Don’t get a dog

[Manyandyoucanwalkover]

Dogs are really hard work. They don’t come house trained, so expect to have wee and poo all over your floors. They will eat stuff they shouldn’t and then they vomit. They can be very noisy, they bark and they whine. Some keep you awake half the night. The vet’s bills are horrendous. £75 for a consultation, then medication on top of that. They need regular medication for worms, ticks and fleas. Many dogs need trips to the dog groomer, factor in about £50 every six weeks. This is for 10 years or more. Then they break your heart. 🐾💔

Please don’t get a dog, unless you have thought about all the above.

Depends on the cat. Ours is like velcro, to me especially. He's wonderful, runs to the door to greet me whenever I come home, knows his name, chats away, sleeps on (or in) the bed and is generally the lovliest, most affectionate companion. We're very lucky to have him.

I hear your pain. I got a one year old rescue cat 4 months ago and I didn’t think thru the restrictions costs and responsibilities. I think dogs are even more hard work. If I had known I probably wouldn’t have proceeded but I don’t regret it. I was very lucky with her (touch wood). I did all the research after the event and now realise it could have all been far worse. She has cured my AUD (no shit). Just hoping it all continues to work out ok. But yea, think v carefully before getting any pet!

The meaning of life? Blimey, you need to get out more.

I do hope you dont' have lany children with an attitude like that re dogs cos there's not much, if any, between them is there?

I used to think I’d never be without a dog. My current dogs have put me off owning any ever again. Their ex-owners are a classic example of why certain people shouldn’t own dogs. Expected the dogs to magically know what was expected of them. No training, no structure, allowed to do whatever they please. No desensitising to grooming or being taught to walk on a lead. Resulting in two needy, reactive, unsocialised pups unable to be left on their own. The constant retraining of already established bad behaviours is so draining and feels hopeless at times. Not something I’d suggest to someone to cure their depression. The amount of visits they’ve had to the vets and groomers really does add up.

My first dog was a perfect angel. A total sweetheart that had everyone he met wrapped around his paw. My best friend that made me laugh with happiness everyday and then cry at the thought of ever living without him. If all dogs could be like him I would want them all.

I think you’re completely missing the point. You’re turning a macro problem with dog ownership into a micro problem for this op. Since Covid dog ownership has soared. You refer to your village as a doggy village but all villages, towns and cities are overrun with dogs. I see dogs being dragged around and involved in Activities that are completely inappropriate for animals, all in the name of spending time together. I don’t think the op is intending to highlight their own regret over taking on a puppy, this is an acknowledgment that dogs are a responsibility and not just an on trend family accessory. I am glad that you know only people who’ve researched fully before taking on a puppy because I concur with others on here who now hate walking their dogs because they’re at the mercy of newbie dog owners who can’t be bothered/don’t understand that puppies need training in socialising. And that’s before touching on the environmental impact of increasing dog populations…

ya. don't get a dog. They are needy , they want your food, they expect belly rubs on demand, AND all your attention. Needy bastards . PS. I would not be without my two idiots. Its piss pouring rain right now..mine will hold it as they hate rain. Even though it is 25 degrees here still lol

@Manyandyoucanwalkover
Thankyou for the thread, I will never own a dog.
Agree with everything you have said in your OP. Have to tolerate my DS' 2 dogs (and they tolerate me, they wag their tails at me !)
Dogs sniff around other dogs behinds, and their faeces, and then go and lick their owners faces, and most of the owners I know think nothing of this !
Dogs have their place in the world, but people would have to love them to keep one.

I am so so sorry.
I’m dreading that day - my boy is nearly 8. Just thinking about it makes me blub😢

@Jewel52 well what’s your point. I don’t disagree puppies can be hard work I. The first few months and that you have to train them and then make sure you properly care for them. I am concerned about a random post berating dogs. All the things noted are dogs being dog. That all is part and parcel of ownership so what is the aim of the post. At no point does OP say she can’t walk her dogs because of off lead badly behaved dogs etc. she just launches a rant about the hard work of the early months of dog ownership. There are loads of good points and there is support if she’s made a mistake getting one. So which is it? Needs support or….

That’s why I prefer a young puppy (although at 64, this will be my last). They are hard work, but a relative blank slate. I wouldn’t want to own an ill mannered (adult) animal. All my dogs have been taught to behave well. When I had horses, they were also trained to have good manners. Raising a pup usually involves tearing my hair out at times, together with wondering what the hell I’ve done, but they slowly grow into nicely mannered, lovely dogs.

This. 15 years isn’t enough with my dog. I can clean the mess, I can do without if he needs the vet but being without him is way worse than anything & it’s a privilege to be able to give him a wonderful life & in return, he pays me back tenfold.

I inherited my mom's dog when she passed 7 years ago. Had two kittens the year before to cope with my anxiety.

Last year I lost my husband to cancer, leaving me alone with two small dc and no support.

The dog was given two months to live a year ago now. Two weeks ago I was googling at home euthanasia. Now he's sleeping next to me. The good and bad days are giving me whiplash.

The amount of love and comfort they're giving me and the children is priceless.

Money is the most common thing in the world. An animal's unconditional love Is priceless.

I can sometimes feel quite fond of dogs, but feel like the UK would benefit from fewer dogs owned by fewer and better dog owners.

There was a big increase in dog ownership as a result of the pandemic, and that alone made me feel quite ragey. People who decide to make these kinds of hard-to-reverse decisions - moving to a big house in a rural area a long way from their office or buying a dog etc, on the grounds that “Oh well, I’m at home all day now - are utterly infuriating; did they really not think ahead and realize the problems this would cause? We all knew right from the start that the people who did this would be regretting it big-time once the shift back towards the office began, and that before long they would be online telling us about how they were “struggling,” and whimpering for sympathy as they made excuses for dumping their dogs or dragging them into the office with them.

There are now a lot of people who don’t seem to be able to leave their dogs for any length of time - probably a combination of treating dogs like babies and lack of teaching dogs to be okay with alone-time because of the pandemic - and it’s become increasingly unacceptable to leave dogs tied up outside shops etc. or inside cars, even for VERY short periods of times in a cool vehicle, meaning that shops and cafes increasingly are under pressure to allow dogs, because otherwise they will miss out on a lot of spontaneous drop-in custom from people who have to lug their bloody dog around with them everywhere, and unfortunately we have now reached a situation where the constant-dog-luggers now outnumber those who will actually refuse to go into a place where dogs are allowed. And so dog-owners (or, to be fair, the constant-dog-luggers) have basically got the rest of us over a barrel.

I can’t blame the shops and restaurants, who are struggling to survive anyway and have to do what they need to in order to keep their heads above water, but I have to say I am really hoping that the UK has reached Peak Dog and that numbers of dogs will start to decline in the near future.

Perhaps we should start publicizing the results of that survey (linked in the other thread) showing that over half of dog-owners regret getting a dog? That really doesn’t surprise me, especially when you consider that the views of all family members have to be considered. The number of women I know who got guilted into saying “yes” to a dog as a result of pressure from husbands and kids, and now do nearly all the poo picking, extra cleaning, de-stinking, hair removal, kennel/daycare organization, vet-visiting, all the walks on days when it isn’t “fun”….

I’ve never even once heard of this, seriously. Cats can sometimes have issues, but they are usually about litter box problems (litter box aversion/random peeing). I’ve never heard of a cat who trots around begging for human attention all day long demanding entertainment and exercise, and I do know a lot of cat owners! Unless you have a random pee-er, they are not much work.

Have owned a dog for decades. Yes hard work for the first couple of weeks but can honestly say I find my dogs the best part of my life,particularly now my children have left home. Have no options about ignoring the weather,dog needs a walk ,great company and my best friend after husband .

All good, valid points and people really should think long and hard before committing to a dog. There would be fewer dogs in rescue centres, that's for sure.

However, dogs are life to me. I cannot envision a future without a dog in it. I had to make the hardest decision and let my poor old boy go at the start of January, after almost 16 years together (which was very good for a big dog, but still too short a time!) and so I am dog-less for the moment, for the first time in about 30 years. It's a strange existence. I will get another dog but I'm not quite ready yet, I'm still grieving my boy....later this year though....

I have a 2 year old Siberian Husky x German Shepherd (Clara), her 7 month old daughter (Athena), and a 4 month old Caucasian Ovcharka (Artemis).

Clara had 10 puppies back in August. Told our rescue dog was fixed, when he arrived- Clara was in season. He was definitely not fixed. (Be careful who you also foster and rescue from if not from a shelter and straight from the owner. Yes I was naive here.) Anyway! 10 puppies = New wooden flooring, new settee, new lounge door, new paint on walls, new table. House stank to the heavens.

Puppies went to friends and family, they are close by, all 10 puppies meet up with Mum for walks now and again.

Athena is a howling opera queen and will put her back to the room whenever Artemis gets attention.

Artemis is a grey and creamy mottled fluff ball of a dog. Artemis got into a bag of black grout this week. Artemis is now a black dog....as is my white flooring, the carpet, the floors upstairs, and the radiators. New flooring had now been bought...in black 😂.

Clara is a lunatic of a dog. She removed a fence panel so she could watch children coming and going at school time. She loves kids.

But yes....They all dug up my garden. It's just mud and sh*t now. This is my life now.

In the words of Buzz Light Year, "Sht. Sht everywhere."

I have always had dogs in my life (apart from the thirteen years I lived in London). They bring me joy and make me laugh every day. Three currently. An elderly Patterdale (deaf), a Border Collie (sacked Sheepdog) from a young farmer in Llanrhyadr ym Mochnant and a Chihuahua who was literally handed to me in the street. She was three months old and her new owner 'didn't like her attitude'. Picking up shit in a baggie is easier than changing a nappy. All three sleep on the beds, are allowed on the furniture and I couldn't contemplate being without any of them. I have never paid for or chosen any dog - I just get what rocks up. None of them are aggressive although the Chihuahua is a little shit.
Dogs are brilliant 😁

@FindingMeno and there’s something else you need to know . When they are sick, they leave it approx 5 seconds before eating it again 😣🤮🤮🤮🤮🤮

Yes, can confirm, some cats are very social.

I have a dog I have pet insurance she has lillys kitchen I'm not well off but she is a part of our family and I love her like I love my 2 sons

This thread, you could almost swap the word dog for child!

And definitely don’t get a Sprollie as you can consider all of the above and then Times it by 100!!!! We had at one point a 13 weeks old Sprollie and a 13 month old baby! What were we thinking ! Our friends have two children similar ages and have just got a puppy! I’m told them not to. We are at age 3 now and it’s still hard work! Our boy gets 3 hour walks outside a day !