So, what have you sacrificed for your dogs?

[TheMotherOfHellbeasts]

Just wondering really, I was just having a conversation about the adjustments you make when you have dogs so wondered what everyone else gave up .

Our main ones per dog are:

Ddog1 - I gave up having rugs on the ground floor as she'd come in from having killed something, covered in blood and stain the rugs, she would usually bring me the head of whatever it was too, just to prove how well she was protecting us . Our home was beginning to look like a serial killer's den .

Ddog2 - I gave up growing roses. They were the pride of my verandah, but every time I pruned them and caught myself on a thorn, ddog2 would come roaring up, leap at the pot and savage it until only twigs remained as it had dared to try to attack and murder me on his watch and so it had to die.

Ddog3 - hmmm, don't think I've had to give up anything. She must be wonder pup!

Hmm, would have decorated long ago if it wasn't for the dog.
Would have nice fabric sofas rather than wipe clean leather!
Would be able to wear black!

Ahhh yes, wipe clean only. I am stuffed whatever I wear, two of my dogs are fawn with black masks, the other is dark brindle!

This dog?...

Hmm, I'm not playing it's depressing

He's a dog aggressive, human aggressive dog who no-one else can walk and is on medication every 8 hrs, so um, me really, I had to give up me, lol.

That's understandable Tabulahrasa . We're fortunate that our geographical set up it ideal for our everything aggressive trio. Reactive dogs are a huge (and often underestimated I think) responsibility.

Tabulah-please don't take offence as this is a genuine question-but what do you get out of having a dog like that?
Does he have a nice life and if so is it at the expense of you having a nice life?
I don't think I could sacrifice my happiness for a dogs as much as I like them.
Sorry

Rugs/carpets downstairs. Ddog is a bit incontinent so we've had to have hard floors and waterproof/washable dog beds to make it easier to clean.

Holidays that you can't drive to! He's family so we can't bear to put him in kennels. So we drive to Spain or get a dog friendly cabin on the boat.

Lie ins. She wakes us up at 7 every morning, even at weekends. We work from home, DDs are at uni, so we don't need to get up that blooming early!

A nice house. Lie ins. Pride in my appearance/ home/ garden. Solitude when walking- dog bearers are a community to whom no amount of small talk is too much

Day trips to places that aren't dog friendly.

Eating out anywhere other the dog friendly pubs
Lie ins
Lovely long bike rides at the weekends because we feel guilty leaving her at home to ride bikes when we could go running with her instead
Easy trips to the PILs house by plane for Christmas. Instead of 1 hour to the airport, 1 hour flight, 30 mins drive to their house, we have 6 hours to the ferry, 4 hours on the ferry, 4 hours drive the other side
Going to the cinema. We feel guilty about leaving her at home so watch old films on TV instead
Ever looking smart in the office - I'm constantly picking dog hairs off my smart clothes
A properly aligned spine. She has worked out how to stealthily climb onto the bed at night. It isn't enough to wake me up but means I sleep at a strange angle and therefore wake up with a wonky back

Sleep mainly. Get up an hour earlier to walk them. Yawn.

Oh and money. I'm not sure what I used to spend that £350 a month on before I got dogs, but now it goes on food, insurance and doggy daycare/dog sitters etc. If I couldn't afford doggy daycare/dog sitter I would be sacrificing a lot more of my freedom as they stress a lot when left home alone and I'd never be able to leave them/go out.

Despite getting up ridiculously early and having no money I love them and they are very much worth it

wandering - he's a lovely dog, if his environment is carefully managed, yes he's a lot more work than I'd have taken on voluntarily...but there was no foreseeing what would happen with him when he was the 8 week old puppy I brought home.

He's not aggressive with us or close friends and family or dogs he knows well, he's just a fairly normal dog then. (I say fairly normal, he's a bit of a numpty though, lol)

So yep I have to work round him a lot, we can only do holidays where he comes for instance and the location has to be carefully picked for it's isolation - because I can't kennel him or leave him with anybody.

If DD has friends round, I have to be military in my precision over him not ever being loose in a room with them...

But it works because I happen to have a house layout that works well for keeping him away from rooms if I need to, I have a job that means I'm in to give him his painkillers and the DC are old enough that they can be relied on to not leave doors open and don't have play dates anymore. (They're 15 and 19)

But sometime soon I probably will have to have him PTS as we're struggling to find an effective painkiller for him and it's the pain that causes the behavioural problems.

So if you said to me 3 years ago (that's how old he is) btw, this is what you'll have to do for this dog...I'd have picked a different one, lol.

But he developed the problems after he was my dog and at that point it's either do my best to make his life ok, or end it and so far I manage and he's got a good quality of life so we keep going.

For my last dog I gave up been able to go within 3foot of Dh for two years. If I got any closer the dog attacked him and took chunks out of him.

Current dog, ive given up my career. Dh used to work from home so was there for the dogs. Then he got a new job so I handed my notice in. Went back to a more basic job and part time hours as I didn't want to leave the dog on her own five days a week.

Male dog- talking to people as he doesn't like strangers/other dogs. The option of putting him in doggy day care if I'm gone for more than 4 hours as he is aggressive. Being able to walk round my house without a shadow.

"Being able to walk round my house without a shadow."

I've been followed by either a cat or a dog round my house for my entire adult life...sometimes both, lol, so that one is not unique to this dog.

Actually, weirdly, it's one of the things I miss when they die

He never used to follow but since female dog had to be Pts he's got a lot worse at following people being able to eat in peace, fucker has selective hearing 95% of the time but can hear a packet being opened from upstairs.

What did I give up?
A lifelong fear of dogs.
Bless her heart, everyone loved her, and I'm so broken since she was PTS 3 weeks ago.

We moved to a really crappy area because it was the only way we could afford a garden for the dogs.

My carrot.

I was making soup this morning and DD and I always have a raw carrot each while I'm chopping.

I'd chopped one up for her and put it on the floor. It clearly wasn't to her liking as she left it on the floor, came and stood behind me and stared meaningfully at the carrot I'd just started eating, which was lovely and full of flavour.

I cut a bit off mine and offered it to her, she sniffed it, decided it was better than hers, ate that piece and looked at me for more.

What could I do? Can't resist those brown eyes.

That's Ddog. I don't feed either my daughters raw carrot on the floor.

Long days away. Can't be done unless we get someone to mind her. Although DD2 is proving useful for this at the moment! Nothing else. She is a fab dog.

I thought it was some kind of new fangled baby led weaning thing you were trying pig

Merrymouse

an undisturbed nights sleep. There is at least one bastarddog managed to wedge themselves in the bed so that i can't fucking move. we never had dog on the bed until stupid little brown rescue dog came along. He looked so worried the first night with us and didn't want to leave our side - literally! so then of course we felt that we couldn't stop our first boy getting on the bed. i always wake up with back ache.

we go on camping holidays now.