DH got a dog?

[Vi0lett]

Yesterday my husband and 10 year old daughter came back with a puppy- I was furious as this wasn’t discussed and my 16 year old daughter and I hadn’t agreed to it. My DD16 is also quite scared of dogs in general and although she’s not scared of the puppy she says she’s not entirely comfortable being home alone with it. I have a colleague who would love to take it and I know it would be giving the dog a good home but do I take it away from my DD10 who has already grown close to him?

Get a cute little spaniel like mine OP instead ;) though he likes to chew everything he shouldn't

So was it well thought out Op, or is your husband just taking an accidental puppy from a friend?

Bloody hell, that is one big, strong dog for a household where one member is scared of dogs.

Bloody hell. I just assumed that was a very small bed rather than a very large puppy.

What the hell was he thinking. So how exactly is your 10 year old going to learn how to control and walk an animal that weighs possibly twice what she does - well it will in a year or two.

He's an idiot. Unless you're not telling us something that you know about his amazing dog training skills you could find yourself with a very strong out of control teenage dog in 8 months or so. Pretty sure your 16 year old isn't going to be comfortable with that.

Definitely not a dog for the inexperienced and certainly not for a first time owner.

OP you haven't explained who will be looking after the puppy all day - does DH work outside the home? If so I would go ballistic.

Bleugh, changed my mind now. Least favourite breed.

Wow, your DD is scare of dogs and your DH comes home with a puppy that will be grow in to a strong huge dog. Really well thought out there.

Mastiffs are lovely but they have one trait I just couldn't live with - drool!
One shake of the head and they can get slobber from one side of the room to another.

They're also very strong, and need to be very well trained.

He really didn't give this any thought at all, did he?

A friends friend was badly scarred facially by a mastiff not under control /looked after correctly.

Get rid of the dog ASAP and the dick splat husband

Oh and I know any dog at all could bite etc etc just thought of this when I read your post.

He’s soooo cute at 8 weeks old. Not so much so at 8 months though. He’ll soon be chewing everything in sight, need plenty of exercise and handbag sized poo bags.

Admittedly I did go and get our current dog without dhs consent. But it was rather different. We have always had dogs. Dd wanted one and I was only prepared to get a dog I could look after now I’m disabled. Dh wanted a declared a “proper dog” and we got a 11kg cockapoo. Well, dhs eyes melted when I returned home with him.

Dog has been a dream. Was 12 weeks, completely toilet trained and barely needed training. Plays by himself, loves walks but happy if he stays at home. Big personality in a small dog. A real winner all round. He has turned out to be more anxious than I’d like but that’s a small price to pay and he’s rarely alone.

I’m an experienced dog owner and understand what will work with my family. Your dh has just got a stonking great mongrel from a mate.

Forgot to add. Send it back. If my dh got that dog it wouldn’t be staying. Even though now he’s gorgeous right now.

Op I feel very very sorry for your older dd.
I am terrified of dogs, which I know is my problem and something I'm working on, I could not cope with a big dog like that in my home.
We had dogs all my life (wasn't scared as a child) and in my teens we got a puppy, it was fine as a puppy and I did love the dog. I took it to be put to sleep when the time came and was devastated. I cared for him in his last days as my family were unavailable. It stayed with me when I was in serious pain, by my side all night until I went to hospital. Despite all this I never felt 100% comfortable in my own home around him. I loved him but was still very weary. It was not nice living like that.
I avoid big dogs now and I could not live with one at all.
Poor poor dd once the puppy days are over.

Do NOT get a spaniel as a PP suggested! 😂

Reading this thread I find it so weird that people think it’s ok to just bring home a pet without thinking about if the other residents in the house want it. How selfish. I would love a dog, but my DH doesn’t. So we aren’t getting one.

It’s a bit like having another child, the one who doesn’t want one always wins, because that’s fair.

@Crispysausagerolls haha they're so lovable but I agree- can be a nightmare😉 my little boy is so sweet!

This was on my fb today. Made me think of this thread. If you werent as a family researching the costs, responsibilites and committment required having a dog and the most suitable breeds to your situation getting a bloody great big mastiff as a surprise is ridiculous and irresponsible. Send the puppy back.

I absolutely love my puppy but he was a mutual and researched decision between DP and me!

He is hard work and you have to be dedicated for the first months because even my completely wanted and loved puppy has tested me like nothing else!

I'd be pretty mad at DP if he just went and got one without even having an inclining that I perhaps wanted or was considering a dog.

If your DH genuinely will put in the work then I'd maybe see how it goes. It's the best thing ever for me. I love my little guy so much, he brings a lot of happiness to our home and gets us out and about but as I say, he was planned, researched and very much wanted!

BinglyBungly
If you’re including my post in this, that’s not the case. Dh wanted a dog. But he wanted a big dog that I wouldn’t be able to handle or train. He works. I don’t. After I got the dog, he fell in love with him and knows I did the right thing.

I hate myself for saying this as I hate it being used as an excuse but a poorly trained little dog is one thing a poorly trained mastiff is a very scary dog.

I would be expecting your older dd to decide to move out though fear by the time it’s a year old. As based off your dhs responsibilities so far in getting a puppy without a proper discussion his not going to train it well.

It definitely is a whole family responsibility, otherwise it leads to resentment. Hopefully it’ll have a long healthy life and maybe money is no object. However if pup becomes ill, you can leave poo under a tissue for someone else to pick up until you’re blue in the face but the fact you’ve shelled out £1500 just before Christmas because the new dog got Parvovirus and nearly died will impact EVERYONE (true story, and yes that’s after insurance had paid out 🙄). Also to put our dogs in kennels over Christmas and NY (two dogs admittedly but they share a kennel) costs over £600. Can you comfortably say that would only impact two of you? Then after having parvo the puppy had diarrhoea (enough to wreck the lawn) and I would be greeted with liquid crap over the wall behind the crate nearly every morning for about 2 weeks. Still not impacting you??
I really feel for you OP, he’s put you in a really unfair position. I’m alsointerested to hear what breed the dog is, that will e an impact in how well it’s likely to settle in

OP’s DH is completely unreasonable to get any dog without consultation, but there is some ridiculous scaremongering here about the breed. The not so “D”H is not a first time dog owner, so there is no reason to make the presumption that this pup will not be well trained, or would be anything but a lovely addition to your family.

My friend has a huge mastiff and it is by far the soppiest, calmest, ridiculously laid back creature around. Loves to nap with the family cat.

If you are keeping the pup, then your DH should enroll it in puppy classes now, to start as soon as vaccinations are done. He should go there with your older child (possibly younger one too), so all can learn how to handle and train the pup from very young age, whilst everything is possible. You could get involved too. This way nobody needs to be scared, and the pup will grow to be well behaved (and no doubt much loved) family member.

My dad did this about 8 years ago. He was hired to do repair work at the pound and fell in love. He brought the dog home Christmas Eve and we were all gobsmacked. Nobody was prepared or wanted a dog. He kept peeing on the Christmas tree he was so anxious (the dog that is, not my dad).
Fast forward 8 years and he's the most loved member of our family.

Oh just seen the answer to my question. Both breeds can be lovely but the American bulldog influence can make them quite high energy, also both can be difficult around other dogs unless a lot of work is put in. An entire male of any large breed is no joke. Already food/vet/insurance bills are going to be much higher than for a smaller dog. But I suspect you know all that already. I’m guessing neither parent had much in the way of health tests? Is mum vaccinated or wormed? Do you know what dads temperament is like? I work at a charity vet and have seen casual breeding go wrong so many times 😢 I’m making an assumption there but half mastiff half ambull suggests they’re not dedicated breeders