Im thinking of getting a dog - is this financial madness - LOL!

SuperMum2010

AWHHHH...He is completely gorgeous - you lucky thing (and Im guessing he's pretty lucky too?!)

~Chameleon~

Wow wrote: »

Well to be honest I would rather have a cat than a dog for the simple reason you don't have to pick your cats poo up.

I do pick up the cat poo from the garden actually

My lot (plus the big Tom next door!) have a bad habit of choosing my freshly dug veggie beds and I don't want my veggies growing in cat poo :rotfl:

Apricot

~Chameleon~ wrote: »

My lot (plus the big Tom next door!) have a bad habit of choosing my freshly dug veggie beds and I don't want my veggies growing in cat poo :rotfl:

Don't complain - it's free manure very erm.... nourishing:p

jetta_wales

Money is very tight for us lately but when we wanted a dog I aproached the same way as becoming a parent, I didn't do it untill I was in a position where I knew I would be able to afford everything our children would need (unfortunatly life changes but that was the best I could do since I can't see the future).

I know if I wanted a big dog and I love husky's then I would have to buy it cheap food and what I could give it in treats of fresh meat would be a small bite to a big dog.

So we bought a sheltie cross chihuahua who is tinyand then a Pedigree Papillon who is even smaller, she's definatlybsmaller than most cats. With our Papillon it was the up front cost of buying her that stung but I really wanted one so so much.

We buy Royal Canin which is expensive (but is buy one get one free every few months at pets at home so we stock up) but at £10 for a small bag it still lasts more than a month for feeding both of them.

We buy an organic wet food (no adetives or fillers) and that's 70p per little tray portion but of course we only put half down at a time and they only have them now and then. We do a lot of roast dinners so there's always a full bowl of roast turkey or pork for them about twice a week.

The insurance is cheaper, the jabs are cheaper and flea and worming too.

It's personal choice at the end of the day but I would have my two tiny dogs and be able to afford to give them the best of everything than have one big dog and have to feed it on the cheap with low quality budget food and such.

I definatly want some big dogs one day but not untill we have more land and more money so I can give them as much as we can currently give our little ones.

Papillons are a fantastic breed too :-)

Also I definatly agree with wanting ducks and goats I had ducks when I was little they're so funny I loved them. But again not till I get my big house with lots of land lol I'll get it one day though for sure.

catflea

Susiedevw that is a stunning pic of a gorgeous pooch

On topic, I have limited experience of dogs (I much prefer cats) but when I was with my ex and her dog (Harry, a Staff x Rotty - adopted at 18 months) we were easily able to keep him going for under £20 a month (dont know what the insurance cost, she dealt with that!) and he was spoiled rotten - new toys on a regular basis etc etc. We used to bulk buy dry food (20kg odd sacks) and shopped around for the best deal (i.e not the cheapest food, but the best combo between cost & quality) in the event we weren't able to bag a bargain it was Jollyes own brand which he absolutly loved!

Dogs dont have to be expensive, but they certainly can be!

Fire_Fox

~Chameleon~ wrote: »

Amazing how you manage to turn a thread about dogs into yet another about feeding cats!!! This crusade is becoming rather boring!

And you finding reasons to pick holes in my posts is equally upsetting. Why don't you just put me on ignore?

foreign_correspondent

As far as intial outlay is concerned, its worth considering that most rescues ask for a donation of between £100 - £150, but that, from a reputable rescue, dogs will come ready vaccinated, chipped, de-flead, wormed and neutered - proceedures that, put together, often cost more than the donation.

UKTigerlily

Agree with FC, my Staffy was £85 & was wormed, flea treated, had six weeks free insurance & had had her vaccinations & a microchip. I was worried as I have a cat but they get on fine & there hasn't been any incidents in the 15 months since I got the Dog & the cat is fairly old too (12 next week). Personally though my advice would be if you really, really want a Dog to wait until after the holiday & then ask again. In the meantime you can visit breeders, there's also a breed rescue & labs crop up in rescue lots. My friend has a male yellow lab & a female black one both from rescue, the female was six months old when he got her.

Will your Hubby be happy to go out for long walks (1hr+ when adult) if it's chucking it down/cold etc with the kids & dog while you work? I don't know how old the kids are though so if they're at school it will give him time to walk the dog if the weathers really yukky!

Either way please post pics when you get the new addition!

Kimberley

Wow wrote: »

Well to be honest I would rather have a cat than a dog for the simple reason you don't have to pick your cats poo up.

You don't with a dog either if they are fed on raw food Also if you have cats and kids you do have to pick cats poo up before the kids play in the garden, even if it is not from your own cat.

OP

Have you considered fostering? You get lots of different types of dogs and it is very rewarding when you set them up into their new homes. The cost of food is met by the charity unless you can afford to pay for it yourself which is what I do as I class it as my way of donating to them. Obviously you can only foster cat friendly ones but there are plenty out there and as your hubby stays home you can foster pups

I agree with the Ex Greyhound racers, very nice dogs. I'm considering having one when my pup is out of the puppy stage.

jetta_wales

Kimberley wrote: »

You don't with a dog either if they are fed on raw food

That's funny I never knew feeding a dog raw food meant it never poo'd? Or do you just mind steping it so much if it's had a raw diet? What about toddlers they stumble often and to stumble into poo that unresponsable owner hasn't picked up is dreadfull, how would it be ok for them to trip and land in a raw fed dog's excrement?

What am I missing that makes this not sound extremely stupid?