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In reply to the discussion: I use anti-depressants, gratefully. [View all]get the red out
(13,461 posts)I didn't have a pet for all those years and my husband said he didn't want one either (I was afraid I wouldn't be a good enough owner and he was afraid of loss at the end of their shorter lives). Finally, shortly after I was prescribed medication, we suddenly decided to get a puppy (suddenly being after years of hoping yet fearing to try to care for a pet). That would not have worked as well if I had thought the world was going to end every time she had an accident in the house! I worry I couldn't have dealt with her at all and am afraid I would have screamed at her or frightened her if I had been the depressed me, unable to cope and gritting my teeth to hold on. 2 1/2 years later I actually know my neighbors, I met them walking the dog! I used to sneak into the house barely speaking to anyone because I felt so low. In the past two years I've enrolled in more dog training classes than I can count, the latest being training our sweet dog in agility, and it's FUN! I go to dog agility trials and just start talking to people I don't even know, like I'm a fellow human being or something. The difference amazes me thinking about it.