Reply to Things to consider when considering a dog?

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[quote=Anonymous]OP you could try boarding a dog in your home for a week or two for a friend who is traveling, or maybe ask a friend who normally relies on dog walkers while they are at work if you could instead host the dog at your house during the day, to get a feel for what life with a dog is like again.

You could also foster a dog.

My observation is that many people in recent years have adopted dogs without really understanding the commitment. I think the biggest challenge is not understanding that you need to be someone with a fairly reliable schedule who likes being home a lot. For some reason, more people have been getting dogs who envision being about to have their dogs with them when out and about a lot. That is sometimes possible but not a given, and also not always a great dog with many dog temperaments -- most dogs really thrive on the security of home, having a regular schedule, and establishing a very consistent and trusting relationship with their owners.

So I guess one gut check you might make is thinking about what you envision doing with your dog? Is it mostly companionship at home, taking the dog for regular daily walks, and then maybe reasonable excursions to go hiking or other outdoor activities that are dog friendly? Or are you envisioning taking your dogs to friends houses and breweries and restaurants, taking your dog on vacations, etc.? The latter situation is not realistic but it seems to be what many dog owners today have in mind -- a very social life with dog in tow. That only works with certain dogs, and also only works if the places you go are universally dog friendly, which most places aren't.

You've had a dog before so I expect you probably have a more realistic expectation, but just throwing this out there as the sense I've gotten from some of the unhappy dog owners I know these days -- I think they were social, active people who didn't realize how much your dog ties you to your house.[/quote]

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