Dog Owners

berniesmaster

What dog do you have?
st.bernard and cavalier.

Why did you get your dog?
cavalier for company, and st.bernard cus it fitted my lifestyle and just luuuvvee big dogs!

Where did you get it?
after a lot of research, from rep breeder.

What does it eat?
dry mix, and toast, apples, carrots, tripe for a treat.

How much does it cost you weekly?
hard to work out,maybe £15 in food per week, then insurence, maybe £20 per week, front line and worming £15 per week ish, then cleaning products!!!! lol

Work/holiday arrangements
kennels once a year

Do you leave it alone?
never longer than 2 hours.

Do you do anything with it
only kennel club good citizens training.

Anything else you'd like to say.
i love my dogs, there fab!!

Milford_Cubicle

What dog do you have? Black Labrador

Why did you get your dog? Bought as a present for my OH who has wanted one for years.

Where did you get it? Local breeder

What does it eat? Field & Trial (Skinners) Puppy, currently in transition to the adult Duck & Rice. Puppy is £26 per 15kg sack, Duck & Rice is £19.50. We also add a little bit of Nature's Harvest into each meal (1/4 of a tray), that's 87p for a 395g tray.

How much does it cost you weekly? Probably around a tenner.

Do you leave it alone? Not very often as my partner doesn't work and I work from home. However, we do tend to make a point of 'going out' and leaving her unattended so she's used to it in case we do end up having to leave her. She's left no longer than 4 hours alone at a time.

Work/holiday arrangements? See above. We have friends who love dogs and have owned them in the past, but due to a specific hobby they have are no longer able to have their own dog. They give her board and lodge quite happily when we want to go away!

Do you do anything with it (agility/flyball etc)? Not yet as she's only 21 weeks, but would like to get her into both.

Anything else you'd like to say. Foreign Correspondent makes a good point about there being lots of other costs involved, make sure you take this into account. And always consider rescues first if you can, please

sestina

What dog do you have?
English Springer Spaniel

Why did you get your dog?
I've always had a dog, and had lost my previous collie about 6 months beforehand. I chose a springer because I had fallen in love with his big sister from a previous mating.

Where did you get it?
From a friend.

What does it eat?
Raw diet - meat and bones, no veg.

How much does it cost you weekly?
Food - maybe about £2? I get a lot of my bones for free. Insurance is £16 per month. Obviously there is poo bags, etc on top of that but they don't cost much. I got a load of tennis balls for free from a local tennis club and he really enjoys empty plastic bottles so I don't buy many toys. I make my own training treats as well.

Work/holiday arrangements
Parents!

Do you leave it alone?
I have a purpose built kennel and run, so if left he will be in there. The longest he has been left is about eight hours. He also sleeps out there.

Do you do anything with it
Not much yet as he is still a baby. I will be working him on a local shoot as well as doing agility. I also need to try and find a local flyball club. That said, we walk everyday as well as clicker train most days. He would go insane if we did nothing.

Anything else you'd like to say.
Definitely not for the faint hearted!

MadDogWoman_2

What dog do you have?
Greyhound

Why did you get your dog?
Had dogs growing up and fell in love with greyhounds aged 8 when I heard about Prince Albert's greyhound on Blue Peter

Where did you get it?
Greyhound Rescue

What does it eat?
Burns and whatever she can steal including cat food

How much does it cost you weekly?
About £5 a week for food, £5 insurance, we just utilise my DD's nappy bags for walkies

Work/holiday arrangements
Parents!

Do you leave it alone?

Longest she can be left is 1 hour, she has separation anxiety, we're trying to crate train her at the moment, she's 8 so it's going to take a while.

Do you do anything with it
We did some basic obedience when she first came to live with us as she was very nervous, I don't think she was socialised properly as a pup though as she doesn't understand what toys are.

Every couple of months we take her to the beach for a good blow out, she loves running on sand.

Other than that it's just the usual walkies.

Anything else you'd like to say.
It's hard work, be aware that a rescue may have issues. If you are after a particular breed, 3 words, research, research and research.

onetomany

LizD wrote: »

I have some questions:

What dog do you have? black lab

Why did you get your dog? got with our wedding money, have kids fought this would complete our family

Where did you get it? paper

What does it eat? tesco value (dry) and anything else i give him and the compose heap, grass he sooooooooooo greedy

How much does it cost you weekly? £1.50 food. bones £1. pet insurance £3 not alot really

Do you leave it alone? yes, at first he was cage trained but he 3 know and has run of kitchen if im out and downstairs if im in

Work/holiday arrangements? freind

Do you do anything with it (agility/flyball etc)? used to basic training with dog trainging

Anything else you'd like to say.

he a pain in the bum hes 3 now but hes my pain in the bum xxxxxxxxxx

The_Teaahloic

What dog do you have? I have a Cairn Terrier

Why did you get your dog? Because I love dogs and home does not
feel like home without a dog

Where did you get it? Travelled to Bournemouth to get her

What does it eat? Bakers light , cooked chicken

How much does it cost you weekly? about £5.00

Do you leave it alone? For an hour or so, not long.

Work/holiday arrangements? I work from home,
cannot afford holidays

Do you do anything with it (agility/flyball etc)? No, just walks.

Anything else you'd like to say. She is so lovely, they are very good
with children.

arnie&caseysma!

What dog do you have? Bull Terrier x2 (well 4 at the moment as we have 2x new born pups

Why did you get your dog? OH had Arnie (5) when we got together, and we got Casey to keep him company (3). We effectively rescued her from the breeder....

Where did you get it? Arnie locally (friends have his mum and dad, Casey came from Nottingham

What does it eat? Any wet dog food and biscuits!!! They also have a passion for hotdog sausages, meatballs, pasta, rice and potatoes!

How much does it cost you weekly? Anything from £5-£8

Do you leave it alone? Yes, but as we work shifts it is only really the overlap between them. Can be up to 5 hours depending.

Work/holiday arrangements? Kennels. They love to go and shout alongside the other dogs for a week or two!

Do you do anything with it (agility/flyball etc)? Aside from walks and runs on the beach they are too stubborn for anything else! They could go for weeks without a walk and have to be dragged out!

Anything else you'd like to say.
A breed that many many people are scared off, however, they are certainly the most loving breed that I have ever owned (had a German Borsoi (sp?), Springer Spaniel, Lab, in the past and the bull terrier is the most loving of them all. My niece and nephew hate all dogs but they came round to hold the puppies the other day! I can't imagine life without my babies now!

Kerriebaby

What dog do you have?
Dutch Shepherd ( Kerrie ) approx 5 years, Rough Collie ( Poppy ) 6 Cocker Spaniel x Border Collie (Rupert) approx 2

Why did you get your dog?
Kerrie was my first rescue dog, she was to be companion to my then Rough Collie boy, and for me to do some training with.
Poppy we bought as an adult, I desperately missed having a Rough Collie in the house, but couldnt bare the thought of another Sable
Rupert came to us as a foster dog June last year, two homes sent him back because of his problems, we decided to keep him

Where did you get it?
Kerrie - Dogs Trust Shoreham
Poppy - Treeview Rough Collies ( tho she is Eilroy bred )
Rupert - Swindon dog pound Via Pro Dogs Direct

What does it eat?
They are all fed RAW so meats: chicken, duck, rabbit, goat, pheasant, turkey, beef, pork etc Fish; salmon, sprats, sardines, mackerel etc ( tinned and fresh ) various fruits/vegs, plus honey, bio yogurt and cottage cheese, garlic, brewers yeast, apple cider vinegar, EPO/Hemp Oil, FBO, Vits e and c

How much does it cost you weekly? For the three, their insurance is approx £10 per week, worming/flea treatment is about £5 ( I add garlic/brewers yeast and apple cider vinegar to their feed, so dont need to treat as often ) Food is about £3 per dog per week, sometimes more or less depending on what I can get hold of. I dont vaccinate ( except for parvo and lepto )beyond puppy vacs, but I do titre test on an annual basis ( OH pays for that so will have to check costs ) supplements are approx £10 per month

Do you leave it alone? yes, approx 2-3 hours per day

Work/holiday arrangements? Im self employed, so im in and out for a lot of the day, all are fine with that. We dont holiday abroad, instead we use dog friendly accomodation. However we are planning to take them all to France next year!

Do you do anything with it (agility/flyball etc)? Yes. Kerrie does Agility, Obedience, and is learning tracking
Poppy is a show girl, but also does a bit of OB
Rupert is going gun dog training with the OH very soon, and I plan to start working trials with him

Anything else you'd like to say.

I think that dogs arent pets, they are more of a lifestyle choice, I also believe that there are "People who have dogs" and then there are "dog owners" . Dogs are very much like kids, you get out what you put in.
Research breeds, what do you want in a dog? do you want a couch potato? do you want to "do" something? do you mind hair/grooming etc etc etc etc?
I would never ever in a million years feed my dogs Bakers or Pedigree ( or generics ) so I thoroughly recommend that you research dog foods, what goes into them and what effects the ingredients can have on a dog
Cost, dogs can be as cheap or as expensive as you make them, they dont give two hoots about the latest lead/collar trends...but do not scrimp on the essentials, puppy classes are not cheap, neither are vaccinations/neutering ( if you choose to ) insurance costs money too, then theres the food/meds etc etc. Would a dog fit your lifestyle?

soapsudsandsalts

What dog do you have? 3 chocolate labradors 2 girls 1 boy
Why did you get your dog? For company

Where did you get it? 2 From a breeder boy because pervoius own got preg

What does it eat? Anything but they have big bags off wagg and gravy oh and i give them ready brek for brekkie but don't telll oh
How much does it cost you weekly? About £10 a week (includes chewies etc)

Do you leave it alone? couple of hours hubbys milkman so when i go work he home a couple of hours later
Work/holiday arrangements? kennels and grandad has girls on odd days boy to much for him
Do you do anything with it (agility/flyball etc)? Just walkies, and play in house
they are the best pets in the world even though they follow me around

GonzoAston

What dog do you have? 6 year old male Patterdale Terrier Black and Tan

Why did you get your dog? Always wanted to re-home a dog.

Where did you get it? Manchester Dogs Home

What does it eat? BARF in the winter and Burns in the summer. (Will eat anything in the winter, but when its warm will just pick at food)

How much does it cost you weekly? About £2.

Do you leave it alone? Only now and again, and at maximum 2 hours.

Work/holiday arrangements? I work nights, OH works days. Mother in law looks after him for holidays. She knows him well and his ways, and he loves her garden.

Do you do anything with it (agility/flyball etc)? No, just really long walks, and playtimes in the house.

Anything else you'd like to say. He's my baby. Well looked after and spoilt, but he loves everyone back the same ammount, and I would never be without him. Even when he wakes up in a grumpy mood, with his beard flat on one side and looks like a proper old man, lol