I grew up on a dairy farm, and like my brothers and sisters, I was responsible for our pets and livestock. The pets had it very nice, and never needed pens, leashes or shock collars with underground fencing. We never had an HOA issue with our pets either. When I left home for college and the big city, the first thing I noticed was that pets were living the life of slaves, compared to our pets on the farm. Since I never got back to living on a farm, I have had no pet responsibilities, or livestock responsibilities. Myself and my family have always been able to drop things at a moments notice to help family and friends, even if it means being away from home for extended periods, when caregiving has been the responsibility. We are guilty of taking long and short vacations without a pet, from profits made from never having to spend money in the pet aisle at the grocery stores... The money saved on never having a vet bill, has been used to bump my family's health insurance coverage up to luxury level... I do enjoy seeing my neighbors' pets daily and know all of their names, but when any of these pets pass away, the hurt isn't the same as losing a brother, father or wife. But I'm sure you noted all of that when you saw my pride in being pet free for the past 50 years.
Yeah, some dog lovers seem eager to make pretty harsh personal judgements against non-dog lover strangers, as several posts here demonstrate.
Whereas, we simply don’t want animals where animals don’t belong, or to suffer their annoying misbehavior (like incessant barking).
You can take vacations simply by being pet free allowing you to avoid treats in the pet isle or an occasional visit to the vet? Btw, I'm not talking about horses or farmyard animals. Pets can be anything, from a parakeet to a lizard to a Chihuahua. But it seems you being pet free has greatly enhanced your personal and financial life and allows you to take all those, "Vacations"...Fascinating! I bid you good luck!