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.

The smell was a shock at first, but now I'm used to it and actually quite like it

The neediness, again, a bit of a shock, but you get used to it

He's never chewed anything he shouldn't, apart from a couple of cushions when he was a puppy.

There was one time he ran through the brambles and cut his ears open. After walking him home covered in blood (he has a white coat), I plopped him in the bath and washed the blood off, then let him go downstairs to dry off. It was the first time that I'd bathed him, and forgotten that dogs rub themselves all over everything afterwards.

By the time I got downstairs, it looked like a scene from American Psycho, complete with blood sprayed up the walls where he'd rolled about and opened up the cuts on his ears and had a good old shake.

I also didn't realise what prolific killers dogs can be, he often gets hold of pigeons, rats and even a squirrel once . I have managed to curb this by giving him a small squeaky toy to carry, which also helps with his (shit) recall.

Mostly he's a joy though, even his kitty brothers like him. Unfortunately he does harass cats that he doesn't know (wouldn't hurt one though).

I do wonder though. If I got a dog, would I become a 'MN dog nutter'. The type that values the dog above human life (sometimes including their own children). I'm never completely sure if that is all dog owners or a subset.

Well I adore my dogs and people would probably think we're a bit OTT about them. But I love my kids a million times more!

Adopted dogs can have behavioural issues that’ll take you years to undo. For example, I had a dog that hated certain men which was a pain on walks as she’d shy away but bark and growl from behind my legs. Another rescue hated every other dog he met and became aggressive because he was scared. Which was fun when the other owner was one of those idiots that calls out ‘my dogs friendly’ from the other side of the field while their fur baby is all over the dog that I’ve pinned between my knees to stop him from attacking.

Also poop scooping. One word, diarrhoea.

Having said that, in my opinion a house isn’t a home without a dog.

The only bad point is that they inevitably die and the thought of that makes me want to cry for my lovely boy.

Yes, having to go out 4 times a day (we live in a flat) can be a nightmare if you're tired but it soon becomes routine and means you always get exercise and fresh air.

Other dog owners are a pain in the arse, no control and I never need to hear "he's just PLLLAAAYIIING" ever again.

My dog doesn't smell or destroy things - a decent diet, training and enough exercise solve 99% of those kinds of issues.

Mine regularly eats things left in parks eg
Used tampons
Nappies
Human poo
Vomit

🤮

A puppy is like a baby and you're back to night wakings (to take them out for a wee, so don't do what I did and get one in November!)
Until they're trained out of it they chew (mine chewed little things like Lego which was a potential choking hazard and my kids were 3&5)
Probably the biggest drawback is trips out to places like water parks, museums, some beaches etc where dogs aren't allowed as someone always ends up outside with the dog.
Our holiday dog sitter who used to have ours in the house has reduced her clients to just the ones she does doggy day care for so I don't know what will happen next time we go on holiday.
I REALLY love having a dog but the dog sitting aspect of it is a real pain.

Don't get a dog unless you are prepared to be totally committed to meeting its needs. You also need to be prepared to hoover daily (more if you're an obsessive), wash your floors more often than if you didn't have a dog.
If you like going abroad (if we ever can again) be prepared to pay £30 a night to a dog sitter/or kennel
Pay out for insurance and for flea/work/immunisations.
Join a training group and stay with it so you don't end up with a dog who ignores you when you call it, or jumps all over visitors etc.
Buy food for your dog, spend hours researching kibble/raw/fresh and be subjected to criticism from other dog owners on face book for making the wrong choice (that is the one they disagree with)
Put hours into researching the best dog to fit in with your work and family lifestyle.
If you're looking to buy a puppy be prepared to research endlessly before finding a good breeder then wait on their long waiting list.

Currently people are prepare to pay between £2 and 3000 for a pup!

If you want to rescue, you'll find most shelters full of staffordshire bull terriers x with other bull breeds, lurchers and elderly sad German shepherd dogs. So - sign up with a specific breed rescue and wait.

Having said all this, some of the best dogs I ever shared my life with came from our local dog shelter. They arrive with all kinds of baggage, and about three months later (if you're lucky, much longer some times) you begin to see the skinny, scared dog disappear to be replaced by a happier more confident companion, who looks to you for everything.

Our poodle cross had four homes by 5 months, when she joined us 12 years ago. She taught me a lot about dogs who have a high prey urge and an independent manner. She died two weeks ago, I could still weep just writing that. All dogs are special but some times you are lucky enough to have a truly special character join you. She was one of those.

If you read all this - maybe you want a dog. I can't imagine life without them. Currently I only have one - four years ago I had three x

Make sure your paint work is washable. Mine create a tide line of dog snot on ranch slider windows, and leave grubby marks on the walls, this is not helped by a spaniel who feels that long delicate curtains are just the material to dry himself on ..... When his human is busy drying his partner in grime...

Dogs are incredibly messy. But. We. Love. Them. Unconditionally :)

The breed is a big thing though. I see what some people have put on here, messing indoors, my dog is in a tiled room at night and apart from a couple of mishaps as a puppy she has pood on it once in all her 7 years and weed on it just a few times. Never done anything on the carpet.
Shedding - she sheds (Cavalier King Charles spaniel) but we run that round every day downstairs.
Smelly - she doesn't smell, and only goes to the groomer every 5 weeks.
Digging up the lawn - she doesn't dig
Poops on the grass - of course, but we just go out every morning and pick it up, and on walks. Not sure how I would handle a big breed's poop though!! She's so gorgeous and cuddly, she is worth it! Tbh though I chose this breed because I don't like big bouncy dogs or slobber, and she is more like a half cat half dog.

The main things I'd say are:

'having to get back for the dog' - unlike children, you can't always take your dog with you when you go out. Things like weddings, trips to zoos, theme parks - unless you have a dog sitter, you always have to cut them short to 'get back for the dog'. On the plus side it's a brilliant excuse to leave if you're not enjoying yourself.

Mess if the dog is ill - like pps I have had the joy of coming downstairs faintly hung over to clear up poo - once, memorably, about five pools of diarrhoea on the living room carpet (with added joy of vet's bill to get him checked out).

Hair, hair everywhere. Let's try this new £££ 'pet' vacuum cleaner - on first use, the dog hairs broke the roller brush (fortunately as it had been advertised as for pet hair we got a sympathetic refund).

The constantly raging Battle of the Fleas.

Finally It's devastating when your dog dies.

They make the house dusty and the walls dirty. They stick their noses on any glass at their level. They steal food, they drool when you’re eating. And the obvious three, money, poo and can’t go out for the day.

@TimeWastingButFun you are nose blind if you think your dog doesn't smell!! She may not stink/smell badly but she will smell to other people!

All animals, humans included, smell.

@randommess why do you assume you're in the right? I've met many dogs that don't smell at all. Maybe you're really sensitive to smells but personally I never notice a smell off the majority of dogs or people.

Picking up dog poo in the back yard each morning and while out on walks.

Have to walk every single day even if you're tired or it's freezing cold.

As a puppy our dog destroyed our lawn and dig up/ate many of my plants. She's mellowed a lot now that she's almost 3, but it was incredibly frustrating.

Cost of dog sitters/kennels if you go on holidays can be expensive.

But despite all that, it really is so lovely owning a dog. They are intelligent, loving creatures.

Just about everything that everyone else has already said.

I had a labrador. Big soppy thing, and I adored him.

Downsides: often substantial vet bills, especially as he aged; the hair everywhere; clearing up poo (though it is just as much part of having a dog as changing dirty nappies is of having a baby). The farts!! We called his farts room-clearers, and for good reason. The cost of boarding kennels if we were going away. This can virtually double the cost of your holiday, plus I always hated the days when I had to drop him off there even though he didn't appear to mind at all.

The saying goodbye was the very hardest part though when his time simply ran out last November (he was 15 by then). I was tearful for weeks and I miss him loads.

This week my dog ate two large turds, vomited them up in my hall, did an enormous puddle of diarrhoea on the footpath outside my house, then rolled himself thoroughly in fox shit. Would you like to have him?

You can adopt a puppy and put in months months months of training and they can still turn out to be both dog reactive (which means no walks or taking him out) and have separation anxiety, which means he can't be alone. I was already in lockdown for months before the pandemic hit. They have mental health issues like humans and you never know what your going to get.

No bad points, our dogs are wonderful and we adore them. They bring us endless joy and laughter and are so lovable. The positives are endless.

We have cavapoochons. They don't smell, don't shed hair everywhere, are utterly devoted to us, loyal and clever. They love children and are full of fun.

I guess if I had to pick a downside I would say some people might not like the amount of attention they get as they look like cute little ewoks and things the high cost of worm, tick and flea treatments, insurance and food, etc etc, SO worth it though.

@RandomMess
you are nose blind if you think your dog doesn't smell!! She may not stink/smell badly but she will smell to other people!

You are wrong. I have a friend who has a couple of cavapoochons, the same dogs as I now have, and you wouldn't know that she had dogs until you see them and their paraphernalia everywhere. there IS no smell. Now when people come to our house they often remark on how non doggy smelling our house is. And of course all dogs and humans have 'a' smell, that's their natural pheromones, but I certainly don't have detectable ''odour' noticeable to other humans and neither does my husband or anyone else I know who has a certain level of hygiene!

We have a rescue who was 12 months old when we got her - previous owners weren't very honest about why she was being rehomed and I was quite green, so took their words at face value. She bit DS1 about 4 weeks after moving in so we spent months and months doing behavioural work and training work with her, I refused to rehome her again because I knew it was entirely fear-based, but she took some work to trust us. 10 years on she's never bitten since, and she's a gorgeous old girl, but I never let my guard down and left her in the room with the DC when they were younger, and even now when the DC have friends over I'm cautious and teach them caution around her more than I would do with another dog.

We also have a rescue we've had from 9 weeks old. The difference between the two is huge - he had all the ridiculous parts; the chewing, the toilet training, the eating weird and mad shit, but he is the most gentle, loving soul and adores our DC.

Dogs are such a lovely part of a family. Our house wouldn't feel right without dogs, but between them they've been as much work as a third child would be. We also have an amazing dog walker who they adore - without her we wouldn't be able to help them as we both work away often.

The puppy days were horrendous and I think I'm a stoic, put up with most things type but having zero experience of dogs this completely floored me!

The lack of spontaneity for a day out.

That's it. He is undoubtably worth it. Love him to bits and with house of teenagers it's nice to have an excuse to leave house on my own regularly and he's always pleased to see me.

Please rehome a rescue. Doesn't even need to be older - rescues seem full of young adult dogs.

Bad points - rescues can come with issues. Any dog can be expensive walking very bills. Their insurance goes up and up and if you've got a naff policy they dump you when they get to 8 or so. You might inadvertently support a puppy farm. It's like having a toddler but for life - you can't pee alone, they can be attention seeking brats. Mud, hair, disgusting fox poo rolls and baths. Will command attention. You'll find yourself attracted to a drink in the type of pub that allows dogs. Training needs to be done regularly and often. You will need to learn a lot yourself - learning is tiring. Your dog you so carefully raised to be disciplined not to beg for food from you will reliably fuck off and be best friends with that one relative who denies it but feeds them crisps. You will worry about them. You will cry about them. When they go they WILL break your heart into a thousand tiny pieces.

And you still will absolutely adore them.

If you do decide to rehome a dog, I'd look for a rescue centre that allows you to adopt for a while first. We didn't and a few weeks after we adopted our dog's fear/anxiety issues came to light. We are working with a behaviourist but still have a dog who barks at men, some other dogs and anyone outside the immediate family who comes in our house. I daren't let my teenagers walk him without me or DH in case he has an incident (he wears a muzzle on walks so can't bite anyone but it can be scary and he is very strong). Having friends and family over takes military level planning. Lockdown was actually a relief in some ways as we knew that there would be no visitors and other people would not come too close on our walks.

I have to say there is that saying that to your dog you (or their chosen one) is their whole
life, and it's very true.

DDog is happy enough with anyone in the family but I am the icing on her cake and sometimes it does feel like a huge responsibility.

I think we may of inadvertently sent @ItchyScratch in to a quivering wreck just at the thought of owing a dog .
Come Back OP we can tell you all the good points now . , , ,, ,