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

[homeworkinghubbard]

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!

[Asmoto]

Lack of spontaneity is the main one for me - if you've been out, you can't just decide, say, to stop off and have dinner in the pub because either doggie is with you and can't go in, or he's at home and waiting for you to get back.

Also, you have to get up at a reasonable time in the morning or else find that doggie has got fed up of waiting for his lazy-arsed mummy and left a token of his disapproval on the carpet!

[Chamonix1]

I could get a dog now. I'm not working and have the time and money. But they last a pretty long time and I can't be 100% sure that I'll have the same amount of time for a dog in 5-10 years time.
My sister got a dog when her children were little and she had the time to walk him a lot and was around for the dog; things have changed and she loves him but he's a huge I convenience.
Also would never get a greyhound. My mum made that mistake.

[Coulddowithanap]

I would highly recommend a greyhound, take a look at the retired greyhound trust.

They don't need much exercise and sleep 23 hours of the day! Ours is perfect, didn't need house trained, he comes back when called (I only take him to dog runs in case he ignores me), he doesn't lose hair all over the house, only drawls when you hold a treat in front of him, he's great with the kids and keeps cats out of our garden (had to mussel him till the neighbours cats knew we had a dog).

Pet insurance is expensive and so is the vet!

[sharklovers]

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

Only if you get the wrong type of dog! My lurcher will refuse to go out in all those scenarios! Hot/cold/wet - forget it!

[BagelGoesWalking]

Another way of having fun with a dog without the responsibility of ownership, is to join The Cinnamon Trust

Within a week of being approved, I've been matched to walk 2 sweet dachshunds and to look after a 9 y/o tiny Jack Russell for 4 days while owner goes away. (I'd said I'd consider short term fostering if needed, not just walking, hence the request).

You can offer as little/as much as you fancy. I've committed to only once a week for the daxies at the moment, so it's very flexible. I know they have other volunteers doing 2 other days (maybe more, I don't know).

[LakieLady]

They trash anything they can find when they're little and can still do a remarkable amount of damage when they're big, they shed hair, and the non-moulting breeds still manage to bring in leaves, mud grass cuttings etc and shed those, they cost a fortune to buy unless you get a rescue/rehome one, no matter how well you train them they still embarrass you and/or get bad habits, they smell, they cost a lot, you will have to put them in kennels when you go abroad and find dog-friendly holiday homes if you don't, you will be unable to go out for more than a couple of hours unless you have a smallish dog and a dog flap, your dog-proof garden fencing will cease to be dog proof if you have a determined or agile dog, it will bark and annoy you and your neighbours, it will traumatise your postman, you'll never be able to eat a meal on your lap again, your sofas will wear out in a fraction of the time it would in a dog-free household, it will steal food, all your clothes will have pockets full of poo bags, your lawn will have yellow patches and/or holes dug in it, your dog-hating family won't want to visit ..,.

I couldn't live without one.

Greyhounds and the like (whippets, lurchers) make great family pets imo, but they're dreadful thieves. Greyhounds and big lurchers can counter-surf so your worktops will no longer be a safe place to leave food.

Greyhound Gap is a good rehoming charity and they will be very frank with you about the downsides of owning one.

Getting the right breed is the key to successful dog owning imo. There's an event called Discover Dogs in London every October and at Crufts in March at the NEC. You can meet dogs, breeders and owners of every breed, and find out if they'd suit you and your family.

[milliemolliemou]

No, a dog you put time in training from young will not chew or hack the home about. Your costs will be bedding, training, inoculations, insurance. kennels and food. The smaller the dog (mainly) the easier. I'd say three walks a day - ten minutes morning and early evening (with poo bags) and a longer one either late evening or midday. Most dogs shed and usually the ones which apparently don't and are considered hypoallergenic need massive grooming (bichons, poodles, labradoodles etc). You can research this all online before committing.

[deadringer]

Yes yes to them being smelly and annoying. Don't do it op!

[mirren3]

To answer your question in the spirit of mumsnet.
No is a complete sentence.
A home without a dog if you can meet all it's needs definitely has a place in it for a dog...or two 🐶🐶

[RandomUsernameHere]

I love dogs and there are loads of good reasons to have one, but the negatives in my opinion are:

Cost, especially vet bills. You will have a responsibility to that dog for the rest of its life.

Long term commitment. For example, what if you got a new job and were no longer able to look after the dog.

No ability to be spontaneous, as you have to plan around the dog.

Dirt and hair.

Hope it all goes well if you do decide to go for it!

[podstick]

Dogs are expensive, they drop hair everywhere, honestly it gets EVERYWHERE, they smell, they pee and poo in your house and their farts smell like something crawled up there and died, they are needy and can need attention, they can jump up small children and scare them. They need walking every day and it makes going away really awkward and extra expensive with the cost of kennels, and then when they get back from kennels they stink and have picked up loads of bad habits. People look at you funny when you walk them and you can almost hear the latent hostility (are you going to pick that poo up or leave it). You think you will be training the dog but in the end the dog will train you.

I love my dogs and they love me and that makes it all worth it.

Mum to 1 Rottweiler and 1 small indeterminate Black and Tan terrier type - oh and 4 children

[QueenofLouisiana]

Negatives:
Hoovering
Removing nose art from your patio doors/ French windows (depending how posh you are).
Dog farts 🐶 💨
Clearing the lawn of poos a million times a week.
Stepping over the lazy bugger to get out of the room.
Dog snores could wake the dead.
Vet bills, kennel fees.
The pet passport scheme.

We lost our 15 year old collie about 2 months ago, I'd give anything to be dealing with the negatives again. She was worth all of it, a thousand times over.

[Nursejackie1]

I am have a baby a kid and a lovely rescue greyhound. Someone up thread said that greyhounds require a good amount of exercising but the recommended amount is 2 20 minute walks a day. She does enjoy longer walks but is flat out for the rest of the day after a long one. They love lazing about and are gentle and sweet natured. No issues with barking, or being left alone for a while. Loves travelling in the car, is easy on holiday and happy to stay in the caravan or hotel if we need to pop out without her.
The only issue I have is that she stains the grass terribly with her wee so cannot let her out in the garden and getting us all out early in the morning for the first wee is a pain. They do tend to have sensitive stomachs so if you give food that doesn't agree the wind can be horrendous! Also make sure you are always up to date with flea treatment. Recently had an infestation and they are a complete nightmare to g et rid of but you probably know all that from having cats.
The benefits far outweigh the negatives in my experience and it's nice to know that after a rough life on the tracks and living in kennels she's now spoilt and enjoying being part of a family.

[Booboostwo]

I think bigsighal is spot on, you never know how they will turn out. It is difficult to get everything right and sometimes you get all the socialization, training and exercise right and they still turn out to have problems. Separation anxiety, resource guarding, fear aggression are all serious issues than can have a negative impact on your family life.

I'd try and minimize the chances of things going wrong, i.e. choose a suitable breed, choose a responsible breeder, choose an experienced trained, put a lot of time aside for the dog for the first year (the first weeks are the most intense and then things get a bit easier but realistically it takes a year to get the basic training sorted - before the teenage years hit full force! Four years until before old age are often the nicest years of dog ownership).

[Ski37]

BarkeepersFriend - that made me cry! One simple sentence sums it all up.

[2rebecca]

The hassle of weekends away days away cycling and holidays are a major no for me. Plus the smell, the having to go for a walk even if you don't want to, the vets bills. They just seem a major fangle to me.
If you never leave the house apart from to go on small walks they're probably OK. I also don't like the idea of one animal species keeping another animal species as a "pet" for its own amusement.

[Xmasbaby11]

Messy, smelly, expensive and a huge commitment. Nothing there to tempt me!

[Sparklingbrook]

Messy, smelly, expensive and a huge commitment

My teen DSs provide all of that in spades.

[WaitingYetAgain]

Another vote for a yorkie.

I've had lots of dogs and used to be a dog walker/pet carer, including looking after loads of puppies for people (I loved that).

Some breeds smell more than others
Some dogs are super chewy when puppies
Dogs that aren't particularly smelly still smell gross when wet except for non shedding dogs.
House training takes time - some dogs harder than others

The thing is, the downsides vary depending upon the breed. I live with three different breeds at the moment and they all have their downsides.

Back to the yorkie, so I got a yorkie and like a PP said, best thing ever. That's not to say it's been easy. It's not. She's a special needs dog who is completely blind (eyeless - removed) and that has brought its own challenges. This was unexpected and is down to bad breeding. It has cost me a lot to deal with in vet/hospital fees. It's all stable now.

As an example of this breed...

Positives:

I think of her more like a 'catdog'.
Her size means she is more cat like in expressing love, so sitting on your lap, squashed next to you on the sofa or in your arms having a cuddle

She travels very well (never once sick or messed in the car)

Doesn't need masses of walks & happy with just playing to expend energy as well

Fine being left for a few hours (curls up and goes to sleep) and if going to a friend's is the kind of dog you can bring along and no one minds

Doesn't shed/single layer coat (no hairs on your clothes, furniture, floor! - amazing compared to our previous dogs that heavily shed)

Doesn't smell - thank goodness as I do not like that dog smell

Never chewed or destroyed, but I gave her loads of chews and toys as a pup/young dog

Great recall - has never run up to another dog or a person as prefers me and comes straight to me when called

Children love her and she loves them - if I take her in Pets at Home I get mobbed by little children wanting to pet her. She was brought up, until I got her, with 3 children under 12 and so is great with children

Downsides are:

Teeth need cleaning well as they are tiny and if that doesn't work you have to pay for dentals (done under general anaesthetic)

Can be fussy eaters

Terriers are quite willful

Needs bathing every 1-2 weeks

Need either clipping short or daily grooming as the coat will grow long

Can be quite dependent (but then so is our rescue lurcher!)

Small size means little children need to be very respectful of these type of dogs

Not the kind of dog that would be good left in kennels - better left with a relative or one of those in-home boarding services (your dog stays with a person in their home)

House training was hard in comparison to bigger dogs I have owned or worked with

[GeorgeTheHamster]

Find a friend who has a dog and works. Borrow their dog one day a week. You'll get the bond with the dog and the doggy fun, but not the tie. Your friend will get free doggy daycare and a second home for the dog that will be happy to take him for the odd weekend when they go away. Win win!

[poorpaws]

A home without a dog is just a house.

I have three, I adore all of them and much prefer them to humans.

[Getoffthetableplease]

Why not foster a retired racer from greyhound trust, see for yourself with no set long term obligation then :)

[homeworkinghubbard]

Again, you are all wonderful and full of great advice. Will look into fostering or borrowing and see how we get on. Thanks all x

[SoupDragon]

A home without a dog is just a house.

Nonsense.

Personally, I will never ever get another dog. If I ever felt the urge I would borrow or board one temporarily.

[claptomania]

Greyhounds and lurchers are wonderful house dogs.
This series is a very entertaining intro to what makes them unique!
greydogtales.com/blog/lurchers-for-beginners/