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But domesticated ones are really expensive. And probably not allowed in the town of Cary.
(And may not be a good idea....but whatever. It'd be JUST like the Fox and the Hound. Minus the hound and the sadness.)
We don't want an inside pet. So that leaves us with the option of an outside dog.
Half of our backyard is fenced in for such a time as this. So that's a good setup. If we get a dog, we want it to be medium sized. With long-ish hair. We have a list of dog breeds that we wouldn't want, but aren't sure about what we would want.
But at this point we aren't even sure if we want one.
I have had no desire for a pet until recently. That's because now I'm at home more. (More explanation on that later.) Until now we were hardly at home and would have felt horrible if we left a pet unattended the entire day and definitely would not have time to train a puppy. It honestly sounded like a nightmare.
But now that I am available during the day, we've been thinking about it. I know major pet people are thinking, "Of course! Get one! Why would you NOT want one??" But I just have some fears about it.
Pet Fears:
- Lots of barking
- It being hard to train
- Expenses
- Dealing with poop/vomiting
- Me getting annoyed with it all the time
- Mainly me getting annoyed with it all the time
Hmm. Writing that list makes me think that maybe we should get one just so I can get over those things....I mean I do wanna have kids someday, right? Clearly having a child would be all of those things x1000.
I know my love for the child would override all of that. But love for a pet? ehhh... Sometimes I think I may want us to have kids before we ever get a pet. (Obviously that's for God to decide.)
So what do you think? Pet lovers? Pet regrets? Pet love stories/horror stories?
People with pet foxes? :)
I would say...WAIT! I had a dog that I loved but after having him for over 5years, we had a baby. My dog had not been around many children and became very nervous around my loud, crying, moving child. for a while, my sister and her two yr old son lived with us and my dog had bitten him in the face three times, not because my dog was mean, but because the child scared him. I love my dog, but he is now living with my grandparents, where it's safer for both the dog and the kids. I'm sure my situation isn't every case, but if "I" could do it over, i would have had children first so the dog could grow with them, and in case my child were allergic, i would n't have to go through the loss of a pet. GOD BLESS!
ReplyDeleteGET ONE NOW. seriously. the only iffy thing i'd say is being outside all the time. you'd have to do a ton of research on what kind of dogs will do ok outside all the time. most want to be inside, with all the action ;)
ReplyDeletewe just got a dog...ok more like a small horse. a great dane lab mix. he's hugo. and we knew that going in. but to be honest, it's taken a lot (and i mean a whole lot) to get used to. however. i do know that at his size, he needs training. which he actually has his first day of today! taking on a dog is a huge thing. i always said dog then babies. and yes. he drives me nuts because he follows me around. which is cute most the time. but some times it's...well annoying haha.
the thing about getting a dog is that you CAN NOT go into it without wanting one 100%. it is like having a kid. they're expensive yes, but if you take care of it then it's normal expenses. our go to was that we'd both be home all the time. he was crated before (and i'm super against crates) but loves being out now!
i say all this, but to be honest, i'm not sure if we were all the way ready. duke's different because of his size though. he's around 125 so that was a lot to get used to. i think a puppy would have been totally different. but i love him nonetheless. it's a big decision, but one that's soooo worth it. but you have to put in the time with a dog. needs to be trained, unless it's an older dog that has great "manners".
and...RESCUE A DOG! :) they need homes! hope this helps a little!
I'd say get a Boston Terrier. They can't really be outside all day though. But I am a major cat person and NOT a dog person and I love Boston Terrier's. They never bark and are super easy to train. My Boston Terrier is only four months old and he's already house trained. We even trained him to ring a bell when he needs to go outside. They are the best dogs. Especially for people who aren't sure they want a dog.
ReplyDeleteI love my furbaby! Definitely rescue one if you get one. Rescues are the best! (And bonus- my rescue was already house trained) Beware if you go to the shelter you will cry and want to take them all home with you. BUT I don't know about making it stay outside all the time...just thinking about how hot it gets in the summer and how cold it can get. Remember the bigger they are the more expensive they are and if you go away a lot you have to plan ahead for a dog sitter and costs for that.
ReplyDeleteIf you do decide to get one, get one before kids and train him to be around kids! We got our dog 2 years ago, and he LOVES kids because we had friends bring their children over. I also mess with him a lot just like a kid would do (pull his tail, poke him, things like that--- nothing hard or mean but just something that if he wasn't use to would irritate him). The most he will do in reaction is lick you now haha! But you need to be realistic about him being an "outside" dog. If they are a family dog, they want to be inside with their family. Plus with NC weather extremes, you can't leave them outside if it's too hot or cold. The most important thing is wait until you find the right one, and definitely get a RESCUE. We knew we wanted a dog, but couldn't decide on one. We went to adoption fairs all the time, and when we finally found Linux, we just knew he was the one for us. He is definitely our baby now. Also, if you adopt from a pet rescue (like Adopt-an-Angel), a lot of the initial shots, neutering, etc. are already done for you so that really ends up saving you a lot. They are usually somewhat potty-trained and even house-broken depending on their age.
ReplyDeleteFirst off, the fox is so cute!!!! I have 10 cats (no, the 0 added on to the 1 was not a typo) & two dogs. I have to agree with some of the other commenters about the problem being the dog being an outside dog. You are able to bond so much more when you have the pet inside. Not to mention, great protection...unless of course you get a little poodle or something. I also live in NC and I know the weather can be really hot and really cold. Having a dog out in the extreme heat-even with a dog house-is not good! I am curious...why do you want an outside dog instead of an inside dog? I would NOT recommend a puppy. They are cute & all but they are SO much more work than a grown dog. Unless you are able to give the puppy your full attention...because they are a lot like babies. I definitely recommend rescuing one. Whether it be from a pound or a rescue league.
ReplyDeleteHey! As a person who has grown up with dogs and currently volunteers with dogs...I would definitely say, based on your wants and fears, that you should NOT get a dog. It's generally not good for any type of dog to be an "outside dog" - not even speaking of weather conditions, all breeds of dogs need some sort of regular, daily, active interaction with their owners - if not many different people (hey, some dogs are total hams!). And frankly, it would absolutely kill some dogs to be subjected outside and away from their owners for large amounts of time. If you do decide to get a dog, I *strongly* advise not leaving them outside 24 hours a day. Either let them out during the day and let them back in the house at night; or let the dog out at night and allow them to stay inside during the day(all weather permitting of course, make sure to include heat also).
ReplyDeleteIn general, please please please do your research! Smaller dogs are actually more expensive then bigger dogs...smaller dogs tend to have more health problems and can break their bones easier than bigger dogs.
All dogs will bark. If you keep an outside dog, don't be surprised by a lot of barking, since they'll be seeing/hearing everything that is going on outside. But smaller dogs tend to bark more than bigger dogs. Smaller dogs also tend to be very clingy and would hate to be outdoors without you.
Unfortunately, the harder-to-train dogs are the ones who would maybe be able to tolerate being outside rather than the easy to train dogs. But you'd also want to make absolutely sure your outside dog is very well trained.
You are going to have to deal with poop/vomit anyways. You can't just leave tons of piles of poop in your yard. It won't just decompose into the ground naturally. You'll have to pick it up eventually.
It might be better to actually get a puppy when you have kids that are older so they can help out with walking the dog, feeding it, picking up poop, etc.
So yeah. All dogs require a lot of attention, a lot of expenses, a lot of grooming (brush daily or else fur can get matted and hurt). It's really like having an eternal 2-year-old. Again, I advise against a dog if you can't handle this. Have you thought about getting a fish? :p
Being that Brandon and I both now have 2 dogs, I couldn't see our home without one! We had Jaxon purchased online right before we got married and planned to pick him up the day after our honeymoon. He is truly a gift from God. I couldn't imagine our house without him! As you know, Brandon is in the military, so he is gone from time to time, so having a dog for me when Brandon was gone was a must. Not because I was going to train him to attack people, haha, but because dogs can sense and hear things that us as humans can't! Plus Brandon and I have always grown up with dogs in our own home.
ReplyDeleteFast forward to this fall when Brandon and I decided to start purse baby making... I knew that Jaxon would get lonely once we brought a baby into the world. He (sadly) would be put on the back burner as the majority of our time would be focused around a new baby. So, we decided to get another dog so that Jaxon would have a friend. Getting Trigger, we know, was in God's plan for our family. After watching them play, I couldn't imagine Jaxon not having a friend. They love each other!
The first 6 months of puppy training is always the worst. It's frustrating at times. Teaching them how to behave, potty train them, etc is very frustrating. But once you hit that 6 month mark they are fully trained! Our were at least. And once you get them spayed/neutered, they lose their 'attitude' and realize that we are the boss, not them. I trained both of our dogs, pretty much on my own, as Brandon was gone. (Trigger while in my first trimester.) If I can do it.. so can you!