Free Republic

Replacing babies with pets stifles a person’s capacity to give and receive love, as it wrongly directs our greatest earthly affections toward ourselves.In a recent Fox News piece, sociologist Andrea Laurent-Simpson writes of the emergence of “multispecies families,” explaining that in “child-free families…dogs and cats paw in to fill a longing to nurture” and would-be grandparents “readily shift over to spoiling the granddog as their daughters and sons choose instead to pursue lucrative careers.” But this is neither good nor new.The ancient historian Plutarch began his life of Pericles with an anecdote about Caesar, who, upon seeing “wealthy foreigners in...

UK appoints loneliness minister to combat ‘sad reality of modern life’ By Tamar Lapin January 17, 2018 | 1:19pm For a “United” Kingdom — they’re pretty lonely. A minister for loneliness was appointed in Britain Wednesday to tackle Brits’ growing social isolation, Downing Street announced. “Both proud and humbled to be appointed #loneliness minister,” Tracey Crouch tweeted. Crouch, a 42-year-old minister for sport and civil society said she was up for the task of heading a government-wide group responsible for policies connected to loneliness, The Guardian reported. When announcing the appointment, Prime Minister Theresa May cited research stating that 9...

The number of Americans owning pets is at a record high, and more people are making provisions in their wills to provide for these animals after they're gone. But to ensure your pet is cared for as you intend, it's important to set up a pet trust—an arrangement that 46 states permit. "Pet trusts aren't just for the wealthy," says Frances Carlisle, a trust and estates attorney in New York. For most pet owners, she adds, the goal "is to make sure a plan exists for the care of the animal." Pet trusts can take effect either after you die...

It can be an unsettling thing, introducing a pet to a newborn baby. Though it’s extremely rare, there have been horror stories of dogs attacking unfamiliar newborns. In a Sunday post, Reddit user banpeiSF said he was a little worried about his Corgi, Wilbur, meeting the family’s newborn baby. However, his concerns turned out to be completely unwarranted. In fact, the two have seemingly become inseparable. Take a look (captions via Reddit):

An Ohio woman who lived much of her life as an animal lover may have died a dog killer. Sandra Lertzman, 62, was found dead along with 31 of her dogs, many of them puppies, in a running car in the garage of her Moreland Hills home on Monday. Investigators told WOIO that they found a suicide note in the house and several prescription vials in the vehicle. It wasn’t clear how she and the pups died. One of the dogs managed to survive by finding a small opening in the garage where it could breathe, authorities said. Lertzman was...

Want to keep Fido in your life forever? How about turning him into some jewelry? Or a record? Grieving pet owners have turned to some creative extremes in order to immortalize their beloved pet. And in honor of National Pet Memorial Day on Sunday, September 8th, we’re showcasing some of the weirdest memorial services out there.How do you remember your pets? Would you ever try any of these methods?1. Hug A Pillow Containing Their AshesIf you’ve ever wanted to give your long gone furry friends a big fat hug, the soft-hearted pillow will let you cuddle up and take a...

I recently began walking around my neighborhood carrying a bag and picking up animal waste. Which is to say, “we got a dog.” Or maybe she got us.It has been several years since we had a pet. And it’s not as easy to get, or keep, a dog as it used to be. Time was, you waited until a neighbor’s dog had puppies and you took one home. That’s how literary heroine Emily Elizabeth got Clifford the Big Red Dog, for example. Not anymore.Daisy is, of course, a “rescue dog.” Because every dog these days apparently has to be. And...

The Swedish authorities could step in and confiscate a cat called Ove and try to get him to breed with a Stockholm woman's cat, after she reported a contract breach and fears her love-sick pet cat will start misbehaving soon.The plea for help comes after the woman, who lives in Johanneshov, southern Stockholm, ran into trouble shoring up a date for her pet cat with a tomcat called Ove. For unspecified reasons, Ove's owner has backed out of the arrangement, leaving the plaintiff concerned that if a mate isn't found quickly for her in-heat cat, the pet will start urinating...

I just lost my beloved Wolfhound this morning. He was diagnosed with Lymphoma in October and was doing really well. He died of complications as a result of the chemo.Jamie was the best dog in the world. I never even had to train him, he just always did what I asked him to do. He was one of those good natured protectors. You know the type, they didn't bark, they just got between you and whoever. Since he weighed 192 lbs nobody ever bothered to test him, they just kept their distance. You could take him anywhere, he had perfect...