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.

Agree with all you have said. It’s not something to take on lightly. My dog costs me over £200 a month with all food, grooming, treats, insurance, flea treatment etc. Aside from the expense, it’s a huge commitment. I walk my dog in all weathers at 6am before work and around 3/4pm when I’m in from work. This isn’t something I factored in as my last dog needed 15 mins a day and was a lazy madam.

If I go out for the day, I need someone to let him out/walk him.

It takes a long time to train a puppy. It’s hard work. It’s frustrating, rewarding, but also fun. Your house will be battered, but I couldn’t be without my boy and the love he gives. Dogs are pure joy 💙

This is why I don't have a dog. I've looked into it so much over the years and it simply wouldn't work for me.
I have to make do with saying hello to friendly dogs in the park.

This made me cry. We went through it in 2018 with our boy and my heart was broken 💔. Martha is beautiful. Take care.

The silly thing is @MissyB1 I am quite sure I will get another dog.
While I long to sit on a beach in sunny Spain, I know when I do, that will mean she is gone and I will then be sat there longing for another five minutes with her.

It is hard if you suffer with SAD or just generally with the bad weather though.

YANBU at all!

I think anyone who gets a dog is mad 😂

So much money and commitment and the loss of spontaneity because you’ve always got to think of the dog.

Never mind the walking…..and picking up dog poo 🤮

I really love looking at dogs when I see them around the park, they seem so joyful and charismatic, they’re usually very cute and they obviously bring their owners so much happiness but I’d never get one of my own!

Oh Martha ❤️ Sending you lots of love.. I lost my girl 4 years ago and it absolutely broke my heart.

Accounting for a quarter of total meat production, the environmental impact of pet food is considerable. Sustainability is no longer a nice-to-have; it’s a necessity, and consumers are choosing accordingly.
The environmental impact of pet food includes greenhouse gas emissions of 106m tonnes of carbon dioxide each year, and dry food alone requires 49m hectares of agricultural land. Proteins are the biggest concern as the supply chain puts significant strain on ecological and social systems.

This is one of the reasons that I sadly regret getting my dog.

They don't sound very happy being house cats.

I know what you mean but, they way I see it, there are dogs that are born and here and they need care, so I can give it to them. At least two dogs that are having a good life that is fair to them.

What's wrong with a house cat?

My house cat is many, many times easier than my two dogs. I love them all, the cat is far easier to look after.

Same
I adore dogs but work full time and can't afford one
We look after friends dogs and have ds's if he goes on holiday-we love having them and they are spoilt rotten
But I'm also glad to give them back at the end of it-all 5 are hard work but we love them
Just not enough to have our own

They are! The carpet weeing is normally the first sign of illness, and goes straight to the vet. It gets resolved, but hes a sickly boy, and ill a lot - The food stealing is from being abandoned as a kitten, and the scratching at wallpaper and furniture happens to mark territory when there is a fox outside - ie most nights!

I was aware when I wrote that that it might look like they are stressed, but they have both chosen to be house cats, and they are both fussed and played with and happy and lively and playful, but thanks for your concern ( I mean that genuinely)

@ForestBather

I guess, but it’s probably a case of supply and demand. I don’t know - of course there are so many advantages of having a pet : but does it really benefit our planet, or the animal/species of animal itself in the long term?

I think you need deep pockets, my friend , a single household , had two standard poodles, going away is £300 flights £300 share of villa and £450 for some one to sleep there whiles she’s gone ! And that’s the least of the costs ! But she’s obviously very happy with that and they bring her much joy . Not for me , I simply couldn’t afford it , or maybe my priority’s are different.

My mom has got 4 house cats and they are adorable and absolutely no bother whatsoever. They don’t need anything except a full food bowl and lots of cuddles and tummy rubs.

I love dogs to bits but I wouldn't get one.

@Manyandyoucanwalkover you do offer the hard work side of a puppy but not all the absolutely amazing parts of having a dog. What made you post this? Have you got a puppy you’re not prepared for and finding it tough? Any dog owners I know have done their research and know how to raise a pup and the sheer love and joy they bring. I am blessed with the goodest boy and like a previous poster said, have never known a love like it. I love my husband and children completely and still was blown away by how much I could feel love and protective towards this boy. I think they are so utterly loving and dependent on you that it’s an incredible commitment with such reward. I really hope you haven’t got a puppy and are not coping. If so, please get help and look at re—homing him. I live in a village full of doggo’s and a few whose owners have recently died have been locally adopted so it’s possible someone else can give them a home and lots of love because dogs deserve the very best from us. They give the very best back.

I was listening to a discussion recently from a climate scientist who was comparing environmental impact of car emissions to the environmental impact of global pet food production. It wasn’t something I’d really considered before, but it is massive. And it’s - again - one of those things that humans have ‘invented’ or become seen as ‘a right’ without really addressing the impact that it has on the planet.

Mine are really happy, so I think they are fine examples of a good pet life. I do think some of the breeding that has gone on isn't ideal and there are environmental impacts, of course. There are to anything we do. You're never going to stop pet ownership though. Good regulation might help.

I do have a cat. It works.

@ForestBather

I agree : better awareness, better regulations. No I don’t think it’s something that should be stopped - but as the initial poster said - it’s about addressing the full facts/impact etc.

It's pretty straightforward to get insurance on older dogs. I have it for my 15 year old dog and first took the policy out 9 years ago when I adopted him. Don't get me wrong, it's expensive and once you make a claim or two for a condition, they'll normally stick a clause where they won't pay out for further claims on a related ailment. It's still paid out way more that we've paid in over the years, so has been worth having.

Totally agree. as I sit here with my old crocks of Jack Russell either side of me. they are hard work they need to be walked every day. fed every day. go away someone has to mind them. I am lucky that wfh mainly and if go onto town to do my shopping etc they quite happy to sit in thr back of the car in their beds. when on office they go to work with my husband and travel the country in the van being spoilt. they have a wonderful life. I love them to bits but god its hard work and expensive. both are rescues one was thrown from the car as she was a breeding bitch no longer any use. the other left on the streets as she had a bad hernia I say (we have had this fixed now) had three but lost one at Xmas -no one tells you how heartbreaking it is to loose one - it's horrendous. he was also hard work as badly abused by a women only certain people could look after him etc. pet insurance is a waste of time ( it's also the most profitable of all insurance) they dint pay put harder ever and if yoi get a long term illness they won't insure after a while. plus stop once they get to 8. I save a few bob every month for my vet bills instead. thank god as between Sept and Dec last year paid 6.5k to vets across all three