Can I cope with a dog, 2 cats and a rabbit?

CATS

Hi All,

I am the proud mummy of 2 beautiful cats and a rabbit. I really, really, really want a dog, I want a little maltese puppy, I know they are generally very small and probably smaller than my british blue boy the problem I have is convincing my husband, he doesnt really like dogs but I can see a very, very slight change and I think he might be coming around. I am not sure if I am just being selfish here but apart from the fact that it means having 4 pets, I cant see why we cant have a dog in the family, especially a tiny one :A

What do you people think? is it possible to deal with 4 pets of different nature and what do you think the biggest problems will be? food, vet expense is not an issue, what other problems should I be considering?

balletshoes

who is going to walk the dog every day in all weathers?
if you go away on holiday, will the people who currently look after your cats/rabbit look after the dog as well?

~Chameleon~

A dog is a dog, no matter the size. Small breeds aren't any less easy to care for than a large breed. In many respects they are worse as people often forgive their bad behaviour due to size and 'cuteness'. I know far more badly behaved small/toy breed dogs than large/giant breeds.

Aside from the other pets in the household, have you considered all the problems of taking on a pup. Socialising, training etc. Are you prepared for sleepless nights to toilet in the middle of the night and attending puppy classes and, later on, training classes?

You really need to discuss all this with your hubby because unless he's 100% on board and understands exactly what's involved then it's not going to work and he may well become resentful.

CATS

Hi Balletshoes,

I will be walking him, and I am able to take him to work with me so I will be walking him at lunch time and he will not be alone. Once he is a bit bigger, he can stay at home until my son comes back from school. Whilst holidaying he will stay with my best friend who also has a dog

donnac2558

There will be a lot of grooming involved in that breed. Just saying.

JR4

Hi I have a dog 2 cats and a rabbit ( also a tortoise a fish and a gecko ) and have no problems as long as you can give them the time they need and afford to feed them and pay their vet bills there should be no problem I have had our dog nearly a year and so far so good.

purple.sarah

The biggest issues are time and attention, dogs are more demanding of both than cats and rabbits. Getting a dog really does change your life. I've had dogs, cats and rabbits before so it can be done but the dogs definitely needed the most attention. A puppy in particular will need lots of attention and training. Maltese are notorious for housebreaking difficulties so you might want to bear that in mind. Here is some more information on the breed:
http://www.yourpurebredpuppy.com/reviews/maltese.html

With such a small dog I would supervise the puppy around the cats at first to make sure they don't pick on it, in my experience the cats tend to rule the roost!

Make sure your husband is really ready for the commitment of a dog or you might find he resents the responsibility or it all falls to you.

Dogs do return the attention and affection you give them with lots of love and interaction.

Person_one

Even with a shorter hair cut, you're looking at 30-60 minutes grooming every day with that breed. Their hair is really silky and fine so you only have to look at it for it to tangle and mat.

rising_from_the_ashes

Have either of you ever owned a dog before?

They are hard work (but worth it!) - I've had dogs since I was 10 (obviously family dogs at first and then my own) and, if I'm totally honest, even Iwouldn't want a pup ... they are even more hard work, require loads of extra time & attention & training - and I'd be scared I'd get it wrong and end up with an unmanageable dog (and that's despite taking on 2 adult rescues who both had issues and managing to train them!) ... and you can't take them really long walks until they're at least a year old (yup selfish - but I'm honest about it!)

My advice would be to go along to a rescue and help out for a bit - find out what it's all about.

They are very different from cats!

Person_one

If you like the Maltese, have you thought about a Bichon Frise? I've had two, and they're actually quite cat-like in a lot of ways! A great 'starter' dog for beginners. The grooming isn't quite as arduous as with the Maltese but you need to be very very careful about where you get one, as many as 90% of the bichons in the country are from puppy farms, sadly.

Spudsey

Off topic but two bunnies are definitely better than one!

http://www.rabbitwelfare.co.uk/resources/content/leaflet_pdfs/b_buds_jul_04.pdf