their spaying.
[speaker001:] Yes, yes.
[speaker002:] So,
[speaker001:] Which I think is a good thing. It just breaks my heart to see these poor little old dogs wandering the streets looking starved and,
[speaker002:] [Groan].
[speaker001:] you know.
[speaker002:] Uh-huh.
[speaker001:] It, uh, plus, uh, you know the safety factor and stuff. Well, we enjoy having pets. We, uh, you know, I think they're a lot of company, and, and when my mother lived with us, uh, the cat was really hers and, and he was kind of wild. Our, our daughter found her and brought her to us, and, uh, that cat walked in and walked right up to my mother and jumped up and curled up in her lap.
[speaker002:] Oh.
[speaker001:] And she was the only one at first that, you know, could really hold him, you know, because he was really skittish. But it was like he knew
[speaker002:] [Very faint] uh-huh.
[speaker001:] you know, and he would sleep with her, and so he was a lot of company to her.
[speaker002:] Yeah.
[speaker001:] You know, and,
[speaker002:] [Child].
[speaker001:] and just love her. And he's, cats are usually so independent but this one you know, he comes up and he crawls up next to my husband now, you know. He's, you know, [LAUGHTER] before the dog died, we have a queen size bed and the dog would sleep on my side,
[speaker002:] [LAUGHTER].
[speaker001:] and the cat would sleep [LAUGHTER] on my husband's side, you know [LAUGHTER].
[speaker002:] [LAUGHTER].
[speaker001:] And when everybody turned we all four of us [LAUGHTER] turned in a row [LAUGHTER].
[speaker002:] My husband that's one thing he hated was our cat used to sleep with us.
[speaker001:] Uh-huh.
[speaker002:] Our dog wasn't interested in even coming in our room, but our cat would sleep with us and he hated that.
[speaker001:] Did he? [LAUGHTER].
[speaker002:] Uh-huh. He just thought that they belong, and when she'd walk on the couch along the back behind his head
[speaker001:] Uh-huh.
[speaker002:] he hated that.
[speaker001:] [LAUGHTER].
[speaker002:] So, I guess it's probably, probably if we get another animal it probably wouldn't be a cat [baby talking] even though I love cats. I think it would probably be a dog, [baby talking] and it would definitely be an outdoor animal.
[speaker001:] Uh-huh, [very faint] uh-huh. I think that's one of the reasons our, because as I said our, our Schnauzer was old.
[speaker002:] [Baby talking].
[speaker001:] And so he was becoming incontinent. And so then I would just have messes in the house, and I think that's one of the things that both of us are not wanting to start over with, you know.
[speaker002:] Uh-huh. Oh, yeah.
[speaker001:] And, uh, and it was new carpeting and, you know, it jus-, just really, [LAUGHTER] you know, upset me no end.
[speaker002:] Uh-huh.
[speaker001:] And, uh,
[speaker002:] Oh, that would, [lipsmack] Greg, uh, my husband's grandparents have a dog and they just, it needs to be put to sleep but it's grandpa's dog, and, uh, he's really getting too old to take care of it. But the dog messes all over the carpet and my daughter is just nine months old
[speaker001:] Oh [LAUGHTER].
[speaker002:] and so then she crawls on the carpet and, oh, the smell I mean
[speaker001:] Uh-huh.
[speaker002:] it's just really awful and that's, that's one real drawback, but you know I guess you'll do just about anything for your pet if you love them enough [LAUGHTER].
[speaker001:] Yes, you will. You will. You know, we were trying to decide to, you know, about putting him to sleep. He was just, you know, he was getting so old and had a, other problems too. And, and fortunately the decision was just taken away from us which made it a whole lot easier. You know, and, and again going through that because our, our animals are almost like our kids in some ways, you know, and, and you grieve just as much over them when they go
[speaker002:] Uh-huh.
[speaker001:] you know, as you would a child. And, and, you know, our son and, and his wife and our daughter and her husband and the grandkids all say, get a dog, get a dog, you know.
[speaker002:] [LAUGHTER].
[speaker001:] [LAUGHTER] Little thing. Be quiet, be quiet. And I can tell my husband, you know, deep down he, you know, he real-,