Should I get a dog?

[mayaknew]

Desperate for a dog so I torture myself looking. Found a gorgeous spaniel for rehoming

Pros:
Perfect time - dh not working (covid not eligible for help long story) and I'm working partly from home
Doesn't cost £££ like buying from a breeder
Gorgeous puppy
Spaniel so dh can take along when climbing
Did I mention gorgeous puppy?
Monthly outgoings should be manageable
Dd1 (15) has been asking for one since she could talk

Cons
Still upfront cost when we are down an income
Still a big commitment to make
Would prefer a hypoallergenic dog spaniels are shedders.

YABU - don't do it!
YANBU - go for it!!

Don't be silly a dog won't necessarily need to be walked for an hour in the middle of the day walk in the morning then let it out for a wee at lunchtime.

@ChewChewIsMySpiritAnimal

Iots of spaniels need stimulation, its not necessarily just about letting it our for a wee. 6/7 hours (at best while dd is home/not doing other things like clubs) is a long time for some dogs to be crated and entertain themselves.

Did you want to get a dog before this dog became available? If no then definitely not, but if it's something you've been thinking of for a long time, then maybe.

You've definitely had all the worst aspects of dog ownership thrown at you, so I'm not going to repeat any of it and some of it is worst case scenario we have a despised doodle dog. DH had a few nights on the sofa - 3 I think - and then rookiepup settled in fine, toilet training was fine. We try not to leave him on his own much, but he can comfortably manage 4 hrs now with a walk at either side and we use dogwalker, borrowmydoggy and a fb page to supplement with extra walks and attention if we're ever going to be out longer than that,

But do both you and DH want the dog - who is the one primarily pushing the decision? Take DD out of the equation as even if she's not like my teen who has to be forced to walk the dog, she'll be leaving home in a few years.

Due to the circumstances the dog may be less comfortable about being on its own, so you'd need to build up any separation very slowly.

I am curious - you say it's a gorgeous puppy (aren't they all?) and housetrained, yet is being re-homed because its owner has died. Well, very few puppies are fully housetrained. They may have a few good days (especially in summer when they may have unlimited access to outside), but housetrained to me means a dog that will hold it's bladder and bowels (and a puppy, like a baby, can't do that) and then indicate it needs to go out. Not many puppies do that, so I would take the housetrained label with a pinch of salt, unless the dog is around a year old, in which case it's not a puppy.
The other thing is the owner dying. I am not saying this isn't true, but it just seems odd if it's a very young puppy (but more understandable if the animal is no longer a puppy).
Be very careful op, there are many dogs put up for private rehoming via sites like Gumtree with all sorts of excuses ("my daughter has an allergy"or "landlord won't allow" etc) where they are actually trying to offload an unsuitable dog, or these days, with the prices having gone crazy, make a quick buck. I am sure some people are buying dogs with the sole purpose of selling them on to make a profit.

Are you prepared for the dog to potentially get sick at some stage, as many of us do in life, need operations that you'll have to pay for, need lifelong medication that you'll have to pay for? Insurance doesn't cover everything. Spaniels can have tricky knees and hips even from a very young age. Always budget for an unexpected large vets bill with a pet.

@ChewChewIsMySpiritAnimal

Don't be silly a dog won't necessarily need to be walked for an hour in the middle of the day walk in the morning then let it out for a wee at lunchtime.

It's a young spaniel - of course you can't leave it on it's own for seven hours or so a day and not even bother to walk it halfway through!

Very different if you're home all day and can provide play and stimulation in the house, of course. My beagle gets an hour every morning but I'm with him the rest of the time - so I'm around to let him out, play with him and provide him with chews or toys or training if he's bored.

Anyone planning to get a six month old puppy and leave it alone all day with just a toilet break is someone who should not be getting a pet. It's cruel.

Leaving a dog all day and popping home for lunch isn’t good enough.
If this is via scumtree or similar then you have no idea how honest they are being. It could have separation anxiety. It could well not be housetrained. Is it ok with kids? Etc etc.
I wouldn’t. Especially if money is going to be tight. Vet bills. Etc.

If you're having to weigh it up like this, and asking a faceless message board of strangers... Then answer is probably "no".

A dog, especially a re-homed puppy is a HUGE, and I mean MASSIVE commitment. Are you ready to never have a spontaneous long day out again? Can't go anywhere for more than about 6 hours at a time "because we need to sort the dog out". Holidays become more expensive, because you've got to pay for kennels or a sitter (do not assume friends or family will be "happy to have the dog" - this is a HUGE imposition to make. Your dog, your problem) Unless they offer, DO NOT ask. And don't assume one time of saying yes, means a life time of saying yes.

They are also a large, regular expense, and then sudden, unexpected, emotionally difficult HUGELY expensive when they randomly hurt themselves and need the vet.

You say your kids are grown up? Getting a puppy is like going back to the toddler child x 10 stage.

I'm not saying don't EVER get a puppy, but you have to really think it through. This isn't a month or two of idle thought. This is a YEAR or two of careful planning and thought. A dog is easily a 10+ year serious commitment.

Are you talking about walking/hiking/hillwalking? Yes, obviously you do that with a dog. However 'climbing' refers to scaling rocks upwards using ropes, or bouldering if without ropes. This requires concentration, generally the eyes on the rocks or upwards, and the dog sniffing around at the bottom being rather bored, or wandering off.