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.

Dog shit smells like shit. Dogs do not smell like shit. They smell of dog.
Dog smell does not smell like shit.
That would be like me saying that babies smell of shitty nappy. Sometimes, they do. But only when they have shat... just like dogs... except dogs are not wearing nappies and stuck in their own shit.

The worst smell for me is a hugely neglected person. Smelt them in hospital. Is BO, piss, shit and general body smell all at once. Can fill a corridor for hours after.

The word 'smell' is just looking the more weird the more I type it now 😂

Very belated and controversial opinions here

1. Cats are way easier than dogs to look after ( even the Bengals and such that you walk on a lead - there's one on our street that's walked every day and he is lovely - and even the ones that have litter trays because they live indoors) Cats living indoors is very common in most of the world. THey do scratch up the furniture though ( particularly new lounges).
2. I have 2 cats - one uses a litter tray , one goes out the cat flap in the laundry and uses the garden.
3. I have 3 dogs and there is no wee or poop in my house ( there was when we had puppies {there were 9 of them so I think I deserve some leeway} in the house). That lasts less than 3-4 months.
4. Puppies chew but dependent on breed that should stop around 1 year
5. We have 3 large dogs and walk them about once a week - we live on a (very) small acreage so that makes a difference, but when I lived on a suburban block ( idk about 800sqm) I walked our dog maybe four times a week.
6. Even with 3 dogs I have never had pet insurance, Every person I know that has it spends more than they get in return.
7. Fleas need to be treated when/if they get them. Otherwise ignore
8. Ticks where I live can be fatal so should be preventatively treated for; or the dog checked daily.
9. Fecking cat cost me $2000 by almost dying from a paralysis tick. Twice. Still alive.
10. Holidays - we rarely go on them, but if we do we get someone to stay at our place. But I grew up not having the regular holiday every year ( may be a British thing) so makes no difference to me.
11. Dogs are the best and I have just been watching that Paul O'Grady dog show on repeat and I tear up everytime.

Definitely don't get a dog if you ever want freedom, money, space in the bed, lie-ins on weekends....

However here is (one of) my best mates in the entire world so clearly I don't follow my own advice!

I remember crying from exhaustion when we first got our puppy - so much hard work, then we added a rescue - the house training was a nightmare. So much damage to furniture etc but honest truth... i'll suck it up and never be without a dog, its a small price for the joy they have brought to the house

First 18 months of owning our dog I felt like I had post puppy depression, bit like PND! Honestly I was climbing the walls. Thankfully it did get easier.

We have a puppy and I shouldn’t admit - he’s a doddle. It might be luck but when I hear people say puppies are hard work, I can’t relate.

I’ll also admit I don’t get why people let their dogs sleep on their beds, or even upstairs. Why start this? I sometimes look after my sister’s dog, he is used to sleeping on her bed and will scream the house down unless we do the same. I find it does not allow for a peaceful night! He’s always shifting and scratching and licking something. I can’t stand it.