Traumatic Experience Community Daily Check-in: Wednesday, November 28
Hi all! Today I'd like to talk about animals!
I grew up with pets, and whether or not I owned them, I always loved looking at pictures or petting friends' pets or whatever. I grew up with dogs but had no pets while in school. I found it to be pretty lonely without them. I then got some cats but after a messy break up, I had to part ways with them. One day I think I'd like to work my way up to owning a dog again. I think maybe I'll adopt one, but I've always had a thing for this one particular breed, so maybe I'll save up for it one day.
I'd love to hear about your pets!
Do you think your pets have helped you mentally or emotionally? How? Have they helped with your recovery in any way?
If you don't have pets/don't intend to ever have pets, I'd love to hear why?
This is the breed I want! The Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever!! As an extra pat on the back for doing the check in, try your best to reply to one other person in the thread today :)
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Oh also, if you don't have pets feel free to talk about any animals in general that you like, or if you have a picture of an animal you find funny or enjoy looking at! Let's share our animals today 
@Hoxenos
Do you think your pets have helped you mentally or emotionally? How? Have they helped with your recovery in any way? had dogs growing up but then when my mum got terminally ill and eventually passed i took over the dog that was the oldest the labrador we had to rehome i could only take one dog so chose the eldest and the one less likely to be rehomed my staffie nshe definetly helps emotionally and mentally i always got cuddles when sad
she gave me three great years but then passed 11 months after my mum so the wound was torn open again its easier now as this was back in jan so almost a year ago
@CaringBrit
I'm sorry to hear of her passing, both your mother and dog. I bet she appreciated you taking care of her baby until they could be together again. That is mighty kind of you and I bet the doggie felt pretty similar, three great years :)
@Hoxenos she did she loved it i felt sad had to rehome the lab but he was rehomed pretty fast 1 week in kennels then out he went
I always wanted a cat or a dog, but I'm allergic to both. A few other animals included. I know there's a lot of new treatments and stuff out there. With everything else going on, new treatments don't really sound much fun for me... But maybe one day.
@OneErased Yeah I'd also be pretty spooked by treatments. There are always hypoallergenic pets, I know that with dogs poodles and lbradoodles are hypoallergenic because they have hair, not fur. And with cats, they are definitely tricky, but male, light haired, short haired, have the least allergens. I am also allergic to cats but I can handle a light haired male, I just need to make sure I sweep often and brush him almost every day. There may be a pet option out there for you :)
Here's a link I found about hypoallergenic breeds/species. I assume you've already looked into this kinda stuff but just in case you haven't here are some options ^^
@Hoxenos
I have looked into hypoallergenic pets a few times, but hey, never hurts to be reminded about stuff lol
If I would come to consider one, I would have to lean more to cats. Taken I have a bad back that can go whenever, being responsible for a dog you have to take out and all that would become difficult. And taken I'm really badly allergic to cats, finding one even in the hypoallergenic list would be a lot of trial and error. And those are about the only pets I've ever considered, so I'm pretty stuck there... I'm not giving up hope on that front tho, never know what you find when you look enough.
Thanks for the tips, they are highly appreciated.
I have two dogs- one is mine and one is my sister's. Usually they're not super helpful with my mental health because I get easily overwhelmed when I'm stressed and when they beg for attention it sometimes just feels like too much. But about a week ago I was having a really hard day. I had been suicidal the night before for the first time in my life that it was bad enough to actually scare me and I had the day off school so I spent the day home alone, keeping things as quiet as I could since my senses were really easily overloaded that day. My dog noticed pretty early in the day that something was wrong. I was pacing outside as I was waiting for the other dog to finish going to the bathroom and she started following me back and forth. Usually she would just sit still and look annoyed when I would pace but she seemed worried about me. Every time I would look at her, she would indicate that she wanted me to sit next to her. I could tell she wanted to help so after a few more paces I did and she licked me under the chin and looked really lovingly into my eyes and it was really reasuring. It made me cry. She had created a safe space for me. She spent the rest of the day right next to me and kept my other dog from pestering me for constant pets for which I was very grateful.
@rmickelpclr
This is so sweet. Thank you so much for sharing this story with us. I understand that sometimes the responsibility of dogs can be overwhelming. It is actually this exact reason that I bought a cat, because I was worried I wouldn't be able to keep up with a dog. But cats mostly take care of themselves, it's a lot easier haha.
Dogs can really pick up on emotions and it seemed like she genuinely wanted to be there for you and help you calm down. Dogs can be so wonderful <3
@rmickelpclr
That's a really amazing story. I think it's incredible how we can find support in the most unlikely places like that. So many times my cats were there for me when I felt I had no human support around me, and it just did something to me to know that someone out there still cared about me and thought I was important.
@Hoxenos
Doing a group discussion at 4 ET and we will be discussing Issues of Safety within a Trauma context. Hope to see you there!
Special thanks to some of the people who came to the support chat today!! @Tortuedesbois @musictomyheart @dispia @friendlylake5949 @madallain @quietdrum4622 @violetstar123 @jessica212 @butterflyqueeen and a special thanks to @ayla who helped everyone feel so welcomed and supported <3
@Hoxenos
It was a lovely discussion! Thank you for hosting. 😊
It was a great conversation, Thanks
@Hoxenos
It was a great conversation, Thanks
@Hoxenos
@Hoxenos
You are most welcome. Thanks for the great discussion, looking forward to seeing you around.
I need a cat, I used to have cats. I miss them. My current location I can't have cats. I hope to move and get a cat soon
@Rebekahwriter13 I hope you can get one soon too!! Cats are so calming, I love when they purr. Amd playing with them is so fun!
@Hoxenos yes me too, they lower my blood pressure
I have a pet hampster. I named him Tesla after the inventer. He is a Robo hampster which means he is more nervous than others, and I feel like he helped me kind of slow down and apreciate things more. For example it took me 20 mins to give him a treat because my hand kept moving just a little bit when he would go to get it, but I felt so accomplished after I was able to calm down enough to give it to him.
@Hoxenos
@friendlyLake5949 Awww that's so cute. I had always wanted a hampster growing up, but I think as an adult I would only get a guinea pig or a chinchilla. Hampsters are just so smol! It sounds like you really care for him and he helps you go the distance. Gah, pets are awesome ^^
@friendlyLake5949
That's awesome. It's cool how we and our pets can compliment each other like that.
@Hoxenos
I have 2 cats, one of which is posted in my profile picture. His name is Max and he is a Tabby maine coone mix, his bother is Socks and he's a tuxedo - maine coone mix with little white socks on his feet 
. Probably spelled maine coone wrong. Anyways Max loves to pose for pictures, run around, and cuddle up to people. Socks prefers to be alone, lounging by our sliding glass door, camera shy, and he likes to jump on counters and steal food when we're all sleeping hahah. They've helped me simply by being there. I'll be devastated when they pass. They're also relatable. Socks is who I am on most when I'm depressed: the introverted, quiet, lethargetic creature staring out the window and eating a lot, longing for something. On other days Max and I are more alike: hyper, attatched and cozying up to people (online not in person unfortunately), alert, playful, and not afraid to explore. I know it's kinda weird to relate my moods to cat personalities :). They're both sweet cats when they want to be. Max only hits people with his tail fluffy on accident, promise. They're so satisfied with simple things like cardboard boxes and windows to look out of and crumpled paper balls. I love to photograph them and draw portraits of them. Next to people, they're my favorite art subject. They inspire me. I dunno they just make me really happy. They give me something to focus on and care for other than myself and my issues. 
this topic made me feel better, thank you
@Lexloveslife I'm glad this topic got you to reflect on your love for your cats. My picture is my cat, his name is Otto and he's adorable. I had to give him away to my brother, so he's still in the family and I get to visit him. Whenever I visit he kinda like... attaches himself to me for a full day. It sounds like you really appreciate your kitties and I think that's awesome. I bet they love you too <3
@Hoxenos
I smiled so hard at your profile pic with Otto draping himself over your keyboard why did you have to give him away? But glad he's still in the family, that's a big plus
@Lexloveslife He loves computer screens and often tries to attack them. I have many pictures of him doing this. He attacks the screen and then gets tired and lies down on the keyboard. I would have to gently push him beyond the keys so I could type. I had to give him away because I went through a big breakup and then moved around a lot before I found a place to settle. For the time being, I had my brother cat sit, but his other cat got super attached to Otto, and I didn't feel it was right to separate them, because Otto is a very social cat. I've also been in and out of school and prefer to live on campus, where they don't allow cats unfortunately. I have a friend here who has two cats I can visit though :)
@Lexloveslife
I can definitely relate to my moods matching with my cats' personalities. :)
@SentientiaPoecile
Oh good it's not just me
My cat is Hannah. Really my parent's cat but we have sort of adopted each other lol. She is all black domestic short hair that loves grooming. She is very affectionate and has been my therapy cat through a lot of trauma. She has silky soft fur too!@Hoxenos
@Lolowise475 Soft fur is so good for grounding I think, because it's pleasant to actually be in the present moment and FEEL. Pets are so great :D
@Lolowise475 Awww hi Lolo and Hannah!
