Remind me that having a pet is a hassle!!!!!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I wouldn't use the word "hassle" OP, I tend to use the word "responsibility" instead...Though I do have my moments when I am a hyprcrite!!

Pets are like our kids, they give us that sweet unconditional love we crave, they depend on us for all of their needs, yet at the same time they can drive us crazy at the drop of a hat and sometimes there is no outlet at all for our stress!!!! But we can never give them up...They become part of our family overnight!!!

I say take the plunge, esp. if your child wants one. Growing up with a pet can be a huge benefit to your child as it can teach her responsibility as well as give her many solid childhood memories to look back on as I have now with my beloved dog who I had practically my whole childhood.

And I hate to get all political here, but please consider adopting from a shelter vs. purchasing from a breeder.

There are many lovable dogs in shelters just waiting for a loving and forever home and would love to become a member of your family.

They are not damaged goods and do not deserve to be put down just because there are not enough people available to adopt them.

+1000

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:DH and I agreed we would wait a few more years for a dog but more and more I want one now. I am constantly perusing rescue and breeder websites and want to bring one home this spring. We had two dogs but both died when DC was really young so we never had to juggle dogs with school or kid activities.

I keep trying to tell myself that it wouldn't be fair to the dog if we were gone all day, but plenty of people who WOH have dogs and they survive. Our old dogs did! Also, even though we have a child for the most part we are all homebodies right now, it's not like we pick DC up at school and race to three different activities and then out to dinner.

Tell me why I wouldn't want a dog right now. Convince me to wait! DC is five and would love one, too. DH could be convinced if I wanted one now, because truth be told, we both know that most of its care would fall on me based on the hours he works so if I'm willing then he's fine with it.

Every time I leave town for a week, it costs me about $600 to have a dogsitter. On top of my vacation cost. So, there's that.

[Anonymous]

Woah! My dog isn't like your alls at all apparently. I walk him 4x a day (short walks, he's lazy), bathe him, and always make sure his bowls are full. Other than that, no hassle. We're just crazy about our dog and couldn't imagine life without him. He's never been sick, doesn't talk back and loves unconditionally. Best companion ever.

I think having a small dog mitigates most issues.

[Anonymous]

Well I grew up with dogs but when dh and I were in law school we got a cat. He's amazing, he will fetch, he's very responsive and friendly. He's not a dog but he's the most low maintenance little guy ever. He totally quenched my thirst for a dog back then, and even now, with kids, he's sweet to them, does his own thing, comes cuddles with me at night. Again, not a dog I know, but he doesn't cost much and I don't have to walk him!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:They are work, but IMO - it is worth it! Especially with kids around. So, if you are looking for discouragement, you won’t get it from me. Our household has ALWAYS had a dog. Two of them were huskies - the hair was awful, one was an escape artist and would roam the neighborhood and even went into the local grocery story. But, I would do it all over again. There is NOTHING like the loyalty of a dog. They make coming home oh, so happy. I LOVE dogs, despite the responsibility, the expense, added work, and sometimes destructive behavior. They make our house more of a home.

Ha! I have a husky like yours except instead of the grocery he ran into the neighbor's house and jumped onto her couch to join her in her nap! We got a note that we really needed to close our gate-turned out he could open the latch and was spending his days wandering the neighborhood. He also joined some college kids down the street to watch football one day.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We have one and it is like having a toddler. Plus, they are expensive. We budget about 3k-4k a year for vet visits, grooming, food and boarding when we are away. If you get a puppy you will also need a dog walker (about 17 a day).

+1 I have exactly one HUGE pee stain on my guest room bed (I am currently cleaning up that room and every time I change the bed, it drives me insane.) It was placed there by our cat exactly one month after we spent thousands on a 'splurge' to make our guests feel welcome who we coming to help with our new baby. IShe wasn't really welcoming of our new baby.

[Anonymous]

Just spent $700 on boarding over the Holidays. One just had a accident on a rug that I just had cleaned. Thankfully, we have a yard and neither really want to go out in the bitter cold, so no walks for a few days Do I love them? YES. All the above are crap, yet they're still worth it. Oh, and I vacuumed the entire 1st level of our home tonight....the never ending cleaning. Never.fucking.ends.

They are the best dogs ever!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We adopted an adult dog and it's been so easy. She sleeps most of the day, needs a walk and some playtime, and that's it. Boarding during the holidays was about $100 each time, not too bad.

What breed mix? That sounds like a pug maybe unless it's a senior dog? I ask because that sounds like my dream dog (I'm not OP).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I wouldn't use the word "hassle" OP, I tend to use the word "responsibility" instead...Though I do have my moments when I am a hyprcrite!!

Pets are like our kids, they give us that sweet unconditional love we crave, they depend on us for all of their needs, yet at the same time they can drive us crazy at the drop of a hat and sometimes there is no outlet at all for our stress!!!! But we can never give them up...They become part of our family overnight!!!

I say take the plunge, esp. if your child wants one. Growing up with a pet can be a huge benefit to your child as it can teach her responsibility as well as give her many solid childhood memories to look back on as I have now with my beloved dog who I had practically my whole childhood.

And I hate to get all political here, but please consider adopting from a shelter vs. purchasing from a breeder.

There are many lovable dogs in shelters just waiting for a loving and forever home and would love to become a member of your family.

They are not damaged goods and do not deserve to be put down just because there are not enough people available to adopt them.

+1000

I have known many sweet and loving rescue dogs, but sometimes the well meaning people at rescues lie about biting history and other forms of aggression. I would make sure you get a really good rescue worker when looking at dogs and remember as much as they want you to think they are interviewing you, you need to be in the driver's seat making sure you are a good match for the dog and you are ready to give it's forever home. Make sure the dog is OK around men too and kids-don't just observe once. Spend a much time as you can. Sometimes you don't see the fear of men in the first 10 minutes.