Doggy planning

Wellyboots6

When I moved in with an ex he had a dog in a second floor flat.

We got in to a good routine with walks and toileting, and the neighbours loved him!

We did however have a balcony that he would use for 'emergencies' if he was unwell.

It wasn't ideal, but it worked OK.

When that dog passed away a rescue centre approved us for taking another dog, which I did not expect.

I think it really depends on the dog, and if you get a rescue, the type of environment they are used to.

We did have to create a strange towel/pulley/contraption for taking him out to the toilet when he had an operation, he wasn't a small dog and he wriggled!

Looking back I wouldn't have done that again though as I don't think it did his hips any good at all having to do so many stairs over and over again.

orlao

Op,

I would recommend a middle aged (6 - 10 yo) terrier of some sort - they tend to have a big dog mentality in a small package.

The huge advantage is that they should be house trained, are portable and small enough so that cat can beat up/get away from them (delete as appropriate!) and at that age you would expect them to have quite a few years left. They are also very happy to 'rough house'. If you've had BC, Labs and a Huntaway you'll be well used to the exercise requirements.

Downside is that they can be noisy and harder to train than the above breeds...they tend to be a bit more *ahem* singleminded.

Madjock

DON'T GET A COLLIE!!!!! As mentioned, they need lots of exercise and stimulation and can suffer terribly with separation anxiety. I work part-time and OH works from home, but does travel to appointments. On the maybe once-a-week occasion that she is on her own for up to 4 hours, she can get anxious and is always over-excited when I get home. When we got her I worked 2 full days a week and eventually changed to work half days 5 days a week to accommodate her (not just for that, for health reasons too). Collies are great dogs, but they can be hard work and need a lot of exercise and play.

jen007

Madjock wrote: »

DON'T GET A COLLIE!!!!! As mentioned, they need lots of exercise and stimulation and can suffer terribly with separation anxiety. I work part-time and OH works from home, but does travel to appointments. On the maybe once-a-week occasion that she is on her own for up to 4 hours, she can get anxious and is always over-excited when I get home. When we got her I worked 2 full days a week and eventually changed to work half days 5 days a week to accommodate her (not just for that, for health reasons too). Collies are great dogs, but they can be hard work and need a lot of exercise and play.

Yeah, it's more OH who wants a collie. I'm open minded to the idea, however I know that they need a lot of stimulation which I think wouldn't be good for a working couple. Even though we would employ a dog walker and my Dad said he would pop round during the day too (he's on a health kick as he's not long been diagnosed with diabetes so the walking would do him good).

Thanks to everyone who's gave advice, I've taken it on board and will talk to OH when he comes. Possibly we'll think about a smaller breed or putting off until we've a house with a garden.

jen007

In other news, I stumbled across this on my FB feed.
Just thought i'd post it as it's cute, but poor cat getting pestered!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=XfY9Dsg_DZk