To think in MN land no one should have a dog?

[bluesapphirestars]

The only acceptable dog is a rescue, with a few exceptions, and rescues won’t rehome to people who WOTH or who have children, so that immediately rules most of mn out.

The only other acceptable alternative is to make the dog more than a pet, it’s a lifestyle, involving intensive breed research and so on. Again, not conducive to homes with children.

So in short - the verdict on MN is no dog.

(Semi light hearted!)

I’m just gonna say it and let the chips fall where they may. I have two rescue dogs, adopted when we lived overseas and brought home to the UK (at a hefty cost!). It’s not the case now as I’m not working at the moment, but there have been times when both my partner and I have worked full time and they’ve been absolutely fine- no toilet accidents, no destruction, no barking. They are honestly very happy, healthy, well-behaved dogs and even when we’re home they spend the majority of the day chilling out and/or sleeping- often choosing to go into their crates and lie in there with the doors open. I truly believe that even when we were both working their lives were better than they would otherwise have been if we hadn’t adopted them, because outside of work hours there was every evening and the whole weekend where they got lots of love and attention, plus they had eachother for company, whereas in their past lives they would have been in a kennel 24/7. Puppies are a bit of a different matter, but a huge number of adult rescue dogs could definitely benefit from homes with working adults.
ducks for cover

@reikizen

But if you do get a dog it must be on the lead at all times unless you can 100% guarantee it will walk beside you robotically and on no account pay any attention whatsoever to any one else’s children or dogs. Perhaps not even raise its head so as not to upset said children or dogs. Sort of the animal equivalent of the hand maids tale.

Spot on.

It’s not long before “stunt dogs” (stuffed) become an MN thing to rival stunt pineapples.

@bluesapphirestars totally agree. I was vilified for buying a poodle cross puppy but I tried to rescue and was refused for having young children. Rescues are absolutely not bursting at the seams with poodle cross types.

Going by the intelligence level on here from people who think you should be able to keep a mask on while vomiting, I wouldn't trust some people on here to look after a rock effectively, let alone a dog.

Sadly that is true.

Dogs trust have 638 dogs. Put the filter onto can live with primary school children - 34 dogs. 15 are already reserved.

@KeepingPlain

Going by the intelligence level on here from people who think you should be able to keep a mask on while vomiting, I wouldn't trust some people on here to look after a rock effectively, let alone a dog.

Couldn’t have put it better myself!

Let's not forget that unless you spend thousands on a dog behaviourist with two doctorates, your dog will be badly behaved and a nuisance to those dogs who've received such invaluable expertise.

Frankly, if you are not in the 3 years waiting list for the one on TV, don't even consider getting a dog.

Far too many people have dogs in completely unsuitable situations. I won’t apologise for calling them out on it

DEFINITELY don't go and buy a poodle cross breed. Even if you the breeder is your sister and you saw the pups being born, it's still 100% from a puppy farm and you're solely responsible for the demand of the little mongrels 😑

My Shiba just snatched a crisp from my boyfriend, better put him to sleep, hes obviously a dangerous dog!

I'm not an expert on dog ownership, although I did grow up in a house with dogs. I think people who buy pedigree dogs, which are bred especially to meet the demand of people who think they're dead cute, and then realise, actually this is quite hard work, and then either give away or worse, neglect or abuse, the dog, are the lowest of the low.

That said, maybe there is a more extreme side on here with people who are generally against pet ownership. I know some vegans are quite anti pet ownership, especially bred animals, rather than rescues. I don't necessarily think they're wrong either, if you take a step back and look at it objectively.

I'm dog lover, but I dont have one because I dont have the time right now. I dont think MN is particularly anti dog ownership but lots of people on here have had bad experiences with bad dog owners because that is a pretty common experience. There are A LOT of bad dog owners and people dont tend to notice all the many many good dog owners out there because they dont stand out. Most of the dog ownership advice I've seen on here has come from dog owners and it's been pretty good. It is a bad idea to leave a dog alone 9-5 5 days a week, they're social animals and regular extended periods alone are not fun for the dog. Having a dog that jumps up at children or does not recall is not good dog ownership. And if you live next to a house with a dog that gets shoved in the garden to bark for hours on end is very annoying.
And if/when I do get a dog, if I still have young children I dont want the shelter to send me a dog that isnt good with young children. It's a shame that shelters are full of animals that have been owned by people who treated them in a way that meant they were not to be trusted with children but that's not the fault of the shelter. They are being responsible, even if the previous owners weren't

A large proportion of people who have dogs shouldn’t and some of them are on MN

@Russellbrandshair

Rescues do re-home in the situations you've described. Plenty will rehome with families that work, but if the dogs going to be left 8 hours a day without anyone there then that's not acceptable, for a rescue or puppy

Not in my town. I’ve tried 4 different rescues, only work part time and none will accept me despite growing up in a family that rescued many dogs. This is despite a reference from my vet a large garden with 6 foot fence all around.
I think it’s ridiculous

Try a greyhound rescue charity for retired racers. That was one of our many recuse dogs. Greyhounds make wonderfil gentle family pets and require minimal excercise because they prefer to sleep. A lot. You will need a bigger sofa.

Bingo!

Oh and if you do rescue don't get a Staffie they maul children Seriously I adore dogs and would love for all unwanted dogs to get loving homes!

It seems to be a fairly regular thing that someone says “I’d like a cockerpoo” and then gets loads of comments about how they’re mongrel breeds for people who don’t really understand dogs and in a few years the rescues will be full to bursting with poodle crosses.

Except that’s been the case for a few years and there are rarely poodle crosses in the rescues we’ve been looking at.

Hundreds of greyhounds, JRTs and the MN-sponsored staffies but people are certainly not rehoming their poodle crosses anything like MN would have you believe.

We’ve always had dogs. Some rescue, some puppies from Pets4Homes, some before children, some after, some having lots of training, some the bare minimum. I am mainly at home all the time but sometimes the dog gets left all day. All worked out fine.

@SimonJT

You have a puppy that bites AND steals crisps! 😱

Make sure you never give that dog a decent life of playing with friendly dogs, allowing him to sniff in the undergrowth, run free in the park/woods/beach. Never, ever allow it to have any fun. You must make sure your dog is shackled at all times just in case you meet dog phobic Jeremy, Jemimah and their hysterical mother at some point.

Don’t forget your dog is a wild animal that will kill anything in its path. You must have a poo fetish to have even thought about getting a dog!

Back in the real world - Any chance of a cute puppy pic? 🤗

@2bazookas
Thank you!!! I will look into this. I’d love sofa cuddles 😍

And we now have a cockerpoo! Was an expensive purchase from Pets4Homes. Got from a nice lady in Wales who lived on a farm. He’s turned out great!

@FinnegansWhiskers He is being put into a doggy straight jacket as we speak!

The photo provided is him at a friends house, to make us even worse owners the friend is on the floor and very hungover.

@Worriedmum999

And we now have a cockerpoo! Was an expensive purchase from Pets4Homes. Got from a nice lady in Wales who lived on a farm. He’s turned out great!

Oh dear. Isn’t that puppy farm territory?

Never let your dog share your bed, some owners do some don't.

An MN dog must never bark, it must be have perfect recall from 8 weeks old and is never off lead. They never play with other dogs, and they never even glance at children. In fact, whenever someone comes into the park the dog takes himself out because it knows its place.

MN has the best dogs, the greatest dogs.