How do people keep dogs?

In My Humble Opinion
1

[Warning] Story with pics follows. For the actual question, skip down to the last paragraph [/Warning]

Back in November of last year, the night before my girlfriend’s birthday, I was pulled over for speeding on a [deserted] road. The fine was $155, with the option to either pay it or do community service and have it stricken from my record with no information going to insurance. Obviously, I chose the latter and decided to go to the local humane society to do my work. I quickly fell in love with the place and despite working off my requisite hours several months ago, I continue to volunteer there as often as I can.

About a month and a half ago, I became particularly enamored with Jessie. She was extremely cute, reasonably well behaved although a bit too energetic. She also seemed to like me a lot. I decided to get try to get her.

As I’m sure anyone who is reading this has figured out by now, I am a minor and getting a dog requires parental permission. This proved more difficult than I had anticipated. They quickly rattled off several reasons for not adopting a dog, all of which are valid. They included the fact that I am an incoming high school senior and in a year would be leaving them with a dog, and also that we are a family which likes to take week-long vacations during my breaks and doesn’t have anywhere where we could take a dog while we’re gone. However, they agreed to go to the humane society and take a look at her.

It was at this point that the problems really started. I took my parents individually and for each parent, she behaved much worse than she did for me alone. When I tried to take her for a walk, she burst from her pen as soon as I unlocked it and hurtled through the “hallway” for a minute until I caught her and wrestled the leash on her. While walking, she frequently strained on the leash. In short, my parents stated that they were not particularly impressed with either her appearance or behavior. I attempted to negotiate on the issue but it appeared to be closed. Since my foiled attempt, Jessie’s behavior has not improved despite some efforts on my part to get her to walk better, and while I still play with her extensively when i visit, I have more or less given up on giving her a home.

About a week ago, Berg showed up at the shelter. Having been absolutely fascinated with Huskies since elementary school, my interest in him was piqued. However, I recalled several books and web sites stating that Huskies are strong willed and independent. Despite this, I decided to get to know him better and over the course of several visits, he has shown me that he is very playful and as obedient as one could expect from a puppy who had previously been running wild. He is very friendly and other than a playful biting displayed by almost all puppies, his behavior is great.

Today, I decided to cast aside my fears that my parents would accuse me of disloyalty and being “prone to passing phases” and inquire about him. I showed my father the picture of him, and for some reason, (we are originally from Russia, the country identified with the Husky, and my dad had a Shepherd in his youth), he was much more agreeable to Berg than Jessie. However, he still related all of the problems that we had in general about taking a dog.

So, the puzzling question. How does an middle class family take care of a dog? It seems to be a laughable question at first; the stereotype of the American middle class household is the nuclear family with a companion dog. However, upon thinking about it, I don’t know the answer. Surely not every family that travels leaves their dog with a day care service which charges $15 per day. Dogs survive when their owners go to college. Speaking of which, how difficult is it to get a dog on campus. I understand that at many colleges it is mandatory for freshmen to live in a dorm; after that, however, is it difficult to find a place which allows dogs? Generally, how do people, and dopers in particular, deal with the problems presented?

2

Your parents have a valid point. If they don’t want a dog and you’re off to college in a year then you are volunteering them for pet adoption. How would you feel if your roommate in college adopted a pet and dropped out of school leaving it with you?

3

Of course they do, I said so myself. I’m not volunteering them for anything though; I’m trying to get what I want (wow, the sounded bratty). I’m not attempting to force them into anything though. I’m just trying to find out how people with dogs live and if it could be compatible with our lifestyle. If it’s not, i will of course accept that, but it never hurts to ask.

4

In regards to travel, we leave our three dogs with my mother-in-law. She’s just moved to Vegas, so in the future we’ll either leave them with my parents or at a kennel of some sort (probably a little up-scale). My parents leave their dogs* at home and either leave enough food or have me check in on them. Either way they can get outside to the back yard for bathroom breaks.
There’s plenty of hotels that allow dogs, too. Some have quantity or size restrictions, but places like La Quinta are great if we take our dogs with us on a trip. We go to Disneyland a lot and put them in the day kennel at the park.
It can take effort to find a rental place that accepts dogs, but there out there. I’ve never had to look, though. Don’t know about dorms. There’s plenty of colleges that don’t require Freshmen in dorms. How “minor” are you (how close to college)?

*: Now only one, their Golden Retriever, Frisco, had to be put down this past Monday. He was 13. :frowning: I was 13 when we got him.

5

We aren’t away from home overnight very often, but when we are, we’re lucky to have friends who live a block away. They come over three or four times a day to let Boomer out and play with him. We return the favor when they’re gone.

My parents traveled a lot (car trips), and they always took their dog with them. I don’t know how they managed to find dog-friendly motels pre-internet, but they did.

6

Just for the record, I think it’s really great what you’re trying to do. My sister did the same thing you’re suggesting and my parents were nice enough to accept the dog knowing she would leave soon. Of course, I was the youngest so I got to feed the dog and clean the yard.

We either put our dog in a kennel or had someone close take care of it. If you have a fenced in yard and shelter for the animal then a self watering dish and a neighbor will cost you nothing (unless it’s winter).

7

Well, oftentimes they can’t. My aunt and uncle had a dog that they had to give up recently because it was alone so much. It went to live with people they knew in the country.

I had neighbors who had a dog that I sometimes took care of–they ended up giving their dog to the grandparents who were retired and had time to devote to a dog. It’s a difficult problem–you’re right.

8

Yep, like Zoggie said, often you just can’t. I grew up with dogs and adore them, but as a single working mother for the last fourteen years, we just couldn’t be good dog-owners. It’s unfair to leave a dog unattended for long stretches at a time, and work + commute equaled around 12 hours a day for years. Dogs are social animals that don’t do well with that much alone time, so we just didn’t get to have any.

Luckily, my boyfriend’s moved in and the kid’s in high school now, so we’re looking at getting a dog within the next few months now that someone will always be around to care for it.

9

When we adopted Tammy (at the tender age of 9 weeks), my mother didn’t work full-time. If she did, we probably wouldn’t have been able to and definitely wouldn’t have been able to raise a well-socialized dog.

Raising a dog takes a lot of work, as you’ve learned. Walking on leashes and sitting on command and not barking whenever they want aren’t intrinsic behaviors: they need to be taught. You need to either A) not go away for more than a day (once the dog is trained), B) find a trustworthy neighbor who’s willing to come by your house two or three times a day, or C) board the dog in a kennel.

Huskies are very intelligent; they need constant attention and my god, the amount they shed is absolutely colossal.

IMO, reluctant dog owners do not make good dog owners. The amount of work it takes requires enthusiasm; dropping it on your parents even for a year would not be a good idea.

10

In my family’s case, we left our dog with relatives when we went on vacation. I think it helped that our dog was a small breed (we had a toy poodle, which also has the advantage that it doesn’t shed - maybe a small, non-shedding kind of dog would be more acceptable to your parents?). Big dogs can be a handful in many ways.
If you absolutely can’t find any dog lovers among your friends, neighbors, or relatives, maybe you should ask around at the shelter to see if they know of any reliable yet affordable dog-sitters or kennels in the area. Perhaps it would help convince your parents that you are serious if you offer to get a job to help save up money for the boarding or dogsitter costs.

As for the college issue, that seems a bit trickier. Dorms usually do not allow any pets, so if you have to live on campus don’t count on being able to bring a dog along.
Off-campus is a different story. In most large cities, it is fairly easy to find rental housing that allows animals, although be advised that many times they want you to pay extra for having an animal in case the animal causes damage to the apartment. Again, apartments tend to be more accepting of small dogs than big ones, and a lot of places specifically ban certain breeds that are viewed as “dangerous” like pit bulls, dobermans, etc.
If you have an idea of where you’ll be going for college, try doing a web search on housing in the area that allows pets, then call the places that sound like they would be in your price range to check if they have any restrictions on breeds/size of the dog/etc.
Good luck. :slight_smile:

11

I’m going to be a senior this year. I’m glad to hear that most colleges don’t require dorms for freshmen; this is contrary to what I have previously heard. It also alleviates another concern. We live 40 minutes from IU and my dad is concerned that getting a dog would influence my college decision (He is pushing me for ivy league while I maintain that IU would suit me just fine for a bachelor’s). Maybe that would calm him some. I’m sorry about the Golden. They’re wonderful dogs; I have yet to see one at our shelter so their owners must be in love with them. Our neighbors had an extremely friendly one that I would play with when I was younger. He lost a leg about 2 years ago and I haven’t seen him for the last year. I assume that he died :frowning: .

Thank you all who have replied so far, and thanks in advance to anyone who hasn’t yet. Any more information/ideas are welcome.

12

IME a lot of schools do require freshmen to live in dorms, but there are some exceptions for students who live at home locally with parents.

My main concern is that if $15 a day for boarding during vacations sounds like a lot of money, you don’t have a good grip on the expenses of dog ownership. There are vet bills even for a healthy dog. If you board at a kennel, all vet care usually needs to be up to date and a flea bath is sometimes required. Having a pet sitter come in may avoid that and be somewhat less expensive, or you may be able to swap petsitting with friends and family. So do your research, including costs for flea prevention, hearworm meds, annual shots, good quality food, etc. as well as having insurance or an emergency fund. Also a doghouse or fence if the dog will spend time outside. Also, if the dog would come stay with you during college, look into what pet ownership adds to your rental costs.

I had a dog in college, and I loved her dearly, but the expenses were never ending. So I don’t mean to discourage you if you and your family really can afford it, but don’t get into something you’re not expecting.

13

This is what we do- we have three dogs and a cat and if we go somewhere for the day we have a dog sitter that comes over several times and walks them. If we are going away we either have someone house sit and take care of them or we really DO leave them at a border for $15/each per day. Very expensive, but that’s the least of an expense with dogs.

On review, I really agree with this:

Seriously, you go away for 4 nights and it costs $60. That is not a lot of money for animal care and honestly a very minimal expense in the long term care of your pet. HOLY cow animals can cost you. I encourage you to get some realistic figures on the cost of care of a dog before seriously considering one.

14

It’s not a dog, but I’ve owned ferrets since I was in grad school. I had one ferret get an intestinal obstruction and spent about $600 on surgery that was required to save her life. (Not getting it definitely would have resulted in an unpleasant death.) These days, add on a few hundred to the cost. One of my ferrets has an adrenal problem that requires a $72 shot every month. He’d had surgery intending to remove the diseased adrenal, but opening him up revealed that the removal was very dangerous due to its position near a major blood vessel, and so he was sewed up and I shelled out around $600 for that. Another has intestinal trouble that I spent hundreds of dollars (not) diagnosing - as in, they’re not sure what’s up, but they do know these meds help - and her current meds cost about $54 every 6 weeks.

If that kennel bill makes you blanch, don’t get a dog. If your dog swallows a big sponge or something and gets an intestinal blockage, or has a hereditary disorder rear its head, or whatever, you might find a vet bill that makes the ones I cited look pretty reasonable. If you’re going to be responsible for the dog, you need to be in a good financial situation.

15

I have 5 dogs, 4 cats and 2 horses. But I rarely go out of town. When I would, a family member would often comes stay with my animals. I’ve tried using neighbors, but wasn’t satisfied with the care they provided. It seems to me unless your parents are enthusiastic about having a pet themselves, it would be better for you to wait until you’re in your own place, either while you’re in college or after college. A dog is a commitment that can last at least 15 years, and it’s worth putting off until you’re in the position to provide for it yourself. A couple years isn’t so long, and there’ll be animals needing homes then, too.

15 years ago (when your veterinary dollar would go much farther) I had a month where I paid $1500 in vet costs. $900 for surgery on my dog’s knee, $300 for the veterinary opthamologist for my horse, annual vaccinations for allthe animals (only 4 animals at the time) and heartworm meds. You have to figure at any given time, even with only one animal, you might have $1000 or more if vet bills. As you’ve hopefully learned from your time at the Humane Society, animals aren’t disposable when they’re expensive or no longer convenient.

StG

16

Vet bills can be pretty crazy, no doubt about it. However, I’d hate to see people missing out on the joy of having a pet just because not everyone is rich (or ever will be). They do have pet health insurance plans you can get that might help ease the financial strain.
I think most vets are willing to work out a payment plan too.

Some people probably won’t like that I’m saying this, but honestly, if something totally catastrophic and hopelessly expensive comes up, euthanasia IS an option.
Obviously it’s not something I would recommend considering except as a last resort, but realistically many people can’t afford to spend hundreds or thousands of dollars on a pet’s medical care, and I think it’s better for a pet to have some happy years in a family’s home before being euthanized for health issues than it is for that animal to stay in a shelter and end up being euthanized because people were afraid to adopt it in the first place due to fears of getting wiped out by vet bills.

17

In my experience, daily costs of taking care of a dog are not great. Most months, all I have to pay for is their food. They are both well-behaved and obedient and completely housetrained. My case may be the exception, though. Many dogs can have behavioral problems you have to have a trainer to deal with. Routine vet care is not very expensive either. About $80 per dog for yearly checkups and boosters, and $250 yearly for heartworm preventative, which I give them monthly all year round. You do need to save your money for those veterinary emergencies which may arise. Nearly every dog needs extra vet care at least once in its life. I recently spent over $500 on my dog Daisy to have some growths removed from her skin. They were benign and her recovery did go smoothly. That’s not really elective surgery though, as such growths can get irritated or infected. I also noticed she was having trouble with her vision and spent around $450 to have her eyes checked and found her retinas are degenerating. She may go totally blind, but for now, does nicely getting about the house. She can find her food and water, and goes to the door when she wants let out, so it’s not a big worry for now. So even non-life threatening conditions must be taken into account.

Also, how’s your health? I have diabetes and have complications from that. I have been hospitalized for months-long periods of time in 2005 and 2006. I live by myself and had no one who could watch my dogs for that long a period of time. I had my dogs put in a kennel which had no problem taking care of them for that length of time, however, it can be hard for the dogs to have strangers care for them and be out of their comfortable environment. Not to mention my own mental stress wondering how I was going to pay for it all and whether I would ever see my dogs again. Kennel care can run about $500 to $600 a month for two dogs, even if the kennel offers a discount for long-term care. The dogs and I did get back together and they were so glad to be back home. But I hope never to put them or myself through something like that ever again.

As I said, my situation is probably unusual. Day to day care is not normally hard or expensive, but there are special situations you need to prepare for.

18

Wow. After reading all of those posts, you guys make pets seem prohibitively expensive :p. I don’t think money would be too much of a problem; we’re not rich but we’re definitely not poor either. It it was, I could find a job. As it stands right now, my parents reward me for pouring energy ito my studies and maintaining good grades and test scores with not making me work, but I think that I could find room for it, at least until finals.

I’m not sure about leaving my pets with my family. The only local family I have are my grandma who is in no shape to watch over a dog for more than a day at a time, my cousin, her husband, and their daughter, who I might not trust with a dog, and an aunt and uncle whose daughter got a cute little puppy, went off to college, and upon her return saw that the puppy grew into a big hulking seal of a brown lab. They might be willing to take a dog for a week but they go on vacations too sometimes and the lab is a handful.

On the positive side, aside from stong myopia and astigmatism and the remnants of atopic dermatitis, I’m in pretty good shape. No serious health issues, go to the gym 5 days a week, swim or do something athletic (like walking some of the crazier dogs at the shelter) on the weekends.

edit: How long can a dog be reasonably left alone (with X visits for food/water/playtime by a neighbor)?

19

With our dog (and nowadays, our cat), my mother basically does reciprocal pet-sitting. A friend and close neighbour comes over a couple times a day to let the animal in or out and feed them. When her friend goes on vacation, Mom takes care of her animals.

As far as how long…the longest vacation we’ve ever taken was two weeks, but at the time we were between pets. Normally it’s no longer than one week, but this arrangement seems to work for that length of time.

20

I think it depends on the age of the dog. Our dog is 10-11 years old and sleeps a lot. He’d be okay with two visits a day for potty breaks. I know this because he hates being wet, and on rainy days he holds it.

A puppy would probably need to go out five or six times a day.

Food and water are easy – put water and dry food in a couple of big dishes, and leave the toilet seat up. :slight_smile: