To ask you to tel me all the shit things about having a dog?

[ProserpinaProserpina]

Two preschool DCs, small house, large garden. I’m desperate for a dog. DH works from home in a workshop in the garden. Dog would spend most of the day with him. We’ve both had dogs before and live an active, outdoorsy lifestyle. I can’t think of any occasions that we go out to anywhere that a dog couldn’t come, and there is very rarely not someone home. I work 3 days per week but like I say, husband is around. I’m happy to do evening walks as required, dog could have the run of the garden all day every day, and DH has a very flexible (read: easy) schedule which would allow the dog to be walked as much as needed.

DH is happy with whatever and does absolutely adore dogs but is more pragmatic than me. He’s very much of the ‘if you want a dog, we’ll get one but it won’t be easy’ attitude which I’m a bit worried might bite me on that arse when things are difficult.

So please, tell me all the shit things about having a dog and why it’s a terrible idea to have a dog and children so that I can make a truly informed decision (ie. Not do it).

The dog hair one can't really be overstated. It's a family joke that we had cheese and dog hair sandwiches with our packed lunch every day. I feel sick remembering it.

Buying the right vacuum cleaner (my new one arrived today- old “pet” one did bugger all).

💩

Worrying about old age or illness.

Velvety ears that can never be left alone.

Tummies which always need rubbing.

erm….I may be going off topic with the last two. My ex-racing hound makes my life better- even if it does mean buying a new vacuum!

@Chesneyhawkes1 having lost our 16 year old last night I was going to say the same

Dogs have personality and just like kids you can not guarantee what that will be! We got a dog for hiking which I do a lot of, being looked after by the whole family (inc two older kids now teens) and generally joining us on being out and about.

What we've got is a "scardey cat" of a dog that only really likes to be in her neighbourhood, hates being walked by anyone bar me, terrified of other dogs, loud trucks, leaves blowing, people... Pretty much the world. We've worked with a behaviourist and got to a manageable place, we love her, absolutely she's our dog - but bluntly she isn't the dog we thought we'd have.

So do think about what you'll do if things don't go to plan. Because once you bring the dog home, regardless of whether things go to plan - they are your dog and your responsibility.

@Unglamorousgranny I'm so very sorry for your loss x

Picking up shit
Shedding season where everything is covered in fur.
Muddy paws and floor in winter when they want to be in and out every 5 seconds.
Hard to do anything spontaneous that takes more than a few hours.
Walking in the pissing down rain and having to bath them when they come back looking like the swamp thing.
Kids licking the dogs bowl and vice versa.

And that's just for an adult dog. Puppies can break you.

You have to walk them daily, even with a cold and in the rain.
You have to pick up dog poo
If they poo and wee in an area of the garden, it needs cleaning and it smells
Dog hair everywhere!
Wet dogs smell of wet dog, and it rains a lot in the Uk.
Muddy paw prints after each muddy walk.
Vet bills are astronomical and pet insurance increases with age. Around £20-30 per month.
When they get old they become incontinent and it breaks your heart when they need putting to sleep.

Oh and you are completely tied for holidays and days out. It's the tie that's a nightmare.
Kennel bills are high.

Not being able to have impromptu family days out without working round the dog (easily solved if you’re in a position to thrown money at the problem).

Mud and hair. Again easy enough to sort out.

that’s it for me really with a 18 mth old spaniel.

Mine follows me constantly, can’t book a holiday without knowing if the dog sitter is free, he forever wants food or attention, the hair they shed is a lot. I don’t regret my boy and never would change him. You’re either a dog family or your aren’t.

No weekend lie ins for you, dog needs to go toilet in the morning.

Vets bills are eye watering.

You can't go anywhere for more than a few hours without making plans for the dog.

You have to pay a lot of money for them to be looked after if you go away on holiday.

They are often as clingy as a toddler and follow you everywhere even to the toilet.

They need walking whatever the weather, often at least twice a day.

Lovely as they are dogs are really hard work.

Going to mark this thread to read when I falter in my resolution not to get a dog:) I love dogs, but just too much hard work. The DC are grown and I have a semi-empty nest, but I cannot fathom the idea of looking after anyone any more. Soon will have elder care responsibilities and that will be enough.

See I can't put my dog in a kennel as I would feel terrible and always have to ask favours from friends and family so that for me is the shittest bit. She stays with someone or they stay here and I also pay a dog Walker so that she has a good walk too. We love to travel though.

The small children thing. Small children plus puppy = loads of spontaneous unexpected behaviour. My then 3 year old dashed across a room and grabbed dog by the neck. Two adults split them up but you'd have to be constantly on your guard.

Firstly, I love our dog, but sometimes I wish we hadn’t got another

1. He’s huge, six stone, likes to ignore me a fair bit about coming back
2. the kennels are very expensive after covid, and I often struggle to get short term doggy day care after so many people getting pets in Covid.
3. no pet passport anymore after Brexit for going to Europe, so £200 for AHC documents EVERY time we want to visit son who lives in Germany
4. When I was very poorly recently and needed lots of hospital appointments we struggled to get anyone to pop in on him.

he’s absolutely soppy, loves to have a cuddle and is always so overjoyed to see us, but if I was ever to have another dog it would definitely be a very very small one.

Same here, we all love dogs in our house and are into walking as a family, so walks are no issue. We hate holidays and there is usually someone in the house. I still can't bring myself to do it. Youngest is 3 so imo he's too young. Plus the mess. It's messy enough as it is with DCs. Reading with interest however.

Our dog got attacked as a pup. Which gave her rather severe dog reactivity and anxiety. Absolutely nothing to do with anything I did. A man stopped to stroke her, his aggressive possessive dog came out of no where and attacked her. He apologised and said his dog hates him stroking other dogs. cheers dickhead.

We can barely leave her. We've spent a fortune on all the trainers/behaviourist. We have to get specialist walkers and boarders. Every walk, everything we tried to do with her was so stressful. Now she has a health condition that costs us a fortune in medication and specialist stuff. She's finally started to get better with dogs now she's old and ill, she just doesn't have the energy. But she's now obsessed with food because she can only have specialist food so there's now that battle.

She's happy and well looked after, she's loved, but my god. It's not poor ownership. It's not like I just didn't train her. So many dogs are reactive and pulling their owners about and they just make each other worse.

It's fucking hard work and no matter how hard you try it can be totally fucked by some random fool. I'm not in a rush to get another.

I've got a 4 month old Labrador puppy. I love EVERYTHING about him, he is such a wonderful dog and has been a fantastic addition to our life, however there are obviously some parts of ownership which can be less pleasant, including:

• Having to take the dog for a wee/walk even in the pouring rain, freezing cold or strong winds. Every. Single. Day.
• The relentless biting stage that puppies go through when they're tired in the evenings before they learn not to bite
• The training, while sometimes fun, is a pain in the ass to constantly have to reinforce
• The fact that it's harder to just sit down and relax in the evenings. The puppy/dog (understandably) just wants to play with you. I spend most of my free time sat on the floor with various ropes/rings/balls and other toys being shoved at me until I play tug
• If you have a cat like we do, the transitional phase before they become "civil" can be stressful. Luckily our cat was well versed with dogs and could hold his own, but some cats can get scared and leave home
• Clearing up the really runny poops
• Cleaning up the wees in the house until it's house trained
• The fact that it's harder to take spontaneous trips out for a day/night. Dog now has to be considered in every scenario. They need letting out for a wee after a couple of hours, so any longer than that and arrangements would need to be made to either have someone let the dog out, or to take the dog with you.

If you're getting an adult dog rather than a puppy, a lot of this can be avoided.
Getting my lab is still the best decision I've made in a long time and I have absolutely no regrets, I actually enjoy the responsibility and the purpose he gives me, but there is just a lot of work that comes with having them. He makes me get out of bed in the mornings when I don't want to. I have to walk every day, whatever the weather, on days I'd otherwise have spent indoors before.

What about a rehome or rescue dog avoiding the puppy stage. We have two rehomed cockers who are brothers now aged 9. They still behave like annoying teenagers and are hooligans charging about play fighting. They settled very quickly.

Minus points is shit and in fact I am about to do a shit run now, ie clear up our large garden because they always leave me presents despite walks. They chew a lot, I have gone through countless beds and now always try and buy a cheap one to avoid anger issues on my part. They are pretty clean indoors, but do a dirty protest if I leave them a few hours despite managing a good 12 hours overnight. Bastards.

But they are gorgeous and loving. The worst things is dealing with their deaths.

We have 3 boxers. And they're smelly, annoying, expensive and take up so much of my time (preparing food, feeding, washing up after them, adequately exercising, training, hoovering / mopping up after them, the amount of cuddle time they demand 😅) my life would be so much easier without them, and yet there's no way I'd ever be without them, they bring me so much joy.
Just be prepared to put the hard work in, every day, even the days you really don't want to.

When they get old and/or sick.

Our dog is well behaved (generally) and v easy going. I’ll never have another because it is so hard to be spontaneous, the number of times we’ve arranged overnight care for DDs and forgotten the dog, meaning hasty calls or rearranged plans.

The UK is not very dog friendly, if we take her on holiday it massively restricts what we can do unless we take turns sat outside the attraction with her (which isn’t much fun). If it rains on a U.K. holiday you can’t do anything fun (cinema, bowling, soft play) without one of you missing out. Meals are all in pubs because they’re the only dog friendly restaurant.

Plus the hair/paw prints/dirt is doing my head in, we can’t even have a rug in the living room as it got too disgusting.

Our DDs were 5 & 7 when we got her as a puppy, and it was really stressful in the mornings.

As others have said, the worst thing about owning a dog is the heartbreak and dog size hole in your heart when they are no longer with you! The grief I suffered after my last dog died was far worse than when any human relative died and I’m already dreading the day my current ball of fluff goes x

I'm a vet, I'm biased but I see a lot of illness and heartbreak. Also vets are expensive if you want top care. I obviously truly love animals and grew up a dog person but since being a vet it's put me right off having a dog of my own. Too expensive and too sad/too much work especially if they end up with health problems.

😂😂😂My clothes moth eats hankies-I'm always finding them pooped out in the garden!