want to get a pet

mr218

hi

i hope i can get some good advice here. My DH and I are considering getting a pet. I am partial to dogs as i would love to take them walking etc. My DH would prefer a cat.

We live in a semi-detached 3 bed house with a decent garden. We would like to get either a young puppy or young kitten and not go for an older pet.

I have been looking at breeds and we like two - golden retriever (they look gorgeous) and a cardigan corgi (small dog with all the big dog virtues). Any comments on the choice and suitability for a novice owner who prefers not too noisy, sweet tempered and easily manageable dogs.

We have looked at cats as well and the burmese cat seems like a cat we would love. any experiences with these cats. from what i have read they must not be allowed out as they cannot cope on their own. is that true.

basically i am looking for some advice on what would be a good pet as neither of us have ever had pets and are looking for a gentle baptism.

Also, where do i buy them for a reasonable price. I would of course go for good breeders rather than unscrupulous ones.

GreenNotM

I would say go for the dogs to maintain some wildlife in your garden ! (I say that knowing I will get flamed - but even killing spiders is removing a level from the eco-systems food chain - by a non-native species of predator to the uk Dogs/wolves/foxes are native to the uk - Only Scotland has a native wild cat)

The corgi can be a bit snappy but are great dogs not sure if they train well but that may have just been my aunt. The Goldie is a better trainer

wigginsmum

Burmese can be quite temperamental; my friend has a Tonkinese (similar to a Burmese) and he'll tear the door down if he can't get out. To be honest if you're going to get a cat you're better off with a simple moggie.

If you've set your heart on pedigrees yes you'll end up paying a lot, but if you don't mind crossbreeds, find out what your local animal rescue charities have for rehoming. Bear in mind that if you do go for pedigrees you may well have high vets bills because they're sometimes not as resilient as a result of inbreeding.

Are either of you at home during the day? That's a consideration if you're planning to have dogs.

JimArnold

OK basic pet advice I have Golden Retriever and a cat
1) you own a dog but a cat owns you!
2) if you both out at work all day buy a cat - he/she won't care. It is positively cruel to buy a pup esp one like a GR which needs 2 good walks a day (when fully grown) and then leave it alone all day. Dogs are pack animals - you are its pack.
3) I know a pup looks appealing but you might find an older rescue dog that will happily survive being on its own a bit more. You'll also be able to judge its temprement and what it needs better than with a pup + it may save you a couple of pairs of shoes - puppies chew!
4) this might not be everyones view but if you are unsure and it doesn't work out and you take it back to the centre - then at least its had a holiday ! a puppy is a 15 year commitment
5) for both cats and dogs a neutered female is less trouble than a male - complete or not! Boy dogs have a phsycological need to wee at every post! and are almost always more aggressive and more of a handful than a girl
6)A decent golden retriever will cost £300+ add on at least £50 a year vet bills (jabs etc) + neutering costs +insurance (or possible illness costs) + food (at least £1 a day).
7)you don't mention kids - if you are thinking of having kids then I'd wait and get a pup about 6 months after. Its better introducing a pup to a baby than a bay to a 3 year old dog.
8) If you know anyone who has a dog offer to dog sit when they go on holiday as a trial - if you live near Portsmouth you can borrow mine in June :-)
9)Breeds IMHO nothing beats a Golden Retriever. But in general try and work out what the breed was for - ie if you buy a terrier don't be surprised if it attacks small fuffy things!
10) I go for pedigree dogs but not cats - cats have only been bred for looks - dogs hav been bred for purposes - even if thats not what they are used for now
11) as previously mentioned most cats will obliterate wildlife - some only kill mice etc some specialise in birds - mine brings at least a couple of each home in a good week.
OK there you go - hope thats useful - good luck

mr218

thanks for the useful comments

to elaborate a bit
I am at home all day as i work from home and that might change but nothing planned now. i am partial to looks and am also worried about what baggage a rescue home pet will come with. So i have the time to take care of walks and interact with the dog.

jim, how do the dog and cat interact with each other.
i agree with a cat with regards to wildlife . we have a number of cats which pass through our garden. on the same note we also have a couple of foxes which pass through from time to time. does this make it too dangerous for a young puppy/kitten

I have considered the costs. it is a big committment and we want to be as informed as possible before we take the plunge.

jim, unfortunately i am not in portsmouth but would not mind taking your dog in for a trial. Also what is the score about smells and hair shedding. that could be another reason why we might go for a cat. not sure if we can live with the smells.
meera

Jay-Jay_4

If you buy a pup be prepared for getting up in the night for whining, pooing on the floor, chewing your shoes/furniture, scratching your doors, dog hairs all over the place, the smell, not being able to go out all day, not being able to stay out all night.... etc....

Don't discount animals that are in rescue homes, they don't ALL have baggage. Some have had owners that work all day, owners that have died or become ill or owners that can no longer afford to keep them. It's not very often that animals are there because of their temprement.

An older dog or cat which has been in a rescue centre will love you loyally for your entire life, also you know what you're getting whereas with a pup or kitten you've no idea what they will turn out like. It's hard 'bringing up' an young animal and if you don't get it right you'll have 15 years of problems, by getting an older animal what you see is what you get.

wigginsmum

I always opt for older rescue cats where I can - they deserve the chance of some happiness. Over the years we only had one that wouldn't settle and she chose to move a few doors down where there were no other cats. Got one kitten from a pet-shop and she's terminally nervous although improved from when we got her.

I personally would never have a dog although I grew up with one; too much hard work for me, so it wouldn't be fair on the dog.

We have foxes at the end of our garden and our then 12-week-old kitten had no problem with foxes a few years ago; she'd sit at one end of the neighbour's shed roof and the fox would sit at the other.

Dora_the_Explorer_5

You could always get one of each
I would always chose a dog over a cat as I've found cats pretty boring, untrainable and I've never come across one that didn't walk all over the kitchen worktops.
Have a look a what the breed societies say about the breeds you fancy, for instance retrievers may be a bit more placid than corgis but they take up a lot more room.
Watch 'It's me or the dog' Tuesday nights on channel 4, and you'll easily see that there is no such thing as a bad dog - only a clueless owner.
An older dog from a shelter may not have behavioural problems, it may be there because an elderly owner couldn't look after it any longer, but it will be traumatised by spending days/weeks in the slammer.
Puppies are a joy, you can watch them grow and learn what games you and they enjoy together. You can housetrain a bright one, and most are, in a week if you're prepared to be vigilant and teach it. Ignore its crying during the night, if its safe, warm and comfortable nothing you can do will make up for the loss of its family - it will get used to being on its own very quickly.
Dogs and cats both tie you down, you have to plan trips away from home with them in mind, but they quickly become another family member and the benefits can far outweigh the drawbacks (smell, hairs, sick, occasional accident).
Don't worry about the insurance unduly, I kept dogs for 30 years and never had insurance or exhorbitant vet bills. The key is buying a healthy breed from a reputable breeder, but I understand M&S insurance is quite good.
If cost is an issue, cost how much food/kennels/insurance will cost you and compare that against all the cost free exercise you get with a dog. A dog won't cost you as much as weekly gym subscription for two.
Hope this helps and good luck, let us know how you get on ?
Best wishes from a dogless owner, at the moment
ps you can teach a dog to sing, don't think that's achievable with a cat

winnie81

What ever you decide this is a greatforum http://www.dogpages.org.uk/forums/index.php? . Rescues from all over the country post threads about all animals needing homes inc pups and kittens. They also have loads of experienced owners and behaviourists there to offer advice should you need it. I can't recommend this site enough.

Good Luck in your search,

Claire x

zar

mr218 wrote:

jim, unfortunately i am not in portsmouth but would not mind taking your dog in for a trial. Also what is the score about smells and hair shedding. that could be another reason why we might go for a cat. not sure if we can live with the smells.
meera

In my experience cats shed more hair than dogs but that is hugely breed-dependent I guess. Some dogs smell more than others seemingly at random (well random to me anyway).

Our dog is just over a year old now, we got her as a 3 month old puppy from a rescue society (that's her in my avatar - lighting's not great though!) She is just starting to be less work now (she has ruled our lives for the past year), so don't think getting a puppy is the easy option...

Your local rescue charities, eg. dogs trust are a good place to start. You can fill in a questionnaire and they'll try and match you up with dogs as they come in. For example, you could say you wanted a placid golden retriever, under 3 years old and they don't like to give dogs with any (potential) behaviour problems to first-time owners so they will hopefully be able to help match you up with a suitable animal, though it may take some time. You could also try golden retriever rescue.

Hope you find the right pet(s) for you both!

Dora_the_Explorer_5

OP, I guess everyone who posts will have very strong opinions and they will all consider themselves 100% right so the best of luck !
If you decide on a dog, before you decide on breed, rescue or not, write down why you want a dog, what you want it to do, how you want it to behave, what you particularly don't like (smells - older dogs can be quite stinky, just like some older people), what role you want it to play in your family. That should narrow the field down a bit.
Some people swear by rescue dogs - my friend has a rescu egreyhound which is now working as a PAT (pets as therapy) dog in two hospitals. Another friend got a rescue dog which practically demolished the house and seemed to have learning difficulties.
You might want to think about allergies/asthma. Cats and dogs can trigger them in someone, even in middle aged people with no previous history .