To think dogs are unhygienic

[bottomsup12]

I know it sounds judgey but hear me out..

DH would love a dog and I do love the idea of having one when I see them out and about it seems really nice and fun having a dog as a companion. I absolutely love other people's dogs!

However when I get down to the nitty gritty of thinking about the actual reality of having a dog in the house it gives me the ick because...

• I hate dog poo and I don't want to pick any of it up in the garden (DH says he will but I just know this will be slack and I'll end up stepping in it)
• they're butts are just there out in the open and it will be sitting on the floor maybe even the furniture (have a baby so I don't want him crawling around where the dogs arse has been after a horrible dog poo!
• I think they all smell bad! And I don't want me or the house to stink!
• they lick everything on the floor outside and lick things in the house which makes me wince.
• they obviously walk barefoot outside treading in all sorts of shit and the streets are filthy and they'd be walking all around the house and furniture with these gross dirty feet.
• the hairs would be everywhere

I just can't get past all of that but I feel I am being unfair on DH who really wants one and grew up having them in the house

Dogs are dirty but a bit of dirt is great for immune systems

OP, I have 4 dogs and I can’t really disagree with anything you’ve said 😄

Well, apart from them being smelly. They really are disgusting creatures and I long ago resigned myself to never being free of dog hair or poo bags in the pocket of every article of clothing I own that has pockets.

It’s all about constantly cleaning my house to ensure it doesn’t descend into complete dog related chaos but ultimately, our lives (mine and my husband’s) are immeasurably better for having our wonderful dogs.

Yes, there’s a hell of a lot of poo picking up and if you’re concerned about overall cleanliness then a dog isn’t for you! But they give so much back and we really wouldn’t be without our noisy, excitable pack!

Our dogs (when we had them) never smelt and their poo was always picked up immediately. They were clipped and brushed so no hair everywhere either. If it was wet outside, their feet were washed before they came into the house after their walks. These were mud-magnet spaniels.

However, it is a lot of extra work and consideration that you need to structure your life around, so if you're not on board you should definitely not be getting a dog. They also cost a lot of money; vet bills have gone up enormously in the last few years.

My children never caught anything from our dogs, cats, Guinea pigs, or horses. But yes you have to be aware of hygiene.
We’ve always washed our hands when we come into the house, after cuddling an animal, after feeding them. Their bowls are washed separately etc…
Once you get the basics in place it’s just habit but if you’re not committed to caring for a dog until it’s 15-16 years old, don’t get one.

I absolutely agree that dogs are a lot of work and sometimes smell, especially as they age. I have one and love him dearly, but he does create a lot of housework.

I just wanted to say that it’s not a good idea to start washing a non-smelly, clean dog though as you can actually irritate their skin, induce itching due to allergies and fungal infections and might actually cause them to smell when they didn’t to begin with.

a dog isn't for you really all you would do is stress about everything.

It's not that bad at all. I thought the same as you but..

1. picking up dog poo isn't that bad at all and there's usually a bin nearby.
2. your house will get as messy as you let it, we hoover often, and have hard floors downstairs so easy to clean up.
3. the house doesn't really smell - we have candles on, or pet friendly fragrance, windows open.
4. yes our dog gets muddy but gets cleaned up easily

I think, if you don't want one then fine. Perhaps you should offer to look after one first to see how you get on first though.
Life is too short to worry about all the things you have mentioned, in my case, we just got on with and and found a way and we have a busy life.
Puppy life was stressful but it's short lived. Good training and routines in place ensure you'll have a good dog as they grow up.
I think you should consider it, especially if your husband would like one. Perhaps find a way that would work and ensure everyone chips on to keep the dog clean and the home clean.
Perhaps look at breeds that don't shed, that make good family dogs. It's really not bad plus the cuddles are wonderful.

The overall tone of your post suggests you have a very odd idea about 'germs' verging on OCD territory. This would make you unsuitable for dog ownership. It is proven that children brought up in homes with pets have less allergies. People care too much about obsessive hygiene these days to a silly extent.

Hair and poo in the garden fair enough. You pick up and you hoover. Smell the same wash yeh dog sometimes and it's bedding often

The dog walks outside on dirty streets and also walks indoors? You dry their paws, get rugs and throws for the sofa or train them not to get up on it. There may be some muddy paw prints but this is not a disease risk

Dogs do not lick random stuff in your house. They lick foodstuffs, themselves and sometimes people.

The thing about dogs butts being in contact with furniture and the floor. So what? They are very rarely obviously dirty unless the dog is ill and if it was you would wipe. If you are worried about microscopic poo particles then I am going to put this in the box of bizarre made up things that people inexplicably worry about.

He won't do everything, he will want to go away with friends or indulge in hobbies and you will be left with dog and made to feel incredibly unreasonable if you don't help 'now and again' .

Basically, don't get a dog. Put your foot down. You will resent it and how it compromises every aspect of your life.

Dogs are meant to be having a nice home with a big yard where they can run as much they want and bark without anyone complaining. I would not have a dog in a tiny English terrace

A lot of things in life are unhygienic, unless you live in a bubble you're coming into contact with bacteria constantly.

If you don't want a dog don't get a dog.

Please don’t get a dog. It’s not fair on the dog.

I love dogs, they’re great creatures, but for all the reasons listed in your OP, I wouldn’t have one.

I don’t want to have to deal with poo.
I don’t want animal smells in my house.
I don’t want dog bum on my furniture.
I really can’t deal with dog hair everywhere.

The burdens outweigh the joys for me.

Don’t trust him. He won’t - not because he’s an arse necessarily but because it’s the nature of having a dog. And they do generate mess - we’ve got a lab and he sheds and gets muddy etc. I love him to bits and the positives are huge (incl health benefits to kids immune systems). My DH (who is the SAHP) is lumbered with the bulk of it and it was hard going for him especially in the first few months. Luckily he’s very outdoorsy so having a dog was a positive in that regard.

No, you’re totally right! I grew up with dogs and have had a few as an adult but am much happier without them. No matter how often dogs and their beds are washed, if you have a dog your house will smell bad. Your garden will stink of dog pee, especially in the summer. My mum gets a special garden cleaning service out because it gets so bad 🤢 My friends and family members who have dogs are so constrained because of them as well. Can’t have proper days out without bringing them because they’ll pee or poo in the house if they’re left.

I’m also one of those who thinks dogs aren’t safe around babies or small children, no matter the breed. Too many stories out there about the ‘sweet family dog’ snapping and harming a child.

Pretty sure my dog is more hygienic than my child.

That said no household should get a dog unless everyone is on board. Get him to sign up as a volunteer dog walker for the Cinnamon Trust or something so he can get his canine fix

One thing you can do to make having a dog less unhygienic is to not allow them upstairs, and then have hard flooring downstairs that can be bleached/steam cleaned etc.

Then it's shoes on in the "contaminated" zone downstairs, shoes off upstairs in the clean zone.

Also, it used to be the case that dogs were mainly not allowed on sofas, that's changed more recently with the trend towards treating them more like humans. If you train them to keep off the sofa it does make your life easier hygiene/cleaning wise, though it's hard to resist allowing them if they're very cute!

Having a dog is a massive life changing commitment ( if you are a caring loving owner that is ) you will find hair in places the dog doesn't even go which can be frustrating but you just have to crack on with it . A puppy is really really hard work and everyone in the house has to be 100% on board .

I don’t think dogs are for you OP, you have issues around hygiene so it’s not fair on you or the dog.

Even if you didn’t have issues with dirt/germs/hygiene, I wouldn’t advise having a dog when you have very young children.

I love dogs, we didn’t get them till our kids were age 10+.

You might also end up with a dog who likes to eat poo

My dog is foul. If I dont pick it up straight away he will eat the cats poo, his own,

Have to be careful on walks as he likes other dogs poo too 🤮🤮🤮🤮

Also, if you get a boy, he gets his lipstick out frequently and pants while staring at you 😳🤦‍♀️

I love my boy but I'd be unlikely to get another, cats are far easier 🤣

You are absolutely right and people who get dogs without considering and signing up to all the points you’ve made are the irresponsible ones. Don’t get one. I won’t for similar reasons, plus all the ‘I’ll walk it!’ promises which i already know are absolute lies

I adore my dog but agree with you, they are pretty rank. He eats poo sometimes…

And for me it was highly stressful for the first 3/4 month. Like newborn baby stressed, I cried a lot! I gather it’s not like that for everyone but part of the stress was the dog peeing everywhere until he got the hang of it, the hypervigilance I felt during this time and watching him with my kids as he was quite mouthy then - very challenging. I honestly hated him for a while and had so much regret. Then he started to learn how to be part of the family and I fell in love with him. Now I’d forgive him anything. But your reasons for having reservations are completely valid in my view. DH can’t say he’d do everything I don’t think, unrealistic.

😂 you haven't even touched the surface on how unhygenic they are! Eating other animal poo and dead decaying things while out, rolling in mud and fox poo etc.

but they have many positives too. if you are both not 120% on board with getting one then don't. They become so entwined in the fabric of your life it is not something you do only because you dp wants one. you are being very responsible saying no.

This ^^
My dc are adults now.
However as dc I've seen dd lick a train window and ds has wiped bogeys on the wall.
Ddog may smell more but she's no more gross than most dc.

I wouldn't get a dog if you feel like that