Just because you don’t really like dogs, it doesn’t make you a horrible person. Having one around if your not crazy about them is a pain in the butt.
My sister is exactly like you and so is her husband. Their daughter begged for a dog forever and when she was 7 they got her a beagle. They built a dog house outside and intended to bring it in nights but neighbors complained. My niece really lost interest in the dog as she got older. It’s a sweet dog but they get no pleasure whatsoever with having that dog around. No one wants to walk the dog or clean up after it. It’s not ignored but it doesn’t get a lot of attention. They’ll still have the dog when my niece goes to college.
The dog gets loose and they have to chase it down the street. It scratched up their hardwood floors. As I said they got into arguments with neighbors with the dog barking. If you’re a dog lover you can overlook that stuff and more. If you’re not it’s a headache.
This is the scenario of most dogs you find at the pound. By that point they’re not trained and no longer cute puppies and they’re destroyed.
I am sure this will not be my most popular post, but here it goes:
Dogs are not people. They belong outside. As has been said, whether you should get a dog, depends on how much attention the dog will get. If you spend a lot of time outside and will be there with the dog for all the time dogs need, then get a dog.
Having a dog outside doesn’t mean abandoning it. Your dog should be professionally trained (don’t try it yourself if you are not really into that), and the trainer should be aware of the fact that this will be an outside dog. It should get a ton of personal attention from you and your family. It should be brushed and checked for pests and parasites daily. It should have good shelter that accomodates for whatever weather extremes happen in your area.
Just because you are not a dog person, doesn’t mean your kids have to be dogless. They may come to love it and even pass it on back to you.
Don’t make a decision based on hope, though. If you and your kids are not already outdoor people, having a dog won’t magically turn you into that. Stick to your AC and your Nintendo if that is what you normally crave.
This is quite a blanket statement. If I left my dogs outside, as you suggest, they would die. Many breeds don’t do well outside. Many climates are not conducive to allowing dogs (or other animals) to be outside all the time.
I would argue that horses and dogs are quite similar, socially, although I do agree that dogs should not be outdoors only except in very specific circumstances.
I never really understood the concept of getting an “outdoors only” dog. Basically, they get so filthy that no one wants to give them the attention that they very much need, and then they get parasites or sick and become badly behaved and you start to resent the dog…
The one time I think it can work is if they are part of a farm situation, where they have lots of other animals they can interact with and things to do, and where people are present and working with animals anyway so they don’t mind getting dirty playing with the dogs.
OP, why are you so reluctant to have an indoor dog? If your whole family wants one, I think you’re outnumbered. You’ll love your new toy poodle overlord more fiercely than you can imagine, I promise.
A well trained dog (and dogs aren’t hard to train BTW.), isn’t going to mess your house up or poo on the carpet. If they do, it’s probably your fault because you didn’t let them out. (which is why I have a dogie door)
Dogs are great in the house because aside from all the “Love” and all that other girly, mushy stuff; Dogs make EXCELLENT security devices. Even the small dogs. Crooks might not be afraid of being bit by them but they are afraid of the little mutts waking Daddy up with a shotgun!
My dogs are outdoors only. They have a great big shade tree and a nice warm doghouse and each other and the cats for companionship when we’re not home. I would like to be able to keep them in the house, but they are big dogs, and we got them when they were too old to become civilized enough to be trusted to live indoors, having lived outdoors so long. They do get to come in for visits sometimes, and I spend a great deal of time outdoors with them.
But if you aren’t going to spend LOTS of time with the dog, don’t get an outdoor dog. Just don’t.
Well, as terrible as it sounds, I’m very adamant about cleanliness. We had two indoor cats, one which refused to pee in it’s box, for 12 years. (In her defense, she was born with severe problems and not expected to live but a few months. I loved her.) I replaced carpet and pad way too often.
I expect an indoor dog to shed, smell, and poo on the carpet. And frankly, my kids do plenty of that.
FWIW, my family and I are very outdoors people, and we spend most of our time outside at the pool, or on the deck, or just playing in the yard.
I disagree with that. Animal shelters are full of dogs that people got for their kids that the parents didn’t really want. The biggest problem is that when they finally get rid of the dogs that they really didn’t want in the first place the dog is 4-5 years old and not trained or housebroken. Especially a dog that’s not really socialized. These dogs usually end up destroyed.
I don’t think you should get a dog based on your restrictions. However, I think you should revisit your restrictions. Your wife wants a dog. Is she a dog person? I’m not sure if its fair to your wife or kids if the thing between them and a dog is your indifference.
I’m in a unique position to speak to this - we got a puppy on Saturday. I’m a dog person - and I’m 40 years old and haven’t had a dog since my family dog when I was in high school. I’ve always had a good reason to not have a dog - apartment, cat, small kids…I’d come to the realization that I didn’t want to end up saying “and I never had a dog.”
But I’d revisit the beagle - notoriously hard to train. That was my instinct as well - beagles to me are the ultimate “dog looking” dog, until I started to read about “hard to control, hard to housetrain, if they get off the leash you may never see your dog again.” Hounds and terriers both have those sorts of issues. You might consider an older pre-housetrained dog. Or a breed that is bred to train. Ours is a rescue puppy - we believe its a German Lab - two breeds that - while large for my taste in dogs - do tend to be on the trainable end of the spectrum.
I’ll agree with Caridwen - there is no guarantee you’ll love the dog. But if your wife will and will take on the brunt of the responsibility, and you are willing to come to an accomodation (you’ll have to do SOMETHING - especially with a puppy), I think you could make the rest of the family happy. If you bother to housetrain a dog, it won’t poop on the carpet. Dogs are somewhat more dependable in that arena than cats. All dogs shed, some less than others (well, except the hairless ones), and all dogs smell, some less than others.
(I’ll disagree with Caridwen, who appears to have never had horses, horses are herd animals - particularly mares - and therefore need lots of socialization - male horses probably need it more in order to make tolerable companions to people. You can socialize a kennel dog - IF you are willing to put the time into it. I used to babysit for people who had and bred show Irish Setters (like a trophy room and plane trips to show) - mostly outside dogs - two of five were allowed in the house. All were wonderfully well socialized - but those dogs had hours of attention EVERY DAY.)
Add me to the list of people who think you shouldn’t get a dog. Dogs are an enormous amoutn of work, and yes they are filthy and smelly too. And I love dogs but don’t want one in the house either so I dont’ get them.
Your kids pestering you? Buy them a gerbil or hamster. If they take care of the gerbil or hamster, upgrade them. Or buy them a slightly more exotic pet if they are really responsible, like an iguana or a hedgehog.
Everybody wants dogs and cats because everyone has dogs and cats but IMO they’re annoying pets. But then again you’re talking to someone who prefers birds and reptiles - both creatures that stay generally in or around their enclosure.
I am not saying that starting tomorrow morning, everybody should take their chihuahuas out to their Alaskan backyards. That would kill them in a cruel an inhuman manner.
There are different dogs that are better suited to every possible environment. Granted, some breeds are not really suited for eartly climate. I am not particularly fond of designer breeds, anyways. I guess my love for dogs is a bit partial to some breeds.
As for people in truly extreme climates, it is possible to have an indoor space for the dog that is not part of the daily living space of the family, where the dog can spend the toughest part of the day. I just don’t think dogs (or any other free-roaming animal, for that matter) should have access to the kitchen, bedrooms or living spaces of a house.
It can be done, (although I wouldn’t encourage anyone to do it unless they wbere in it for the long haul (15 years in the case of a beagle). I like having a clean house too. I also have a beagle who lives indoors. The floors get vacuumed every day, the dog isn’t allowed on the furniture, and the bedding in his crate is cleaned often. I used crate training to cut down on the possibility of accidents in the house, which worked out really well. If it’s muddy or wet out, the dog knows he needs to wait at the door to get clean instead of just running onto the carpets. Plus, since he’s small it’s no issue to just carry him to his crate to dry. We also use one of those lint rollers to pick up the hair off the dog before it gets into the air.
I agree in general, but I would lean in the direction of a Guinea Pig. With hamsters/gerbils you have issues with nocturnalism (if that is a word). Guinea Pigs are less likely to bite, and respond more to attention, IME. Also the life expectancy of G pigs is 4 to 7 years, where a hamster is lucky to make 2 years.
Anaamika makes some very good points. Have you tried your kids out yet with a smaller pet - a rattie, hamster or something like that? It is a very good way to see if they really want a pet and are ready for the responsibility of one. If they get a hamster and never pay attention to it and don’t at least help with the care of it, they’re not ready for a dog - because a dog is more work.
I’m another who is in general against the idea of “outdoors only” dogs. In some situations it works, but in many more you wind up with a yard ornament that annoys the hell out of the neighbors with its barking. It is also more difficult to train a dog when you are not around it to correct bad behaviors and reward good ones.
Well-trained dogs (use a crate) don’t have accidents on the carpet except on rare occasions. You can get new carpet when the kids are grown and out of the house. I also don’t recommend a beagle, especially as a yard dog, if you want a warm and cordial relationship with your neighbors. My sister in law has one and it is a barking fool. It was also very very resistant to housebreaking. If you do decide to bend a bit and let a dog in the house some, talk with your vet about his/her recommendations based on the ages of your children.
No, I’ve never had a horse but I always wanted one. Does that count?
I have a friend who breeds springer spaniels and most are kept in a kennel and like you say, one or two are let in the house at a time. But they spend huge amounts of time working with the dogs.
My husband isn’t a dog lover and neither is my son. They wouldn’t care if we ever had a dog. I know when I get a dog that I’m the one that’s going to train and take care of the dog. Even when he ‘thought’ he liked dogs when he was young, I would have been deluding myself if I thought he’d bath or walk the dog or clean up dog poop.
Like I said, my sister was talked into getting a dog for her daughter and she bitches about that dog every day. Her daughter will be in college and she’ll still have the dog. If I had my way, I’d take her dog.
Most dogs shed, but shedding can be minimized by daily brushing. My dogs do not smell, since they are groomed frequently, and they sure as hell don’t poop on the rug. Of course, dogs are born house-broken, so if you get a puppy you have be expect and accept accidents, but there’s no reason for an adult dog to pee or poop in the house, assuming it is let out reasonably often.
I somehow doubt you’re out in the yard when it’s in the low teens or high 90s, yet you would expect your dog to be.
Dogs are pack animals who do best with their people. They are especially unhappy when they know there is a pack (a family), but they are not allowed to be a part of it. I think having a dog under the circumstances you describe would be un unkindness to the dog.
Why not? I’m genuinely curious. My dogs live on the floor; I live on the furniture. I really don’t get the “shouldn’t have access to the kitchen, bedrooms, or living spaces” POV. It’s not like they’re going to make themselves some toast or run up the long-distance bill.
And my last post should read “dogs are NOT born house-broken,” of course.
Also, IMO there is a big difference between having more than one dog that are kept outside together and having one dog who is kept outside alone. A lot of people can talk about how fine their dogs, plural, are living mostly or exclusively outside, but that’s a very different situation than just having one dog you intend to keep in the yard all the time, alone, and never allow in the house, ever.
And another thing: I certainly would not tell anyone that well-behaved, well-groomed, clean dogs are not a lot of work. They are a ton of work. I have invested a lot of time and money into training my two dogs and keeping them clean and neat. It costs me nearly 100 bucks to get the two of them groomed, and I spend that every eight weeks. House-breaking was trial and error, frustrating, and messy. Daily walks are a must, followed in poor weather by washing their paws before they’re allowed in the house. They get monthly flea medication and heartworm medication. If I go out of town for more than two days, they go to a kennel, which costs me $ 40 a day. I wash their bedding frequently, which I wouldn’t have to do if I didn’t have them. I dust and vacuum frequently, which I would do less if I didn’t have them. I walk every day, which I probably wouldn’t do if I didn’t have them. And this doesn’t include vet bills or the cost of food, toys, bedding, and incidentals.
I’ve never been the type of person who has confused pets for children. But having a pet is IMO a serious commitment. You are agreeing to safeguard the health and happiness of a being that is damn near helpless without you, and who will worship the ground you walk on, whether you deserve it or not. And integrating a dog into a clean, well-ordered household takes a lot of work and effort. It doesn’t sound to me like you’re really that interested in making that sort of commitment.
No science behind my position. It is just that houses with dogs are never a house with a dog, they are a dog with a house. Even my mom who is an absolute cleanliness freak, has only tile floors, a short haired dog (a beagle, btw), and believes that dogs are not people. The house still smells of dog and you can feel the presence of the dog in all rooms.
Maybe I overreact to many friends where dogs really run the show. At the same time, my dogs have always been outside only and loved very much. Then again, it has always been in tropical climates.
In the end, though, you might be right. It can be done. I just doubt that it will happen with a hesitant first time owner undermined by kids.
