Dogs

[Squirrel]

Oh well now I’ve seen that and am completely in love with her :lol:. I still think my advice stands but in your shoes I’d have to physically restrain myself from claiming her :lol:.
I LOVE DOGS

[Lily]

Is it the last two photos? It's her eyes that are getting me!

Right now I'm having a big cry about how stupid it is to get a dog on your own especially with energy bills going through the roof :ella: I need to look into insurance costs and also the cost of having her neutered. My cousin lives near Leeds and has offered to go and have a preliminary visit. She's familiar with both chows and labs so will be very helpful.

[Little My]

She does sound lovely. Being toilet trained, crate trained and harness trained will save you a lot of headaches.

My lab is almost 8 months old and has mellowed out significantly. She naps a lot, loves snuggles, but also needs some crazy running around off leash time.

[Dáire]

I just don't trust the Pets4Homes ad at all. Strikes me as irresponsible to breed a chow and a lab - chow chows are aloof, not particularly patient around children and wary of strangers with risk of aggression. Resistant to training and not recommended for first-time owners, nor are they recommended around cats. Did the breeder think she could just avoid all that by mixing in some Golden Lab and getting fluffy puppies?

I mean, chows are obviously visually lovely and for experienced handlers who want a certain sort of guardian/watchdog type they're likely a great choice, but you just don't know what you're getting. I googled for the owner's name, and Leeds, to see if I can find any reference to her having bred before, other puppies she may have sold, pics on FB, maybe she pops up at dog-related events or something, but even with a name so unusual - nothing.

That said, she might be a lovely girl despite it all. If the tale about living with a kid is true, she might be well socialised.

Rescuing via shelters is hard - we've long given up, no shelters around here will bother with families. I would do anything to avoid a farmed puppy and would go on the waiting list from a registered breeder who commits to healthy breeding standards, and who spays the puppies to prevent further breeding, but then I appreciate waiting lists can be years long, prices are through the roof and that's pretty impossible as well.

[Ella]

Would you consider getting your dog fix through walking dogs for housebound people for a while while you think it over? It’s very worthwhile work without the big overheads.

[dizzyd]

What about the cinnamon trust or borrow my doggy to help out like Ella said and see how you feel after doing that

[Lily]

I was in the Cinnamon Trust a few years ago but found it difficult to fit in walking dogs in my lunch hours and before/after my other job! Plus - this sounds awful - the dogs I walked weren't really dogs which I got on with. They were all rather yappy and beribboned so I didn't enjoy it very much. Fostering would be worth looking into though. My friend's dog came to stay for a week a couple of years ago and it was just brilliant. I cried when he left.

If I'm honest, I want one all of my own; ever since we lost Miggy (1999) I've missed the friendship you can only have with a dog, much as I love the gerbs. I get 'dog ache' sometimes. But I am very frightened about the finances. It seems profligate and foolish to set up an expense I don't need when I am on my own. I'll call my vet tomorrow to see how much it would be to neuter her. My cousin has a chow, which gets on well with the children, so I know that she will be able to give an honest assessment of the dog Oop North.

Honestly, anyone would think I were planning a baby! :ella: But it's a big deal for me, and the current owner, and the dog most of all so I want to get it right.

[Toast]

It is a big deal though, Lily! So many people (not Turtles) go into it without thinking it through, that's one of the reasons there are so many dogs in shelters, especially after Covid/lockdown/people returning to work, etc.

I don't want to bang on about rescue dogs but I sort of feel like I owe it to Ziggy and the work that shelters do to mention it like others have. I know they can be very specific about who they will let rehome dogs but you're pretty much an ideal candidate. I appreciate there are other considerations and resuce dogs can be very difficult but puppies aren't easy either.

I've never had a puppy so I could be wrong but I think you'd need to take quite a lot of time off while they were small, wouldn't you? I know my friend who is home based anyway had to. I think it would also be quite some time before you'd be able to take a young dog to work with you since they're unlikely to just lay quietly under your desk. That could be breed dependant though I guess.

I'm also very wary of sites like pets4us and, to me, those photographs don't sit right. I know it's not a simple case of a family rehoming their pet but where are all the photographs of the dog looking cute while asleep or being goofy with a chew toy?

[Luna]

Look at this lovely girl! https://www.petlist.co.uk/dogs-dogs-for ... ogs_540998

Puppies are blimmin hard work and it was just chance that I was in between jobs when we got Poppy as she was full on. I am biased as I love a Staffy but they are such loving dogs.

[Luna]

I might be biased by the name ;)

[Luce]

Honestly, anyone would think I were planning a baby! :ella: But it's a big deal for me, and the current owner, and the dog most of all so I want to get it right.

I actually don’t think people take it seriously enough and I think you should treat it as a new baby. I think a lab would be a cruel option, for example (unless he/she were about to be put down!) and that should be taken seriously.

[Lily]

Thanks all. I don't agree that my having a lab would be cruel, but we can agree to disagree on that. I have asked the shelter about Luna, but I was thinking they would be unlikely to consider me as they want someone experienced and also she may not be good with children. ETA They have literally just come back to me and said she is reserved, which is good news for her!

I do agree that people don't always think about this kind of thing seriously; I suppose I am just surprised by how much it is worrying me! Deciding against a pup is definitely the best way to go.

It turns out that the people next door have a small dog daycare centre, which I only just twigged as I drove past it this morning :lol: so that would be helpful.

[Little My]

I don't want to bang on about rescue dogs but I sort of feel like I owe it to Ziggy and the work that shelters do to mention it like others have. I know they can be very specific about who they will let rehome dogs but you're pretty much an ideal candidate. I appreciate there are other considerations and resuce dogs can be very difficult but puppies aren't easy either.

You are an ideal candidate. We tried, but it was useless with kids and cats. Sometimes they will want you to have a dog already, but you can't win them all.

I don't think a lab is off the table either. As long as you are able to exercise them. They sleep a lot, make an excellent companion, are obviously very trainable, and social. The puppy stage is hard, but I've already recommended against any puppies.

[Cosmopolitan]

I think grown up labs are perfect tbh, they are lazy and love to snooze away their day and then love a good active hours walk a day. It has taken 3 or so years to get to it but Larry the lab is properly chilled now. My springer poodle cross is not chilled but is pretty good at playing with herself during the day (hanging out in the office with us) but she gets 2 x 30 min walks a day and a big one on weekends.

[Morganna]

Why would a lab be a cruel option? I don't see that at all.

I can understand your concern about financial commitment, but dogs are not remotely as expensive as children. Insurance is absolutely important, and it's wise to check out how much it will rise as the dog ages and factor that in. It varies between breeds, too. S pays about £90 a month for Loki, and he's only just turned 4. He is a ridiculous breed though, and Frenchies are (understandably) loaded for insurance purposes along with other breeds who are prone to all the issues they are likely to have (eg spinal problems, breathing difficulties and so on). Dylan's insurance stared off very reasonable - I think it was about £15 a month - but when he was really old it was £57, which given all the exclusions that kick in with age (and the fact that he wasn't capable of doing most of the things he was actually covered for) was ridiculous. That was a while ago too, before there was a problem with dog thefts, which also loads 'fashionable' breed insurance. Labs are likely to be far nearer the Dylan end of the scale than the Loki one.

If you can afford the insurance, and have willing dog sitters for holidays, there won't be many other expenses. Dylan was a large dog, and he ate mainly dried food which we bought at Costco in massive sacks. It wasn't expensive - Amazon sell this one for £28 for 20 kilos which will last for ages. Many dogs also love leftovers, which will make the food go even further. We used to buy gravy granules and hydrate the dry stuff with weak gravy to make it tastier, but I suspect that was more to make me happier about feeding him the same thing pretty much all the time - he never turned his nose up at it, and it will have a flavour of its own. A small dog will obviously eat less. Any average figures you look at will include costs for people who buy pouches of 'curated' dog foods with 'artisan' flavours :)). Dogs are scavengers, and really won't care what you feed them if it is nutritionally balanced.

[Luce]

This isn't a hill I feel the need to die on but I think working breeds/energetic dogs are best suited in those kind of environments rather than office environments. I feel no need to justify myself in this opinion though so won't be saying anything more :))

I would agree that once you've covered off insurance and holiday care and any potential dog walkers then the only thing really left to pay for is food and that isn't ruinously expensive, depending on what you go for.

Oh, another thing! If you're the kind of person who loves a spontaneous day out at the weekend, have a real think. I think that was the thing I found hardest - that we could never all just run off for 24 hours somewhere without spending a good half day sorting out something for the dog. If you're not into spontaneity then that should be no problem at all.

[sally maclennane]

Yeah, I think the practical things are more important to consider than finances (assuming you can afford insurance etc).

[Lily]

I wouldn't say I'm remotely spontaneous. I'm so dull :lol: - unexpected things make me very cross as I like to be able to plan what I'll eat and when I'll work out and One of the benefits of being on my own, I guess. I do do a lot of walking and have fields, hills etc. pretty much on my doorstep and my friends have s hoots (sorry!) which I like to walk on which are pretty epic.

Thanks all for your continued advice. One thing that has occurred to me is that at the end of this month I get a bonus and with that I can pay off my car loan which will leave me £130 a month better off. However, there is all food for thought here.

[Luna]

Thanks all. I don't agree that my having a lab would be cruel, but we can agree to disagree on that. I have asked the shelter about Luna, but I was thinking they would be unlikely to consider me as they want someone experienced and also she may not be good with children. ETA They have literally just come back to me and said she is reserved, which is good news for her!

I’m so happy she has a home. Most shelters put a lot of provisos as a precaution. I’m sure she would’ve been perfectly fine with children. We have a few labs on our books that are definitely urban dogs and seem fine and happy to me. Although we have one who is a bit fat but that’s due to her arthritis meaning she’s not as mobile :))

[Duophonic]

We couldn't get a rescue dog because of Eric, we couldn't get another rescue cat again because no one would consider us with Eric. Even though we're perfectly suited for additional animals.

Anyways we have a working whippet and took him as the conditions most of them are raised in aren't great. They're not treated as pets and require lots of recall training and training out of seeing every small furry thing as prey.

My two cents is if you can afford the additional insurance, food, and vet fees (most routine stuff isn't covered under insurance) and you love the animal you bring home then I don't see a major issue. As everyone said puppies are harder to cope with than babies and most folk are more willing to babysit a baby than a dog so options can be very limited. If a dog is bored then it'll destroy things so you'll also have that to factor in. Taking a dog to an office may be good as the dog will get tons of attention.

In my experience labs eat everything and anything they find so the vets bills for removal of bits of plastic, socks, rubber balls, and whathaveyou can be huge.

I'm home all day every day and Innes is walked six times a day. Part of that routine is a one-hour race around with his pals at the local park which tires him out for the afternoon so I can work. My mum runs a dog daycare and even then struggled with Innes and his puppyness, so I've only asked her a handful of times in the year we've had him.