Is getting a dog worth it?

[Anonymous]

DH and I have always had cats. Cats are so easy and so wonderful. We have 3 indoor cats. But we are also dog people. We would love to get a dog, but I'm just hesitant because of the work involved. We're only interested in an adult dog, by the way. The negatives to getting a dog, as I see it, are:

1) Exercise requirements. DH and I both work full-time so I guess we'd need to hire a dog walker for mid-day walks? The idea of a dog-walker coming into the house when we're not there bothers me a lot (I don't have a cleaning lady either). Cats just entertain themselves by running around the house, chasing each other, and engaging in play time a few times a day with us.

2) Behavioral issues. Destructive behavior like chewing when bored, left alone, etc. Our cats have never done this but I have read it's common in dogs. The only issues we've had with our cats is scratching furniture but that was completely solved when we bought them a bunch of scratching posts.

3) Fleas. I don't know if I want to deal with fleas and the toxic chemicals to prevent/deal with them. We have a completely organic household. I only use organic cleaning products, laundry products, etc.--i.e. no chemicals in the house at all. I worry about having to use flea treatments that could be toxic to both humans and pets.

4) Having to be more mindful of our schedule re: dog's exercise needs and need to be let out when nature calls. Right now DH and I enjoy taking spontaneous day trips or leaving the house in the morning and not coming back until night time. It seems like this would not be possible with a dog, we'd need to come back after a few hours to let the dog out or have a dog walker lined up to do this.

5) Cleanliness in the house. We don't wear shoes in the house and keep the house very clean. Furniture is pristine. I wonder about all the dirt and stuff that a dog would bring in from the outdoors--muddy paws, etc. I would never wear shoes in the house but a dog coming in from the outside is basically like wearing shoes in the house.

There are lots of positives to having a dog, though, and DH and I are both animal lovers. We'd love to rescue a dog from an animal shelter. Our cats would love a canine companion too. But I have been thinking about the negatives for a long time.

What are your thoughts? Is it worth it to have a dog?

[Anonymous]

These are all the reasons we unfortunately regret getting a dog. In particular we regret getting a rescue who was already 9 months old. We both adore dogs and thought we wanted one and wanted to "do the right thing" and get a rescue but she made our lives miserable for a full year. She turned out to be really destructive and very high energy. We've had her for 2 1/2 years now and finally some of the puppy is out of her and she is calming down. However now we have a new baby and are finding it harder to find time to walk her and find it stressful to always worry about interactions between her and the baby. We always laugh when we hear people say that dogs reduce stress in your life - sure we have moments with her but overall on the balance there is more bad than good unfortunately. We could never bring ourselves to give her up though as we fear it would be too hard to find a good match for her.

Good luck in whatever you decide.

[Anonymous]

We have a dog (adopted from a rescue) and we intentionally waited until our kids were at least 4 years old because of the commitment required to care for a dog.

As to your points -- we do not have a mid-day dog walker but walk the dog for 30 minutes in the morning, take him out (on leash) for a quick walk to the tree right before we leave for work (8:15 am) and then take him out right away when the first of us gets home (usually 5:30 pm).

We had some behavioral issues when we first adopted the dog, but those have pretty much disappeared now.

Flea treatments? We use a prescription on the dog but never had the house treated with anything.

Mindful about schedules - we do that anyway with kids, so it's not a big deal. We vacation with our dog, he goes with us for long car rides, etc.

Cleanliness in the house is more of an issue for the kids than the dog (!) but there are more brooms in our home, and we often use our cordless mini-vac. And "furniture is pristine" went out the window way before the dog joined our family. (LOL!)

A dog is a responsibility and having a dog join your family is a major decision. For us it has been absolutely wonderful, and I cannot imagine life without him. The kids adore him and I think growing up with a dog is just a fabulous childhood experience (even when he tries to steal a stray Lego to munch on). But it is a commitment.

[Anonymous]

We had dogs even before kids and are now on our 3rd dog as a couple (we've been married 25 years). Yes, you have to exercise a dog, train a dog, and put up with a certain amount of mess (though, I agree with the PP who said that kids are messier than dogs -- not to mention sassier, but that's another thread). These problems are all easy to solve if you want to, but I get the sense that you don't, OP. It sounds like maybe your DH wants a dog, but you don't? We get lots of questions about dog ownership from people whose kids want to get a dog and I always advise the parents not to get a dog unless both parents really want the dog. Similarly, I would advise you not to get a dog for your husband unless you too want a dog.

[Anonymous]

We have a dog now, and the cat (who is less than thrilled).

I could handle either pet, and even like the dog, but the combination just puts me over the edge. Now there are three little beasts whining at me every morning (cat, dog, boy).

Dogs require a lot of interaction. If you really don't want to make your dog a priority, and really don't want to go for a walk every day, even in the rain, don't do it. You won't enjoy it. And, they are expensive.

[Anonymous]

Based on what you said I don't think you will be happy if you get a dog. It is a big adjustment in terms of schedules (getting home right away after work, have to find someone to watch the dog when you go on vacation or are gone all day), and cleanliness. We have two dogs and I vacuum a lot but there is still always fur everywhere. I suppose if you got a nonshedding dog you could avoid the fur, but there is still the dirt. And unless you have unusual cats I don't think your cats will enjoy having a dog in the house. Ours don't. They have come to a mostly peaceful coexistence, but it's not like they curl up together and go to sleep. Dogs are also expensive. We spend way more on their vet care than the cats, more on food, groomer, flea/tick prevention, heartworm prevention, etc. Do you have kids? How old? We have a toddler and supervising the dogs and toddler together is a must and is a lot of work. I don't like the chemicals in the flea and tick meds either but I really don't want fleas and ticks in the house so I use them.

All that said, I love our dogs. But that is because I enjoy their company and personalities, and I have come to enjoy the early morning walks. I have come to accept the dirt and fur. And they clean up the mess our toddler makes at meals.

Do you have a friend with a dog? I'd try to borrow a dog for a few days and see what it's really like having a dog.

[Anonymous]

The only dog I've ever had, I really regretted. They are sooooooo much work! If you have the slightest doubt about whether you'd like having a dog, don't do it.

[Anonymous]

Don't forget unless you live on a huge fenced in property, or in the woods you will be picking up doggie doo-doo for the next 14 yrs.(that how long our beloved dog lived.) Loved that dog but it is a relief to not have another being to take care of.

[Anonymous]

OP,

And when you travel on vacation? Ka-ching, that adds up! Also, the cats may not love the dog as you think they will? Or two will and one won't.

Good luck.

[Anonymous]

Doesn't sound like a dog is right for in this stage of your life. It's possible but you would need a very specific dog. One that isn't really like a dog..

[Anonymous]

Given your list, you should not get a dog.

For us, it has totally been worth it. I LOVE our dog. I couldn't live without her. But our furniture is not pristine; I work from home so no need for a dog-walker and don't mind being mindful of the dog's needs; and when we had a flea problem last summer, we treated with non-natural means. We do go away from time to time on vacation, but we either take the dog or plan in advance (and spend lots of $ for boarding her at a good place.)

(FWIW, cats can get fleas too.)

Sounds like it would not work for you.

[Anonymous]

OP, I think if you get a dog you'll really regret it. Your house will definitely not be pristine. Even if you get a non-shedding dog, there will be mud, drool, water, etc. As for behavioral issues, we adopted a five year old lab from a rescue and he is the most wonderful dog ever. I adore him, even though I do go crazy in terms of vacuuming, mopping, etc. b/c I'm obsessive about having clean floors (makes you wonder why I got a dog, right? ). Anyway, when we signed up with the rescue, we had the opportunity to go meet a bunch of different dogs and see them in a home environment, take them for a walk, etc (this was through Labrador retriever rescue, inc, by the way, in case anyone is interested) because they foster all their dogs in homes and not in kennels. So it was great because we could get a sense of behavioral issues, and in the end, we found our dog who was really calm, very well-trained, and had no behavior issues to speak of. And he still doesn't, but after we had kids, he definitely started exhibiting some behavior that we didn't love, like he'd go through the diaper bag when we weren't home and eat snacks that were left in there, started counter surfing, etc. There were easy fixes (i.e., we changed our behavior to take away temptations) but what I'm trying to say is that the behavior of a "teenage" dog doesn't always last into the later years.

Now my doggy is 12, and still an angel, but he's sometimes incontinent, cannot walk up our stairs anymore, etc. etc...so the challenges of having a dog have changed. I really think, given your list of concerns, that a dog is not for you. Better to realize that now than after you've adopted one.

[Anonymous]

Don't get a dog.

How is your house "pristine" with three indoor cats? Are they hairless? Do you wipe their paws after they use the litter box?

[Anonymous]

Hi, OP here. Thank you for everyone who responded. Definitely some helpful things to think about.

For the posters who asked questions, both DH and I want the dog. Neither of us have ever had a dog before (and didn't have one growing up), so we would be first time owners.

Cats are so great and they're so easy...so if we do get a dog I want us to know how much work it's going to be.

My biggest concern off the list is the flea issue. Because we don't use any chemicals at all in the house (organic cleaning products only, no insecticides or pesticides or lawn chemicals of any kind, don't get the lawn sprayed for weeds, no mosquito repellant), the idea of putting a topical flea treatment on the dog where it can rub off on us and the kids, get ingested by the kids, get on furniture, etc. really bothers me. Plus the cats could lick it off. The idea of toxic chemicals being ingested or absorbed that way really concerns me. When that stuff (the topical flea meds) gets on your furniture (like when the dog is sleeping on your couch) does it ever come out? We have never put a flea treatment on our cats, by the way, and they've never had fleas (indoor only). Second in terms of fleas, if we ever got a bad infestation in the house, I would not want to use chemicals in the house to treat the fleas. Spraying pesticides or fogging in the house worries me. That stuff gets all over your furniture, carpets, etc. And then there's worrying about skin exposure, inhalation exposure and accidental ingestion by kids or animals. I know sometimes getting the house treated is what needs to be done, but I think the stress of having to use insecticides in my house would be too much for me (if that situation ever happened). We don't spray for bugs like carpenter ants, regular ants, spiders, cinch bugs, stink bugs, etc. (and we get a lot of all of those), we just deal with them with organic methods (cayenne pepper, etc.) and/or exclusion methods, but I know that fleas are a whole different story.

How do others handle the flea issue/chemicals?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Don't get a dog.

How is your house "pristine" with three indoor cats? Are they hairless? Do you wipe their paws after they use the litter box?

They're not hairless but they do have short coats. I sweep and vacuum about twice a week. We put down a little blanket on top of the furniture that they sleep on. Their litter does not track, we use a special litter that is dust free and doesn't track much, so their paws are fine. Also, we have a sheet underneath all 4 litter boxes to catch excess litter that they kick out of the box. Their food area gets messy but I clean that up each day. They do throw up from time to time but I clean it up ASAP, and if they barf on the carpet, DH cleans it up, the stain comes right out. Only rarely do they barf on the furniture, and then I am sure to clean it up right away and there has never been a stain. Overall, with minimal work we can have a pristine house and pristine furniture.