Why do you have a dog?

[TheKitchenWitch]

Just that, really :)

I'll go first: we have two bitches, an 8yo parson russell terrier (from breeder) and a 17month old border terrier cross (from rescue), and the reason we have them is that I cannot imagine living without an animal.
I love the relationship between us. I feel privileged to be allowed to share their lives. They are affectionate, funny, cute and stubborn. They enrich our lives in so many ways - I love that we are outside so much more because of them, that we are so much more aware of nature and the changing seasons, that we don't mind going out in the rain (because of course we have the right gear!).
I love that ds is growing up with them, and I think it makes him much more aware of animals in general, and (I hope) kinder towards all of them because of it.

Um, I'm sure there are more, but those are the ones that spring to mind!

So come and tell me what dog(s) you have and why you have them :)

[YoureBeingASillyBilly]

I feel sorry for people who dont have dogs

Why wouldnt you have one if circumstamces allow? They're a big ball of fluffy on tap love. And they lick up the spilled cereal.

[Awks]

Cos he's the only thing who absolutely ADORES me. Also I would be about 15 stone if I didnt walk him for miles twice a day

[coffeetofunction]

Our little jack russell was the missing piece of our family at the time she is THE best thing we have ever spent money on. She adds another dimension to our crazy little lives.

[RayPurchase]

I don't have one but I dropped a egg on the floor the other day and thought to myself "If I had a dog I wouldn't have to clean this up". we are babysitting a 3yo Labrador bitch this week and is loooovely :)

[YoureBeingASillyBilly]

[Lonecatwithkitten]

My favourite new fact from a study published last week is that children who live with animals have 18% lower abscence from school compared to children that don't live with animals.
This combined with that children who grow up with dogs are statically less likely to have asthma, children with pets are less likely to be bullies, children with autism are verbal sooner and adults with Altzhemiers stay verbal longer.
I have pets to keep DD healthy.

[YoureBeingASillyBilly]

Ooh lonecat! Cool facts. I wonder what the link is between pets and school attendence? Maybe routine of having to be up and feed/walk animals even when ill?

[Lonecatwithkitten]

I think it is that children who grow with pets tend to be ill less. This fits in with the clean theory that using all these antibacterial everything's reduces exposure to everyday bacteria having a too fold effect you are more likely to succumb to infection and with no everyday bacteria to work against the immune system reacts to itself so you get more asthma, eczema and other autoimmune disease.

[mrsflowerpot]

Unconditional love. Our huge soppy lab is great for that.

The house wouldn't feel right without him, he rounds off our family.

And he's great at eating up leftover, slightly off food and cleaning up food related mess in the kitchen. I once dropped a whole roasting tin full of gravy on the kitchen floor and he cleaned the whole lot up in less than a minute (I timed him). Other than that he has no practical application but we love him.

[YoureBeingASillyBilly]

Just realised that the two children in my primary school class who got certificates for 7 years full attendence were both farmer's children (unrelated to each other)

[StampyIsMyBoyfriend]

If I'm honest... I don't know

Because we I did the whole baby replacement thing... when struggling to conceive.

He's 7 now, and we would never get rid, I do believe you make a commitment to them, and he's loved & looked after, we paid to have him trained & he's walked, vaccinated etc etc (his breed is notoriously highly strung) but having a dog is very tying & kennels are a fortune if we go away.

We have cats, I'm an animal person, but don't think I'd have another dog.

[toboldlygo]

For all the reasons already mentioned but also owning dogs has given me a social life and goals/aims/dreams I would never have had before.

We compete in a couple of different sports and it has led to travelling all over the country. I've seen some stunning bits of the UK I never would have otherwise, camping and holiday cottaging, tramping about in all weathers across beautiful landscapes. I've made close friends, human and dog, and hundreds more acquaintances - the camaraderie is brilliant, everyone mucks in to run the events and celebrates the achievements of others.

I am out and about all the time, tracking the seasons, keeping myself fit and learning new skills in the process. The dogs are rescues with less than ideal starts and when I think of how far we've come since those early days I can get quite emotional, they don't have to do the things they do but they do it for me. :)

The feeling when we win something is just amazing, there's a real sense of partnership and achievement. There are times out in the ring when it feels as if we are reading each other's minds and moving as one. And there are also the times that she sticks two fingers up at me and I have to laugh and try again another day. The early starts, late finishes and hundreds of miles are completely worth it when they look at me and start that slow I-see-you, what-are-we-doing-next wag.

[LEMmingaround]

Just wht you said really op - life without a dog is no life at all. I love that my dog sleeps at the bottom of my bed and i rest my feet on his tummy. I love that he curls up in the crook of my leg when im on the sofa, hes there now. I love that the house isn't empty when we come home. They are just like members of the family, they just ARE.

[MuttonCadet]

I had a 5 year stretch without a dog and it was miserable. We now have a retired greyhound who is an absolute dream.

Dogs are part of the family, loyal, protective and affectionate, DH has noticed the marked change in my moods since we got her.

[Owllady]

Because we are responsible and loving and could offer a rescue dog a secure, loving home
She is
Reliable
Good company
A reason to get outdoors everyday
She has a good sense of humour
Looks after us as much as we look after her
It's good fun. :)
This is our third rescue dog over 20 years and they all have their own personalities, but they are all a constant in your life which is something you can't say for a lot of people. You can talk to a dog and they will always agree with you too, which as long as you aren't a narcissist or sociopath, it's a good thing to help with your confidence :o

[PurpleWithaMysteryBun]

He makes me laugh every day! The children adore him, DH and I grew up with a family dog and we wanted that for our DC. I had to wait 4 yrs for the time to be right and at times it is very challenging as he is a teenager currently. I know the pay off will be worth it.
I also feel safe with him in the house, in a way I hadn't anticipated and he will be my running buddy in 18months ish win win win

[StampyIsMyBoyfriend]

I sometimes wonder if we got too big a dog, and the wrong breed.

I see little bearded lap dogs and feel quite wistful.

[Owllady]

What kind of dog do you have?

[PurpleWithaMysteryBun]

stampy having a large mud fiend I sometimes feel the same way ;)

[fanoftheinvisibleman]

I have always had a pet and had a cat when I left home.

Ds fell for my uncles dog big time and was desperate for one. Dh and I had grown up with dogs and we liked the idea. We like walking and being out and about. When the cat died we started looking at dogs and just over 12 monthd later got a Border Terrier. He is definitely the perfect 4th member of our family

[ClaimedByMe]

We have a dog because dp nagged and nagged me for 12 years for a staffy and I kept saying no as the dc were too young, we have 3 cats and I knew because I am a SAHM all the work would be left to me, eventually when both dc were at school I got a bit lonely and finally gave in to the nagging and we got a rescue staffy. She is my 3rd child, I love her to bits she gets me out the house so i get fresh air and exercise. I just adore her, I just wish she wasnt dog aggressive and we could have more

She is also a fab hoover

[YoureBeingASillyBilly]

Oh just realised one thing, not really why i have a dog as i had never experienced it before my furbaby was here but i love how in tune we are with each other. That prob sounds like i need to put the pipe down but as he has grown (with us since puppy) i have noticed how tuned in we have all become to his behaviours, facial gestures etc and also how he seems to know where i'm going in the house before i do, he knows to step out of the way without me asking, he knows which of the dc will share his breakfast and which will come wailing to me so doesnt even bother trying to get any. i never really believed it before i had him but they really do become a family member.

[EvenBetter]

Because they're sublime. They're pure love, joy, hilarity and I would do anything for mine. I love her so much my heart bursts, I'm so proud of her.
Our old girl who died in September was the best thing ever to have existed, it was an honour to be hers, fourteen years of bliss.
People who don't like dogs repulse me. I can't even begin to understand them, and have absolutely nothing to say to them.

[KeatsiePie]

Because they're sublime. They're pure love, joy, hilarity and I would do anything for mine. I love her so much my heart bursts, I'm so proud of her.

Yes exactly! Mine is 14. I adopted her from a shelter when she was 7 weeks old. She's so funny, so smart, so attuned, and so everlastingly happy to be with us -- I love her with all my heart.

[joanofarchitrave]

Because we don't have a second child, tbh. Also because ds asked me if we could get another hamster, clearly thinking this was as high as I'd ever go in the pet owning arena, and I HATED having a caged animal in the house, so decided to go for a dog.

The dog is great. Ds's relationship with him is great and makes up for some of it. Owning him is fairly shit tbh and I regret it.