Anonymous wrote:Op here. Had no clue this thread was revived. We got a dog 2 years ago April 2022. Best decision ever!! I'm obsessed. Can't believe I almost never experienced the love of a dog.
And thrilled to have her as kids prep to leave.

Good for you! My kids are 24 and 18 and both still living at home. I'll probably be an empty nester in the next 3 years. I got a dog 9 months ago and I'm so happy I did.

Anonymous wrote:Op here. Had no clue this thread was revived. We got a dog 2 years ago April 2022. Best decision ever!! I'm obsessed. Can't believe I almost never experienced the love of a dog.
And thrilled to have her as kids prep to leave.

You sound like my husband who was adamant he didn’t like dogs and didn’t didn’t want a dog and now he adores our two dogs. He researches the best dog food, dog sleeps in our bed, he walks the dog every morning, has met most of the dog owners in the neighborhood, etc.

We ended up getting the dogs from a breeder because we didn’t want a pit or pit mix. What breed of dog did you end up getting? And from where?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Please don't get a puppy, OP. Get a shelter dog. And, yes, get a dog!

I have no dog experience and need a dog who is friendly with no issues I need to work on from their past. Seems 99% of shelter dogs are pit bulls.... i need basically guaranteed friendly like a golden retriever

First all dogs can have issues. Even those golden retrievers. If you want a specific breed and not a puppy every dog breed has a rescue. But, don't kid yourself. Dogs are enjoyable but, they require love, attention, food, training and patience.

Before you had kids you had dreams of what they would be like right? Well dogs are not blank slates. And some of the sweetest dogs are pit mixes! If you want to try it out you could foster. This would really save more animals who are stressed in shelters and help get them adopted. But, when you want to travel you can take a break from caring for them.