Tell me what you hate about having a dog

[Worriedagainmum]

As I really want to get one for emotional support, but I know it’s such a big decision

The mess, the smell, the commitment, the cost.

I enjoyed the first year but now it's tedious and I'm sick of mud everywhere on a wet day.

We also have a cat. He's an attention seeker and loves cuddles. We can leave him over night if need be. I'd go for a male cat. The females we've have haven't been as friendly!

Or, you can borrow a dog. Have you looked at that x

Some other dog owners are about my biggest issue, my on lead dog got attacked by 3 off lead dogs a couple of weeks ago, it's not the first time and won't be the last because there's a few around here that seem allergic to leads and have no control, no matter where they are.
That's stressful, luckily she wasn't injured, but it's set her right back socially again, which makes walking harder.

I genuinely don't mind the walks in all weathers, the mud, hair and general neediness, can see it being frustrating to not have 5 minutes but maybe I'm needy too because I really don't mind, which is good because I just got another one. I don't mind missing holidays or days out, or having to arrange my life around them because they give me so much and I'd rather spend a week off exploring with my dogs, playing, training, relaxing than going on holiday. I have someone who will look after them short term like a weekend/couple of days, but they're a choice I made and that I'm happy to make.

The worse thing is when they're ill or when they go, it's heartbreaking and like others have said, knowing if they're really actually happy with the life you give them.

It only works for us as my husband’s parents have ours at the drop of a hat and occasionally just turn up and kidnap her. Also other family who’ll take her. So we can go away without her. We tried taking her but she’s a dog that likes her house, the in laws and the DHs sons house.

can’t imagine life without her but probably wouldn’t rush to get another one. Not till we’ve retired and done a bit of travelling…..

and we’ll have to find a home stay then….

Walking them in the wet, need a bath after every walk and the house sometimes smells of wet dog!

Tip - get a short haired one - so much easier

Being spontaneous, everytime we want to go out we have to consider how long we'll be. He barks all the time that he's in the garden. Very food focussed. Walking in the dark, cold, wet. Expense of food, insurance, yearly jabs, medication, vet treatment, grooms, physio.

The hardest thing about having a dog is loving them so much that the thought of not ever having them in your life can make you cry in an instant

The goodbye 😥

When they get old. I’ve got three Labradors and the oldest is now 15. The other two are easy (including the 9mo) but my 15yo makes up for it by being a stubborn old lady who has a very loose control over her bowels.

We’ll be devastated when she goes though.

Endless amount of hair!!

There is truly nothing at all I hate about having my dog. I adore him and he brings pure joy into my life.

A little inconvenience is that mine suffers with separation anxiety and can only manage an hour or so by himself. So if I'm out for an evening I cannot leave him home alone and get a baby(dog)sitter which is an additional cost. Though I don't begrudge doing it at all because it's what he needs, and when I adopted him as a rescue I pledged to give him the happiest life possible.

Constantly finding & eating stuff off the floor he’s not meant to have which potentially could kill him. It’s exhausting trying to get it off him. It won’t surprise me if he kills himself one day!

oh and chewing holes in my soft furnishings/clothes.

I do love him but if I’d known what it would be like, I wouldn’t have agreed to getting him. (I am a cat person really).

The main thing with ours is unexpected costs. He has really bad seperation anxiety, we can’t leave him alone so he costs us a fortune in doggy daycare etc. And he’s got severe allergies, his food is £80 a month, he has to have a really specific strict diet, as well as medication for his stomach. We love him to bits but we had no idea he would cost us so much on an ongoing basis, we’ve just been a bit unlucky really

This resonated. Today I watched my friends dog eat my dogs poo immediately after he'd finished the 'delivery', whilst walking them both. It was a low point for us all

Love them though, the positives far outweigh the negatives

My son’s dog eats socks. She’s very snuggly though.

That he'll die in a couple of years and break my heart

Yep, this right here.
My dog is old, and she gets into bed with me at night. Before she climbs in, I imagine for a bit how that coldness feels..... her not being there. And thinking about it being forever and not just for a few moments before she gets up onto my bed. Makes me cry a lot.

That I hate going to work and leaving them. Spends my days off cuddling them and telling them how loved they are

My dog eats cat shit. I love her to bits but it really puts me off having another one.

How much I hate to leave him. I feel guilty going to work (office) for 4 hours once a week.

The guilt tripping , I left him tonight at a boarders he knows as i had to go and see a relative who isn’t dog friendly, and the look he gave me as I walked away .. I’ll be back there at the crack of dawn. I hate leaving him to go on holiday too!! I want to travel abroad but it’s so hard leaving him. Once I’ve cracked his sep anxiety I’m going to try a house sitter and see if that feels better!!

My mum told me to never have a Collie, 9 years in have Kip and he's the best thing I've ever done. He's really good when you have grumpy teens, gets them out of bed

Muddy paws in the kitchen. Constantly. I can't keep up with the cleaning of the kitchen floor.

Apart from that getting my DDog was one of the absolute best decisions I've ever made!

The having to walk him every day, rain or shine, without fail.

Don't get me wrong, most days it's absolutely fine and I love his walks but there are the odd ones where you're absolutely full of a cold or the day has run away with you and you realise his walk hasn't been done yet etc. it's only a couple of times a year but days do crop up where it's more of a chore than a pleasure.

And then he looks at you with his big basset ears and I forget about it 😂

We can't go out for a day as he needs letting out/a walk around lunchtime
The hair & dirt
Barking at the window
Hard to go away for a night
Hard to go away on holiday
Insists on seat on sofa & hovers about if anyone tries to sit there

They are as big of a commitment as a child. Except worse because they don't get to an age where you can go OK there's £20 for a pizza, don't burn the place down we're off out.

They are better than a child though 😀

Just go into it knowing that you are effectively signing up to share your life with a species that isn't yours but that you will love until you die.