AIBU to ask who can own a dog then ?

[Troublewaters2021]

I have been seeing a lot a lot of owners recently on social media as well as people looking at getting one.

The general stance is seems to be only is you are not out the house for long periods / as in work full time.
Have enough money to feed and loom after dog as well as pet insurance / vet fees.
Surely there is very few people who don’t have to work out of the home full time for 10 plus years who also have enough money for a dog ?.

A few years ago I adopted a Staffy Cross from a rescue centre that would only match dogs. You couldn't choose. I was happy at how stringent they were as they really love and care for the dogs. For those who dont find Staffies attractive enough - you are missing out. Quite simply the kindest, affectionate breed of dog I have known.

I’ve noticed almost all of them come with the condition that they’re the only pet in the household as well as no children under 5, and in a lot of cases no children under teen years. It’s just not realistic.

I tried sooooooo many rescue/adoption/etc places and most of them laughed down the phone when we said we had children!! We had one dog rehoming assessment (whatever they call it) who said our fences were 5 inches too low to own a dog..in case it wanted to jump over or climb... 🤷‍♀️
If it helps, may be a discussion that none of us can ever quite find the right answer to! Xxx

I would not have gotten my dog if she could not go to my parents while I am at work. But if anything happened or they were away, I would hire a dog walker and am sure she would be ok. I think rescue organizations go way overboard, but I do think it depends on the dog. Some are fine by themselves for the day. Others will really struggle. A woman across the road from me had a dog who howled for hours when she was out and she ended up giving him to her neighbours, one of whom worked at home. I guess the issue is that unless you get an older dog, you dont know how they will handle stuff.

My friend was turned down for a cat as a white one wasn't available and she is short sighted and may not see a cat of any other colour!

jajaja
I have a white cat that rescued it and just moved in with us, but it loves to sleep on white surfaces.

We tried to get cats. Refused as lived by a road and had kids (17 & 15) at time. Told them over and over we had cats before, all the kids lives and it lived to 21 yrs old. Still flatly refused us. Bought a couple of kittens. I didn't want kittens, I wanted rescue. These adoption places are not realistic and downright mean.

@Size5s

We tried to get cats. Refused as lived by a road and had kids (17 & 15) at time. Told them over and over we had cats before, all the kids lives and it lived to 21 yrs old. Still flatly refused us. Bought a couple of kittens. I didn't want kittens, I wanted rescue. These adoption places are not realistic and downright mean.

Wait... don’t all people live by a road?!

I'm not sure why anyone would WANT a dog. All that picking up foul poo for years on end, barking and shedding hair, restricting your freedom. The smell.

Ditto for cats.

You must be fun at parties? Why even comment here, it sounds like crazy rescues is not big issue for you.

Why comment on anything? It's a chat forum.

There is sensible rescues out there if you look for smaller rescues that foster rather than have a kennels.

We have just adopted an 8 month old pointer x collie. We have 3 primary aged children and only 4ft fence on one side of out tiny messy garden

The virtual homecheckers were just sensible. Our children have lived with dogs their whole lives, we have a smallholding a few miles away so tiny garden not so much of an issue, we have rescued before etc.

I'm yet to find out how he reacts to being left alone mind, as in 2 weeks I haven't yet needed to leave him but once he is properly settled we will start.

@Ideasplease322

Our local rescue would give me a cat because I work. A friend gave me a kitten that was running around her farm.

She is four now - healthy, well cared for, safe, good diet, regular vet check ups and vaccinations. Sleeps on my bed every night!

My friend got a kitten from the shelter. It plucked the carpets and now isn’t allowed inside the house😢. I have offered to take it so it has somewhere warm at night.

Rescues get it wrong all the time

Oh, for FS. Cats sleep 16-18 hours a day. Most of the time that their guardians are at work, the cat is asleep, and just fine!

I'm a bit taken aback at the number of people who think that those who work full time should not have dogs. So long as you can find a decent, reliable walker for a break during the day, and so long as you make time for play and love with your dog, a dog can be very happy and well-balanced even if you do work away from home. And certainly far happier and better balanced than it would living out its life in a shelter cage!

You totally forgot about the issue of also not being in rented accommodation as every advert I’ve ever seen says no pets or possibly a cat considered ie definitely no dog. As if you can’t possibly be the right sort of responsible pet owner and look after your home if you don’t own/mortgage it! Absolutely nuts imo

Use rescued a patterdale just before first lockdown (didn’t know lockdown was coming). Just from local dogs home. I live with my 12, 8 and 5 yr old. Patterdale is very content and a much loved member of the family. She had been badly treated and took some time for her fur to grown back and for her to put weight on. I thought she’d be really unhappy when we went back to work/ school but she seems really relaxed about it. No barking in the house (I pre warned neighbours that she might be anxious and they have said not a sound). She doesn’t destroy anything ever. She just seems really happy to be loved and part of a family. I always had dogs growing up (before there were any kind of rules about how to be a dog owner). We love her and treat her well and she seems really happy. It’s simple really. She had a miserable life before and looked broken in the shelter so I think any dog who feels loved, has warmth, food and walks is pretty happy in life.

I got my first dog at the age of 22 when I was working full time and my husband was a student. The rescue we got him from didn’t home check, made us pay £40 plus VAT and we were on our way.

If my husband was out all day our dog mad neighbour would come in and let him out but I still felt guilty about him being left. Then I started to work from home expecting the dog to be ecstatic, only to find he ignored me and slept all day instead.

Content dogs sleep a lot, so whilst you’re probably feeling utterly guilty and torn they are probably snoozing,

I’m based from home and have two dogs now. If I go anywhere I know they do a sweep for any food to steal but otherwise have a good sleep unless they hear something. I’d put a pet cam up but suspect it’d be incredibly tedious.

Love the fact some rescues are snobby about food - our mutt hates anything fancy, he only started eating when we gave him some Wagg! Only "quality" food he has is when we've been cooking meat and he has leftovers as a treat!

We went the Romanian route - hadn't been turned away by others but I think my lack of personal dog experience would've counted against us (husband grew up with dogs). He's exactly what I wouldn't have chosen as my ideal - he's hairy as anything and currently we're getting enough off the carpet to make a new dog every day lol! But he is lovely and I'm now a dog person

Regarding health, he had a vet check in Romania and the UK, he came to us fully vaccinated and neutered and having spent a month in a UK foster home to check his personality. He spends most of his day asleep (DH and DD1 are full time WFH) but I wouldn't leave him a full day alone - one of us usually lets him have a run round the garden at lunchtime

Then I started to work from home expecting the dog to be ecstatic, only to find he ignored me and slept all day instead.

Ha, yes, I had a similar experience. I went from being out of the house 10 hours a day 5 days a week to mostly WFH (not covid related).

DDog routinely takes himself off into another room for hours at a time to nap. Sometimes I won't be entirely sure where he is.

He recognises when I'm going out for the day (I work out of the home for about 6-7 straight hours on one day) and he recognises the signs. Last time I had to pop back mid shift, he didn't bother to greet me, but stayed on the sofa and looked miffed that I'd interrupted his nap

LemonRoses Good post. I've seen rescue from the other side - as a fosterer. Rescue is all about the dog - not about you.

A bit like having children. You should never think it’s your right to have something unless you can afford it’s basic needs. Owning a dog is a big commitment, both financially and in terms of looking after its daily needs - exercise and being present for at least most of the day.

Very good post EggcellentTaste you've absolutely hit the nail on the head.

I'm a home checker for a small rescue organisation. I'm also a long time dog owner, always have had dogs of the same, fairly unusual, breed, and I'm known by the breed rescue society as someone who will take difficult dogs. As a home checker, I think its important to apply common sense to the situation and I always consider what type of dog the potential owners want in relation to the home environment. I also emphasise that rescue dogs mostly come with issues and give examples from dogs I've owned, including one I currently have who has massive psychological damage and consequentl behavioural issues from what was done to her before I got her. I think that a dog is better off in a loving home than in a rescue centre, even if they are left during the day, although I think it ideally shouldn't be for more than 4 or 5 hours. We've had dogs that were left when we both worked full time, just with a brief lunchtime visit. They were fine, they get used to their routine, they are safe, and dogs are very good at fitting in to their humans way of life. Ideally, they wouldn't be left at all but life's not like that. I currently have 2 dogs, one chooses to sleep in our bedroom, the other never comes upstairs, his choice. They can be left on their own but it's taken work to get to that point. It takes time for them to trust the humans they live with and to learn their daily routines.

but stayed on the sofa and looked miffed that I'd interrupted his nap
OMG, you were interrupting his 'me' time 🤣
He pretends to look sad when you go out but the minute you've gone he thinks 'thank goodness for that'🤭

Very specific criteria from this rescue place

@babbaloushka

Rescue fascism isn't even exclusive to dogs. We looked to rehome guineapigs/rabbits and were told we needed a home visit to ensure there was an indoor-outdoor enclosure of Xm^2, connected to central heating etc. Seemed a bit over the top.

I am still amazed at how guinea pig ownership has moved on since we had them in the 80s and 90s. Everyone seems to keep them indoors. Ours lived long happy lives in a homemade hutch in the garden and we only brought them in when there was loads of snow or a run of proper freezing weather.

I'd say those that are willing to take care of one with love, who won't expect everyone to love their dog like they do, who will keep them on their leads around children, strangers and other animals and who will also dispose of their crap properly.