Tell me the bad points about owning a dog

[ItchyScratch]

I do love dogs.
I had one through my youth-teens.
But never since due to lack of money/ time/ having young kids.
I’m in a better position now though.

My children (young teens) are desperate for one.
They are hitting me with all the good points about owning a dog and begging me all day long.

Please tell me all of the bad points about owning a dog so I can thoroughly consider this.

Have a look at puppy survival threads if you're considering a pup. We are 2 weeks in with angel pup. She is amazing, so good for her age. But we still get woken up to take her our 1-4 times a night, have to constantly watch her to minimize accidents, the poop scooping doesn't bother me but it is a factor for some. We are going to have a dog walker or day care for days were out at work, and that's nearly the same price as nursery. We can't be spontaneous about weekends away and day trips have to be considered carefully. I've barely been out in 2 weeks because she can only go out in arms so has to be between pees, and she can't be left home alone yet (building up to this). She's just becoming biteyas she starts teething.

You also can't guarantee personality, and if you don't socialize right in the early days you can have all kinds of issues.

Wouldn't change her for the world though. We be waited for years for her and to us, early years of difficulty will be made up in immediate cuteness and years and years of having a beloved companion.

Tbh op I think you are either a dog lover or you aren't, as you can tell I am not.

bad things about having a dog. Let's see, well, you will never again come home when you've been out for half an hour and not get drenched in love, You don't have to reach out and stroke their velvet ears every thirty minutes. You don't have another animal look at you with that look that tells you that you are just perfect

I have a tee shirt that says "Trying to be the person my dog thinks I am". Says it all, really.

Yes, your home may smell a bit, if you're not careful, and you may be a bit restricted around your comings and goings

But you will always come home to a being that is over the moon to see you

The dying before you thing is just unbearable 😭 (I don't have a dog currently but have cats and seem to be in a state of perpetual anxiety about one or other aspect of their health).
With dogs specifically - top of the list for me has to be going out in filthy weather conditions when you just want to curl up indoors.
The chewing. I found it hard myself but it used to drive my XH to fits of rage (even though he was the one who'd desperately wanted a dog) and that was more stressful than the problem itself. (We did keep her for her whole long life though and she eventually grew out of it.)

My colleagues teens and dh begged her for a dog for years and years. She caved and got a rescue puppy from Greece 3 weeks ago. In spite of there being 3 teenagers and a DH (not working) in the house all the time, no one else walks it, no one is doing training, and yesterday when colleague had back to back meetings from 8.30 to 6pm, no one gave the puppy lunch. She's having to put it in day care now on busy days

I love my dogs, and mostly they aren't much of an issue in our lives, but it is really hard when you want to do something spontaneous, or stay over with friends, or just a full day out somewhere not dog friendly. A little weekend away for us means getting the dogs into day boarding or getting a dog sitter which adds £100 to the weekend price

The vet bills for silly little things not covered by the insurance!

The being watched when you eat...

For us our life is definitely easier without a dog but It is also not as good.

This is why I’m getting a dog the day I retire! I know they are shit machines but I’m aching for that unconditional love and friendship

Mines got an upset stomach which so far has cost me 80 quid at the vets, one dog bed and one living room rug. So that's a downside. Can't go for spontaneous days out/nights away. 30 seconds after the hoover goes away my house looks like it hasn't been cleaned for a week. Wouldn't be without her for all the money in the world though.

Your kids are teens, freedom is in sight. And you’re thinking about getting yourself another toddler to look after?

Blocked anal glands 🤢

@ifoundthebread

Blocked anal glands 🤢

Oh god yes. Forgot about this particular horror.

Puppy's
bitty little carpet sharks,
Not house trained , waking in the middle of the night because I wanted a wee , I will never forget the feeling of dog poo squelching between my toes !
Lots of hard work training them

Teenage dogs
bloody impossible to control if something catches their attention >>>> OH LOOK A CRISP PACKING BLOWING IN THE WIND , I MUST CATCH IT .
leaping on people
zoomies at 3am

adult dogs
ermmmm . . . nope no down side

old dogs more vet bills than normal , slower pace of walking than you may want
and the worst bit . . . . the end when you have to say good bye , fucking heart breaking

Dogs of any age
restricts what you can do on a daily basis
restricts your holidays a lot ( though all but a very few travel lodges and Britannia hotels allow dogs at little or no extra cost )
Vets bills
picking up poo
other idiots dogs .
doggy day care
kennel fees if you want to go away without them ( generally around half of the cost of your hols ! )

I absolutely loved my dogs but they are a tie without a doubt.
All that said if I can change my job around to work from home more I will be getting another one

If your DCs really want a dog tell them they have to prove that they will walk it every day by going for a walk themselves at the same time come hell or high water at least three time a day and depending on the breed / activity level of the dog for half a hr to a hour each time.
no slouching of to the park to sit around with mates or going on their bikes instead .
I recon 2 months of this ( and at least part of that time should be when they are back in school ) should tell you how much they want a dog .

Wouldn't be without ours but we cant have days out anymore. At least not somewhere where we'll be out for more than 4 hours. Holidays are ok because family will have him but for a spontaneous day out to the beach or a national trust place, nope.

Rescue dogs can come with baggage that you're not always aware of until they start to settle in. Can be hard work but so rewarding when you can get their trust & understand them & their foibles.
There are some well adjusted rescues who've been given up through other reasons though.
If you go for a puppy, you may get one through rescue or if not please please please research the health testing which should be done eg hips, elbow dysplasia, eyes, hearing specific to the breed as a general "vet check" means nothing - your puppy may have health conditions which only become apparent in adulthood.

They get old and incontinent. Nothing beats having to clean up dog wee and poo from the kitchen on a Sunday morning with a hangover. (I'll admit that the hangover wasn't the dog's fault).

They have no shame and will poop anywhere. I was admiring a lady walking her beagle dog with her pram and 2 small children, dog just stopped right in middle of pavement and did a giant poo. I couldn't help but feel her pain as she stopped to pick it up. Also Dog hair and the expense. But 100% worth it. Our boy is 12 years old and slowing (golden retriever) and I lost by little beagle cross 2 years ago (heartbroken to this day) its better to have loved and lost than never loved at all, as the saying goes. I would struggle without my furry friends.

Having one makes you want another..and another.I love dogs.

I got bitten last year completely unprovoked by a stranger's dog (for the third time in my life) and I don't go into houses where there's dogs. You'll probably know someone who won't come to your house anymore when you have a dog. Some people just don't like them.

The walking even on the morning you have a hangover.
Children's ability to demand a dog but denial of responsibility when you have them.
Going on hols is a bit harder as not everywhere is dog friendly.

In saying all that. I'm on hols with my fab dog and I wouldn't swop them for anything.

Having to go in places separately in holiday because you can't take the dog in and you can't leave her in the holiday cottage because she chews and you definitely can't leave her in the car because it's dangerous in the heat.

Vets bills and insurance costs, chewing all your favourite stuff, making your house stink so much, you'll get used to the smell and think its gone but all visitors will be 😖

The vet's bills and/or insurance premiums

Sorry I keep posting exactly the same thing as whoever posts above me!

Thank you again for all the replies.
Lots of funny stories, good points and bad points.

Also it’s jogging my ‘bad points memories about the dog I had for 13 years.
He used to run off with our cushions and pillows and drool all over them.
And he often stole peoples picnics.

This will be a tough choice 🤔

You know you can ''rent a dog'' for one day a week to have the doggy experience and then give it back to owner - in London anyway.