FH and I both had dogs in our families, although mine passed away in the spring We both decided that we were not going to have any pets because we didnt want to be tied down. We always stop in the pet shops now and then though just to look at the puppies and then we leave knowing that we don't want to buy one.
Well...........yesterday I FELL IN LOVE with this adorable puggle (which is what I want, besides a boxer but they get SOO big). She was the perfect mix and SOO cute and playful. We played with her for 20 minutes and I just really really really wanted to take her home with us. FH said No because he thinks that its a huge commitment and that we will lose our freedom before we have kids. I feel as though it's tough the first few months with training and whatnot, but afterwards, you get into a routine. I have not been able to stop thinking about it since we left yesterday and it's making me so sad. I keep on bringing it up with FH and he just laughs and says that its not a good time. I have never gotten this way before about having a pet, but this time I think I really want her.
For those of you who have or have had a dog, do you feel as though having a pet ties you down??
Thanks for your help
PegaLega
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Re: NWR - Question for those with a dog???
We have a pitbull and I dont think by any means we are tied down. The only time its an issue is when we go away-we have to board her. But thats the only downfall to having her.
KiTTeN0819
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Re: NWR - Question for those with a dog???
if you like to travel or go out alot they will tie you down. It depends on your lifestyle. But I must say DO NOT BUY a dog from a petstore thats an AWEFUL idea. You do not want a puppy mill dog. Also puggles are very hard to train, need loads of attention, have lots of energy, like to run away and are eating machines. Do lots of research before bringing home any dog. Get one from a breeder and a breed that matches your lifestyle. I do animal rescue so i know a bit about the subject. . If you have any questions just let me know.
NC1011
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Re: NWR - Question for those with a dog???
Posted by KiTTeN0819
if you like to travel or go out alot they will tie you down. It depends on your lifestyle. But I must say DO NOT BUY a dog from a petstore thats an AWEFUL idea. You do not want a puppy mill dog. Also puggles are very hard to train, need loads of attention, have lots of energy, like to run away and are eating machines. Do lots of research before bringing home any dog. Get one from a breeder and a breed that matches your lifestyle. I do animal rescue so i know a bit about the subject. . If you have any questions just let me know.
What is wrong with pet stores?
Butterfly123
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Member since
Re: NWR - Question for those with a dog???
If your FH isnt ready then you shouldnt force it. Too many people get dogs thinking they'll be able to fall into a routine and when that doesnt happen they try and give it away and its not fair to the animal. You guys will both be ready one day and youll fall in love with another dog down the line. But they can 'tie people' down who arent ready for them or who work a lot or like to travel.
lucamon
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Re: NWR - Question for those with a dog???
Both you and FH have been dog owners before so you know the responsibilities and I won't go into that. If you have long working hours I suggust you get an adult dog. And no, dogs do not tie you down. I have 2 dogs and I enjoy spending time with them. When we have to go away, we simply drop them off at FMIL who also has a dog. So, make sure you have family/ friends who will dog sit when you're gone otherwise you'd have to pay for boarding which is a lot of money.
longislandlibrarian
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Re: NWR - Question for those with a dog???
We are dog owners... we have family dogs........but we won't be taking our dogs with us after we get married (FH's family dog is really his mom's dog anyway) but my dog is my dog.. but he really became the family dog.. so he is staying at my house after we leave. We already said that we want a dog when we get married and have a house.....We know that if we have a dog and want to go away we have family that will dogsit.. so no we don't feel tied down.. we really can't wait to get our own dog because we can't even imagine what it will be like to live without a dog in the house.....
(I would loooooooooooove to take my baby with me but he would be heartbroken because he is soo attached to my parents and i don't want to make him uncomfortable and take him out of his element)
jtgarsik
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Re: NWR - Question for those with a dog???
honestly with a puggle, after she's trained i dont think u'll be tied down at all. We have two dogs...one being a little tiny teacup chihauha which physically can't hold it's pee longer than 7 to 8 hours....which means when we drive out to long island, or go out, or want to have a day trip of some sort, the dogs either come with us or we need to make sure we're home. Dont get me wrong - i love my doggies to death, but had i gotten the reality that my teacup would have a blatter the size of a dime i MAY have gotten a different breed lol(but i do love him unconditionally :) ) .....my shitzu on the other hand?? he can hold his pee for days lol. but anyways, yes while ur training it's going to be a commitment, but i'm a dog lover...and once that's dont, it's so worth it once they become ur buddy!
tye85
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Re: NWR - Question for those with a dog???
We have adopted a black lab puppy last year and we dont feel tied down at all. It took bout 3 months to train him and after that you are free to do w/e. The only time we face a conflict is when we travel, and then my FILs dog sit for us. So we love having him, he makes us so happy.
KiTTeN0819
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Re: NWR - Question for those with a dog???
Most dogs from pet stores are from puppy mills. A puppy mill is a dog breeding facility where they dont care about the animals at all, they just care about the money they can get per puppy. This being said, most are inbred, bad quality puppies whos mothers are bred way too many times in a year to be even remotely healthy. Once the mothers cant breed anymore due to disease or age they are simply dumped at the nearest shelter, euthanized, or left to die. The puppies coming out of these facilities are most of the times poor examples of the breed with many health issues that will crop up later in life. Also you will pay at least 400 dollars more at a pet store than if you go to a private breeder.
Since most pet shop dogs lived in 'farm like' facilities with little to no human interaction they are more difficult to house break and to obedience train.
Check this link out if you dont believe me, and then do a google search.. I am hardcore against pet store animals of any kind. After working a rescue for so many years I can tell you stories that would rip your heart out but puppy mills are by far the worst form of animal cruelty I have seen.
jtgarsik
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Member since
Re: NWR - Question for those with a dog???
i actually like that i got my dog from a pet store for the mere fact of everything u just said....i feel like i rescued him. the place where i got my teacup chihauha was so entirely shady....and that's why when i fell in love with the dog, i was like 'I am getting him OUT OF HERE.' poor things... it's not the puppy's fault that it was bred in a mill...jmo.
KiTTeN0819
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Member since
Re: NWR - Question for those with a dog???
Posted by jtgarsik
i actually like getting dogs from pet stores for the mere fact of everything u just said....i feel like i'm rescueing them. the place where i got my teacup chihauha was so entirely shady....and that's why when i fell in love with the dog, i was like 'I am getting him OUT OF HERE.' poor things... it's not the puppy's fault that it was bred in a mill...jmo.
The problem with this is that now you just supported the puppy mill, and now they have your money and the 'demand' for puppies. What this means is now they feel the need to breed even more puppies. If people would stop buying the dogs, they would stop breeding they dogs. If people keep buying these dogs to 'rescue them' they are actually helping the business.
One of my friends used to work for a large puppy store on LI. They actually tried to make puppies look miserable so they would get (what they called) suckers to buy the puppies. She also told me how if they ran out of a type of dog, and someone came in saying they were looking for a, puggle, per say they would just grab any dog that kinda looked like what the people were looking for and pass it off as such.
It is true that it is not the puppies fault, however the cycle will never ever end if people keep doing this.
jessamyn78
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Re: NWR - Question for those with a dog???
I have a puggle and he was actually crazy at first. I've heard this about a lot of them. He needs lots of exercise or he chews everything. We got him last year and he chewed the entire bottom of my hope chest, several pairs of shoes and he still likes to steal dirty clothes and things out of the trash! If you choose this type of dog, he needs constant supervision at first and we could not leave him alone for long. Now he is about a year and half and he has calmed down so much and is a little mush. I have pics of him in my album if you'd like to see.
jtgarsik
Posted:
Member since
Re: NWR - Question for those with a dog???
Posted by KiTTeN0819
Posted by jtgarsik
i actually like getting dogs from pet stores for the mere fact of everything u just said....i feel like i'm rescueing them. the place where i got my teacup chihauha was so entirely shady....and that's why when i fell in love with the dog, i was like 'I am getting him OUT OF HERE.' poor things... it's not the puppy's fault that it was bred in a mill...jmo.
The problem with this is that now you just supported the puppy mill, and now they have your money and the 'demand' for puppies. What this means is now they feel the need to breed even more puppies. If people would stop buying the dogs, they would stop breeding they dogs. If people keep buying these dogs to 'rescue them' they are actually helping the business.
One of my friends used to work for a large puppy store on LI. They actually tried to make puppies look miserable so they would get (what they called) suckers to buy the puppies. She also told me how if they ran out of a type of dog, and someone came in saying they were looking for a, puggle, per say they would just grab any dog that kinda looked like what the people were looking for and pass it off as such.
It is true that it is not the puppies fault, however the cycle will never ever end if people keep doing this.
i do understand where u are coming from & i respect ur opinions & ideas, but in reality - there IS money in the puppy & pet business...and the end of puppy stores is nowhere near their end. if i don't buy a puppy - the next person will. yes i know we can all make a difference but i heart my chihauha & there was no way in hell i was letting the poor little innocent pup stay in the place that he was...regardless if i was 'supporting puppy mills' or not, imo - rescueing is rescuing if u're taking an animal out of a place where they aren't getting proper care...i didn't meant to start any sort of debate...it's just my opinion.
jtgarsik
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Re: NWR - Question for those with a dog???
FullersBride
Posted:
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Re: NWR - Question for those with a dog???
We got a puppy in October. DH and I have raised many many dogs. I will admit, that recently we can't be as spontaneous as we use to be. We can't leave him for more than 4 hours and he still gets up in the middle of the night. Plus all of the training: sit, stay etc.We can't go away for the weekends without finding someone to watch him and that is difficult because he is still not housebroken. It will get easier hopefully be late Spring but it is a BIG commitment in the beginning. You have to be prepared to dedicate the time to the puppy or you will have a hard time training him/her. But, it was the best decision we made. We absolutely LOVE him!!
sugarkube4
Posted:
Member since
Re: NWR - Question for those with a dog???
First off do NOT get a puppy from a pet store.. You will spend more money in the vet taking care of the illnesses that they contract from being around other puppies in the store..
I would advise you to look for a breeder or look on www.findpuppy.com or www.puppyfinder.com
Good Luck on your search!!!
KiTTeN0819
Posted:
Member since
Re: NWR - Question for those with a dog???
Posted by jtgarsik
Posted by KiTTeN0819
Posted by jtgarsik
i actually like getting dogs from pet stores for the mere fact of everything u just said....i feel like i'm rescueing them. the place where i got my teacup chihauha was so entirely shady....and that's why when i fell in love with the dog, i was like 'I am getting him OUT OF HERE.' poor things... it's not the puppy's fault that it was bred in a mill...jmo.
The problem with this is that now you just supported the puppy mill, and now they have your money and the 'demand' for puppies. What this means is now they feel the need to breed even more puppies. If people would stop buying the dogs, they would stop breeding they dogs. If people keep buying these dogs to 'rescue them' they are actually helping the business.
One of my friends used to work for a large puppy store on LI. They actually tried to make puppies look miserable so they would get (what they called) suckers to buy the puppies. She also told me how if they ran out of a type of dog, and someone came in saying they were looking for a, puggle, per say they would just grab any dog that kinda looked like what the people were looking for and pass it off as such.
It is true that it is not the puppies fault, however the cycle will never ever end if people keep doing this.
i do understand where u are coming from & i respect ur opinions & ideas, but in reality - there IS money in the puppy & pet business...and the end of puppy stores is nowhere near their end. if i don't buy a puppy - the next person will. but whatever - i heart my chihauha & there was no way in hell i was letting the poor little innocent pup stay in the place that he was...regardless if i was 'supporting puppy mills' or not...imo - rescueing is rescuing if u're taking an animal out of a place where they aren't getting proper care...i didn't meant to start any sort of debate...it's just my opinion.
Sorry again I dont want to start a debate either, however you have to understand, I have seen the after math of these facilities with my own eyes and being that I work in a real rescue, when people say that they rescued an animal from a pet shop it is one of my biggest pet peeves. Nothing against you, alot of people feel this way which is why the fight to close these places down is so hard. But if someone comes in asking advice I will fight tooth and nail to try to sway them away from supporting the industry. Im not trying to say your dog was not worth it, cause you were one of the lucky ones. My neighbor bought a puggle from a store for her 5 year old last christmas only to have it die a week later from parvo.. The store response was 'well we can give you another puppy' They could care less the puppy was dead or for the heartbroken kid.. You should read the article I posted as well.. It also has a section on the 'rescue from petstores' point of view.
But to the original poster, if you want a puppy go to a breeder.. If you dont care about saving dogs lives at least youll save lots of money.
Fyre
Posted:
Member since
Re: NWR - Question for those with a dog???
I have a cat that has skin problems that are newly developed. She now requires special food, medication, and if we go away, someone I can trust to medicate her and feed her and make sure her E collar is on so she can't get at the boo boo. Her vet bill is $632,00 so far. That said, she is my 4 legged companion/child and I wouldnt have it any other way. I dont know what your schedule or money situation is like. I was for many years an adoptions coordinator at a local animal rescue. I can tell you that many dogs, and yes, cats, were placed with us (luckily, as we were 'no kill') because people either didn't have the time, energy, or money to deal with them. That said, having an animal companion is well worth it to me. I would advise you to really consider this decision. Also, I'm sorry to say this...and I don't want to discourage you, but many 'pet store pups' are products of puppy mills. I would consider the decision before you carefully. It is a committment, very like the one you are making to get married, to a creature that could be for 13-21 years. Are you ready to do that?
All the best, whatever you decide to do! Fyre
betani
Posted:
Member since
Re: NWR - Question for those with a dog???
Posted by KiTTeN0819
Most dogs from pet stores are from puppy mills. A puppy mill is a dog breeding facility where they dont care about the animals at all, they just care about the money they can get per puppy. This being said, most are inbred, bad quality puppies whos mothers are bred way too many times in a year to be even remotely healthy. Once the mothers cant breed anymore due to disease or age they are simply dumped at the nearest shelter, euthanized, or left to die. The puppies coming out of these facilities are most of the times poor examples of the breed with many health issues that will crop up later in life. Also you will pay at least 400 dollars more at a pet store than if you go to a private breeder.
Since most pet shop dogs lived in 'farm like' facilities with little to no human interaction they are more difficult to house break and to obedience train.
Check this link out if you dont believe me, and then do a google search.. I am hardcore against pet store animals of any kind. After working a rescue for so many years I can tell you stories that would rip your heart out but puppy mills are by far the worst form of animal cruelty I have seen.
ditto. either rescue from an adoption agency/the pound or if you want a pure bred, go to a reputable breeder. a breeder will be expensive though, so keep that in mind. if you find a deal that's too good to be true, it probably is and you and the dog will suffer for it. honestly, rescuing is so much better, imo.
also, keep in mind small dogs are very hard to train - and that includes house training. my parents rescued a basset hound (not even that small) and she still doesn't have it down.
