Do I want a dog?? Do you regret having one?

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I love dogs so much! But I am very aware that they are a huge commitment that is years and years long and I don’t want to commit to having one unless I am absolutely certain I can be a good dog owner.

I can and do work from home most of the time, although there are days when I go in to my office - it’s very flexible.
I love getting out for long walks.
I have a 7 year old daughter who is very calm and loves animals
I have a small garden
I like to go for breaks away when I can fit them in
Weekends can be changed to fit around having a dog but I don’t always go to dog friendly places with my DD
The hair shedding and potentially being woken up early doors would bother me
I earn well and could afford to pay a dog walker if needs be - would get pet insurance obviously and vet bills wouldn’t be an issue
I wouldn’t get a puppy. I prefer medium to large breeds - would like to get a rescue if I can but don’t know if it would be better to get a dog whose background I am aware of if that makes sense?

Or should I just get a cat?!!

Talk me out of it please!!

I've always had dogs. Since being married we had large dogs, 2 at a time.
The thing about s I absolutely love dogs and don't find it a restriction to my life.
We verbally rarely use dog walkers and, personally, I wouldn't like to use the service on a regular basis.
Don't forget you also need a regular cleaner as an additional expense unless you have the time to maintain your home to a reasonable standard. There's a lot of dog hair and mud and muddy walls /doors and I like a clean house.

My cats can be left alone from 8am to 8pm happily and if we go away a neighbour pops in twice a day.
Can't do that with a dog

A dog sounds possible...

Don't discount rescue greyhounds, some have bags of personality and are incredibly comedic creatures, very capable of learning all sorts of things.

And some are not, have been seriously 'institutionalised' and either can't really be brought out of that or the owner doesn't know how/know that they ought to (it may suit them to have a very quiet, unchallenging dog!).

I'd recommend making a list of attributes you really must have, ones you cannot tolerate and then refine that with the negotiable stuff.

Then see which breeds meet those requirements.

Then go and meet some of those breeds, and ideally, meet them at a breeders house (yes even if you're not intending on getting a puppy) - so you get to see what this dog is like inside a normal house, vs inside a huge hall or outdoors, at a dog show.

Then look at specific breed rescue, the ones typically run by the breed clubs for each pedigree breed tend to be the best and dogs will come to you direct from the prior owner or from a foster carer/original breeder, so they'll have been with people who know the breed.

That way you can potentially get a dog with a very well known history - however any rescue dog will take potentially 6 to 12 months to settle in so prepare to make some pretty big compromises on what you do/how you live for that time. You may get lucky and they'll slot in and settle much sooner, but it is better to prepare for the worst really.

I loved my dog and I miss him now that he is gone. However, his death did make me realise how restricted you are with a dog. You do need to plan ahead for every thing. They also cost a lot more than you think. I was very fortunate to have a wonderful sitter too. I always thought it's like having a furry toddler.

I can't have another at the moment as my circumstances don't allow it, but I'm going to foster when they change.

One thing I am sure of, I would rather have a dog in my life than a man

I think they’re all different. Our cat cries if we’re out too long. He even cries when we go to the toilet at the same time and he can’t find us 😳

Our cat is super low maintenance- she's having access to go outside wherever she wants and most of the day spent by sleeping.

As someone who owns a dog and 3 cats I can confirm that the cats are significantly lower maintenance, and we have a demanding one that sounds similar to yours. Don’t need walked, manage their own toileting, don’t need booked into boarding if we’re going on holiday, have never needed training, don’t need bathed or taken to the groomers, can be easily left home alone all day, don’t smell, no muddy paws, entertain themselves and most importantly the cats aren’t a 35kg excitable bundle of fluff!

Cats are far more independent creatures in general. Anyone who says that they’re as much work as dogs is barking up the wrong tree!

I tend to agree with this. We have had quite a few cats (around 15) and most of them scratched carpet, furniture etc. It was difficult if not impossible to stop them getting on the worktops. Also you can use a safety gate to stop a dog going upstairs or into certain rooms but, obviously, you can't do that with a cat.

As I said before, the moulting of the cats drove me mad and nothing lessened it. Also quite a few of them would get us up early making such a racket to be fed whereas none of our dogs have ever got us up early.

I felt the same way before getting a dog, but now I can’t imagine life without my Chicka Doodle! So much joy, love, and companionship—they truly brighten every day. Sounds like you found the perfect furry friend too! 🐶💕

Hi op our dog is great god big tie though if you want plan anything so keep that in mind but yes life great with him. Jack russell

Why not get a proper dog instead of a glorified mutt?

We lost our dog at the start of the year. He was 17, and the last 2 years of his life have put us off getting another. Basically became full time carers to an animal with no bladder control, and I was constantly disinfecting and cleaning, for him to go and do it again straight away, was soul destroying. But because he was still lively, alert and eager for his dinner we didn't have the heart to pts sooner. It was honestly hell, and as much as I miss him in his younger years, I am relieved he isn't still here now, as I was mentally drained towards the end. We loved having a dog, but it was almost two decades of restricted freedom, preplanning everything, added expenses, having to drag yourswlf out in all kinds of weather as the dog still needed that walk, no spontaneous trips or holidays... We now have cats, who gives us lots of joy, but are so much more self sufficient and even a weekend away can be quickly arranged with the neighbour popping in to put food down and give cuddles, in return for a couple of bottles of wine. Life is so much easier without a dog, and I absolutely love dogs!

I find this so sad to read the amount of posts from people who have dogs but are almost wishing their time away. These people definitely should have done their research better and maybe not had them.

I am one of them who would not have an other dog but I don't wish his time away. In fact he is still here because of us as I am almost certain he would have died had we not gone back twice on New Year's Day to the emergency vets when we knew he was seriously ill but we were sent away until it was found he needed immediate emergency surgery.

But yes I will not be getting another as the impact on our life has been a rollercoaster of really good and really bad times. I know some owners who seem to have easy times with their dogs and others who don't and we fall into the latter. It's not that I don't love and adore him but my god the last 8 years have been hard as well.

1. That sounds fine so long as you can arrange for someone to take him for a walk on the days you are in the office.
2. Great. Not all dogs need long walks, though.
3. Good.
4. That’s certainly helpful.
5. Going away with a dog is entirely possible in the UK. Be prepared not to go abroad often.
6. Dogs do not have to go everywhere with you. Most can be left for up to 3 hours. You will need to make some changes to work this out.
7. Get a non-shedding breed. They will need grooming by you or someone else, but hair doesn’t have to be a problem. Generally, older dogs don’t need to be early morning dogs either.
8. Any older dog needs to be treated like a rescue, even if they have come from a wonderful home - the experience of moving will be traumatic for them. Be prepared for it to take time to settle fully. There is often a honeymoon period where the dog is too shellshocked to really let you know how it’s feeling, and then once it feels secure, it may start to misbehave. You have to actually work with it, not just assume it will all be fine.

I’ve had my 7yo Lhasa Apso rescue for two years now and I love him to bits. Best decision I’ve ever made, but it has not been easy. Six months in he suddenly started biting for no obvious reason and I panicked. But it turns out he has arthritis and since he’s been on painkillers everything has been fine. The months it took to work that out were no fun at all.

You definitely need people you can trust to look after the dog in an emergency, as well as planned holidays or work days.

I agree ! when we adopted our dog we were given a few details of his past events because he'd rehomed and returned a lot during the course of his 3 short years in the world. The last owner filled out a large sheet of paper listing all his "crimes"

To us they were normal dog behaviours, yet he'd been returned again!
We took him home supposedly on a long trial because he was listed as a problem dog and they expected him to come back to them, but he's still with us 6 years later & he hasn't put a paw wrong! He's sweet, playful & loving everything we wanted.
I don't understand what they were expecting - a Disney type dog perhaps? No dog is perfect, but no human is either.

My DH loves dogs. He had a dog when we met, and when that dog died, he turned into the most miserable git, so it was either get another dog or get divorced.

I HATE having dogs. They ruin my life. The carpets are hairy, the walls are covered in mud, they smell, they take up a lot of time needing walking, and I really miss being spontaneous and just going away.

SOOO many people have dogs that it's impossible to just get a dog sitter or book them into a dog boarding house for a weekend getaway.

How is that not just a cockerpoo?

I love dogs, always had them however when my 2 dogs are gone, we won't be getting anymore. The thing is you just don't know what will happen health wise. In the last year we've spent thousands in vets bills for unexpected random issues. One of them has dementia and sometimes keep us up all night. Oh and separation anxiety so we now have to book dog friendly UK holidays instead of taking the kids abroad.

If you hit the jackpot with a calm, friendly healthy dog it's amazing! But I've learned the hard way it doesn't always work out like that.

I think it is the headspace they occupy and the overwhelming sense of responsibility. I love my dog but she is terrified of fireworks and any loud bangs and this has made me anxious too. I've booked a cottage somewhere firework free for this November so DH can take her away (I will be working). She used to be fine but now is scared of seeing trains. Bottles being thrown in bins means that inside pubs is hard when they chuck empties away. None of this could be predicted and no we can't desensitise her - she will happily sleep through bangs, bombs, fireworks going off on the tv!
The mud. If i had known it was going to rain so much I may have thought twice. The welcome and love is wonderful but lack of freedom not so good. She will be our first and last dog.

That is my experience of other people with dogs. I would not have a dog, for all the reasons I listed. Your house DOES smell, YOU smell - some people have a better sense of smell than others (me, for example) and some people either don't, or just become inured to the smell of dog (e.g. you). I guarantee to many people, your house smells of dog, and if it doesn't, it smells of overpowering smell-masking scents. You can't wash that smell off a dog. Some people are sensitive to that smell, some aren't.

Aren't they noisy lol.

Pros
Unwavering loyalty, my dog loves dd and I and prefers us to anyone else.

Exercise, gets dd and I put walking everyday, twice a day.

Social - I've made friends with other local dog owners and joined various training groups and made friends there as well.

It's bought myself and dd closer, it's given us something in common that we are both invested in (dds a teen.)

Ddog is very funny and makes me smile every day.

Cons

Having a dog is fairly expensive, you have to count up food, insurance, training, treats, dog walker etc

I have got to plan ahead if I want to go somewhere that's not dog friendly.

My advice is think about what type of dh you want, my criteria was small, friendly, intelligent and that's what I got (terrier cross.) Also it helps if you have back up people who would help out, for example my mum happily dog sits if needed and I also have several friends who I swap dog sitting with which works well.

Ah OK. You don't have a dog. Got you now. I wouldn't worry. You dont sound like the kind of person who many people would care what you think babe.