Would you get a dog if you had a new wfh job?

[Anonymous]

I would get a dog if someone was at home — whether a SAHP or WFH situation. Dogs are pack animals and need someone around. If no one is home for long stretches (8-10h per day 3+ days a week), you’d be better off with fish.

[Anonymous]

DH said he would but then took up tennis instead. Hasn't mentioned it since.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:How long would you wait to be sure? Don’t want to wind up paying a lot in day care/walking fees down the road. Will also be looking at a breeds with shorter lifespans just in case.

You're not ready to take care of a helpless animal totally dependent on you. Please don't get any pets.

[Anonymous]

In OP's defense, I think it's fine to want a dog while also believing that a dog only makes sense if you work from home, and not know if you'll will be working from home for more than say 2 years. It totally makes sense in that situation to adopt a 10 year old dog that you'd expect to live to about 12, and see how it goes. If that's OP's line of thought, it's very responsible.

[Anonymous]

I agree PP. Often older dogs are the most in need of homes. OP that could be a good solution for you.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:In OP's defense, I think it's fine to want a dog while also believing that a dog only makes sense if you work from home, and not know if you'll will be working from home for more than say 2 years. It totally makes sense in that situation to adopt a 10 year old dog that you'd expect to live to about 12, and see how it goes. If that's OP's line of thought, it's very responsible.

Yeah but that wasn't OP's line of thought.

"Will also be looking at a breeds with shorter lifespans just in case. "

Normally they call those breeds "heartbreak" dogs because the owners love them and they die too soon. But in this case, OP likes them because they will die before they become inconvenient. That's seriously messed up.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How long would you wait to be sure? Don’t want to wind up paying a lot in day care/walking fees down the road. Will also be looking at a breeds with shorter lifespans just in case.

Please never get a dog.

+1
WTF

Seriously, this is totally effed up, and I'm not even a dog person.

+3
Not a dog person either, but I actually laughed/gasped out loud when I read that.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:How long would you wait to be sure? Don’t want to wind up paying a lot in day care/walking fees down the road. Will also be looking at a breeds with shorter lifespans just in case.

Please never get a dog.

+1
WTF

Seriously. Did you also marry a much older spouse because they'll likely die sooner, in case you regret it?

Because deciding to go with an Irish Wolfhound instead of a Jack Russel Terrier is just like marrying a 90 year old so you can snaffle his kids’ inheritance

People usually love their dogs and want them to live as long as possible, dum-dum.

It doesn’t matter how long you want your large breed dog to live, it’s never going to live as long as a small breed dog. And if you’re trying to narrow down what kind of breed you want, you’d be nuts not to take that into consideration.

That’s totally different from deciding to get a Bernese mountain dog solely because it will only live for 7 years.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I agree PP. Often older dogs are the most in need of homes. OP that could be a good solution for you.

Thanks this is a good idea.

[Anonymous]

OP here. First of all, you guys have no sense of humor. Second, it makes perfect sense to take longevity into account when selecting a breed if you know where you’ll be in 5 but not in 12 years. I’m not talking about killing the dog. I’m talking about it’s natural life span. Of course I would love and care for the dog. But if I lack the crystal ball to know whether I’ll be in a dog-friendly situation a decade from now it’s reasonable to think about owning one suitable to that situation. Why do you think there are so many older dogs for adoption? It’s people whose situations changed who can’t accommodate a dog anymore. You think it’s better to blindly and selfishly get a long lived pet only to find I have to move or work far from home years from now? It’s not.

[Anonymous]

no

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:In OP's defense, I think it's fine to want a dog while also believing that a dog only makes sense if you work from home, and not know if you'll will be working from home for more than say 2 years. It totally makes sense in that situation to adopt a 10 year old dog that you'd expect to live to about 12, and see how it goes. If that's OP's line of thought, it's very responsible.

Yeah but that wasn't OP's line of thought.

"Will also be looking at a breeds with shorter lifespans just in case. "

Normally they call those breeds "heartbreak" dogs because the owners love them and they die too soon. But in this case, OP likes them because they will die before they become inconvenient. That's seriously messed up.

So if op had mentioned in passing she was referring only looking at long lived breeds because it was a better ROI, or only looking at small breeds because they don’t need as much room, or completely avoiding Golden retrievers because of the risk of high get bills she would be getting equally excoriated? Heaven forbid someone take “convenience” into account when making a commitment to own a pet.

Do people just not engage in casual critical thinking anymore? Because this whole thing feels like compulsive zero sum self-approbation. I hope every dog owner on this thread got their animal by rocking up to their nearest county shelter and taking the first one offered. And I hope they’re totally prepared to spend every last penny they have staving off the day that dog may break their heart, because everyone knows there is nothing more evil than being faced with enduring an unpleasant emotion. Anything else would be hypocrisy and I’m sure the fine folks here would never act the hypocrite

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:In OP's defense, I think it's fine to want a dog while also believing that a dog only makes sense if you work from home, and not know if you'll will be working from home for more than say 2 years. It totally makes sense in that situation to adopt a 10 year old dog that you'd expect to live to about 12, and see how it goes. If that's OP's line of thought, it's very responsible.

Yeah but that wasn't OP's line of thought.

"Will also be looking at a breeds with shorter lifespans just in case. "

Normally they call those breeds "heartbreak" dogs because the owners love them and they die too soon. But in this case, OP likes them because they will die before they become inconvenient. That's seriously messed up.

So if op had mentioned in passing she was referring only looking at long lived breeds because it was a better ROI, or only looking at small breeds because they don’t need as much room, or completely avoiding Golden retrievers because of the risk of high get bills she would be getting equally excoriated? Heaven forbid someone take “convenience” into account when making a commitment to own a pet.

Do people just not engage in casual critical thinking anymore? Because this whole thing feels like compulsive zero sum self-approbation. I hope every dog owner on this thread got their animal by rocking up to their nearest county shelter and taking the first one offered. And I hope they’re totally prepared to spend every last penny they have staving off the day that dog may break their heart, because everyone knows there is nothing more evil than being faced with enduring an unpleasant emotion. Anything else would be hypocrisy and I’m sure the fine folks here would never act the hypocrite

Those examples aren't even close to being in the same ballpark as "I want a breed that will die sooner because I don't know what life will be like in 7 years." You give good examples of convenience - space, health of the breed, temperament that fits the family. "Dying sooner because life is unpredictable" is not a good reason to choose your dog.

If OP is worried about uncertainty, then the answer is "No, you should not get a dog because your circumstances may change."

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:OP here. First of all, you guys have no sense of humor. Second, it makes perfect sense to take longevity into account when selecting a breed if you know where you’ll be in 5 but not in 12 years. I’m not talking about killing the dog. I’m talking about it’s natural life span. Of course I would love and care for the dog. But if I lack the crystal ball to know whether I’ll be in a dog-friendly situation a decade from now it’s reasonable to think about owning one suitable to that situation. Why do you think there are so many older dogs for adoption? It’s people whose situations changed who can’t accommodate a dog anymore. You think it’s better to blindly and selfishly get a long lived pet only to find I have to move or work far from home years from now? It’s not.

People who are committed to pets make it work. People who treat their pets as disposables dump them the minute life gets inconvenient. Do yourself a favor and get a stuffed dog.