Reply #29: Hells yes. [View All]

A person who had never had a pet would be an instant deal breaker for me. Even for just friendship, it would instantly put me on high alert. Everyone I have known who did not have pets as children were lacking in their ability to empathize or deal with people. Something about just having childhood pets makes a difference, in my observation.

Now, if someone just has allergies and cant put up with it, or knows they live a life too busy to reliably care for an animal and give it the attention it needs, that's a totally different thing. Or even if you just had differences, ie a dog person and a cat person. My wife and I don't have pets because for the time being, we both enjoy monopolizing each others attentions.