Anyone ever bought a dog .....

[Kies]

And then regretted doing so?

We keep talking about it,but never take the plunge. Love the idea of a dog,but sometimes get scared by the responsibility of vets,walking,feeding and general care needed to look after one.The kids promise to take it for walks,but as their education becomes ever increasingly important,we know it will be down to us.

A friend has bitten the bullet last weekend, got a black labrador, and we are talking yet again about dogs .....

Any advice/suggestions/warnings appreciated

 

[smokeysmoo]

Take your time and do lots of breed research.

A guy at work got a black lab 5 months ago, and TBH he's a cracking dog, but what freaked me out as a lifelong terrier owner has been his speed of growth.

I swear if you sat and watched him you'd see him actually grow.

My old fella has always said big dogs are lovely.........in someone elses house.

At the end of the day only you can decide, but IMO there's nothing like a dogs love

 

[Mr Haematocrit]

Dog's and Children are better when they belong to someone else.. You can pat them, play with them and enjoy them and even take them down the park.. Yet when either crap on the carpet or break something its not your responsibility to clear up the mess.

See if the Kids will walk the friends dog for a while before deciding. The owners will appreciate it and you will get to see how dedicated the Kids are, ultimately it could save money and mess.

 

[coffeejo]

That's what my landlords say about my dog ... but she's lying in her bed, half asleep and wagging her tail because I've just reached over and rubbed her ears. You only get that if the dog's a permanent member of your household.

 

[vernon]

I adore next door neighbour's spaniel simply because I don't have to commit myself to keeping him happy and a five minute 'chat' with him over the fence and a quick scratch behind his ears keeps us both happy until our next encounter.

Owning him would be a nightmare. He's hyperactive, craps all over his owner's garden and he's got bad breath.

 

[ColinJ]

Dog's and Children are better when they belong to someone else.. You can pat them, play with them and enjoy them and even take them down the park.. Yet when either crap on the carpet or break something its not your responsibility to clear up the mess.

I feel the same way!

My parents had dogs for 3/4 of the years that I spent living with them. I used to play with them and take them out for walks when I felt like it, but ultimately, they were not mine so I could pick and choose how much or how little time that I spent with them.

I like well-behaved dogs, but I don't want the responsibility for them. If I am going out to spend 10 hours on my bike, I don't want to be feeling guilty about my poor lonely dog left back home!

 

[swee'pea99]

I think very few people regret getting a dog.

Choose carefully. Feeding ain't that costly, walking them is great - and very good for your mental health. Vets bills can get horrendous - a friend's lab recently knackered its leg, £3000 - and there's nothing you can do to rule that out. Just hope...Mongrels are, I believe, less likely to run up costly repair bills, but there's no guarantees.

I've certainly never had even a hint of regret.

 

[Linford]

Don't do it. The bind when they get older is a real cross to bear. 14 years ago i was outvoted. Ours is doubly incontinent, got 2 permanently dislocated shoulders, chronic colitis, cataracts in both eyes and is profoundly deaf. She eats well though, and is not in any real pain even if she can't walk very far now because of the dislocations
This is the reality of caring for an older dog. Think long and hard about managing a dog too fit to have put to sleep but all but housebound by its ailments.

 

[smokeysmoo]

He's hyperactive, craps all over his garden and he's got bad breath.

But what about the dog?

 

[TheDoctor]

Don't do it. The bind when they get older is a real cross to bear. 14 years ago i was outvoted. Ours is doubly incontinent, got 2 permanently dislocated shoulders, chronic colitis, cataracts in both eyes and is profoundly deaf. She eats well though, and is not in any real pain even if she can't walk very far now because of the dislocations
This is the reality of caring for an older dog. Think long and hard about managing a dog too fit to have put to sleep but all but housebound by its ailments.

God, you're a cheery bugger Linf.
Dogs are great. Always pleased to see you, grateful for anything you do for them, however small, and they get you into instant conversations with other dog walkers.
It's bloody upsetting when they die though. Then again, if your reaction after a decade or more was 'Oh well, lets get another' how sad would that be?

 

[BigonaBianchi]

I'd really like to have adog back in my life. I spend a lot of time on my own so the company would be really nice. But it's doubly difficult owning a dog when you are single, who do you leave it with when you go out to places it cant come with you etc??

I know th epain of losing a dog...my retriever was 14 when I had to have him put to sleep...that day still haunts me. So I said then I would never have another...erm...but I will, soon, I hope.

 

[ColinJ]

It's bloody upsetting when they die though. Then again, if your reaction after a decade or more was 'Oh well, lets get another' how sad would that be?

Every time one of my parents' dogs died, they said "Never again", mourned for a while, but then eventually went out and chose the next one.

Actually, that's not entirely true. Their last dog died when they were old and frail and they knew that another dog would outlive their ability to look after it. It hurt them a lot to admit that they couldn't cope with another one, but it was the truth. They died dogless ...

At which point (*gulp*), I think I'd better log off for the night ...

 

[shouldbeinbed]

I think very few people regret getting a dog.

Choose carefully. Feeding ain't that costly, walking them is great - and very good for your mental health. Vets bills can get horrendous - a friend's lab recently knackered its leg, £3000 - and there's nothing you can do to rule that out. Just hope...Mongrels are, I believe, less likely to run up costly repair bills, but there's no guarantees.

I've certainly never had even a hint of regret.

Vets bills are easily mitigated with insurance tho. one hefty bill like that and you're quids in for years.

Tesco have been superb with us.

 

[shouldbeinbed]

Don't do it. The bind when they get older is a real cross to bear. 14 years ago i was outvoted. Ours is doubly incontinent, got 2 permanently dislocated shoulders, chronic colitis, cataracts in both eyes and is profoundly deaf. She eats well though, and is not in any real pain even if she can't walk very far now because of the dislocations
This is the reality of caring for an older dog. Think long and hard about managing a dog too fit to have put to sleep but all but housebound by its ailments.

ah come on now, that is quite a list of ailments for one very old dog, hardly representative of them all. if you took such a risk averse attitude to life you'd never leave your hypoallergenic bed in a filtered oxygen tent not under a flight path and well clear of earthquake zones.

 

[Accy cyclist]

I'd start off with a small dog from a rescue centre. Small dogs are easier to handle and if it's from a rescue centre they usually let you have the dog on trial, so if you don't get on with each other you aren't stuck with an unwanted pet.