Adolescent Pet Survey
Sep. 20th, 2005 09:15 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
mousapelliFor my Adolescent Psychology class, I have chosen "Adolescents and Pets" as my research topic. Adolescents, just to clarify, have been identified in my class as between the ages of 12-25.
Because most of the source articles I am turning up have to do with animal therapy in adolescents who are seriously emotionally disturbed, or have serious illnesses, I have decided that it may be more effective to gather my own data, and that my Livejournal would be a more effective place to get a wide variety of participants, since my UVM classes are primarily Northeastern upperclass people age 23.
I would therefore appreciate it greatly if you would take a few minutes and comment to this entry about the 6 questions below. It should only take you 5-10 minutes. If you wish to comment anonymously, that's fine. If you wish to email your comments to me directly at mousapelli at livejournal dot com, that is also fine. You do not have to be an adolescent to answer the questions, reflections about your childhood are perfectly acceptable.
1. What is your general age range? (0-10, 10-20, 20-30, 30+)
2. Where did you grow up? This answer can be as vague as you like, but should include a geographical answer (such as the Southwest, California, Nigeria, etc) and a comment about the type of home (such as an apartment, a house, a dormitory, etc).
3. Did you have pets growing up? If not, was there a specific reason why not?
4. Give a brief summary of what sorts of pets you had and when you had them. Feel free to be either specific ("I had a cat named Fluffy from 11-18") or give a broad idea ("We usually had two or three guinea pigs at any given time").
5. What did you like about having pets? What didn't you like? If you didn't have any pets, what did you think you might like about them?
6. Share a favorite memory or two about a pet you have had.
Please pass this around to as many people as possible. I'll need to start analysing results in a little over a week.
Also, don't let the fact that this is a survey dissuade you from discussing each other's comments on the post. The chitchat will probably be just as helpful as the survey itself.
Because most of the source articles I am turning up have to do with animal therapy in adolescents who are seriously emotionally disturbed, or have serious illnesses, I have decided that it may be more effective to gather my own data, and that my Livejournal would be a more effective place to get a wide variety of participants, since my UVM classes are primarily Northeastern upperclass people age 23.
I would therefore appreciate it greatly if you would take a few minutes and comment to this entry about the 6 questions below. It should only take you 5-10 minutes. If you wish to comment anonymously, that's fine. If you wish to email your comments to me directly at mousapelli at livejournal dot com, that is also fine. You do not have to be an adolescent to answer the questions, reflections about your childhood are perfectly acceptable.
1. What is your general age range? (0-10, 10-20, 20-30, 30+)
2. Where did you grow up? This answer can be as vague as you like, but should include a geographical answer (such as the Southwest, California, Nigeria, etc) and a comment about the type of home (such as an apartment, a house, a dormitory, etc).
3. Did you have pets growing up? If not, was there a specific reason why not?
4. Give a brief summary of what sorts of pets you had and when you had them. Feel free to be either specific ("I had a cat named Fluffy from 11-18") or give a broad idea ("We usually had two or three guinea pigs at any given time").
5. What did you like about having pets? What didn't you like? If you didn't have any pets, what did you think you might like about them?
6. Share a favorite memory or two about a pet you have had.
Please pass this around to as many people as possible. I'll need to start analysing results in a little over a week.
Also, don't let the fact that this is a survey dissuade you from discussing each other's comments on the post. The chitchat will probably be just as helpful as the survey itself.
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2005-09-21 01:50 am (UTC)10-20
2. Where did you grow up? This answer can be as vague as you like, but should include a geographical answer (such as the Southwest, California, Nigeria, etc) and a comment about the type of home (such as an apartment, a house, a dormitory, etc).
A house in the suburbs in Michigan, US.
3. Did you have pets growing up? If not, was there a specific reason why not?
Yes.
4. Give a brief summary of what sorts of pets you had and when you had them. Feel free to be either specific ("I had a cat named Fluffy from 11-18") or give a broad idea ("We usually had two or three guinea pigs at any given time").
I had some fish at several points.
I also had a dog from 7-16, I think. And I had a cat from about 9-16. I currently have two cats that I got at age 17.
5. What did you like about having pets? What didn't you like? If you didn't have any pets, what did you think you might like about them?
I liked having someone around to play with all the time, since I'm an only child. I didn't like having to clean up after them.
6. Share a favorite memory or two about a pet you have had.
During the winter, I used to tie a sled to my dog and try to get her to pull me around the yard.
I also used to try to dress my cat up, which he didn't like very much.
This is making me miss my cats! (I'm at college at the moment.)
no subject
Date: 2005-09-21 01:51 am (UTC)WELL. I'll play your game.
1. 20-30
2. Michigan, house
3. Yes, always briefly. My dad was allergic to a lot of things.
4. Dog for three months, out-door cat for a few years, fish. My sister had a few birds that always died quickly.
5. Pets were alive... they were "real" somehow, more than books/television. I didn't like the chaos factor. The dog we had was a dalmation... very very tempermental, drew blood from me a few times, would suddenly start barking and growling at us if we did certain things. Pets were alive, which was cool, but it also meant they were a bit scary.
6. I have no favorite memories of having pets. Okay, one-- I had a pet rat that I taught to bar-press. Her name was Glinda, after the good witch in all the Oz books. It was cool taking her to show and tell and showing people that I had a pet RAT. Major status points.
no subject
Date: 2005-09-21 01:59 am (UTC)2. England, in a house.
3. Yes.
4. When I was around seven my brother and I were allowed pet fish for the first time, then a little after he got a hamster. We had several hamsters since the first one, and the last one died about a year ago. I got a pet rabbit when I was about nine, a couple of years later we got a guinea pig and when they had both passed on it was a couple of months before we got two rabbits from one of mums patients. That was a couple of years ago, and we still have one of the rabbits.
5. I like having pets because you can talk to them about anything and they don't think you're silly. They're cute and sweet and when things are bad you can go and chat with them or stroke them and they cheer you up just by being there.
6. Snuffles, my first rabbit, liked being held like a baby, on her back and you could cuddle her like that for longer than you could holding her any other way.
no subject
Date: 2005-09-21 02:01 am (UTC)1. 30+
2. Seattle, Washington State, Pacific Northwest, USA. Lived with mom and dad and brother in a house until parents divorced, after which we lived in an apartment, and then in a house again.
3. From as early as I can remember, we had a cat. From 0 to 5 we had an orange long-hair named Fluffy (no kidding). From 5 to about 23 we had a black tabby named Fritz. During the Fritz era, we also had goldfish, mice and guinea pigs, though not simultaneously. When I was 17 I got a boa constrictor, who got along very well with both my mom and the cat (who liked to sleep on top of the cage).
5. I enjoyed having someone around who seemed to enjoy hanging around with me. The small animals were fun to play with and interesting to watch. The cats were good company, especially if I was feeling miserable. The boa was interesting and beautiful. I hated cleaning up after them - the cat box was a least-favorite duty, only surpassed by cleaning the toilet.
6. I wrote a silly song about my guinea pigs when I was about 12. They used to run up and down the stairs, and they made the most delightful "squee-squee" noise.
no subject
Date: 2005-09-21 02:16 am (UTC)1. 20-30
2. House in a smallish town just outside the St. Louis metro area
3. Yes, always.
4. When I was very small, my parents had a poodle named Lulu and a cat named Frisky. The poodle died when I was about four, and then when I was five, I picked out Tiger, a stripey kitten from the neighbors (I got her because the boy was MEAN and I just knew he picked on the kitties, I had to rescue one).
So we had the cats all the while I was growing up. Then, at various points, we had fish, hermit crabs, a hamster once (briefly--he was a biter), and a tarantula named Hairy--he was WICKED COOL--we would go out and catch crickets to watch him eat them. Now I have a very sweet, mellow rattie named Avery.
5. I only really like the pets in small doses. I usually think of them as someone else's, that I occasionally pat or take care of. I don't think of myself as much of an animal person, really.
But my mom's cat Frisky helped me grow up. The Halloween of 2003, she got really sick, and the vet told mom that she'd have to be put down. Mom, who's had this sweet, affectionate, loving grey shadow since before I was born, couldn't handle it. I had to fly home for the weekend and go with mom to the vet and take care of her for a day or two. (I think I actually ended up crying harder there in the office.) I'm crying now, thinking about it. That's not exactly a favorite memory.
6. Oh, I know. I remember when the tarantula escaped from his cage. I was up in the middle of the night, sleepwalking, when I saw him on the floor. I picked him up and carefully put him back in the cage (I think I was maybe 9?), then went to bed. An hour later I woke up screaming. We knew it had really happened, because the book on top of the cage was ajar and he was trying to push the screen back up when we went to investigate. SO COOL.
no subject
Date: 2005-09-21 02:25 am (UTC)2. California in a house
3. Yes
4. mice, goldfish, a cat, a dog, and two chickens. Not all at once - it would be mice or goldfish or a cat or a dog at any given time.
5. They were company. Even if my room smelled funny from the mice, when I went into my room there was something alive there and I could have something uncomplicated to love. I could even pretend that they loved me back.
6. One of my mice crawling up my arm. It tickled.
no subject
Date: 2005-09-21 02:37 am (UTC)2. Where did you grow up? Southwestern Ohio
3. Did you have pets growing up? Yes.
4. Brief summary of pets: Cat and dog named, respectively, Garfield and Odie until 3, dog named Sweety from 12 to present
5. What did/didn't you like about having pets? They're great with the unconditional love thing and Sweety's the most adorable woobie in the world (IMO), but it can be kind of annoying when she wakes me up in the middle of the night for an off-schedule potty break.
6. A favorite memory or two: Dude, any fall or winter when the leaves or snow are deep enough for Sweety to play in. She rolls and dives and has such a blast, it's so much fun to watch.
no subject
Date: 2005-09-21 02:38 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-09-21 02:39 am (UTC)20-30
2. Where did you grow up? This answer can be as vague as you like, but should include a geographical answer (such as the Southwest, California, Nigeria, etc) and a comment about the type of home (such as an apartment, a house, a dormitory, etc).
California in a house in the woods.
3. Did you have pets growing up? If not, was there a specific reason why not?
Yes.
4. Give a brief summary of what sorts of pets you had and when you had them. Feel free to be either specific ("I had a cat named Fluffy from 11-18") or give a broad idea ("We usually had two or three guinea pigs at any given time").
Earlier in my life, there was a tropical fish tank, four or five hamsters, and cats. More recently (3 years ago), I had 5 rabbits, 3 mice, a hamster, a chinchilla, a dog, and a cat. Right now, I have two bettas, a gecko, a snake, a dog, a cat and a rabbit. Over the past 8 years, I've raised 5 guide dogs for the blind.
5. What did you like about having pets? What didn't you like? If you didn't have any pets, what did you think you might like about them?
I've always seemed to connect better with animals than people (I was shy when I was younger), and they provided constant friendship with no judgements passed. I didn't mind taking care of them, but it seemed like when I finished cleaning one cage it was time to start again. Now, some of my animals are more for the beauty and temperment rather than for their cuddling abilities (the reptiles).
6. Share a favorite memory or two about a pet you have had.
When my first guide dog graduated with his partner (6 years ago? wow), and then last month when my snake decided to start eating again after 7 months and took her first frozen/thawed mouse :)
no subject
Date: 2005-09-21 02:41 am (UTC)20-30
2. Where did you grow up? This answer can be as vague as you like, but should include a geographical answer (such as the Southwest, California, Nigeria, etc) and a comment about the type of home (such as an apartment, a house, a dormitory, etc).
Lincoln, Nebraska, U.S.A I've lived there my entire life. Both my parents came from Benkelman, Nebraska which is a very small town. My dad's family owned about half the land. Lincoln is the capitol of NE, and it's the second largest city in NE, but it really isn't that big. Smaller than Kansas City. My parent's divorced when I was 4, so there were two households in the same development.
3. Did you have pets growing up? If not, was there a specific reason why not?
Yes.
4. Give a brief summary of what sorts of pets you had and when you had them. Feel free to be either specific ("I had a cat named Fluffy from 11-18") or give a broad idea ("We usually had two or three guinea pigs at any given time").
The count starts from major count goes from age four to twelve.
At my dad's house we had a goldfish that lived for seven years. In that seven years we also had a succession of other goldfish (in a seperate tank) that died. During that time we also had first, 2 guinea pigs. After their death we had two mice that breeded three times and were given away. Then there was a turtle. There was a long period without any pets after the 7 years old goldfish died. And then after my older brother and I were moved out (aged 24 and 18 respectively), my family got a pug for my younger sister(age 9).
At my mom's house there was Reggie, a miniature schnauzer. (me aged 4-6) After his death there was a one year period of mourning, and then we got two more schnauzers. They were half brothers, a year apart.(aged 8-17) After they were put to sleep, and I was out of the house, they got a beagle (aged 18). And five very annoying birds. There was a beta fish in there somewhere, and I think a hamster right after I moved out, since I was allergic.
5. What did you like about having pets? What didn't you like? If you didn't have any pets, what did you think you might like about them?
I liked the feeling of connectedness with them. They were always there, even if my parents were not present.
6. Share a favorite memory or two about a pet you have had.
My brother and I named our mice and our guinea pigs after characters from Get Smart. And when we got our two shnauzers, they were both boys, so we couldn't do Maxwell Star Smart and 99. So instead it was Max, and I panicked and said, "Skittles" because that's what I had in my hand.
no subject
Date: 2005-09-21 02:43 am (UTC)our springer spaniel/beagle loves the snow, he likes trying to eat all the snowflakes. Although he is a big wimp about the pottying, so we have to kick a little patch clear so he can do his business.
no subject
Date: 2005-09-21 02:45 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-09-21 02:46 am (UTC)also, a poodle named lulu *dies*
no subject
Date: 2005-09-21 02:50 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-09-21 02:51 am (UTC)Yeah. Ha ha ha. At least I had the excuse of being FIVE when I named my cat. What the hell was my mother thinking? (Actually, I think my dad named the poodle She was his favorite pet ever.)
no subject
Date: 2005-09-21 02:51 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-09-21 02:58 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-09-21 02:59 am (UTC)Er, sorry. *turns off capslock*
^_^
no subject
Date: 2005-09-21 03:01 am (UTC)the funniest thing ever was my two-year-old goddaughter trying to play fetch with frohike. Because the dog won't give up the ball once he's got it, and Madison can't really throw. so we just tossed two balls out in the yard, and Madison would go for one, and Frohike would beat her to it and stand there with it, until she went for the other ball, and then he'd drop the one he had and run for the second one.
no subject
Date: 2005-09-21 03:03 am (UTC)2. Montreal, QC, in a semi-detached house.
3. Yes.
4. (Unless otherwise mentioned, they're all cats.)
First there was Kit-Kat (god, I give my pets *such* original names), who we had when I was in primary school. He ran away on a trip home from visiting the relatives in Ontario.
A year or so later, we got Lucie. (I think I was eight or nine.)
She was a bit nuts, and we figured she was lonely, so we soon got another cat, Max. He was a big sweetie, but he had been mistreated at his previous home, so he was almost always a nervous wreck.
Between them and the current cat, I also got a hamster. It was supposed to be my pet, but because it made so much noise during the night and I couldn't sleep, it lived in the TV room. It lived about two years.
My last year of high school, my dad found a trio of kittens by the side of the road. We gave one to a neighbour, took another to the SPCA, and kept the last one. I named him Pookie.
When my parents split, my dad took Max and Lucie, and we kept the Pook-meister.
Max died in 2001. Lucie died earlier this year.
Pookie's nine and still going strong (though I've been trying to put him on a diet.)
5. I like the companionship. It's nice to have someone, even if he's fat and orange and can't talk, who'll love you no matter what.
I don't like having to change his litter, or when he gets the night crazies.
6. My cat's been obsessed with my hair since we found him. It was the first thing he smelt when I picked him up just after my dad found them.
So this one time, when he's about six months old, while I am brushing my hair, he *jumps* from my bed onto my back! And he dug his little claws in and held on.
no subject
Date: 2005-09-21 03:08 am (UTC)Awww! XD
no subject
Date: 2005-09-21 03:09 am (UTC)My parents had a dog (a Lab or a golden retriever, one of those big dogs) before I was born. Her name was Trixie and she died when I was about six.
(My dad handled it the same way he handled all the pet deaths -- he told me afterwards, completely like 'Oh, by the way, the dog is dead. Have fun in kindergarten.' I'm still upset he never gave me a chance to say goodbye to Max or Lucie.)
no subject
Date: 2005-09-21 03:18 am (UTC)2) Southern California, then Eastern Massachusetts. About half each.
3) Yep! Raised guinea pigs. We have a cat now though.
4) 3 begat two, who begat 3. Though we never had more than six at a time. The first was gotten when I was..9 or so, and the last one died when I was in high school. LONG-lived pigs. Fluffy, Jenny, Rocky, Snowy, Michelle, Sacajawea, Bunny, Tails. Well, and Nameless, who only lived a few hours.
5) I loved that when I had a bad day, I could come home and someone would love on me for nothing more than a bite of carrot. I mean, I hated cleaning the cages, but it was worth it for the nuzzle afterwards, when they'd re-nested and were happy.
6) One time, we took the pigs into the school, so that we could have a smarts-off with another person's rat. Sacajawea was a VERY tubby pig. She was the dominant one, and she got the majority of the food. Well, her first run through the maze went fine. She sniffed her way through to the alfalfa hay at the end no problem. Second run through, there wasn't any food there. There WAS, however, some on the other side of the wall, since we didn't think to move it too far away. She CHARGED through, and when she got to the end she reared up, tried her best to climb over the wall, and when that didn't work, she began chewing on the plywood of the wall. Got a pretty decent scratch through before we picked her up. Strong and smart, was the verdict.
no subject
Date: 2005-09-21 03:22 am (UTC)2. Born in TX but lived in Los Angeles area after I was two in a nice house. Go figure.
3. Yes, I did/do.
4. Had a guinea pig named Skunk when I was little, a cat named Stickers who was eaten by a coyote, a dog named Pumpkin who died of a heart attack or something heart related when I was 12, and I currently have two cats named Mimi and In-debt and a dog that I adore named Sheridan. Oh, and there's a bunch of goldfish spread throughout my life time.
5. They love you unconditionally! But I HATE cleaning up after them. Oh well, comes with the territory.
6. I got my current dog, Sheridan, from a pound for Christmas my senior year in high school. I went and looked at animals 3 or 4 times, and he was there every time, but I guess it just wasn't love at first sight. Anyway, I eventually decided on him and my parents and I went through the paces to sign all the paperwork and whatnot. So I stick the leash on him and we proceed toward my car, which is down the block. Suddenly, he GETS OUT OF HIS COLLAR and runs ACROSS the street and as far away from us as he can. Of course, I run after him without thinking about it, but I COULD'VE gotten run over really easily. It was serendipity that the "it's okay to walk" signal was green when I crossed the street cause I REALLY wasn't paying attention to the traffic. I caught him (after MUCH chasing) and now he'll come when I call him! Yay.
no subject
Date: 2005-09-21 03:22 am (UTC)10-20
2. Where did you grow up? This answer can be as vague as you like, but should include a geographical answer (such as the Southwest, California, Nigeria, etc) and a comment about the type of home (such as an apartment, a house, a dormitory, etc).
Northeast - suburban NY, like an hour and a half northwest of NYC
I lived in a mobile home. It had wheels. lol.
3. Did you have pets growing up? If not, was there a specific reason why not?
Oh yes.
4. Give a brief summary of what sorts of pets you had and when you had them. Feel free to be either specific ("I had a cat named Fluffy from 11-18") or give a broad idea ("We usually had two or three guinea pigs at any given time").
We had our family dog Max when I was 2-16. When I was 7, my parents got me a cat that I named Tippy, though unfortunately she had cancer and had to be put to sleep when I was 17. Now my family has another dog named Shana, we got her when I was 17. We've also had numerous amounts of fish, a hamster or two, and maybe a guinea pig at various times in my young life.
5. What did you like about having pets? What didn't you like? If you didn't have any pets, what did you think you might like about them?
I liked that my dogs have been our guard dogs. They make me feel safe. My cat was my baby, she always lessened my stress. She was also fun to play with. I didn't like watching them get old and unable to take care of themselves. :(
6. Share a favorite memory or two about a pet you have had.
When I was little, my mother told me that our dog Max would always know somehow and bark if I ever went near the road in front of our house. We grew up together and he looked out for me. Also, I loved my cat, but she was SO FAT, hahaha. I remember her laying on our kitchen window ledge with her belly hanging over it, lol.