Daughter wants to get a dog - What are the pros & cons?

[moonfacebaby]

DD1 has been desperate for a dog for a few years now. She's a real animal lover & currently has 3 hamsters, who she looks after very well.

I have several concerns about the practicalities of looking after a dog:

1. I'm a single parent, who juggles a teaching job, a largish house & the day to day stuff of looking after 2 kids (exH lives miles away so only sees the kids EOW & shares school holidays).
2. I'm allergic to some dogs (DD1 has research hypoallergenic dogs & given me a list of possible breeds)
3. The cost - I'm scared of big vets bills - is pet insurance affordable?
4. The extra responsibility falling to me.
5. DD2 is 5 - I'm worried she'll be too hyper or drive a dog to bite her.
6. I work part-time (around 3 days a week) & I worry about a dog being left for stretches of time.

DD1 sees a counsellor (due to issues with anxiety, self-harm relating to her dad leaving & family bereavements). The counsellor has suggested that a dog would be good for DD1 - maybe trying to foster a rescue dog, or trial some out this way.

I know she'd step up to the mark & walk it every day & deal with the general day to day stuff (poo patrol, cleaning), and part of me thinks it would be great to have a dog as part of the family.

I've always taken the commitment of family pets very seriously & I know dogs can be hard work. In some ways, I'd be better suited to a cat (just because they are better at being left to their own devices at home) but I'm hideously allergic to them!

Experienced dog owners - what are the pros & cons to owning your dogs? What are the realistic costs? Has anyone done the rescue dog thing?

Thank you...

No way would I let two 11 year olds walk two Labradors alone.

2. No dog is fully hypoallergenic. You can minimise it with certain breeds but you can still be allergic

^ This - it isn't just the hair - it's the dander.

Dogs are wonderful and they are the best creature on God's good earth in my eyes, but they are VERY tying. You can't just go away on impulse for a weekend (or even a full day) without ensuring that there is someone to feed, walk and keep the dog company. They bring a lot of mud etc into the house. As someone else has mentioned, many breeds need HUGE amounts of exercise, and this isn't related to the size of the dog. They are highly intelligent and need to be mentally stimulated as well as walked - and a lot of dogs suffer separation anxiety (some breeds are more prone to this than others).

My neighbour's son wanted a dog, so she told him that if he would take a half hour walk before and after school every day for six months to show he would be committed to exercising it, then she would allow it *he was about the age of your daughter), He did, she did (high energy small breed dog). She and her husband also fell in love with him and now they have three.

Be warned - dogs are seriously addictive.

I think you can get cats that don't shed much (Devon and Cornish Rexes, and those baldy things ) but they are very expensive (though so are puppies).

Thanks Veterinari.
Good luck Moonfacebaby with the borrowing scheme. Keep us posted.

Also very best wishes to DD1. Dealing with her issues on your own must be very difficult. I hope she feels better soon, with or without a furry friend.

Yy be prepared to do it all. Ds begged and begged. We finally got one. Think he has picked up poo once. He takes him out after loads of shouting, swearing and bribery. We were told by rescue children are not to walk dogs until they're 14. Insurance etc. I would also worry if the dog was any desirable breed of people trying to steal it off him. There was an awful local story of a man taking a dog and threatening to kick the dog if she tried to take it back :-( . Also could child cope in a dog fight?

We have ddog. We love him. Our life is better with him but I do the work.