I’ve never owned a dog but have always liked the idea of one! Then I think of all the disadvantages, like when you go to visit people who have cats, or when you go out and how does it go to the loo when you’re out (or do they hold it in). Now I’ve been offered a little pomeranian cross and it looks very cute. My daughter, who’s a veterinary nurse, says he’s lovely. I don’t know what to do! I’m so afraid he’s going to curtail my freedom to go where I want when I want. What are your thoughts? Please share!
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yep you do have to plan a wee bit, on how long you leave them alone and there’s the excerising of course and the playing with them and the cuddles, feeding, etc.
Never leave them in a car as that can kill a dog due to the way they regulate body tempeture and the way cars act like green houses.
Dogs can hold in for quite a while and they prefer not to do their business where they sleep ie they ask to go outside.
I try not to leave mine alone for more than 3 hours at a time but most of the time mine goes to sleep and doesn’t always wake up when I return.
It can be a bit like have a small child in the house. Mine’s sitting in front of me now and keeps giving me his paw as he wants something from me I think it must be for me to fill his biscuit bowl and he’s kicked it all the way from the kitchen to the living room.
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right dog sorted where was I lol
Oh yes there’s all the training as well and each dog is different and learns at their own rate and on way just like with little ones.
Oh I’ve found that after food they love a play time as it’s part of the bonding of the pack.
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Good advice from @EileensCraftStudio. When they are puppies it’s a bit like (but not as extreme as) having a small child around.
Unlike cats, they do need to be trained and taught the house rules. I would recommend puppy training classes if you decide to take the plunge because, again like children, they learn better with other dogs than on their own. Puppy training also helps to teach them manners with other dogs they don’t know, or socialization, which is important to avoid misunderstandings between dogs. They are social creatures and need to know how to interact with their peers. Not all dogs chase cats. It really depends on the breed-terriers (especially Jack Russel and Border Terriers), Greyhounds and Collies are the worst. My Mum’s angelic Lab just ignores cats completely. Once again, they can be trained not to chase them if they look like they’re showing an interest.
Many people worry about toilet training but most puppies will pick this up very quickly. Just pop them outside when they look like they want to go, and eventually they will start to ask to go when they need to. Don’t worry if it’s raining, or even snowing when they want to go, just let her out quickly and keep an old towel to dry her off when she gets back in. Dogs have water resistant coats, so they don’t mind a bit of wet.
Another important thing is exercize. A Pom won’t need as much as a labrador, but she still needs walking at least twice a day for a mile or two when she’s an adult and that’s a minimum.
Nowadays there are loads of hotels and inns where your dog can stay with you in your room so travelling within the UK is no problem at all. If you go abroad you might need to find a good kennel to look after her, but again there are quite a few places about if you look around. Your daughter will definitely know which ones are best.
Overall, I think that a dog is the most fulfilling pet that anyone can have. They are always happy to see you (even first thing in the morning), keep you company when you are alone, sit with you when you are sad, and all they ask for in return is to be fed and walked a couple of times a day.
Love Sam x
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Our border terrier couldn’t give a monkeys about cats. He’s quite friendly with them… He has very much taken against a rather larger doberman though!
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Like you I’ve often pondered about getting a dog (especially now that I work from home) but the whole what to do with it when travelling put me off (and my other half likes cats) so a while back I quizzed some friends with a pair of whippets what they do with theirs and discovered that a) Charlie and Winston like travelling round the UK by car with regular breaks for a stretch and to use the facilities (they got them used to being in the car when they were puppies but as Eileen said never leave a dog in a car) and b) if they are off to europe they take them with them (they have pet passports, details are probably on the government website) and if they are going further a field they have found a good kennel. I had a quick look on trivago (a hotel search engine) and you can filter the results by ‘accepts pets’ so you should be able to take the dog with you when you travel.
None of this helps me with the OH being a cat person though.
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He’s a bit of an exception then! My Mum has owned three consecutively, all from different breeders and one was from a different part of the country, and all would merrily eat any cat they could catch. Fortunately for cats, they’re good climbers and not that easy to catch but I remember one occasion when the dog had one spread eagled half-way up the fence before my Mum caught up with the dog and pulled her away. If you read the breed spec, it’s in there. The Kennel Club describe this behaviour as being “game.” They are also notoriously aggressive to dogs from other families and this is very difficult to train out of them, so the the stuff with the doberman is exactly what I would expect. It seems the bigger the opposition, the more feisty the border gets.
Do you live in the country? If you don’t and have the occasion to visit it, be very aware of rabbit holes if you are walking out and about. Border terriers are little devils for disappearing down them, and sometimes they don’t come out for hours…
As my Mum says, they’re not a breed for beginners, despite the fact that they are, to a dog, fantastic with kids.
Love Sam x
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Oooh and I was going to say, my other half is a cat person to, and he has forbidden me to buy a dog. 
On the other hand my little boy is mad on dogs and desperately wants…wait for it… a border terrier. 
It’s left me between a rock and a hard place.
Sam x
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Thanks for your advice, everyone! This little chap is apparently 2 years old, so there shouldn’t be any problems like house training. My daughter should be able to help me with any other training. I have to decide by tomorrow morning! I don’t work outside the home but I will go out shopping for hours sometimes. My Dad always used to say “It’s worse than having a child” when I used to ask for a dog. I’m not certain I want the responsibility of another child! 
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It’s not worse than having another child! This little fellow is all grown up. I would be sorely tempted myself if I were in your shoes and my OH was amenable to having a dog. Don’t worry about the shopping. As @EileensCraftStudios says, adult dogs will mainly sleep on the odd occasion you are not at home. I suppose I wouldn’t choose a dog over my husband, maybe…They are a lot easier to look after than men 
Love Sam x
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Just remember dogs don’t understand the concept of pyjama days - its out for walkies come rain or shine. And eventually they sadly get old and senile like my oldest one who has dementia and is constantly trying to trip me up and has gone backwards regarding house training - still love her to bits though.
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It’s funny you should mention shoes, Sam. I’ve been warned he likes to chew them!
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That’s the labrador’s only vice. I was sitting on my Mum’s sofa just a few weeks ago when I suddenly realized I was only wearing one slipper. The other had been stolen by the usual suspect!
Sam x
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I have had all sorts of pets at various stages of my life and always had a dog as a kid and I just assumed I’d get my own eventually…but for me it’s just too much responsibility. They are so needy and I just can’t deal with that dependence! There’s just me & my husband (& our house bunny) but therefore nothing in my life stops me from going out for hours or having to be back in time in case she’s pooped on the floor (she’s house trained & just hops in her cage when she fancies for all her needs) Haha cats on the other hand are much more my kind of animal too as they’re much more independent than dogs- even my house bunny loves her own space and is much more cat than dog.
You have to consider that a small dog lives for years 12 years minimum usually, assuming there’s no health implications. And you just have to decide whether you can deal with that level of need for that long & all the other bits that come with it, costs, illnesses, worry, trudging around in the rain and wind for ages each day if the weather is bad etc. If the answer is yes, then go for it!!
I really feel like if a person feels they can deal with all the negative stuff, then all the good stuff that comes with it is a happy reward!
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I still maintain they’re easier than Men. Dogs are less needy than your average boyfriend and I’ve never once heard a dog say “What’s this £46.30…Paypal…March 13th…?”
Love Sam x
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I’m not going to apologise for what might seem like a brutal response.
Firstly, I totally object to you being given such a tight deadline. If I were to be cynical I would assume they want to offload a problem dog urgently by putting pressure on you.
I’ve had dogs on and off from age 10 till now (many years later!). I’m okay without dogs but I really love having one in my life. My current bitch if 5.5 years old; I would not even contemplate a fortnight’s holiday away from her and don’t actually think I would survive more than 3 days without needing to be with her. But, as others have pointed out, I can go on UK or some European vacations with her doggy passport.
I know she is fine to be left 4 or 5 hours during the day. But this is an infrequent shopping day as my partner and I both work from home. She has never chewed, she doesn’t howl when we leave her. Before going out I make sure she goes to the loo - she will practically pee on command, and do a token squat if she doesn’t need to go!
She is spoiled rotten, loves daily routines. I’m sure she can tell the time cos she knows when it’s time for a walk or evening treats, be it Summer daylight or Winter dark.
I’m terrified of old age or illness taking her from us: we spend years building bonds with our dogs but we always outlive them. To me, dog ownership comes with the responsibility to be able to do the right thing when the dog’s pain/illness is too much for them to endure. This is incredibly difficult and never gets any easier.
Please do not be pressured into making such a rash decision. Some organisations allow you to foster with a view to adopting; can you do this?
I dont intend to put you off getting a dog, I just hope I’ve given you food for thought.
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I’ve had 2 dogs in the past, both when my children were small which wasn’t too bad because I didn’t really go anywhere for any length of time, it was easy to exercise because I was out with the kiddies most days anyway.
Now there’s only me and hubby at home I wouldn’t have another dog.
I’d find it too restrictive for my lifestyle. Hubby and I sometimes like to go away for a weekend, we may only decide on a trip at the last minute. I don’t like the idea of having to do vet things, nail clipping, vaccinations etc I don’t always want to get up and dressed early to take pooch out, I like pajama days or long days out shopping ending with a meal out. I like to accept invitations to visit family or friends at a moments notice. It’s not really fair to have responsibility of something so dependent unless you can put in the time, the expense and the lifestyle.
If you feel you can do all that then see if you can have a ‘trial foster time’ to see if you are both suited to the adoption. You also need to make sure you are making a decision because it really what you want and not because you are being pressured into it.
Good luck with whatever you may choose.
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Mine won’t go for a walk if it’s raining he doesn’t mind wet he just doesn’t like the wet hitting his head and getting in his eyes. So puddles are fine once the rain has stopped. He cries and whines when he needs to go outside and it’s raining. He’ll ask to go, you open the door, he cries and turns away. You go through the procedure 2 or 3 times before he’s finally makes a dash for it does what he has to do then runs back into the house.
He has a walk we normally do and if you try to deviate he tries to pull you in the ‘right direction’ There’s one place were we cross a main road but occasionally we don’t and go a different route. He will pull you to the curb and sit at it as if to say, “It’s this way mum I sit here and you tell me when it time to cross” I’m sure if we let him he’d do the route on his own.
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Aww bless him! He sounds like such a character 
Sam x
He is, he has different sounds he makes for different things and does tricks. He’s a big softie but a strong dog who been know to need a cuddle in the night because he’s woken from a bad dream.
We often get from people " What a lovely pitbull, can we stroke him?" He’s not a pitbull. He’s a staffie with a wee bit of rotwieller on his father’s side. But he’s from the Irish stock of staffies who kept them with slightly longer legs so they tend to be a bit taller than most staffies you see now in the UK.
He’s red and white with amber eyes and a red tear drop pattern on the white side of his face and he has a big red nose.
He used to be terrified of other dogs after being attacked but after much work he’s happy again to meet other dogs and go walks with them but he always lets the other dog be in charge because he just wants to be friends and doesn’t want to be bitten. He’s never tried to bite another dog even when he was attacked he went down in submission and lay frozen on the ground while the other dog had held onto his shoulder and was trying to shake him. I and the owner shouted at the dog to ‘leave’. It let go of Garrett but stood over him snarling until the owner put it on the lead, still Garrett wouldn’t get up until I told him it was alright.
He’s laying on the sofa now with his head hanging off snoring.
He’s a cuddle hound but a bit too big and heavy really so swishes me and has boney elbows that dig into you. That head of his is so heavy when he places on you shoulder so he can have his cheek up against yours.
He love fresh fruit especially oranges and seedless grapes, and he’s a milk hound and goes potty for anything with vanilla in it. He knows the sound of the ice cream van means that cold snuff that tastes of vanilla and if he barks then gives mum a paw she might go outside and come back with some of it.
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