To ask for reasons NOT to get a dog?

My OH loves dogs and really really wants one. I like them too but when he met a breeder who bred lovely puppies and wanted to get one. Problem is, he works offshore. I simply said if you think WE are getting a puppy and then YOU are pretty much immediately going to go offshore leaving ME to look after our child and our house and a puppy by myself (not to mention doing my own job) for weeks at a time, then you can think again!!

Do NOT agree to this. The only reason is “I’m not looking after a dog because I don’t want to”.

Kick it into the long grass. Tell DH you wouldn’t manage 2 small ones and a dog, but hold that thought until kids are older and can help take care of him/her.

Cons:

Work - need training, walking and attention/love
Expensive- - food, kit, VET
Tied - hard to go away as can’t leave dog
Safety - always a risk with animals and small children of injury or attack
Focus - young children need most attention, not fair on dog or them if you are trying to look after both
Health some kids have pet allergies, germs from licking etc
Mess not all dogs are well behaved, dog + kids mess to tidy no fun, puppy training = lots accidents on the floors kids be crawling on
Toys hard to leave kids toys out, dog understandably want to play with them
Support reality is if DH working the care be falling on you mainly when your hands already full
Poo Patrol - having to pick up every single parcel they do from cradle to rainbow bridge

Could say you would rather wait until kids older so you can pick dog as a family, make it a key family memory and get a dog when they can help/appreciate it more.

You’ve set out enough reasons already! I adore my dog but I’m so glad we got her when the kids were a bit older…for one thing it means I can take the dog out and leave them at home. Imagine a rainy day and having to get a toddler and baby all ready for a dog walk, several times a day. Dogs (especially young ones) need a lot of time and attention spent on them as they can find their own entertainment otherwise!

I’ve owned dogs in the past, but not any more. The smell (dogs always smell) the mess, the exercising, the training, the responsibility, and they are a tie with holidays etc.

Unless you really want one, I’d not get one.

The scum line of mud.
Muddy floors.
Dander on all the surfaces.
Smelly dog beds.
Ticks and fleas.
The training.
The never ending responsibility which unlike children stays full time.
Even picking up poo from the garden means there is still poo on the grass. And urine.
Vets fees are astronomical and rarely anticipatable.
I repeat the mud! The hair!
Dogs that hump, nip, roll in cow pats and mud.
Shaking their coats when wet.
The hoover reeks.
The house smells of dog which you stop noticing but others can smell.

If your not passionate about dogs then these things make you resent the dog.

I have two dogs. I was a dog professional. I am looking forward to when my son moves out and takes his pets with him.

OP I have a toddler, baby and a dog, and whilst I love my dog dearly and wouldn’t be without her, it’s bloody tough. My dog was here first, I would 100% not have got a dog though after having two under two. The reasons people have listed are more than enough and all true. If anything I would wait until your children are at least a few years older

Absolutely not. Puppies are harder work than children. They take a long time to train to walk nicely on the lead (some never do) so it will be impossible to walk a dog with a pushchair safely.

It is nigh on impossible to keep a toddler from prodding/chasing/annoying a dog even though they insist they’re “just nicing her”

garden will be a mess that needs inspecting before you can let any children outside

dog will become an annoying beggar because children will share ALL their food whether it is good for the dog or not

you’ll already be tired enough without a puppy needing a wee at 2am

dogs go through a teenager stage where all training his redundant and they become deaf to instructions

Vet bills. Look at the cost if insurance. It is huge.

So many reasons not to get a dog: the expense (buying, feeding, vet's bills, equipment, kennels...), the responsibility (training, walking, not leaving it for hours on end), the mess (hairs, toys, poo, dribble), noise if it's yappy, limits where you can go (shops, pubs, cafés etc). Dealing with children and dog could be a nightmare.

At least your friend attempted to walk the dog. Our NDN got theirs a month before their youngest was born and it gets taken out a couple of times a week max because they can’t be arsed to drag the kids out too. Poor dog is so neglected.

We waited until our DC was a teen to get our dog and I’m so glad we did. The amount of work in the puppy stage took me by surprise (she is my first ever dog) and even now she’s older it still wears me down sometimes when I’m trying to clear the house of dog hair and repair the lawn that’s been wrecked by her poos and wees. But god I love her! She’s so chilled and gorgeous.

So all your reasons are spot on and your DH needs to suck it up.

Your toddler is likely to try and eat the dogs food. They will step in a poo you have missed.
I am 100% with you. Do not get a dog.

Personally i think its amazing for kids to grow up around dogs and the amazing benefits it brings... but only if both adults are on board, youre not.
Are dogs hard work, yes, are they expensive, yes. Can dogs be trained to fit in with family life, yes. Can they be left for more than 4 hours, yes.... does that change you wanting a dog, no.

You know all the rain we’ve had recently? Well you still need to walk the dog, in the rain, twice a day. Then you get home and you’re cleaning up after the wet and muddy dog and wondering if your gear will be dry ready for the next wet walk.
Heatwave in the summer? You can’t walk a dog in boiling heat so hello waking up at 5:30am to walk before it’s too hot on the pavement for their paws.
We had to cancel a holiday last year at very short notice because the forecast was 32 degrees and we’d have been stuck inside unable to go anywhere with the dogs. We can’t put them in kennels because one of them has issues so everywhere we go the dogs have to go.

We got our dog when DDs were 4 & 6, it all
worked out but initially was a nightmare as puppies are unpredictable and bitey and kids are kids.

DH had had dogs before so was happy to walk her in all weathers, but hasn’t taken on any of the mental load so she’s another thing that I have to deal with.

Want to go away? Have you checked availability at the dog boarder (and factored in the cost)?. insurance, vaccinations, food all need sorting.

My biggest regret is what a tie a dog is, as others have said you can’t do anything without making plans for the dog.

You don’t want a dog and that is reason enough - the age of your kids and uselessness of your other half is just extra!

This is exactly why I said no to getting a puppy while on maternity leave (my husband tried to convince me 3 times). Thank you for validating all of my arguments!

We'd love a dog (DH and I both had family dogs growing up), but I think we'll wait until our youngest starts school or is near to doing so.

I would also say that if your DH persists once you have said an entirely justified no then he is a selfish dick.

I have two dogs. I have to get up at 5 am to walk them before I get ready , wake up my child, then go to work. Then I have to walk them again before I collect my little one from nursery. I literally spend hours walking them every day. Rain or shine.

I estimate the dogs cost us 7-800£ per month. In vets fees, dog walker, food, insurance etc. getting a dog is very expensive and it gets much more expensive as they get older.

You will struggle to go on any last minute weekend breaks, holidays abroad or long trips ever again. They are a real tie.

On top of that they need A LOT of training. A badly trained dog will ruin your life. But you will have two children to look after at the same time.

DONT DO IT OP

No good breeder will sell you a dog with two children so young.

So any dog you do get will likely be riddled with defects (health, personality, behavioural) from a back-yard, unethical, breeder at best or a puppy farmer at worse.

Regardless of all the other dog relates chores you'll have...the high risk you'll be supporting puppy farming is the best reason of all not to buy a puppy.

Because you have to pick up their shit and you have a newborn baby which should be your priority. What other arguement do you need. Find this exasperating.

I have a dog and I love him, have trained him well and he’s been in the family all
his life (8yrs now).
BUT he is a bind.

He thrives on a set routine and is only as calm and easy as he is because of our routine. Be realistic, do you get up at the same time every day including weekends so a dog can be walked at 7 or 8 each morning… every day?

He needs 2 walks a day and these happen at 8am and 2pm whether I like it or not. This routine and these outings means he’s chill the rest of the day but if I am late he follows me around staring at me!
He needs lots of company, luckily I work from home and we don’t leave him home alone for more than 4hrs as that would be unfair on him.
If we want a dog free holiday I pay £75/day for a dog sitter. That can double the price of our vacation.

If we want no a big day out I need to pay the dog sitter or get my parents to look after him.
If he is ill I get to sleep on the sofa or get up 10 times a night so he can go out to toilet.
He costs money - food, insurance, vets, medication for his allergies, grooming, pet sitters, treats and toys etc..

If you already don’t want a dog then getting one would make you resentful and frustrated at all these things. Not good for you, not good for the dog. Just say NO!

came here to write the same !

Don’t do it.
There’s absolutely no guarantee you will have a good dog who slots in perfectly with your family life.
We love ours but one of them is reactive, highly-strung, just basically extremely hard work, my day revolves around him and his needs and it’s bloody tiring.
I’ll never have another dog.

They are such a tie.

As someone who is left looking after her H’s dogs and absolutely hates it - stand firm on this. Do not get a dog.

They make you fall in love with them and then they get sick with no warning 💔

but yeah I would never had a dog and young kids, way too much risk of things going wrong.

also if your DH wants a dog he needs to commit to looking after it!