Have you ever regretted getting your dog?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:yes. and I am an animal lover. we adopted a rescue mutt (part terrier, part schnauzer) five years ago.

the dog. DOES. NOT. STOP. BARKING. we have tried everything under the sun -- and recently resorted to an electric shock collar which my husband resisted for the first 4.5 years because he thought it was cruel. Dog barked right through it and paid no attention to shocks.

It is a very high strung animal and has really, truly made our home life much more stressful. Imagine having a barking and/or whining dog as the backdrop to almost everything you do all day long.

Dog has been wonderful with our two small boys who aren't super easy on him, but it makes it difficult to host dinner parties, playdates, leave the house with all humans for an event or even hug each other (dog barks at that too for some reason). We do not have thousands of dollars to spend on a fancy trainer -- did classes ourselves but literally nothing has worked.

I had a dog like this and in addition would not potty outside and instead insisted on going on a potty mat inside (or on our rugs) Fortunately this was a pure bred very beautiful dog and young. I called the rescue and they found a home for him before I even dropped him off. (Apparently some kinds of toy dogs never do get potty trained and do it indoors? According to Augusten Burroughs who has the same kind of dog) A nice couple with another one of the same adopted him. Whew!! It was a great day after I got over the guilt. The kids were OK after a day or so also.

[Anonymous]

No, absolutely not.

I've had a lot of dogs in my time -- all very different personalities. I've never -- not once -- regretted adopting any of them.

I am an overthinking who ends up regretting or rethinking most decisions. But I've never regretted adopting dogs. It's pretty much the one thing I'm sure of.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We're considering getting one and using a chip activated doggie dog to let the dog go out and do his business in the backyard. Has anyone tried this? Does it cut down on the amount of walking you need to do?

Those doors are great because you don't have to worry if you get held up in traffic. BUT you still have to walk your dog. Access to a yard is not a substitute for exercise.

Make sure you have a fully fenced yard with a fence high enough that your dog can't jump. Also make sure your dog can't dig out from under the fence. You really have to make sure the yard is escape-proof, especially if you get an escape-artist dog.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What about the idea of a chip activated doggie door so the dog can go in the backyard when he pleases? Does that cut down on the walking?

We have a dog door, and it does cut down on the amount of walking (once per day vs. 3 times). As a PP noted, you will still need to walk the dog (especially if you get a puppy), but it helps a lot for days when you're running late or can't get right home after work.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I regret getting my dog, even though he's a sweetheart and I loved him to death. I got him when I had a kid in elementary school. He fit into our life perfectly. We went hiking together on the weekends, he came to soccer practice and he and I did laps around the field while the kids practiced. He motivated us to keep going to the playground a little longer. When my kid started middle school, it made coming home to an empty house a little easier, which was really nice.

Now, I have a high schooler, and it's totally different. Every day making sure the dog is cared for is a pain. The kid simply isn't home enough to do it. So, I'm left to rush home to the suburbs between work and going to watch their game. If my kids are out for late night play practice, I can't run errands or go to happy hour with my colleagues or stay late to finish things, because of the dog. There's a constant negotiation about who is going to mess up their schedule when.

The dog is 8. In a few years the kid will be gone, and I"ll have 100% care for him. I have huge regrets.

You can still go hiking with your dog, do laps around the field. How has that changed? I mean, when your kid was little, I'm guessing you didn't go to happy hour all of the time with your colleauges then either.

Geesh.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Never regretted it for a second.

The "giving the dog away" people piss me off to no end. What did you think you were getting? But, hey, don't worry, someone else will handle your obligation.

+1 I have a dog that someone else gave away. He is awesome. Seriously. When I've had a bad day at work, he cheers me up and reminds me about this thing called spontaneous joy and living in the present.

Every.single.day I wonder how anyone could ever give him up, how anyone could not want him? He is just all love. Sure, I have to feed and walk him and take him to the vet. He's getting older and has some health issues. But that's all nothing compared to the joy he brings to my life.

I think some people just can't relate to animals or see them as individuals with personalities. To some people, they are lesser beings. I feel sorry for those people. There's definitely something they are missing in life.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This thread is making me so sad. I've never regretted having my dog for a second.

Sure, having him requires planning our schedules a little differently - and no one likes being woken up at 3 in the morning when the dog isn't feeling well and needs to go out.

But our dog, who we adopted when he was about 2, brings so much joy, and fun, and love, and goofiness to our lives. I love our lives with him.

Seriously, are you expressing sanctimony because posters are *feeling* regret about their dog? They are not saying the dog is not abused, or loved.

One of the basic lessons in parenting classes is that you can't control your feelings but you can control your behavior. PPs here are doing exactly that. Don't make them feel bad for expressing their feelings about a dog in an anonymous forum.

PP is entitled to her feelings, too. If she is disgusted by posts, she's allowed to express that. Why are you guilt-tripping her about her feelings of disgust for people who regret their dogs? See how that works.

And yeah, some of the posts here are upsetting. Dogs poop and pee and even well-trained dogs have accidents and they get old (just like humans!) and have health issues, but yeah, it's sad when someone expresses regret because of, essentially, inconvenience.

I am more sympathetic toward the PPs who have pets with expensive medical conditions. That's difficult, especially if you don't make much.

But the people who are annoyed because they have to plan to be home to let the dog out to pee seem a little over the top. Or the people who seem to have just lost interest, as if they didn't anticipate that a dog is a 15-year committment, so their kids are going to get older, et cetera, and they're still going to have to take care of the dog.

In some ways, a dog is a different commitment than a child. A child eventually can go pee and poop on his own, eventually goes to school. So, yeah, the parenting becomes more challenging because of the emotional/moral/academic stuff, but the cleaning up pee and poop part stops. Getting a dog is in part like planning on having a toddler for 15 years. Dogs are smart and mature, but unless you have an electronic dog door or some other system, they will always rely on you for their potty situation.

Perhaps people need to be reminded of that when they adopt.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My boss probably doesn't, but she gets to leave all day and I'm the nanny who has to train an annoying peeing barking chewing shedding puppy while caring for the kids. Plus I have to take it to the vet, dog parks, play groups, training etc. So yes, I really regret my boss getting a puppy and dumping it on me, but I'm sure she thinks the dog is great for the hour she plays with it a day.

Wow. You're a real peach, PP.

Why on earth are you posting on a thread that has nothing to do with you? Just couldn't stop yourself from using an opportunity to spread hate on the pet forum? This forum is a magnet for rude people like you. Find yourself a new hobby. Take those animals-are-not-people-so-its-easy-to-get-rid-of-them folks with you.

[Anonymous]

^^ Let me guess, you have 4 cats and live alone because animals are more important than people.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:^^ Let me guess, you have 4 cats and live alone because animals are more important than people.

??

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I regret getting my dog, even though he's a sweetheart and I loved him to death. I got him when I had a kid in elementary school. He fit into our life perfectly. We went hiking together on the weekends, he came to soccer practice and he and I did laps around the field while the kids practiced. He motivated us to keep going to the playground a little longer. When my kid started middle school, it made coming home to an empty house a little easier, which was really nice.

Now, I have a high schooler, and it's totally different. Every day making sure the dog is cared for is a pain. The kid simply isn't home enough to do it. So, I'm left to rush home to the suburbs between work and going to watch their game. If my kids are out for late night play practice, I can't run errands or go to happy hour with my colleagues or stay late to finish things, because of the dog. There's a constant negotiation about who is going to mess up their schedule when.

The dog is 8. In a few years the kid will be gone, and I"ll have 100% care for him. I have huge regrets.

You can still go hiking with your dog, do laps around the field. How has that changed? I mean, when your kid was little, I'm guessing you didn't go to happy hour all of the time with your colleauges then either.

Geesh.

Because the field where my kid plays now doesn't allow dogs, nor does the entire High School campus, so walking my dog around the perimeter would mean I wouldn't be able to see him play.

Because taking a whole day to drive up to the Shenandoah for a family hike, when the rest of the family doesn't come because he's studying for an AP exam, or has a school commitment, isn't quite the same.

Because I no longer work the more limited schedule I worked when my child was in elementary school.

People's lives change, and what fit easily no longer fits. The dog does not know that I regret him. I can guarantee that he is not accessing DCUM and asking Jeff to check my address. He is well cared for. However, had I known what it would be like to have a dog at this point in my life, I would have made a different choice. That's what the OP asked.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My boss probably doesn't, but she gets to leave all day and I'm the nanny who has to train an annoying peeing barking chewing shedding puppy while caring for the kids. Plus I have to take it to the vet, dog parks, play groups, training etc. So yes, I really regret my boss getting a puppy and dumping it on me, but I'm sure she thinks the dog is great for the hour she plays with it a day.

Wow. You're a real peach, PP.

Why on earth are you posting on a thread that has nothing to do with you? Just couldn't stop yourself from using an opportunity to spread hate on the pet forum? This forum is a magnet for rude people like you. Find yourself a new hobby. Take those animals-are-not-people-so-its-easy-to-get-rid-of-them folks with you.

Wait I actually have sympathy for the PP!

[Anonymous]

I love my dog. No regrets but she has made it more difficult to travel. But she's worth it.

However now that she's older (10) she's barking a lot more, has been more demanding and is becoming a huge PIA. Not sure what I should do about that--physically, she's in good health. My preschooler loves her.

Anyone have experience with an older dog getting grumpy!?

[Anonymous]

My dog gave us a sign of what life what would be like with him on the day we adopted him--he had huge piles of diarrhea in the lobby of our building. Then we discovered that what the previous owner who had given him up had put in his file wasn't true at all. He wasn't crate trained and he was barely potty trained at 6 months. He also had severe separation anxiety, which caused him to pee and poop whenever we left him by himself for even a minute. Crate training was out of the question once we figured out that confinement of any type made him freak out.

We have done everything we can to make him comfortable. Training, medication, homeopathic remedies, etc. In some ways, our dog is more work than our child who is now almost 5. It's hard to have people over, especially if they're afraid of dogs at all, because we can't just put him in a crate or shut him in a bedroom. One of us always has to be home when our cleaning lady is here. I remember when we were in the baby years it felt like a big inconvenience and I felt really guilty about that.

But he is the cuddliest dog imaginable. He curls up with our kid and lets him read to him. He wants to give everyone he meets hugs and kisses. He is just the happiest. A few years ago he was viciously attacked by our neighbor's off-leash dog and even when he arrived at the hospital with terrible puncture wounds he still wagged his tail and was giving kisses to the doctors. After his week-long stay they told me that they have never seen a spirit like his in a dog in so much pain.

Years ago when I was in a terrible depression and was at home contemplating suicide he stood in my lap, put his paws on my shoulders and gave me a hug. A real hug.

Have I felt inconvenienced by our dog? Sure. Regretted having him in our lives? Never.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My dog gave us a sign of what life what would be like with him on the day we adopted him--he had huge piles of diarrhea in the lobby of our building. Then we discovered that what the previous owner who had given him up had put in his file wasn't true at all. He wasn't crate trained and he was barely potty trained at 6 months. He also had severe separation anxiety, which caused him to pee and poop whenever we left him by himself for even a minute. Crate training was out of the question once we figured out that confinement of any type made him freak out.

We have done everything we can to make him comfortable. Training, medication, homeopathic remedies, etc. In some ways, our dog is more work than our child who is now almost 5. It's hard to have people over, especially if they're afraid of dogs at all, because we can't just put him in a crate or shut him in a bedroom. One of us always has to be home when our cleaning lady is here. I remember when we were in the baby years it felt like a big inconvenience and I felt really guilty about that.

But he is the cuddliest dog imaginable. He curls up with our kid and lets him read to him. He wants to give everyone he meets hugs and kisses. He is just the happiest. A few years ago he was viciously attacked by our neighbor's off-leash dog and even when he arrived at the hospital with terrible puncture wounds he still wagged his tail and was giving kisses to the doctors. After his week-long stay they told me that they have never seen a spirit like his in a dog in so much pain.

Years ago when I was in a terrible depression and was at home contemplating suicide he stood in my lap, put his paws on my shoulders and gave me a hug. A real hug.

Have I felt inconvenienced by our dog? Sure. Regretted having him in our lives? Never.

I think you've just summed up why those of us who love dogs, love dogs.

I'm so sorry for what you've been through. I'm glad that your dog was there to help you feel a little better.