hm. good question. mind if i "steal" this for the zoogold group? we're trying to get some activity going there.

long ago (like, 30 years) i did something stupid that brought things to my parents attention (via my brother). i did something stupid again some 5 years later that brought things to my mom's attention specifically. whether she told my dad or not, i don't know. it was never discussed at all like it was the first time. there may have been an occasion a few years after that that my dad accidentally witnessed something, but if he did, he said absolutely nothing. my mom has long since passed away. i'd imagine this has all been forgotten, but i honestly don't know.

as for what they thought, it was pretty clear that they were not happy (especially my mom).

I actually told them in the very beginning when I was struggling with it. Can't say they were supportive but a few days later my dad came back to me saying he had researched zoophilia a bit and was able to understand now what I was going through, as well as knowing what it means to be a zoo. We had a nice talk about it. I really appreciated him for willing to read into it, even when he didn't liked it. He rocks.

ETA: They didn't liked to hear it but both were happy that I was willing to be honest with them about it instead of hiding it.

My story is a long one that I will not get into here.

But in short version, I told them, and it nearly destroyed our relationship entirely, as well as my life.

"Not taking it well" is an understatement.

My father left our family when I was around 12, so he never was confronted with his son´s sexual orientation. My stepfather just gave a fuck. My mother knows since I was around 18, she even helped me financially with buying my mare. When I was 25, we had a small, but open conversation about my orientation. I confessed openly that I´m in love with my mare and not attracted to humans in any way. First, she was shocked quite a bit; I guess she had hoped for some grandchildren. Then, she said that she had her suspicions since I was 18 and an enthusiastic rider/horseman. My entire life was horse-centered then and still is to this day. She said she had noticed how the horses turned this angry young man I was as a teenager into a calm and friendly person in real life. She has seen me interacting with my mare on several occasions and was puzzled from the closeness and intimacy. My mother is afraid of horses as she had some bad experiences with my granddads draft horse when she was a girl and thus was stunned how gentle and loving horses can be. About 7 years ago, she even helped relocating my mare. She was amazed by seeing me leading my mare onto the trailer without any halter, only with my right arm hugging my mare´s neck. Then she said she still can´t understand what we two see in each other but she is okay with it. That was the last time the topic came up, since then my mother and I have some kind of silent agreement to not bring up this topic. I know she still has doubts and is disappointed there will be no children from me, but she has noticed how happy my mare and I are with each other. She has seen that I treat my mare good ,with love and respect.

My sister is even more supportive; with her, I had more intensive conversations about my orientation. I guess I´m just a lucky guy in his 40s, with a comfortable basis to live with this strange orientation...the family supportive, some friends I can talk quite openly about my equine relationship and a beautiful mare at my side for more than 20 years now. The only thing disturbing my near perfect life is the fact that I have to prepare for the day my mare takes her last breath; maybe tomorrow, maybe in five years from now on...but one thing is sure: my mother and sister will be there for me in the time of exceptional despair and grief. They both know what my mare means to me and that she´s like my wife. Maybe they both cannot prevent me from suffering, cannot prevent the hole in my heart but they surely are there to help me dealing with it.

No. I would tell them at an appropriate time, but not right now as it would be too much emotional stress for them. Even so, I'm not confident they would be so kind as to allow me to reason with them.

When I was like 19 or 20, still living with my mother, I told her. I had been depressed about it, and wanted her support. So I was like "Mom, there's something I need to tell you" "Are you pregnant??" "No, no, that's not it. I'm a zoophile" "A what?" "I like animals" "Oh... Well, I'll always love you, no matter what. Wow, you gave me a scare there. I thought something bad had happened" And then she joked about some incident when she was younger when a dog had sniffed her crotch and tried to mount her, and she had to tell the owner to help get the dog away from her.

Later, when I've brought it up again, she has been not so positive and more neutral? Like saying "but animals can't talk, so I understand that people are negative". I mean, I should be happy that my mother is more-or-less accepting, but it still hurt my feelings a little when she defended the antis. I asked her "so if I get a dog, will you go to the police?", "no" was her plain and simple answer. After that we haven't discussed it. She doesn't really like dogs. She's allergic to them, but most of all, she doesn't really understand them or why people would want them as pets.

Anyway, all things considered, I think it was the right decision to tell her. I really needed to talk about feelings with someone.

No. My dad passed away a few years ago, and I couldn't tell him anything like that. I have asked my mum some oblique questions about her attitudes to such things, and the results were mixed; I don't think I could bring myself to tell her.

Do they know for sure? no, but I do suspect they know something's up. I've never bought a girl back, or talked about girlfriends with them. I can tell theyre not sure what to think of me. I was pretty close to the dogs I grew up with so when I get an intact dog of my own I dont think its going to take them too long to see whats going on.

I suspect its going to be a kind of dont ask dont tell attitude between us when I'm in that position. I might be a bit more open about my orientation when I'm properly set up in life but for the time being I cant risk jeoperdising myself like that.

Yes, my mother knows. First told her when I truly realized how I felt, back a few years ago. Think she thought it was a phase, because she asked me who I fancy half a year ago. She is not the most understanding about it, but it doesn't seem to cause too many problems. She's upset about it, no doubt, told me that I better be a traditional parent because she wants grandchildren and flew off the handle with some pseudoscience on a few occasions. I don't know if she told my dad, but there was no change there. He doesn't seem like he would care that much, would just want to know that I'm happy, and was there the first time, so I doubt there would be much conflict. Sister was an eavesdropper, so she overheard the first conversation. She knows she doesn't entirely understand, but we talk about it from time to time.

I told both my parents, and they are supportive. At first they wanted me to see a counselor which I did, but over time the counselor decided I didn't need to continue seeing him. My parents have even helped me financially with my first horse.

I haven't told anyone I know in real life and I don't plan on telling anyone in the near future. It just doesn't seem necessary to me since it doesn't really change anything. My family is pretty open-minded so I wouldn't really mind if any of them found out, really.

I would never tell my parents. They don't like gays and they definitely won't like zoos. Because of this fact I plan on moving away and never talking to my parents again.

Not a chance. Although there were a few close calls growing up, I don't think even times of them catching me behind the shed, flushed, out of breath, clothes disheveled, grass in my hair and black hairs and dog saliva all over my chest and face did they even suspect anything. They are hugely crazy super-conservatives and probably don't think zoophilia even exists.

"Oh she's such a nature-girl, always exploring in the bushes."

If they did know? They probably would have taken me to some back-country exorcist and and beat me with a burning bible before sending me to an institution or taking their own lives out of shame and horror. Being found out was my greatest fear, and I really couldn't imagine ever being attracted to a human at the time, so I thought I would have to go through my life making excuses and living in secrecy.

I'm reading stories by other people here and literally gaping in awe at the idea that some people have shared it with their parents with anything other than complete disaster.

German here.
I told my parents that I am a zoophile back in 2012 in the mid december because I was mentally unstable because it seemed like Germany was going to pass the anti-zoo law. Which happened later.
Well, my mother was a bit shocked at first but she took it relatively easy as she already thought that I would love horses and she is fine with it nowadays. She knows I would never hurt an animal.
My father can't be cured from zoophobia it seems. Nontheless what arguments I make he still has a clearly negative view on it. I am just happy that he forgets most of the time.
It could have been far worse but I'm glad it went that well.

This is one of the few things I don't think I could ever tell them. My mom knows I'm trans-species (therian), and after some confusion she understand and accepts me now. But this would probably bother her too much, she wouldn't be able to handle it. Dad's harder to read but I generally assume he's like how mom is.

My youngest sister knows, and though she doesn't understand, she seems cool about it. But then, she's 16 and in a generation where people are more open about these kinds of things.

Oh, no my mother knows I really love my dogs but she has no idea I'm a zoophile,

However I'm pretty sure my sister and here boyfriend knows Nosy kinda people really, tho they'd never admit it to others or themselves,

And well i used her Internet for so much zoophile related browsing and chatting.

MyMom, and my Husband know,I did'nt get to tell my Dad before he passed away,and my MIL hell no.As for my Mom and Husband,they're pretty cool with it, I just don't,um,do that anymore,I had one lover once, my loyal and loving cat Peanut,but he passed when I got married about 2.5 yrs ago. Since then I've been with none but my hooman Husband. ;3

My parents don't know thank god and I don't want them to know. My mom thinks somethings up with me, thinks I'm gay lol. They wouldn't understand or accept me if I told them.