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Original poster

Dog owners - what do you wish you'd considered before getting a dog?

47 replies

sarahb083 · 29/10/2019 12:20

We're thinking of getting a dog soon and have started doing some research. There are lots of helpful MN threads about choosing breeds, making sure you have the time/energy to care for a dog, making sure the dog is good with kids, etc. But other than the standard advice, is there anything you wish you'd considered before getting a dog? We're planning to get a young-ish resue if that makes a difference.

OP posts:
Winterdaysarehere · 29/10/2019 12:23

That 1 ddog wouldn't be enough.
We now have 4!!

anothermansmother · 29/10/2019 12:28

Fur...that a short haired breed moults constantly. We'd always had this breed but forgot about the moulting until we'd had him a couple of hours days. Also the timings of your day need to be completely adjusted. And you can't take spontaneous trips/ days out without military planning for the dog.
But I still wouldn't be without him.

Confusedbeetle · 29/10/2019 12:29

That a dog is a committment every bit as big as a child. The first 2 years are hard work but worth it, the middle years are lovely and the elderly dogs can be hard work. Training training training is essential. Be very careful of getting a rescue if you have kids and cant put the dog first. The first 2 years of a dogs life and education are crucial. Not only have you missed that but you dont know if any emotional damage has been done. The kennels will not tell you

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Dogs
anothermansmother · 29/10/2019 12:30

Fur...that a short haired breed moults constantly. We'd always had this breed but forgot about the moulting until we'd had him a couple of hours days. Also the timings of your day need to be completely adjusted. And you can't take spontaneous trips/ days out without military planning for the dog.
But I still wouldn't be without him. Oh and that no matter what the rescue tell you about the dog 90% of it is rubbish, as they're either going in what the person handing them over has said or if they're a stray they can only go off there experience. For example we were told our dog is good with other dogs...he's not he's a fucking nightmare!

SamBeckett · 29/10/2019 12:32

The one stand it thing for me is just how much they will change your life , mostly in a good way but the restrictions on what you can do and where you can go , particualy when it comes to holidays .
I put my dog into kennels for four days , he came out with kennel cough it took him weeks to get over it.
After that I stuck to UK breaks .
Fwiw all Britannia and travel lodges ( with one or two exceptions ) allow dogs in .

LochJessMonster · 29/10/2019 12:32

Fur.

Going out for the day? Nights out? Weekends away? What will you do with the dog - and don't rely on family/friends who say they will be able to look after it. Think of boarding and kennelling costs. Average cost for a weekend away maybe £60. A weeks holiday? £150-£200.

Asked to go out for drinks after work? Can't, have to get back for the dog.

Horrendous day at work? Freezing cold and pissing it down with rain? Get your wellies on and out you go.

Hallin · 29/10/2019 12:35

The farts. No one warned me how bad dog farts are.

My life is now organised in four-hour blocks because that's how long the dogs can be left alone for. If it can't be done in four hours then I don't do it.

SamBeckett · 29/10/2019 12:35

Oh and vets bills can be eye watering high

averylongtimeago · 29/10/2019 12:43

They arrive in your home as puppies, wee everywhere, chewing little land sharks as demanding as a toddler.

Then they steal your heart.

They live a dog's life of walks and mud and bones and moulting and rolling in fox poo and loving and being your best friend.

You rearrange your time and your holidays and your home around them. You buy an industrial vacuum and lots of lint rollers for your clothes.

Then they are old and ill and they break your heart on the final journey to the vets.

They don't live long enough.

WisestIsShe · 29/10/2019 13:35

No one will ever love you like your dog does.
The hair, mud, expense, bed hogging and out in all weathers just fades away when she greets you, even if you've just nipped to the corner shop.

PurplePuffinPicker · 29/10/2019 13:41

Short hair moults versus non-moulting fur needs trimming regularly. Which is either expensive or time consuming, depends whether you do it yourself. I spend more on the dog's hair appointments than my own! Though to be fair I hardly ever go to the hairdresser. Previous dog was a shedder - spent a lot of time sweeping, hoovering and using lint rollers. So pick which sounds less hassle for you!

dreichsky · 29/10/2019 13:46

The loss of flexibility in your life. Our dog is a sleeper and fine with being left but we still need to make sure we aren't out all day. Impulse short trips or sleepovers aren't possible.
Dog care during holiday periods is very expensive and needs planning.
Much as the dc love him I'm not sure dogs are really that compatible with a busy family life.
Fortunately our dog really loves his dog care so at least I don't feel guilty while he is there.

Ineedtochillthehellout · 29/10/2019 13:48

They are so much more expensive than I imagined. I couldn’t get insurance cover for my old rescue man and because of horrible breeding he has cost thousands to keep him out of pain. Then grooming and normal vet costs

Dog slobber, hair and muddy floors are your new normal.

That you are their whole world and you will never have a more loyal friend. So make sure you can always be as equally loyal.

That saying hello and getting to know them is hard but saying goodbye after years of having them by your side literally breaks your heart.

LochJessMonster · 29/10/2019 13:55

No one will ever love you like your dog does.
This but also
No one will love your dog like you do. So don't expect other people to put themselves out for it, or accept behaviours that you expect (dogs inside, on sofa, eating from plates, jumping up, stealing things, digging, accidentally knocking things over/off)

Wynteriscoming · 29/10/2019 14:10

We have to keep my dog on a lead around other dogs because 80 percent of the time he'll have a huge problem with the other dog. It's stressful and walks are not peaceful. We only let him off in a secure field when no one else is around, but still we have to be on the look out at the entrance to the field in case someone else comes on with a dog. He's never attacked/hurt another dog but dogs have come over (when my dog is on the lead of course) and attacked him because he's been barking and growling at them. We are constantly training him.

I love my dog and he has plenty of good qualities, great around the home, great with kids, and he we have successfully introduced him to plenty of friends/family/neighbours dogs.

But still after particularly stressful walks it can be hard to remember I love him.

Dollyparton3 · 29/10/2019 14:21

We're 3 months into having our dog and he's amazing!!!! Yes the inflexibility of going out is tricky but ours is fine to be left for a couple of hours to go for dinner or a supermarket shop and we have an amazing daycare lady who can help on the odd weekend if we need to.

If we didn't have her we have teenagers and teenagers friends who often want a bit of pocket money for helping out. Other than that he's completed our family and makes me burst with love every day

morporkia · 29/10/2019 14:27

The anguish and heartbreak their deaths cause. My boy was put to sleep a month ago and I know that I will NEVER get another dog. And when my elderly bitchcat from hell goes I will NEVER get another cat.

YorkieTheRabbit · 29/10/2019 14:29

The utter devotion they have for you.
The vets bills can be very expensive, our two have insurance but it doesn’t cover dental work
The older one is losing his eye sight so needs more help, he’s fine but I couldn’t leave him any amount of time as he gets really stressed
I dread the day of them no longer being here

ChrisPrattsFace · 29/10/2019 14:32

Their colour (breed dependant) our lurcher was black/red when we got her and her fur was barely noticeable... now she’s fawn/blonde and holy mother of Jesus her fur literally coats every bit of fabric in this house.
Also that I would get more. I have double figures.

Winterdaysarehere · 29/10/2019 14:40

Lurcher you say???

SpiderCharlotte · 29/10/2019 14:46

The commitment. The fact that I would never again eat something at home without being stared at with such intensity that I sometimes hide in the utility room. The fact that the idiotic, hairy bastard would steal the heart of every single member of this family to the point that I genuinely worry how we'll cope without him.

SpiderCharlotte · 29/10/2019 14:48

The anguish and heartbreak their deaths cause.

Absolutely this, too. When we lost my childhood dog, I was 18. We'd had him since I was 3 and to say we were all devastated is an understatement.

Armi · 29/10/2019 15:12

They don’t live long enough.

So true. We lost our old girl 18 months ago and I still miss her so much. Even DH (dead inside, in most circumstances) is still occasionally to be found blowing his nose and with something apparently in his eye.

LatteLover12 · 29/10/2019 15:50

That I could possibly love her this much.

She's a sofa stealing, bed hogging drama queen but she is so gentle and loving and she's changed our lives for the better.

I have a lurcher & they are amazing dogs (but if you have a small sofa be prepared to sit on the floor!)

Down sides - I paid £51 at the vets today as she has conjunctivitis & DP and I have had to forgo our spontaneous nights away.

Blobby10 · 29/10/2019 16:12

I wish I had considered how long the dogs would last for and recognised how much our lives would naturally change over their 14 years of life. Obviously I couldn't have factored in the eventual divorce - dealing with old dogs on your own is way harder than sharing with someone, especially THAT final decision.

Ultimately, the 'family' dogs became mine for the last 5 years of their lives. I wouldn't change it but it was VERY hard work with lots of guilt and a serious lack of freedom to do what I wanted. i was lucky that parents had them while I was at work but evenings and nights out were few and far between and nothing could be spontaneous.