Talk me into getting a little dog

In My Humble Opinion
1

Thank you all for your patience with my seemingly endless threads about adopting a dog. This should be the last one - or, the second-last one, if you want an update when I finally get one!

I am ready to adopt one. Yesterday I went and bought this book, preparing to go to the Humane Society and pick one out. I showed the book to a colleague, and he told me that another colleague, that very morning, had told him about a dog that she needed to find a home for. She just got the dog and then found out she was pregnant, and she and her husband decided that they just couldn’t keep him, given their new baby and their other dog.

It looks like a great setup. She wants to give him away to a good home, and they’re so attached to him that they want him to live nearby so they can come visit. I live nearby. They also would be happy to dog-sit on weekends if I ever needed to go away.

The problem is, he is not the kind of dog I had in mind. He is a little dog: a pug/boxer cross, about 15 pounds. I am not a small dog person, I am a medium- to large-dog person. She says he doesn’t bark much, but he is highly energetic.

The timing is perfect. I would love to help out my colleague, and I would love to get a dog that someone I know has lived with and can assure me is not a psycho. He’s housebroken and everything, and he is terribly cute (sort of pug-shaped but with a longer snout, and brindled) but he is LITTLE.

I’m still not sure he’d be happy in my house while I am away at work all day. Currently he has a dog-sitter three days a week but that’s more than I can afford. This could be a deal-breaker - I won’t take him if I can’t give him the attention he needs - but if my co-worker thinks it’s do-able, then it will be hard for me to say no.

But I am still irrationally prejudiced against small dogs, and so is (frankly) almost everyone I know. I am getting over it, though. Small dogs are cheaper to feed, right? And they can’t cause as much damage to my home. And I would love a dog I could carry around in a bag on my bike, because that is my primary means of transportation. My partner and my family and most of my friends don’t like small dogs.

So, small dog people, talk me into it. I’d love to take little Jack home with me but I need some persuasion.

2

I’d never had a small dog until I ended up with a Jack Russel Terrier. I, too, wasn’t fond of small dogs, but there are a lot of benefits to it.

  1. Portability. Small dogs are easier to transport, bathe and groom.

  2. They don’t realize they’re small. They’re just as brave as a dog ten times their size. They’re still effective as theif-deterrents.

  3. Better cuddle-time. The dog won’t take up most of your bed if he hops up there, and watching TV on the couch with him will be much more comfortable.

  4. Smaller poo. Easier clean-up.

  5. They eat less and live longer.

  6. Chicks dig small dogs. Go to the park with him, and girls will come out of the woodwork to coo over him. (I know I do!)

  7. You can take him more places than you can a large dog. Many hotels will accept small dogs, but not big ones.

3

Pugs are so adorable when they look at you from the floor and do their I’m so innocent and cute head tilts with the big doggy eyes.

I don’t normaly talk about dogs in this manner, so take that into account. Ask for a couple days trail period to see how things go.

4

How about if a big dog person talks you into a small dog?

I grew up with big dogs (and the family still has them), but my little sister managed to get my parents to get her a little dog. Now we have both.

Little dogs are great. They can get on your sofa. They cost less to feed. They live longer. They cost less to medicate when they’re ill. They love you just as much. People are not (usually) intimidated by them. Kids like them (if that’s important to you). They’re more likely to be welcomed at more places. You can pick them up. That’s extra good. Once one converts you, it’s easier to be persuaded to have more. As you age, little dogs fit your lifestyle better.

My next dog will be a big dog. And as soon as I can, I’ll have a little dog too. I have no intention of ever not having a little dog again.

5

I, too, was always a big-dog person. Then I got a shiba inu - a ~30 pound dog, and was very surprised at how much easier it was to have a little dog. They live better in small areas, fit in the car better, and have the same personalities as big dogs.

Sadly, the Shiba is no more. But we went even farther into the “small dog” arena and got two pugs. I will never in my life have another big dog.

The pugs are by far, the best dogs I’ve ever had. They take all the good parts about cats and dogs and mix them together into little puddles of love and joy.

They can sit in my lap like a cat and happily curl up under the covers with me. They fetch like a dog, and have a doggy personality. They are easily transportable, and even people who are afraid of dogs have a hard time being afraid of a 15 pound animal. They snort and snuffle and are cute as all get-out.

Can you guess who runs our household? Hint: it ain’t the humans.

Get the small dog. You’ll never go back.

6

Well, congratulations then! Because a pug/boxer cross is most certainly going to grow into a medium-sized dog.

Unless they’re mistaken about the mix, your “little dog” is not going to remain 15 lbs.

Perfect.

7

Thanks, everyone. I’m almost convinced. I will have to forward this thread to my partner and everyone else I know who isn’t into little dogs.

Once I figure out how to post pictures, you can all see how cute he is and be correspondingly even more persuasive!

8

That’s what I thought. But he’s 2.5 years old, that’s pretty much fully grown, right? And he does look like a boxer. Are pugs ever brindled?

Pictures momentarily.

9

Well, even if this doesn’t work out, at least the little bugger has got me to finally start a photobucket account.

Here he is.

Sorry for the triple post.

10

I’ve got an 11-pound mixed-breed dog (mostly Maltese, I think, but who knows), and she’s been my best pal for nearly 15 years. In her day, she was even quite the little hiking companion and would accompany me on 6- or 8-mile trails (with some carrying every now and then – which you can’t do with, say, a Lab). Now that she’s older, she still goes on hikes but I carry her almost all the time. She’s great to have along.

As others have said, little dogs definitely live longer, they fit into more places (cars, sofas and beds) easier, they’ve got cheaper veterinarian bills and food bills (mine eats 2/3 cup of food a day), they’re easier to keep clean, and more business owners are willing to look the other way if you happen to have a small dog in a place where dogs aren’t necessarily welcome (so that they’re not sitting out in the car or something). Also, it’s definitely easier to find someone to take care of them for a few days if you’re going to a No Dogs Allowed, Really kind of place.

When I was younger, I saw myself as a big dog kinda guy – now, I doubt I’ll ever have anything bigger than 35 or 40 pounds.

11

Good lord. Look at those pictures! You. Must. Adopt. No, wait! I’ll take her!

Yes, if she’s 2.5, she’s done. (I still doubt that she’s a pug/boxer mix but… color me corrected!).

12

If he’s already over 2, he’s as big as he’s going to get. And he sure is cute! If he does the boxer “butt wiggle” when he greets you, it would be very hard to get me to say no!

13

I’ll be the dissenter here and try to promote a medium-sized dog.

We have a Springer/Border Collie mix, and he has the benefits of both size ranges. He’s about 53#, and can wrestle with you if you’d like, but can also share the couch and bed.

Question…how sure are they about the ‘boxer’ part of that cross? I know that Pit Bulls are/can be brindle, and are around the same general size/look.

-Cem

14

Two words: Doggie Sweaters.

That is a seriously cute dog. And with the genetics of two really good breeds that are not overwhelmingly annoying.

Pugs are sturdy, like to play and like to sleep. They have snoring issues, as would any pushed face dog.

Boxers are just puppies until they die. Great with kids, sturdy and friendly. Probably invite a burglar into your house.

15

Well, I have snoring issues too so it’s all good. We could make beautiful music together.

What do y’all think about a little, emotionally needy, and energetic dog staying home alone all day? I can dash home at lunch if absolutely necessary but don’t think I could do it every day for the next fifteen years. Do you think he could be happy?

16

I have a small dog now, but I grew up with a Golden Retriever. I LOVE my small dog. She has to be crated during the day because she destroyed the house when left alone, not crated (well as much destroying as a little dog can do, she pulled the pillows off the couch, shat all over the place, and ripped up newspapers, but it was the stress that she was going through that caused us to crate her).

It is not that hard to go home at lunches. I have just gotten used to it. She is definitely worth the extra hassle, and because she is so small I can even bring her to work with me occasionally.

17

My mistake. He’s half Boston Terrier, not Boxer, I heard wrong.

Seems he’s a designer breed.

18

Try him out for a week. I love my smaller dog - he’s a West Highland White Terrier, about 16 pounds. Definately not a small dog attitude, though. He’s sturdy, however, and I don’t think I’d want one of those really little dogs that are all hair and no dog to them.

19

I love having a little dog. She’s actually lying next to me right now. :slight_smile:

First of all, if she doesn’t want to go where I want her to go, all I have to do is pick her up and carry her. Also, she can’t pull particularly hard on the leash- I once got pulled through a fence by a great dane, so I consider that rather important.

Secondly, she’ll live much longer than a larger dog. She also takes up less room on the bed or couch. Sure, she can stretch herself out across the bed to take up as much space as possible, but once I make her move, we can both fit comfortably (despite the “I can’t believe you made me move!” looks she shoots me).

20

Didn’t mean to hit submit quite yet- anyway, I just wanted to add that I’d always wanted a medium-sized dog, but this was the only one my brother wasn’t allergic to. Now, I absolutely adore her (and vice-versa) and wouldn’t want any other dog, or any other size.

She also can’t reach the counter to grab stuff off of it, which is certainly a bonus, and she’s not quite tall enough for her tail to knock stuff off of coffee tables. She can sit comfortably in someone’s lap in the car, and when I’m upset, she can jump up on me to cheer me up without knocking me over.