Wife wants a dog - I'm not sure
Discussion
After a bit of advice or some thoughts on this.
My wife thinks we should get a dog. I'm not sure it is a good idea. It isn't that I don't want a dog, it is just that I don't think it is terribly practical for a number of reasons (see below).
Whenever she mentions it I reel these reasons off and then she shows me something on the Lost Dogs Home website or similar and I go all gooey and almost give in.
1) Lifestyle.
We both work full time. I'm away by 7:30 in the morning, she leaves later, about 8:15. She is home anywhere between 4ish and 5ish (she is a teacher). She could come home at lunchtime for 30 mins or so some days. I get in around 6, dinner about 6:30, son's bedtime 7:30. Weekends would be dog friendly, as would school holidays. I could walk it in the morning during the week if I got up at half 5 (yay) and in the evening if I miss all the "getting ready for bed" stuff.
2) Family
Our son (5) is scared/not sure of dogs - not badly, he'll settle after a while (within 24 hrs of meeting my parent's Foxy they were best friends - our friend's Great Dane is a slightly different matter however, understandably so)). Wife thinks getting a dog would be good for him. She is probably right, but I have no idea how we'd go at a meet and greet type thing at a rescue centre for example. I suspect he'd go all silly and we'd be told we aren't getting a dog. A puppy would be better so he can see it grow up - but working full time and having a puppy isn't ideal.
3) Type/size of dog
I grew up with a Black Lab, followed by a Golden Retriever - I want one of them, but am aware a bored Black Lab could be destructive (ours was fine but it was at home all day with my mum and 3 kids; parent's friends had one that ate through a door). Not sure about Golden Retrievers - ours was 3 when we got it and it thought it was human. Wife wants a smaller dog, which is probably a better idea. Pedigree's what dog tool suggests: Golden Retriever (yay), Labrador (yay), Deerhound (WTF?), Cairn Terrier, Westie, Australian Terrier, Border Terrier and various things I've never really heard of/that look a bit silly.
4) When to get it
Wife gets 6 weeks Christmas holidays (summer here) so we could get a dog at the start and then it would have 6 weeks full time care. Would obviously need to get it used to being on its own over the last couple of weeks. Any thoughts on this? Is that enough time for a dog to settle in and not think it was being abandoned the first time it was left alone all day? What about a puppy? Assuming it was 8 weeks when we got it, could it be left alone at 14 weeks?
5) The house/garden
Space isn't an issue. My plan would be to put a doggy door in the back (laundry) door (we can isolate it from the rest of the house) and the dog could then have the whole back garden (1/4 acre) to explore plus the laundry to hide in when it rains. The houses on all 3 sides have dogs, so the fences are dog proof (or appear to be anyway). We also have a big, covered deck it could have a bed/kennel on. At night it could sleep in the house.
6) General stuff
It would get walked, and played with, and cuddled etc etc.
Worth pointing out that Australians have a different attitude to dogs compared to the British. A lot of them are just left outside to fend for themselves all day. Coming from a home where the dog was a house dog that came as a bit of a shock to me. As a result the wife's attitude is a bit different to mine. She basically thinks "she'll be right".
So, any thoughts? I'm in two minds to be honest and I'm not sure typing this helped.
Maybe I should just get 2 and they can amuse themselves all day!
My wife thinks we should get a dog. I'm not sure it is a good idea. It isn't that I don't want a dog, it is just that I don't think it is terribly practical for a number of reasons (see below).
Whenever she mentions it I reel these reasons off and then she shows me something on the Lost Dogs Home website or similar and I go all gooey and almost give in.
1) Lifestyle.
We both work full time. I'm away by 7:30 in the morning, she leaves later, about 8:15. She is home anywhere between 4ish and 5ish (she is a teacher). She could come home at lunchtime for 30 mins or so some days. I get in around 6, dinner about 6:30, son's bedtime 7:30. Weekends would be dog friendly, as would school holidays. I could walk it in the morning during the week if I got up at half 5 (yay) and in the evening if I miss all the "getting ready for bed" stuff.
2) Family
Our son (5) is scared/not sure of dogs - not badly, he'll settle after a while (within 24 hrs of meeting my parent's Foxy they were best friends - our friend's Great Dane is a slightly different matter however, understandably so)). Wife thinks getting a dog would be good for him. She is probably right, but I have no idea how we'd go at a meet and greet type thing at a rescue centre for example. I suspect he'd go all silly and we'd be told we aren't getting a dog. A puppy would be better so he can see it grow up - but working full time and having a puppy isn't ideal.
3) Type/size of dog
I grew up with a Black Lab, followed by a Golden Retriever - I want one of them, but am aware a bored Black Lab could be destructive (ours was fine but it was at home all day with my mum and 3 kids; parent's friends had one that ate through a door). Not sure about Golden Retrievers - ours was 3 when we got it and it thought it was human. Wife wants a smaller dog, which is probably a better idea. Pedigree's what dog tool suggests: Golden Retriever (yay), Labrador (yay), Deerhound (WTF?), Cairn Terrier, Westie, Australian Terrier, Border Terrier and various things I've never really heard of/that look a bit silly.
4) When to get it
Wife gets 6 weeks Christmas holidays (summer here) so we could get a dog at the start and then it would have 6 weeks full time care. Would obviously need to get it used to being on its own over the last couple of weeks. Any thoughts on this? Is that enough time for a dog to settle in and not think it was being abandoned the first time it was left alone all day? What about a puppy? Assuming it was 8 weeks when we got it, could it be left alone at 14 weeks?
5) The house/garden
Space isn't an issue. My plan would be to put a doggy door in the back (laundry) door (we can isolate it from the rest of the house) and the dog could then have the whole back garden (1/4 acre) to explore plus the laundry to hide in when it rains. The houses on all 3 sides have dogs, so the fences are dog proof (or appear to be anyway). We also have a big, covered deck it could have a bed/kennel on. At night it could sleep in the house.
6) General stuff
It would get walked, and played with, and cuddled etc etc.
Worth pointing out that Australians have a different attitude to dogs compared to the British. A lot of them are just left outside to fend for themselves all day. Coming from a home where the dog was a house dog that came as a bit of a shock to me. As a result the wife's attitude is a bit different to mine. She basically thinks "she'll be right".
So, any thoughts? I'm in two minds to be honest and I'm not sure typing this helped.
Maybe I should just get 2 and they can amuse themselves all day!
MacW said:
Aaahh.. one of these.
She wants a dog, you don't.
In the end the two of you will compromise and get a dog
Yeah - she rang a local breeder today. Really nice, wasn't bothered that we both work, but had no pups available and none planned for a while. She was told to ring the woman who runs the register to see if she knew of any - and got interogated on the size of the mesh on the fence, could it get stolen from the garden, "not getting one of mine if you both work" etc etc.She wants a dog, you don't.
In the end the two of you will compromise and get a dog
Now I have a grumpy wife
Back garden is roughly 1000 sqm, so loads of room and fence is secure (dogs on 3 sides).
We shall see how it goes.
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