finding like-minded people offline for friendships?  It seems it's hard to find friends who feel the same way about their pets and animals in general as I do... Most casual acquaintances I just avoid the subject altogether because we won't agree...  And I am pretty reserved and I have a hard time opening up to people so that doesn't help matters, either!

Since getting Yogi I feel it's really putting a strain on my friendship with my best friend even.  She and I have pretty different views on animals and one of her friends was over a couple weeks back and Yogi growled at his dog (who was offleash and roaming around the apartment parking lot). This guy says "If my dog did that I'd punch him in the face, seriously, you just beat the **** out of them and they do what you want."  I was livid, upset, grabbed Yogi and left now I have this bad taste in my mouth that my best friend could hang out with someone so scummy though she did say she thought he was "out of line."

Fiance tells me I'm too self-righteous, I don't know if that's true or not, I try not to be but I just crave being around people who are more like-minded which is why I enjoy reading this forum.  I'm also going to start volunteering at a local spay and neuter clinic and hopefully I can meet some people there.  Is it important to you to have friends that feel the same way about animals or am I just being too picky?

http://ratterrier.meetup.com/cities/ Maybe there is one in your area?

I'm not sure if any of the members on here live near you. I agree that this forum (a second family to me) is a great place but it would be nice to live closer to some other rattie/animal lovers.

BUT :   I love these online friendships.  They are "real" to me .  It was great meeting some of you in person.   I hope to meet more.

No I don't think it is being too picky at all to want to be around like minded-people! And I too would have been throughly disgusted had I been around that guy. My own brother-in-law once threatened to hit my dog when Bronson was growling at him because he(my bil) was being aggressive towards his wife. I looked him square in the eye and told him if he touched my dog, he better start running cause I would be after him then. But I too have that same problem. I really don't have any friends(other my hubby) at home and I miss being around people that I feel share the same interests as I do. Our family thinks that we are a little silly and go a little overboard in how we take care of our furrbabies and what all we get for them, but really, all I can tell them is they have made my life so much better, since coming into it and there is nothing in this world that I wouldn't do for them. They give me unconditional love and never really judge me or criticize me in any way. So, long story short, I do think it is important to have like minded friends(and some not so like minded to keep it interesting) and it isn't being too picky to ask for that.

Okay, so if not agreeing to punch your dog in the face is self-righteous  then I guess I am too .  I think there are just some people out there who don't understand that animals aren't just "possesions"