Last weekend, my parents took a short vacation to the beach and their dog, a sweet Belgian shepherd mix named Rudy, came to stay with us. Rudy has stayed with us before, and he settled in pretty quickly.
A few months ago, I gave away some stuff on Freecycle, and the woman who took it thought it was funny/weird that the doormat outside my house reads "Wipe Your Paws," yet we don't have a dog. We have a cat, but he stays inside. She thought it was even funnier when she found out I work for a vet. I hear that question a lot. When will I, the animal lover who has spent most of the past 14 years working at a veterinary hospital, get a dog?
The answer has always been 'maybe someday." Or if I'm in the mood to be blunt, "maybe never." I like dogs, obviously, since I work with them, but I'm definitely a cat person. And recently, with two kids and a semi-crazy schedule, cats just fit into our life a little better. Jameson is small, he's definitely less work, and he doesn't have to be walked when it's 20 degrees outside.
There's the added factor of Maureen's dog-fear. When she was 18 months old, we were on a walk along the water when she was knocked flat by an exuberant boxer pup. She was an extremely small 18-month-old, just really starting to get the hang of walking. That puppy, although friendly, probably looked like a monster to her. She's been afraid of dogs ever since. The fear has gradually been getting better, but it's definitely still there.
She was completely at ease with Rudy in the house though and it wasn't long before Johnny started asking if we could keep him. Or, if we could visit the animal shelter and pick out our own dog.
Rudy went home on Sunday and I've been enjoying my dog hair free floor, but Johnny asked several times when we can get our own dog.
For now the answer remains, "maybe someday." Maybe someday when we have a larger house. Or the time to commit to a new animal. But I definitely don't believe him when he says, "I PROMISE I'll take care of it! All by myself!"
I'm not ready yet, and if we do take the plunge, I'm thinking an older rescue dog, something calmer than a pup, and preferably not a big shedder. Since we already have the Wipe Your Paws doormat.
Leave me a comment: when did you take the plunge to get a dog and who honestly provides most of the care?
A few months ago, I gave away some stuff on Freecycle, and the woman who took it thought it was funny/weird that the doormat outside my house reads "Wipe Your Paws," yet we don't have a dog. We have a cat, but he stays inside. She thought it was even funnier when she found out I work for a vet. I hear that question a lot. When will I, the animal lover who has spent most of the past 14 years working at a veterinary hospital, get a dog?
The answer has always been 'maybe someday." Or if I'm in the mood to be blunt, "maybe never." I like dogs, obviously, since I work with them, but I'm definitely a cat person. And recently, with two kids and a semi-crazy schedule, cats just fit into our life a little better. Jameson is small, he's definitely less work, and he doesn't have to be walked when it's 20 degrees outside.
There's the added factor of Maureen's dog-fear. When she was 18 months old, we were on a walk along the water when she was knocked flat by an exuberant boxer pup. She was an extremely small 18-month-old, just really starting to get the hang of walking. That puppy, although friendly, probably looked like a monster to her. She's been afraid of dogs ever since. The fear has gradually been getting better, but it's definitely still there.
She was completely at ease with Rudy in the house though and it wasn't long before Johnny started asking if we could keep him. Or, if we could visit the animal shelter and pick out our own dog.
Rudy went home on Sunday and I've been enjoying my dog hair free floor, but Johnny asked several times when we can get our own dog.
For now the answer remains, "maybe someday." Maybe someday when we have a larger house. Or the time to commit to a new animal. But I definitely don't believe him when he says, "I PROMISE I'll take care of it! All by myself!"
I'm not ready yet, and if we do take the plunge, I'm thinking an older rescue dog, something calmer than a pup, and preferably not a big shedder. Since we already have the Wipe Your Paws doormat.
Leave me a comment: when did you take the plunge to get a dog and who honestly provides most of the care?
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6 comments:
We provide a level of terrible piecemeal care that our poor pre-kids dogs have adjusted to. Don't take the plunge until you're really ready. I love our dogs and we're committed to them because they've been a part of our family for years but I can't pretend that life would be easier without them. If I could do it over I'd do one cat. Or MAYBE one cat and one medium sized lazy dog.
My husband and I both grew up with "no pets allowed" policies at home. Our mothers felt the same way you did about the complications and responsibilities of pets.
I am allergic to cats (and I prefer dogs). When we bought our first house in 2005 I started searching shelters for a dog. We adopted two dogs in 2006. Both are small breeds and they were not puppies when we adopted them.
I don't have children, but we do work (a lot) and I wouldn't give up my dogs for anything. They needed us and we needed them. My mom, who previously had a no pets policy, adopted a dog in 2006, too. Now my mom can't live without her dog.
My husband and I each share the care of the pets. He does more of the walking, I do more of the feeding and grooming. We hope to always have at least dog, including after we have children.
I noticed that a lot of people who don't want dogs are describing characteristics of puppies or active breeds, and that isn't the case with all dogs. We found small, calm, mature dogs and it worked for us.
We had gotten Grover pre-children and now that I SO WANT another Golden Retreiver puppy..I can't seem to bring myself to actually 'pull the trigger' on it simply b/c of the workload in training it added to my current workload w/ children...it seems like it will be too much. Luckily we were given Lexi who was already trained and just lays around.
But we did just get a cat too though. Honestly, my children REALLY DO take care of the animals totally. They have a daily checklist of things like make your bed, clean underwear, brush teeth etc. and on that checklist is one animal chore a day and one household chore. Kenzie gives all the animals food and water daily, Ella lets the dog out first thing in the morning and Logan scoops cat litter and cleans up around the litter box. One of the household chores is to brush Lexi once a week outside. They do it and it's just second nature to them now. We don't walk our dogs but we do let them run in the yard.
I adore our dog. I cannot imagine coming home without her greeting me. My husband used the dog for his proposal.
We evenly split up care for the dog. I take care of her in the morning, and he does in the afternoon.
I agree with Stephanie. Don't get one until you're prepared to shoulder all the work. When my son was 8, we got a dog because he swore he'd care for it. Within months, the novelty wore off and while he still plays with the dog, it's me who feeds him and cares for him and walks him when it's cold outside. Between work and sports and family obligations, we're in and out a lot, and the dog doesn't get nearly the attention and exercise I think she needs. 6 months out of the year, the dog spends more weekends with a dog sitter or in a kennel than she does at home because we travel to my mother's house and dogs are definitely not welcome due to her health issues. It seems very unfair to the dog. I think it's entirely possible to like/love dogs without actually owning one. And in your position, I think you're well aware of the time and money that goes into providing good health care. Hats off to you for deciding to wait.
We got our first dog when our children were young. I definitely was the one taking care of her for the most part. Our kids grew to love her deeply. A couple years ago she died at the age of 14. Our children are grown and moved out and we haven't gotten another dog since. I think I am ready for one now. I have an issue with the hair in my house so I would have to find one that doesn't shed.
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