should we get a dog

Dr_Hook

Hi Pania

We had him done as soon as he was old enough - less likely to stray that way.

It's only recently he's started bringing mice & birds home, and fortunately he's quite timid & wary of people - he's not the kind of bold-as-brass cat that will stroll into a stranger's house as if he owns the place so shouldn't have a problem with him killing pets. If, God forbid, he ever did we would of course do the right thing and offer to replace the pet/compensate. I do think though that as a pet owner you have a responsibility to make sure that your pet is safe and secure.

I have considered trying to keep him in but I think he'd go mental & it seems cruel to keep him inside. He's confined to the house during the day anyway (we don't have a catflap) but he does tend to be out the whole night.

pania

HI!!

Some cats are just like that i guess, again like the dogs and pack instincts it goes back to their ancestry and natural behaviour. I know some people say we shouldn't keep cats as a nation but is it anymore right when we kill animals ourselves? Just a perspective.

Anyway, back to dogs....

MrsTinks

Cats - have 2 and mine are "ruthless killers"... They were born on a farm and learnt how to feed themselves. I get loads of mice (usually dead) and the occasional bird presented on the door mat in the morning although I try to ensure they are in for the night to stop them. They both wear bells too in the hope it gives the wildlife a bit of a chance. Are there too many cats? Hmmm personally I think there are too many humans but I have a feeling this would be a far more political debate
Returning to dogs - Should you get a dog? By the sounds of it no. Should you get a lab? Definitely no!!! They can be a lovely dog and just because you haven't heard of children being bitten by them don't think it doesn't happen! It merely doesn't get reported in the media. Infact I think there was a report based on A&E figures and it was family type breeds like labs and retrivers who were responcible for more injuries than Rotties and Dobies. However the Rottie etc are guard breeds and tend to do a lot of damage if they DO bite. The "family" breeds "must have had a good reason"... Infact I have a personal theory that chihuahua's are actually much more likely to bite you, they're just so blooming small you probably wouldn't notice it

As for collies... I have a collie/gsd cross and as Dumpy says these aren't for fainthearted people. They never run out of energy, they are too intelligent for their own good and can be VERY hard work. Mine isn't AS trained as Dumpy's by the sound of it, but we're working on it. And when I say work I mean WORK. Obedience classes once a week, daily training at home even if only for 10 minutes and occasionally a private lesson with my trainer if there is something I am struggling to work out why I can't get her to do it properly (usually she's grasped it - it's operator error as they say...)
Having a nuts bouncing dog is easy... having a well behaved, obedient dog is VERY hard work. And the training NEVER stops...

alfiesmum

We have four dogs, every one one then has been b****y hard work from day one. Wouldn't be without any one of them but it's a huge commitment, no two ways about it. If it's a puppy you're considering, the house training for a start can take months, no matter if you DO have your door open all the time!. You need to research which breed is most suitable for your family. The cost can be way more than you realise too. Initial 1st year costs can be something like:

Puppy £500 - £700
Food £480
Innoculations £40
Neutering £80
Worming £50
Insurance £300
Extra cleaning items £40 - £50
Dog proofing gates etc £100
Bowls, leads, bed £100
Toys (must be safe) £100

Okay nearly around the £2000....and then there's the damage to your household items - cost £unknown. Then there's if puppy gets sick - cost £unknown. You will have insurance of course, but like all policies, there's an excess to pay, and many, many conditions are not covered on some policies.

So a minimum of £35 - £38 per week in it's first year....please think carefully.

My other half is a dog warden, and picks up 3 - 4 dogs EVERY DAY from people who say "it went for the kids", "it p***s everywhere", "its chewed the sofa", "its not our dog, found it last night".

If you do not want a dog, don't get one. If hubbie wants a dog, tell him no. It's your life too, and believe me, dogs will take it over!

dianadors

We have this debate on a regular basis in our house too. Hubby and DD would love a god. DS is not keen but would go along with it if we did. I have never owned a dog and can see the bulk of the work being left to me (as it was with the rabbit and the fish we had) and I am a bit timid around dogs. My solution has been to volunteer us all for dog walking at our local RSPCA. We go once a week and I insist we take a different dog every week (so that they dont get too attached!!). The kids love meeting all the different dogs and reading their stories. Hubby even goes on his own if his day off falls on a weekday. We take them for a really long walk, take dog and cat food along to help out. The kids have started raising money for the shelter too. All in all its been a great temporary solution to the "get a dog" problem and its raised the kids awareness of the plight of unwanted animals - and its touching to see them wanting to help.

pania

and i bet the poor dogs that "went for the kids! hve been trying to make their displeasure known in a number of ways gfor days or even weeks, initial looks, whipping head round, freeze posture, then left with the only other course of action open to it, a warning snarl or snap. poor thing. and the kids provoked the dog, not being taught to realise when the poor thing has had enough. humans call yell "for christs sake LEAVE ME ALONE!!!" dogs can't.
grrrrrr to those people

(great post alfies mum. :-) )

Seaxwyn

dianadors, what a brilliant solution to the 'get a dog' dilemma, that must be very rewarding for your family and for the dogs, and you don't have the day-in day-out commitment. I will remember that if my children start pestering for a dog. So far they've been happy with smaller animals, and you're right, the bulk of the work does fall to the mum.

alfiesmum

pania wrote: »

and i bet the poor dogs that "went for the kids! hve been trying to make their displeasure known in a number of ways gfor days or even weeks, initial looks, whipping head round, freeze posture, then left with the only other course of action open to it, a warning snarl or snap. poor thing. and the kids provoked the dog, not being taught to realise when the poor thing has had enough. humans call yell "for christs sake LEAVE ME ALONE!!!" dogs can't.
grrrrrr to those people

(great post alfies mum. :-) )

Too right! I'm in tears sometimes when hubbie comes home and tells me about his days work (as I type two of his 'days work' are lying at my feet fighting over a fimble!) Like you say the signs are there, the dog will do all it can other than snap at a human, but children aren't very well trained, and don't generally understand. Before anybody asks , yes we have kids too, never less than five for tea each night, but I could swear I've only had three myself. Must be like the dogs, someone else brings one home and sneaks it in!!

Dr_Hook

We have a jack russell (though we're almost certain there's staffy in his lineage somewhere - he was supposed to be pedigree but they didn't have the papers for his mother - he's HUGE for a jack, even a long-legged)

We originally wanted a larger breed but decided that it would be unfair as our first house is essentially a modern 2-up 2-down and doesn't have a big garden, so did a bit of research and decided on a JR.

Have to say that even though he's a smaller dog, he's still plenty of work. It's taken 2 years for him to start to settle down - jacks are energetic and wilful by nature and it has taken a lot of work and patience to train him as well as we have.

I think a lot of people assume that smaller dogs are easier to handle, but I'm far from convinced - terriers especially can be very highly strung and nowhere near as laid back as larger dogs seem to be.

Like tine says, the training never stops, you've got to constantly reinforce good behaviour to stop them falling into bad habits. For example, after being brilliantly behaved for months, our dog's now developed a bad habit of going beserk whenever anyone leaves (or looks like they're about to leave) the house. It's proving a tricky one to break too - if anyone has any suggestions I'd love to hear them

I've just read this back and it makes him sound like a real handful, but he really isn't - he's a beautiful, well-behaved dog 99% of the time. We love him to pieces and couldn't imagine life without him.

DKLS

A few years I go, I could be heard saying a house isnt the same without a dog and wouldnt consider not having my dogs, The ex got custody during the split..
Now I love my dog free status, the freedom to go where I want, stop late at work, without worrying, hop off on a city break at a moments notice, the expense, the additional dry cleaning to get the slobber off my suit.
At first I missed the walks and the companionship of a dog, and thought I might get a cat, but my current thinking is so anti-pet I couldnt justify a goldfish. The benefits of being pet free outweigh the benefits of pet ownership for me.
If I do get a dog again it will be when I retire, not before.