Having a dog as a guest

[PCcrisps]

We've never had pets. DC would have liked them, but we've always worked long days, wouldn't be fair etc and if I'm honest I'm a bit scared of animals, although getting better.

DS1 (adult) has a girlfriend from a family of animal lovers. They have a youngish dog (9mo) who DS is absolutely smitten with. He often stayed at her house during the "new baby" stage and appears to have been involved a lot, they take the dog out for long walks, teach it tricks etc.

GF and her family are going away. DS has volunteered to have the dog.

I don't want a dog in my house, I like my easy low cleaning maintenance house.

How much extra work is it really? DS will do it, but he's not thorough!

@yumyum33 loving apart from the bitting. Awful dogs

This is also true of children and people keep getting those.

If its only a week then your house won't smell once its been hoovered and polished again! I would get your son to pay for someone to come in and do a deep clean if you're really bothered. Not all houses with dogs smell and its no worse than being in a house where there is lots of frying done or strong smelling foods (ie curry) being cooked or toast being regularly burnt. Those smells really get into fabrics and carpets and never really go.

I've always had dogs so biased.
If the dog is properly housetrained and walked regularly your garden will not get covered in wee and poo.
You can alder confine the dog to the kitchen (if it's a separate room) though dogs like to be wherever people are.
But that's all besides the point - you don't want the dog. Your son has to either rescind his offer or he stays at their house to dog sit.

@NuffSaidSam children are human beings not another species. Silly ageist comment.

And as if by magic....the comparing animals to human children argument appears.
Also, I didn't 'get' a child and I didn't go on holiday and send said child to someone else's child free house to be looked after.

It's possible it was a light-hearted comment?

FiveShelties · Today 11:42
Could he dog sit in his girlfriend's home rather than bring it to your home?

This ideal solution. If they trust him with their dog they should trust him with their house.

Unless they’re expecting you to look after it.

It's also possible that comparing children to dogs is common (and ridiculous) on MN.

@PCcrisps I have a Labrador and I could knit a new one with the hair he drops, almost every day.

They are double coated and have lanolin in it which gives them a certain aroma. They don't stink unless they've been rolling in stuff.

It isn't insurmountable though. Make sure the dog goes to the groomer for a full deshed and wash either immediately before, or immediately after it arrives. Make sure it is walked morning noon and night. It will need at least an hour in the morning, and an hour in the evening. If it is fed dry food, spread this in the garden for it to find as it will engage its nose and keep its mind occupied.

Your son will need to hoover every day.

Keep a hose pipe and towels by the door, and hose it down when it comes back from walks. They dry quickly which is a bonus. Also, if mine is anything to go by, the lead and collar end up stinky from him rolling in unmentionable.

Pic of mine for tax.

YANBU, I don't like dogs so we don't have them in our house. I wouldn't be ok with this. He never should have agreed to this without checking with you first. He can stay at theirs if necessary.

Your son has a lot of cheek thinking he can just bring a dog into your home without permission, which I would absolutely NOT give if I were you, especially for a dog of that age. A nine month old lab can be very destructive, and it may be anxious in a new environment. If you don't want a dog in your home, then that's it. You make the rules. Tell your son he can stay at theirs to watch the dog.

"Ime part and parcel of your dc growing up is to accept their choices and support them."

It's this soft as shite parenting that has entitled tossers all over the place. He can't just bring a bloody Labrador puppy home without asking. The absolute nerve of him.

It will dribble everywhere. It's just not hygienic to have a dog in the house. If that doesn't bother you that's ok.

@HappiestSleeping what a lovely looking dog. If you were my friend I'd prefer visiting your house (to see you and the doggo) and would prefer him/her not to visit my house though.

People who claim their mutt doesn't smell have gone "nose blind" as the Febreze advert says. Dogs smell, ALL dogs. You might be used to it, and not notice it, but that doesn't mean it doesn't smell.

TBF he is asking, but only after having told GF's Dad he'd like to have the dog.

PP is right, it's hard with adult children to find a balance between standing up for yourself and them deciding they'd rather spend their time elsewhere/with others. Especially young adults, even if they come around eventually. I'm also finding the MIL role (which I'm not but ykwim) much harder than I expected.

Anyway I don't think the dog will be staying but I do think with my DC might have benefited from having pets. I was just checking there's not a way to make this work for everyone.

I have three dogs and am a huge animal lover but in no universe would I be allowing an unfamiliar 9 month old lab in my house, especially with someone inexperienced caring for it. Not a chance.

Thank you. He is lovely. He is a rescue, and had the devil in him when he came to live with us. He still has a streak in him and can steal shoes. He's a retriever though.

Here he is with said shoe.

"TBF he is asking, but only after having told GF's Dad he'd like to have the dog."

Oh, your OP says he's already volunteered to have the dog, nothing about asking you and he should be asking you first.

He can stay at theirs and house sit surely?

OK leaving aside the are dogs good or bad which isn't helpful.

9m old dogs can be arseholes - its prime arsehole age. Your son is inexperienced. You have zero experience. He's smitten with his girlfriend and making promises without thinking. If it was my dog I'd be a bit unsure about letting the dog go to yours as the risk of everything going horribly wrong, you losing your shit and demanding the dog go and them having to call their holiday short is toohigh.

No one here can tell you what the dog will be like. But if it were an adult dog you could go meet it and make a decision. But tbh at 9m even if its well behaved at home it may be a twat in a new environment.

Sit him down and kindly say it is a stupid idea for all the above reasons, no matter how much he walks the dog and cleans afterwards. It could be stressed, want to escape, get diarrhoea, eat inappropriate stuff and need a vet trip (its a lab, it will prob do this), chew the dining table legs etc. If he wants to stay at hers to look after it that would be fine. If they aren't keen to have your DS as a housesitter they can get a housesitter elsewhere - though a free DS who already knows the dog as housesitter would be an absolute bargain so they'd be stupid to pass up that offer.

I'm a dog lover, but my nine month old lab was an absolute bastard, this is teen time for dogs , if you love them you put up with their behaviour ( and hair and accidents) much harder if you don't. Plus he will be upset that his humans have disappeared and may howl all night 😐

If he’s going to be doing the actual looking after of the dog… you’re literally just doing a bit of extra hoovering.

Well that remains to be seen really.
Also, dog smell definitely lingers, it's not just about hoovering. 🫣

Fgs the drama! It's only a week.