advice please about possibly getting a dog

[chocolatemummy]

I have a 14 year old cat and a 3.5 year old child. I am pretty definate about not having any more children and my husband and I would like a dog, for us and our daughter. I think she needs someone to play with around the house and for a run around the park. she loves dogs, my cat is too old and been with me all her life and just runs away from her.
I am thinking specifically about a retired greyhound!

Plus if our dog doesn't feel he is getting enough attention he shits in my sons room ( but that does not worry me so much as it isn't ..well my room! And he eats my favorite shoes - which bothers me more. So company for a dog is good.

pagwatch. One of our dogs also shits in the girls room if annoyed with us. Never my room though

. Damn fine dog!

It's not always bad news to introduce a dog into a cat household. We have a sixteen yer old cat who had never come into contact with any dogs. We agreed to look after my sister's cat-hating terrier for three months, and it only took one day for the hissing and barking to stop. They were never best buds, but they both came to a mutually agreeable arrangement quite surprisingly quickly. We did put them in different parts of the house at night, though. I would be more worried about leaving the dog alone for most of the day - some dogs can be quite destructive when bored. My other sister used to leave the telly on for her dogs when she went out. She is a bit loopy, though!

ROLF ( how apt for a dog thread)
What did she leave them watching? Watchdog.

LOL - that and Last of the Summer Whine

My mum got an old rescue retriever when her cat who'd never lived with dogs was 11, they were fine together. As for having a dog living outside and being on its own for a while it depends on the dog, if thats what the dog is used to it will be fine and will be happy to have a new home.
but I wouldn't get a rescue dog with such a young child, I've had rescue dogs in the past but we got a puppy earlier this year as my daugnter is 2, also went for a gundog as they are supposed to be gentler (Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever)Him and dd are great together and love playing togther and there was only a month of weeing everywhere, but he's almost 6mths now and I still wouldn't leave him all day,even occasionally, the most he's left for is half a day. (He comes to work with me as I work part time as a Countryside ranger - I also used to be a dog warden and met many lovely greyhounds and some very poorly treated ones).
Good luck with whatever ou decide to do.

MIL has a rehomed greyhound. She has been fine with MIL's selection of elderly cats (now only 1 left), but can be snappy with small children. She is a lovely dog, in her own way, but cannot be trusted around ds or the other younger grandchildren.

They're quite boring dogs too. She really does just have a 20 minute walk and sleep for much of the day (hates children disrupting her sleep). Spaniels are much more fun!

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