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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To ask if there's any good reason to *not* get a dog?

145 replies

homeworkinghubbard · 23/05/2017 14:37

I've been thinking about getting a dog for ages, and I just want to ask you all if your collective wisdom might come up with any reasons for not getting one. We had loads of cats when I was younger, but I've never lived with a dog before.

I'm either at home or occasionally (a few hours, once a week) in a nearby office so I'm mostly about and have time to train it, my youngest child is 5, we've got a garden, we don't travel much and generally just within the uk, thinking about a greyhound-type for quietness and gentleness... is there anything I haven't considered? Is it very expensive? And if we did get one, are there any good breeders or is it only moral to go for a rescue?

Thank you for some cooler heads!

OP posts:
EastMidsMummy · 23/05/2017 14:40

The smell.

Spudlet · 23/05/2017 14:41

They are a lot of work, and they can be smelly and annoying. Well, my dog is smelly and annoying, anyway.

However I wouldn't be without the smelly, annoying, food thieving, hair spreading, sofa hogging, paw print leaving little monster in a million years. Wink

KingJoffreysRestingCuntface · 23/05/2017 14:44

...

They're a bit needy. You have to carry their poo around in little bags. You have to walk them at weird times. Their food smells like death. They piss in your house (only found this out on the PAH thread) and they're not even that cuddly.

To ask if there's any good reason to *not* get a dog?
RockCrushesLizard · 23/05/2017 14:44

The smell. I can't bear the dog smell that their houses have.
I have only known one house that didn't, and my gran used to hoover daily, bath the dog weekly, and dried him/wiped him down whenever he came in. Massive faff.

You also can't nip away for a weekend so easily. Kennels for holidays are very expensive.

Walking is nice, but it will be multiple times a day, in all weathers, not just long romps in the gloating.
Dogs are needy for love, and I find I don't have any spare with small kids in the picture.

(I'm not anti dog, I keep thinking about getting one, but these are the reasons I don't take the plunge)

Carolinethebrave · 23/05/2017 14:45

Vet bills
Poo picking
Smell
Mess
Need walking at least once a day

Spudlet · 23/05/2017 14:45

It gets expensive as they age IME... insurance for a young dog is cheap but as they get older the prices go up. DDog was insured with Direct Line for years without a single claim, but he turns 10 this year and they wanted £50 a month! Shock (We moved the policy to Tesco and got it down). Also, there are the hidden costs like cars big enough to take them comfortably for instance, and dog charges for holiday cottages etc. Vets bills are rarely cheap, bear in mind that greyhounds can be prone to bad teeth and a scale and polish for a dog involved a general anaesthetic. Many insurance policies exclude dental work IME.

CMOTDibbler · 23/05/2017 14:46

You have to think about what you will do with the dog when you are out for the day - or even something like you go to see friends for the afternoon, then it turns into a bbq..
Are you happy to go for a walk every day?
If you like a super clean home, dogs are probably not for you
What are your children like with dogs? Are they tolerant, or the sort to screech and run around if nosed by the dog?

Otherwise, I love my lurchers very much! And imo, it is only morally right to get a rescue. Plenty of greyhound and lurcher puppies end up in rescue because they won't chase things and are weeded out very early - my lovely current foster pup is one of these. Check out rescues like Evesham Greyhound and Lurcher rescue who foster their dogs so know them more

InDubiousBattle · 23/05/2017 14:46

Is it very expensive?

My best friend got a dog at the end of last year (she's had dogs before but years ago)and I am gobsmacked at the expense! The actual dog was £600. Then training courses, vets bills (all sorts of injections etc as she got a puppy), insurance etc. Not to mention the £130 coat it wrecked!

They smell and they make your house smell.

You have to pick up their shit.

OhDearToby · 23/05/2017 14:47

They can be really really really annoying.

toolonglurking · 23/05/2017 14:47

Dogs are lovely companions. Train the dog well when it's a puppy and you'll have a wonderful furry friend. Check how much exercise the breed needs and ensure you stick to that, in my experience bored dogs are naughty.
From your post I don't see a reason why you shouldn't get one!

VinoTime · 23/05/2017 14:47

Dogs are wonderful OP, but they are fucking hard work. As long as you're fully prepared for how much hard work and you've researched the breed, then go for it.

However's...

Pishing it down? Walkies.
Arctic ice blast? Walkies.
12 feet of snow? Walkies.
So hot that blinking makes you sweat? Walkies.

If you get a puppy or a rescue with a nervous disposition, you will likely have no house left. Your house will always smell like dog. Your clothes will be covered in hair forevermore. And yes, most of them do eat not just their own shit, but every other animals also. They're really disgusting animals.

I wouldn't give mine up for the world. Love the vile little beast to bits Grin

gamerwidow · 23/05/2017 14:48

The constant shit picking up a dog requires is enough to make me say 'no thanks'.

DontFuckingSayIt · 23/05/2017 14:50

They can destroy your home and garden with chewing/scratching or toilet accidents

They're expensive and hard work to keep

Some of them want to be in your face all the time and they can make it difficult to have visitors round and you have to really watch them around children in case they hurt them accidentally (or deliberately)

Greyponcho · 23/05/2017 14:51

Try borrow my doggy or similar. See if it's right for you. Speak to owners about how hard it is to get dog pee and poo out of carpets, curtains and sofa, the joys of de-flea-ing them and hassle of replacing all the stuff they chew and destroy, then make your mind up. They're hard work and for many this is outweighed by the pleasure they get from having a dog.
It's a huge responsibility not to be entered into lightly.

Ginger782 · 23/05/2017 14:51

Lol this thread is such a bummer.
Never trust anyone who doesn't like animals.

Panicmode1 · 23/05/2017 14:52

They are a huge tie; they are expensive (I've just taken mine to the groomer for the first time - she freaked out at the hairdryer, so I've spent the best part of £100 on the appointment and the sorry flowers!). Days out with our four children require military planning and also costs £25 for doggy day care. Walks in the rain are lovely - but the cleaning of the dog/house/floors in the winter can be relentless.

However, I wouldn't be without her - the children adore her and it's a fabulous way to get them out and about without them realising they are being exercised as much as the dog Grin.

hibbledobble · 23/05/2017 14:54

Greyhound types are great and don't smell. They have a smooth coat which means far less shedding than a lot of other breeds.

Dogs are costly, but lovely. We love our little dog, and wouldnt be without her for the world.

Puppies are very hard work and destructive. You can get an older dog though. I'm certainly never getting a puppy again!

GinGeum · 23/05/2017 14:55

I think holidays and daily walks are the things that can get tricky.

We're lucky in that OH can take GinDog to work, so if I have a day of appointments/food shopping/general outside of the house errands, I don't have to try and jam a walk in somewhere. Equally if I was unwell, there wouldn't be a mad scramble to find someone to walk him.
With holidays, everyone in our family is doggy, so we have lots of places GinDog can stay for free. We also have a lovely neighbour who will have him to stay any time. We don't holiday very much (farmers) and when we do, we tend to go to the holiday house where GinDog can come, and obviously there's no charge there. It would be a bugger if we had to pay for holidays, and then pay for GinDog to stay somewhere, or pay a premium to take him with us.

Dianneabbottsmathsteacher · 23/05/2017 14:55

Our little yourkie has honestly been the best thing we ever did alongside the kids.

Because she's small she is easily washed and doesn't smell. The poos are tiny and she's the most affectionate love ever.

She sleeps all night and hardly needs walking as we have a large enclosed garden.

I couldn't handle a bigger dog though as havnt time for walks or the mess.

I think you need to think hard about the breed to suit you op.

TheWitTank · 23/05/2017 14:55

The expense. Insurance has increased as my two have aged and costs me the best part of £60 a month for both of them (lurchers).
The mess. My two are actually clean and don't chew or anything but the hair and footprints on a muddy day/fox poo rolling etc is shit.
The kennelling expense when you go on holiday. Two weeks away and my kennel bill was the cost of a holiday in the UK. I am fussy where they go, but here it is average £18.00 per dog per night.
I find them much harder work than my horses. They live in your house, walks x 3 (in our house) daily whatever weather. Need to be home by certain times, no spontaneous days out or going away.

That said I wouldn't go back and not have them -they are the best friends you can have and are worth every penny to me.

TroysMammy · 23/05/2017 14:56

Swinging a bag of shit as you walk. Having to go out in all weathers. The cold, the rain, the wind, the dark, the early mornings. Drool.

Catinthecorner · 23/05/2017 14:58

If you aren't sure you might talk to a charity about fostering a dog for a while. It won't give you a full view of costs but it will give you an idea of how a dog fits in your family.

Rockaby · 23/05/2017 14:59

I love dogs and always had them growing up, but they can be very demanding animals ime. They often smell (sorry) and vet bills can be huge. They eat a lot of meat, so it depends how you feel about that. I also wonder sometimes about the ethics of buying some pedigree breeds, overbreeding etc.

Original poster
homeworkinghubbard · 23/05/2017 14:59

Thanks everyone. I'm ok with picking up the poo (I've got kids, after all), but maybe need to consider what we do if there's a spontaneous hang-out with friends (although life shifted when we had kids, so I'm sure can shift again). Do greyhounds etc still have shedding issues? And will they still chew and wreck homes if you can train them from a puppy?

And thanks for the link CMOTDibbler x

OP posts:
OrangeJulius · 23/05/2017 14:59

The biggest negative for me is how much of a tie they are. Want to take the kids to the city/some attraction for the day? Nope, can't leave the dog. Want to visit grandparents? Have a wedding to attend in the summer? In my area, all home boarding is completely booked for the summer like six months in advance. My dog goes a bit mental when in kennels, so I'm loathe to send her but they are the only place with spaces, so I have to chose between having a life and my dog's happiness. And of course, it costs ££.