Hi guys, I've got some general logistical questions for other canine zoos. a little back ground, it's a long term goal of mine (quite a few of us here I guess haha) to get a dog, and I don't plan on adopting one before I'm totally set up for the situation of corse, in terms of finances, housing, time to care for him properly ect. I wonder though the more I think about it how long it might be before it's possible and how it would really work. I'm a very communal person, and honestly love living with roommates I get along well with. Is the only way to be an, um, "active" zoo to live "alone" (be which I mean without any other humans)? What are your thoughts? Have experience living with a canine partner with vs without other humans?
Can one get around the issue by teaching the dog super super good "manners" in that regard and being very carefully about intimate times? any thoughts or ideas would be appreciated.
Having a roommate would give you the advantage of having someone to walk and care for the dog when you are not there. However there is always the chance that a roommate could "walk in" while you are being intimate with you dog.
That's definitely something I've thought about. There's a a fair bit of advantage in having another person to help with care sometimes.
It is definitely possible. Roommates manage to have active sex lives around each other all the time. Probably something that would help is if each member agreed to and kept a schedule system including chores and when each person would plan to be out of the house, like for class, work, or dates.
I figure the type of housing would also be a big factor. If it's basically a duplex, I imagine that would have less privacy problems than a shared apartment with multiple rooms which in turn would have less privacy issues than a shared apartment with a single bedroom.
I figure manners would be fairly easy to teach with a consistent 'sexy time' routine. Some people will incorporate objects like a specific towel or blanket or specific clothing, some are as simple as "naked in the bedroom". On top of that, you'd have to not 'reward' sexual behavior outside of that context, most likely even when alone.
Thanks for your reply, that's a good idea about the schedule! Helps make things more organized in general which is a plus. Thanks for the ideas, I had heard mention of the blanket/ towel thing before, interesting and makes sense,.
It´s really easy: the more people know what your sexual interests are, the more possible snitches. Even very close friendships can break up one day and those who were friendly and accepting of your sexuality can easily become awkward foes. Just keep that in mind. The less people know about you, the safer it is for you AND your animal. I really bet you can´t keep your attraction a secret from your roommate all the time, there´s always the possibility that he/she walks in on you. Just imagine him/her standing in front of you while you are "at it" with doggie...maybe he/she is accompanied by some other friends...not the best thing to happen,is it? It surely is possible to lead an animal-human relationship with a roommate, but given all the variables you should rather decide to live alone and visit your friends in their houses when you need biped company. Always place the animal´s wellbeing before your own comfort: if this means you have to live alone to exclude any possibility your animal is taken from you and maybe even euthanized because your roommate talks too much/is a snitch/ could become hostile over time, then you have no other choice as a genuine zoophile than to choose a "lonely" life without a roommate. The fewer people know, the better it is and the less possible negative consequences for you and your animal companion.
Thanks for the cautionary words 3030, I agree that the safety of the animal involved is highest priority. That's why I asked, it's more important for me to able to live with a dog someday than to always live with housemates. I just wanted people's input, I'm not considering getting a dog for at least another year or so, so I'm exploring ideas.
I also totally agree on the danger of people in ones life, even "trusted friends" knowing about this orientation, I already had one run in with that when I was young and stupid(er) and just identifying as zoo for the first time. Told a friend as a 14 year old and then the friendship ended. Luckily nothing came of it but it haunts me.
when you say roommates do you mean sharing a room or just sharing a house with your own separate rooms? We dont share bedrooms over here like I think they do in america but to me sharing a room would be too risky. If you mean sharing a house with someone then that is what I plan on doing in the near future. Is it more risky than living alone? yes. Does it come with its own set of advantages? also yes.
There are some pretty major savings to be had sharing a residence with someone which could be the difference between living well and just scraping by. Along with that, if you get a place with another dog owner then you can do each other favours like looking after each others dogs when you have to go off and run errands or the first person back home can let the dogs out etc. . My plan at the moment is to move into a place with 1 or 2 other people who are at least dog friendly if not dog owners themselves. The money I save living with them Im putting towards buying my own place. I feel like this is a kind of happy medium that will allow me to own a dog without killing all my future prospects. Owning a dog is supposed to be a happy experience, I dont know how happy I'd be with nothing in my bank account at the end of each month.
Obviously there are risks but a bit of preparation and being careful and I dont see why there should be any problems. If theres no lock on the bedroom door you could ask if you could put one on as you like your privacy, they only cost like 10 bucks or something. Im still unsure how suspicious the general population is of people owning intact dogs (Its generally a bit less mental in Europe than north america from what I gather) but that's going to be something I'll have to experience and play it by ear.
I guess its a bit harder with girls + dogs seeing as theres the whole being tied part of it, and even if you dont tie youve still got the wang flopping around afterwards that you'd have to keep hidden for a bit. Less of a stigma for girls though. If your dog did start getting a bit frisky with you your flatmates would probably find it funny as evidenced by many youtube vids. I dont think I'd get the same reaction if I started dry humping a bitch in front of everyone :I
I think it can be done while sharing a place with some housemates and if you can find some good people to live with I feel the benefits outweigh the costs. You never really know until you do it though. Hopefully I'll be able to report back when I've got a bit more experience.
TL;DR yes I think its a good idea sharing a house with people if you do it right.
Thanks for your reply Actually, by room mates I to mean housemates, sorry, a lot of people I know say roommate when they mean housemate and now I realize it's not that accurate. I wish you the best in your plans, sounds like were in a pretty similar situation. You touched on a key part of why I'm considering this kind of thing, which is the finances aspect. Especially when working and going to school, having housemates can make a huge difference.
avoid people. rent a trailer at a trailerpark for a week, give the breeder that address (do this in a neighboring state) then drive to get the dog from an out of state breeder. pay for full breeding rights and do all contact through a throwaway cellphone and a hushmail account. dont use your real address for anything. dig related. take the dog to your real address and go about your life as normal though.
and brining another human into the equation is justa asking for trouble.