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The doghouse

If you're worried about your pet's health, please speak to a vet or qualified professional.

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Original poster

If you could go back, would you still have got your dog?

138 replies

Soubriquet · 16/08/2019 11:54

I love my dogs to bits.

I really do

But if I could go back 2 years ago, I wouldn’t have got them.

They are very restrictive in what you can do. You can’t be spontaneous. You always have to consider the dogs.

The cat couldn’t care less but the dogs need you to care.

They need to be walked and loved.

And you have to clean up their mess when they decide to destroy something.

I have committed to these dogs and I will give them 100% but when these two pass away, we have decided no more dogs.

OP posts:

DramaAlpaca · 16/08/2019 16:37

I adore my dogs, I really do. They are the latest two in a long line & are very specialties me. But after their day I don't think we'll have any more. By that time DH & I will be coming up to retirement & we'd like to have the freedom to do what we like & go away without thinking about what to do with the dogs. We can't do anything spontaneously at the moment.

tabulahrasa · 16/08/2019 16:41

I don’t regret having dogs in terms of being restricted, I don’t really find them restrictive... but then I’ve pretty much always have dogs, so most of it is just second nature tbh.

I’ve regretted my last dog, he developed major health and behavioural issues - that I’d never have knowingly taken on.

Tbh though, I don’t know if I could go back in time if I’d not get him though, I’m still upset enough 9 months after him dying about him being gone that I’m fostering instead of getting another dog of my own just now, so... I clearly don’t regret him that much, lol

Hoppinggreen · 16/08/2019 16:42

No
I love him to bits, they are a breed I have had since a child and I waited until our circumstances were right to get him, he’s a real part of our family
BUT, he causes so much more work. I have to walk him and clean up after him. I have to hoover and clean the floors every day and he’s quite big so takes up a lot of space - I want a new car but I can’t have the one I want because I need boot space for the dog. Days and even evenings out have to be planned carefully and I book the dog sitter before flights when planning a holiday. Holidays cost hundreds more for home boarding.
I even have to plan my work around him and as a freelancer on a day rate I earn less because before I even start I have to allow for daycare costs
We get much more exercise, I am a lot fitter and I know loads more people in the area and I do enjoy having my dog but if I could go back in time then no, I’m afraid to say I wouldn’t do it
(And now he’s looking at me as I type this and I feel really guilty)

AutumnColours9 · 16/08/2019 16:58

Yes I would all over again. She is v hard and in puppy mode still but we have always wanted a dog and she is the icing on the cake. I dont mind not going to social events and leisure to me is walking in the country and we holiday in the UK. So apart from finding dogsitters on occasion it hasnt been a massive change.

Beamur · 16/08/2019 17:09

Current DDog is a sweetie but not my dream dog. She belonged to my Mum and gave her immense pleasure and I wouldn't change that. She's got issues though and is very timid and stressy.
I'd get another dog but would be wary of getting another rescue tbh. Last 2 dogs have been rescued and I'd like the next one not to come with a bundle of inherited behaviour.

Spidey66 · 16/08/2019 17:11

Without a doubt. She gives us such pleasure....so much in fact that since getting her I've approached my GP to start withdrawing from the antidepressants I've been on for the best part of 10 years. I think they should be prescribed on the NHS.

Gingerninja4 · 16/08/2019 17:35

Honest truth no. Even though we all love him

With Ds4 recent ill health which is now long term thing means it has been hard to balance everything

My dog will be my only one won't get another

Floopily · 16/08/2019 17:38

Spidey66 totally! I have no MH issues but prior to having Ddog I was often very down, weepy a lot of the time and felt that there was something missing from my life (No DCs). She has changed me as a person, DH says massively so. The unconditional and unwavering love, the focus and routine that she brings to my day, just her little funny face and excitement when I get home after a shitty day. It's priceless.

cornstarch · 16/08/2019 18:09

Yes. He's a ridiculous creature. He will be our last ever dog. And I will have soft furnishings, and carpets and not have to vacuum constantly, and have a nice garden one day.

Spidey66 · 16/08/2019 18:32

Floopily indeed. We don’t have kids either, she’s our baby substitute! I say to my husband we should ‘be more dog’. She don’t care about work, money, brexit etc as long as she’s got food,a bed, and us to Chuck a ball round the park she’s happy!

GrumpyMiddleAgedWoman · 16/08/2019 18:41

Yes.

I have learned so much about handling nervous dogs from having had the old guy. He is a sweet and sensitive soul who has a great knack for noticing an unhappy human and cuddling in to try and make it all better. The DC have definitely benefitted from us owning him.

The younger dog is an absolute cracker: intelligent, biddable, confident, funny and (mostly) sensible. I have a lot of fun with her, so despite the intermittent frustrations of dog training, she is totally worth every second.

Yes, they are a tie (esp on cold wet winter mornings when they have to be walked before I go to work), but I would weigh several stone more without them, be a lot less fit, and have a smaller social circle.

Jouska · 16/08/2019 19:08

Yes without a doubt.

Dogs are my work and also a major part of my social life. I have had many dogs and they all have different things to love (and retrain!). I dread the day when I can not have dogs around me. The dogs have given me many opportunities and fantastic memories.

Dontgiveamonkeys1350 · 16/08/2019 19:52

I think I’m the only weird person who loves the first puppy year. I loved every min of it. Teaching him , seeing him learn and grow. Then he hit one and the problems started. Which is a long and sad story. I would never get another dog now.

After having to let him go after he went for my sons neck after months of work with a behaviourist and vet help. I would never get another dog.

Purplecatshopaholic · 16/08/2019 23:06

I adore my boy and would 100% have him again and more besides. Yes, planning has become more important and I generally go to places that take dogs. He’s a big lad so food wise he is quite expensive too. But I love him to bits - despite walks in the pissing rain and the fact my garden will never be the same! He adores me and just wants to be with me.

itstrue · 16/08/2019 23:23

I think Ddog will be our last as when she dies we will be at retirement age and want to do a lot of travelling.

But she's the most perfect little thing. We did a lot of research on breed and breeder and a huge amount of socialisation.

bluetongue · 17/08/2019 00:38

No I wouldn’t.

I love my boy and want him to have the best life possible but he has been a difficult dog, especially for a first time owner (anxiety problems).

Before I had him I have always had cats (partly because I rented) and they are the perfect pet for me. There will definitely be more cats in the future for me.

I might get a dog again once I retire (or win lotto ) but for now trying to provide a good home for a dog with my current circumstances is just too difficult and expensive.

CarolDanvers · 17/08/2019 00:53

Yes. I've had a dog for the last 18 years. He's my second one in that time. I'd find it very hard to be without a dog for company and structure to my day. I'm a single parent and have been for years. My dog is a great comfort to me.

BuildingQuote · 17/08/2019 01:12

Wow, quite a few interesting replies and it does confirm how hard a decision it is.

Getting our first puppy (now 9 months ) has been easier than I ever dared hope and she makes every day so funny and has huge character and is so affectionate even to the postman ! I so far haven’t found it too much or hard even once and the benefits for our dc too have been huge.

I do however wonder if we’d ever manage to get another we love this much ! I tend to like easier breeds and also wouldn’t find a big dog as easy to just take everywhere though friends do offer to have ours and she’s very easy and friendly

dudsville · 17/08/2019 09:18

A thousand times yes, even though the inevitable crushing heartbreak is always on the horizon. It's a restriction but I don't mind.

MarieG10 · 17/08/2019 09:40

Parents had one when we were younger....taught me to never get one.

No decent holidays without paying for kennels...and leaving one there doesn't seem right to me and in any event current prices according to friends are higher than the holiday price to fly abroad!

Not fair to have one when working and they are stuck alone indoors...but so many people think that's ok to do

Friends moaning that dog nipped (actually bit her and necessitated a hospital visit) their children. But (she says) he is really friendly and just likes playing when I visit with children. Hence stopped visiting. No dog can ever be totally trusted and I can't believe she still thinks that when the dam thing has bitten more than once

How many houses stink of dog when you visit. A fair number and I don't want mine smelling like it.

I'm really glad we don't and I'm resolute with my children..no dogs!

Flaxmeadow · 17/08/2019 11:03

No I would not get another dog and I now find the whole concept of keeping any 'pet' problematic. Part of my reasoning is the way some 'pet owners' put, or even force, human characteristics onto animals, especially dogs. He is 'my baby', he 'loves me', we have 'cuddles' and regarding animals as being little more than animated teddy bears.
I like animals and I hate animal cruelty but animals should be in their natural environment and not cooped up in a house.
The pet industry, a huge multi ££££ business, is also increasingly guilty of humanising 'pets' and many pet food adverts portray dogs in an unrealistic way, and again, as having human characteristics. This leads people to have unrealistic expectations.
It also never ceases to amaze me how many dog owners admit that their animal has bitten people, sometimes even bitten a child and yet they still tolerate their aggressive animal and by doing so, put their own family and the general public in danger.

CarolDanvers · 17/08/2019 11:20

I like animals and I hate animal cruelty but animals should be in their natural environment and not cooped up in a house.

Serious question. Where is the natural environment of say for example a Yorkshire terrier? There's an argument that 100s of years of domestication means that living and working alongside humans is the domestic dogs natural environment. I agree about animals like hamsters and rabbits though, I've kept them and wouldn't again. They get nothing out of being kept in a cage and food given them every day imvho.

As for all these marauding dogs and irresponsible owners that MNetters seem to come across so often, as a previous professional dog walker who for years interacted with twenty plus dogs a day; both my clients and random dogs and owners we met out, I can, with my hand on heart say that I can only remember two owners/people we met who fit that bill. Yes there were problematic dogs but what I remember most often is how they muzzled them when out, sought advice from behaviourists, walked them very early in the morning and late at night to reduce flash points etc and the constant soul searching and heartache about why this was happening, what avenues they could explore next. That's the total truth and I never understand where the multiple nasty dogs and owners that so MANY MNetters interact with come from.

Browniebronze · 17/08/2019 11:22

I wouldn't have got my black lab, no. I feel awful saying it. He sheds constantly, he makes the house smell and he's constantly muddy. He's lovely but so much work. I would definitely never get another.
I love ny terrier though and dont regret him at all.

Rarfy · 17/08/2019 11:28

I love our dog he is part of the family and I wouldn't change it now but if I could have my time again I definitely wouldnt have and tbf I didn't want one anyway it was dps choice.

We have a miniature dachshund and he wees in the house so leaving him when we go out is an absolute nightmare. We really babied him and have never kenelled him so holidays revolve around the dog. It wasn't so bad before but now we have a baby too and being a dog owner to such a difficult dog has really ruined my maternity leave. I struggle with somewhere to put baby because he can get to her. Everytime I leave the house I have to erect a huge metal playpen, fill it with bed food treats toys puppy pad. Then I come home and have to clean it all up and it's covered in piss and quite often poo too. Awful.

CarolDanvers · 17/08/2019 11:49

@Rarfy

Sadly miniature dachshunds are notoriously difficult to house train. I know three and none of them are reliable, one simply isn't, in any way, house trained and he's three. I love the breed but could never deal with that. I feel for you.

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