Tooanfrom

Given a choice between kids and dog --no contest ,the dog wins paws down.

lolly

We have always had Boxers, brought one over here with us. But recently I saw a Pug advertised on one of the adoption sites - we adopted him and he is the best dog we have ever had. Small so easy to take in the car but solid and has such a great personality.

dunroving

Well thanks for helping me out.

I sometimes miss these details as I tend to "skim" messages sometimes - I don't always have the time to meticulously pore over ever fine point ....

Ray

You have known me long enough to know I was kidding with you ...

Pimpbot

I always wanted a dog, but due to various living arrangements in the UK, I never got the chance. Now here in the US we got a 4 month old female Basset Hound pup last year and I'm in doggy heaven!. It's been hard work though thats for sure. I wanted a Basset, but they can be really difficult to train and they can also be stubbon as the day is long. Having a puppy is just like having a baby, because you're up in the middle of the night when it howls or when it needs to go pee. You then have to deal with the seperation anxiety(sp) when you're gone from the house all day working. You really need to look at your situation and then figure out what type of dog will fit. For example, we don't have the biggest of back yards, so getting a dog that likes to run around all day would have been a no no. Our dog has a doggy door and can wonder around the patio all day when we are out. But she also ruined the carpet in our bedroom while she was being potty trained, so that added a rather expensive bill we didn't want.

Whatever you do, don't rush into this.

dunroving

What, you mean you don't recognize sarcasm when you see it .... ?

(maybe I should have used a smiley or a winky, but then feeling you have to make it obvious that you are "just kidding" is such an American thing)

Elvira

I realize you've made a promise, but you should ABSOLUTELY, DEFINITELY not get a dog unless YOU are COMPLETELY committed to having one!

Sorry about all the shouting, but this really cannot be stressed too much. Time and again I have seen parents give in to their kids' desire to have a dog, only for them to lose interest in its day to day care very quickly. It is invariably the mother who gets stuck with the daily walks and all the rest of it.

Get 'Dogs for Dummies' or a similar book and get up to speed on what having a dog actually involves. Get to know your friends' and neighbours' dogs and see whether you can relate to them, i.e. do you have the 'potential' to become a dog person.

The suggestion of having your kids work at a shelter or walk SPCA foster dogs is an excellent one. If they stick with it, your chances of successful dog ownership are definitely better.

As for adopting an adult dog rather than getting a puppy: another excellent suggestion, as training a puppy can be a challenge for a novice, but make sure you get as much of history as you can. A lot of shelter dogs will have been abused, or have been adopted and returned more than once, and such a dog would not be appropriate for you. And stay clear of pitbulls and pittbull mixes!

But even if all this works out, you still have to bear in mind that this is a long-term commitment. Think carefully about what you will do with your dog when you go on vacation or visits back to the UK.

Having said all that: I didn't used to be a dog person. My husband wanted one, I was dead set against it. Now I absolutely love our dog!

Good luck!

ladylisa

I was in a pet store a few months ago and I heard a kid asking his mum if he could have a pet, she said no you already have one and he stamped his feet and said but I want a new one!

Guelder Rose

I have always wanted a Basset Hound but read that you have to get used to having slobber sprayed all over the house, which I know my family would not accept. Do they really do this, or is that a bit of an exaggeration?

As far as the OP is concerned, I have no doubt that she will end up being the full time carer of the dog, and may well be left with it when the children flee the nest. So, the question really is whether she actually wants to have a dog by her side for the next 10 to 14 years.

Celtic_Angel

that's interesting...I got the Italian greyhound....I can't stand shedding eugh!! actually I want a dog...it'll be cheaper than another kid and right now all the animals from the Hurricaine are looking for homes...so it'll be down to the pound for us...unless I bottle out...expensive vet fees are a concern....but I saw a puppy on the T.v this morning and he was sooo cute.......

how on earth does a person go to the pound and only come back with one animal?

Angry White Pyjamas

Did she give in to the little dear?

britvic

Bring's back memories of me walking round Battersea dog's home and crying like a little girl, bought home a scruff who lived with us for 11 year's. I would love a dog now but waiting till our Son understands it's not a toy but another member of the family.

Wintersong

Everyone keeps saying that the kids will lose interest and it will be the OP who ends up walking the dog every day, but this is not necessarily true.

I was desperate for a dog when I was a kid and begged my parents to let me have one. When we moved house from Gloucester to Manchester, I was 11 years old. As a kind of apology for making me leave my friends, my Mum and Dad finally said I could have the dog I'd always wanted. As soon as we'd moved, I went down to the local pet shop and they put me onto a Border Collie breeder who had a litter born on the day we moved.

To cut a long story short, we got the puppy. I took her for 1 and a half - 2 hour walks every day (Collies need huge amounts of exercise) and that dog was the best friend I ever had. I took her to training classes and, in every sense, she really was my dog.

If your kids want a dog badly enough, they will put in the necessary time and effort. Obviously, being kids, they will sometimes need nagging to do it, but don't back down - this is their dog and they need to look after it. I don't recommend a Border Collie though - due to their intelligence, they are extremely hard work. They need a lot of mental stimulation as well as physical exercise and they can be very skittish and emotional dogs who become bored and destructive quite easily.

Celtic_Angel

um...then I think you were quite the exception... my step father found a litter of kittens in the yard of the empty house next door....well my mum kept the mom and I wanted at least one of the kittens....actually I wanted them all....I begged, promised to feed, change the litter even pay for the food out of my pocket money..well we gave most of them to a good home and I got my kitten.....erm....I can't remember ever changing the litter box or feeding the darn thing.....erm

maybe dogs are better cos you really can't ignore them

Wintersong

I know I needed nagging a lot of the time, but my Mum never gave in, which I think is the key thing. Never once did she walk that dog herself. Sometimes I'd get back home from school and have loads of homework to do or just want to watch TV or whatever, and Mum would be on my case as soon as I got in about taking Meg out. She said I'd made the commitment and it was up to me to stick to it. She was absolutely right, of course!

I also had a rabbit which was a 6th birthday present. I cleaned that rabbit's hutch out every week, fed her every day and don't remember my Mum ever doing it. Again, because she was my responsibility.

Come to think of it, I'm pretty grateful to my Mum for the lessons I learnt with those two animals.