Ms. Sullivan, you've obviously misunderstood.  My previous post in
regards to the usage of the term "hobby" in relation to animals was
not an attack, it was a question.  It is a term that I find fault with
regardless of who it is used by.  Linda did seem to understand my
concerns, though I'm not sure she understood my questioning either.  I
asked as not to assume.  However, based on KarenL's offer to answer any
questions put to her, I did assume there would be no problem with my
doing so.  Considering I recieved no reply from her, but an attack from
you instead, it seems obvious my assumption was wrong.
 
"Chelle and the Gang", I'm afraid I am not familiar with you or your
rescue.
 
As for the matter at hand....
 
Dictionaries aside, I consider a hobby to be something done for pleasure
in a person's spare time.  Something which can be put away or ignored
when other things take priority.  The sort of things that people do to
bide time when they have nothing better to do.  How the responsibilty of
caring for any living thing could be equated in the same manner or held
in the same regard as something that's used to amuse someone when they
are bored escapes me.  To me, the animals I share my life with are my
children.  I would no sooner refer to them as a hobby than I would my
human child.
 
I did not submit my previous post looking for a fight.  I submitted it
seeking KarenL's view, as well as the views of anyone else who cared to
discuss it, on the subject.  I was hoping for an open discussion.  It's
clear by the few responses I did recieved, the majority of which were
less than cordial, that this is not about to happen.
 
Now I too see why people are being "driven away" from the FML.  Thank you
for opening my eyes.
 
--
Karen McCabe
[Posted in FML issue 4550]