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

You also forgot they're expensive. We inherited ours, wouldnt have been my first choice (always been a dog owner) but wouldn't be without him and he's the perfect dog for our autistic child.

But he costs us almost £500 a month 😳

My dogs are gross and they have doubled if not tripled my housework.

I really wanted them and waited until I was in a place in life to have them though.

It is bloody hard work and if you're in a couple where one of you us 100% on board and one of you is only 10% on board then it should be a no or you will be forever resentful.

@bottomsup12

even if your DH does everything he says (which is pretty unlikely tbh) you'll still have to do things for it. Clean up after it there's a lot more day to day housework & laundry that DH wont see.

they make day to day living more difficult (just in small ways, but they add up). What will happen when you want to go out for the day with the baby? You'll have to arrange for someone to come to your house.

youll be unable to be spontaneous with the friends & your baby. Nice summer afternoon out & you have to go home for the dog.

they are a huge tie.

Dogs are wonderful, but mess monsters & really restrict your freedom.

i don't think you should get one until DH is retired!!!

@HeyBamboOllyOllyOllyHayMambo your post reminds me of something gross that happened on a dog walk last year . My ds was desperate for a pooh obviously no toilets anywhere near so he had to pooh in the leaves as I was about to bury it our dog bounded up and ate it . It was one of the grossest things I have ever seen

I don't know... I think dogs are clean animals. Not dunked in bleach every day clean, but enough to share your home without becoming ill.

They also eat excrement and vomit it up, then eat the vomit.

Don't get a dog OP.

I disagree with you but please don't get a dog if you feel like that. It's not fair on the a

Animal!

My dogs are everything you say; they cost us a fortune; they dictate our free time and holidays ; they are a source of worry at times.

They are affectionate, kindly and sociable in nature and they give us reasons to get out in the fresh air. They are mostly a joy to have.

But , they are a huge commitment and it’s not for everyone, and that’s fine. Don’t let your DH push you into it.

No more unhygienic than people, a lot of whom are soap dodgers with disgusting habits. Dogs do smell if you don't bathe them as often as needed, so do humans.

I find all this ‘immune’ system stuff a bit odd. What do they do to the immune system?

l grew up with pets. Started developing allergies to them at about 7. Now have serious allergies to them.

I don’t mind dogs, don’t really want one for all the reasons mentioned in this thread already.
Dh and the dc would really like a dog.
We aren’t getting one as I’m the one who’s home most and I don’t want the extra work it would generate ME.

Too much hygiene is bad for you and your immune system. . It’s well known that people who have dogs are healthier than those who don’t.

this definitely don't be pushed into anything you would resent the dog and your husband .

Is it? Where? Pets made me very ill.

I'm so bored with all the dog hating threads. If you don't want a dog, don't get one.

With regards to the poo I have a pack of disposable gloves. Wear the gloves and pick the poo up with the poo bag.

I would keep a very small baby separate from the dog. Have a baby gate between two areas so dog and baby are separate.

I have a bissell cross wave hoover / mop combo for the hard floors. Dog isn't allowed in other rooms.

You can train a dog, not to lick faces, not to get on couch etc

A dog is a lovely addition to a home and great for kids but only if you like it. There will be times when it brings added stress but in general I find they reduce stress.

Baby comes first though not the dog.

He won’t do everything @bottomsup12.

He’s saying that to get you to agree but you absolutely know that he won’t be doing all the feeding, walking, training, additional cleaning etc.

Like having a baby, a dog needs to be something that you both want - and want to look after. You don’t. And that’s ok.

Maybe he should volunteer at a dog shelter or something.

I like dogs but don't want for the reasons you've listed, but also just how limiting it would be. We enjoy city breaks with the kids pretty regularly, will often go for days out for the whole day to zoos etc. It would be such a hassle to have to think about what to do with the dog each time.

1. Nobody likes dog poo. DP deals with dog poo in the garden and I do the cat litter trays. If the dog poos when I’m out with him, I just put my big girl pants on and bag it up. He’s raw fed so his poos are tiny and don’t really smell.
2. I’ve never seen any clinkers on my own dog, but some do have clinkers if they have a particularly hairy bum.
3. My dog genuinely doesn’t smell! My Mum is SO sensitive to dog smell (hates it) and she’s always sniffing my dog in amazement that she can only smell his shampoo 😂 some dogs do absolutely stink though.
4. I don’t have a licky dog, but other dogs are licky.
5. True, but I baby wipe my dog’s feet after walks, full wash if they look grubby.
6. There are breeds that don’t moult much. Mine is short-coated but does moult, unfortunately. I just hoover/lint roller a bit more than I usually would!

All of the above is specific to my own dog, YMMV with other dogs. It doesn’t sound like you want/like dogs much, so don’t get one. Dogs can be pretty gross, mine is! He is awfully cute though.

Nope, they are not hygienic in the way humans see hygiene.
I spend A LOT of time cleaning the house to keep on top of the extra dust/dirt they bring in from living their normal happy lives and I do it willingly because I wanted them and I love them.
They sleep in bed with us and go on the sofas to sleep during the day, the house is clean enough and none of us have caught any diseases from the dogs doing this.
It probably smells doggy to new people (no idea, I can't smell it therefore I don't care!) but I feel we benefit more from having the dogs than we would from a sterile home.
I have just sold the house we are currently in and the buyer commented to the estate agent that the house was immaculate so I don't think I'm doing too badly 😂

Don't get a dog, op. If you're not totally keen yourself then just don't.

I am left with 4 after being persuaded by my stbxh and dcs to get dogs. I was assured they would do all the walks and cleaning up. Nope.

I wish my dogs no harm. I'm even fond of them and make sure all their needs are taken care of. They do pong a bit sometimes I'm sure.

But I so so long to be dog free. And generally just free of the needs of other creatures.

I don't think you should get a dog but some of your reasons for not getting one are just not true.

There are quite a few breeds that do not shed/moult. Not all dogs lick everything. I have 2 dogs and they don't lick anything indoors or outside.

Not all breeds smell. Most of my friends have dogs and some of their houses do smell a bit doggy but a few do not.

My MIL would definitely have told me if our house smelt of dog and would have loved doing so. When we had cats she said our house smelt. In fact she did say a couple of times that she was surprised we had 3 dogs and our house did not smell

With everything you have listed you should absolutely not even contemplating getting a dog and your dh is not a true dog lover if he truly knows how you feel about them.

I’ve had dogs all my life and am a dog walker but they are absolute hard work and yes are pretty dirty creatures. You will not cope when your dog rolls in something dead or decomposing and what happens when you’re out walking and your dog gets his poop stuck and you have to manually pull it out (yes, that happens!)

Dog owning is far from pleasant at times but all of that is absolutely drowned out by the pure love and pleasure dogs bring to their owners lives. And a bit of dirt from them is good for kids immune systems. An immaculate overly cleansed house isn’t.

You also shouldn’t get a dog when you have a baby or very young children, that’s way too much hassle and not fair on a dog as it will inevitably be ignored and most dog’s currently in the packed out rescue centres have come via young families who can’t cope. Don’t be a statistic.

Please DO NOT get a dog, they are not for you.

I applaud you for having the foresight that seems to have eluded most dog owners. Typically they realise after getting the dog that picking up dog shit is disgusting, so they leave it lying around to ruin public spaces for everyone else. Of course every MN dog owner scrupulously picks up every turd....but many of them are lying 🤷🏻‍♀️

You should only get a dog if you are fully committed to picking up every single shit it produces until the day it dies. I couldn't commit to something so relentlessly unpleasant, so I don't have a dog.