Dog owning

[rob13]

Im sure there are plenty on here who have dogs. Well tonight me & Gem have been to see a little Westie pup which my uncle currently owns. Its only 11 weeks, I think he's bought it without thinking about it really. The dog is a pedigree and has the pedigree with her.

We're seriously thinking of buying her, however we're not 100% certain whether our occupations cause problems with owning her.

I work shifts, meaning 5 days a month I'm out of the house from 7-5 and she's away from 8:30 til 5.30. This means that the dog is potentially at home between 8:30 til 5. Ive been asking my mam whether she wants to look after the dog on these days (she is a previous westie owner) however I dont want to burden her with having her.

Outside of that, Im at home a lot, and find myself bored a lot of the time. On the flip side, we're only 26 & 24 and wonder how much of a sacrifice of owning a dog will be.

Anyone help me on this one?

[Warren]

5 days a month ?

nice job.

[Keith1983]

Right then mate, I have a 5 year old golden lad (Holly). Myself and my now ex fiancee have only recently parted company. Holly is left 5 days a week for up to 8 hours. She copes fine with it. However the thing with ure potential pet is the age. Being so young I imagine it would be likely to chew. This is a natural thing for the dog to do even when not left alone. If you were to want a dog I would recommend getting an older rescue dog, however these can have completely new issues all of their own! Although a dog can make a great companion and even be part of the family. There I have had my say and managed to help, not at all!

[the_runt69]

Have 6 cats and 2 dogs a Sheltie/Boarder Collie cross and a Fox Terrier/Border terrier cross both under a year old I work shifts and the wife works in a local school, they never get left for more than between 8.30 and 12ish but they can cause a lot of problems if they get bored.

[rob13]

Yeah Warren i meant 5 day shifts a month - the rest of it is either backs or nights!!

Thing is this dog needs some care & attention. In the short time that my uncle has had her, I dont think she has been given the love & attention she needs and that is swaying my decision (even though it shouldnt).

[600+]

I think the reality of the case is that while you are not at home the pup for as long as it is a pup it will cause minor damages :) they do chew and will chew on anything and everything you can imagine. if you are prepared to accept this then you should have no problem at all.

i am at the same age as you and I can tell you the dog does mean sacrifices. you wanna go away for the weekend you need to find someone to look after it or take it with you at a dog friendly b&b. there are plenty so don't worry :) but if you wanna go abroad you will have to leave it with someone or put it in a hotel.

If I understood your work arrangements correctly you are only away 5 days a month and the rest at home. I'm sure for those 5 days you will find someone to look after her. all in all you will get great pleasure of owning a dog....in terms of responsibilities it is the closest you will get to having a kid at this age :))

about rescue dogs....I have my own and if you choose right you can get one without many or even any problems. I know mine is afraid of shiny big things like end cans :))) but that's it really.

best of luck - i'm sure others will come to help

[rob13]

My shifts mean I work 6 days in 10 but it works out that I only work dayshift 5 days a month. Otherwise I work 2-12 5-3 or 10-7 which means that the dog wont be left as long (4-5hours) There is a possibility of containing her in the kitchen, or possibly putting her in the garage with a dogflap (dont know whether this is very secure option though)

[the_lone_wolf]

you want a challenge? try a 3 year old rescue border collie who lived with an elderly guy suffering from dementia, never been socialised with other dogs or people, never had a routine, and towards the end the guy tried to strangle her with a dressing gown cord. she has a phobia of brooms, and that extends to throwing herself under street sweeping trucks if you're not paying attention

however, one year later and she's a different dog, wouldn't swap her for the world and never thought of doing so. dogs are awesome creatures and give back so much for a little love and attention, just be sure you know what you're letting yourself in for in terms of time and money (vet's bills are more than you think, no matter what you think they will be...)

http://img405.imageshack.us/img405/2109/dscf5678smallck9.jpg

[rob13]

Yup, vet bills, the bane of every pet owner. I have looked into Pet insurance but theres still a £50 excess on that so you're looking at that for starters. When my parents had a dog, vet bills seemed to be few & far between until it reached double figures in age. After that it seemed to get silly

[dizzyblonde]

for two years I worked 12 hour shifts with my chap.Honey never bothered and was always good as gold. However last year I found BOB THE DOG at 12 weeks old in the middle of our street and kept him. After eating his way through my house and peeing and pooing everywhere I decided to swap shifts, so now we're on the opposite shift. IM indoors stays at my house when we're at work and BOB is now more grown up. Funny it never bothered my other dog as i always got my gran or neighbour to let her out when at work. BOB was really hard work, but now apart from gassing us with his green mist farts is a great dog. In a way its like having an extra child around, you've got to be able to manage properly

[the_lone_wolf]

Yup, vet bills, the bane of every pet owner. I have looked into Pet insurance but theres still a £50 excess on that so you're looking at that for starters. When my parents had a dog, vet bills seemed to be few & far between until it reached double figures in age. After that it seemed to get silly
true, most health issues don't crop up until later in life, but any dog can stick it's foot down a rabbit hole chasing it's ball and break a leg. not saying it's a reason not to own a dog, just to be aware that you can sometimes get slapped with very large costs with no notice, just something to consider:cool:

[Tomcat]

a decent kennels will cost you at least 10 quid a day so bear that in mind. It is a commitment and there will be the odd time where you think 'what will we do with the bl**dy dog'! But I am sure if he is that cute you will soon look into his big brown eyes and think he's worth it!

I have reservations about older rescue dogs on a practical side, don't get me wrong I have a rescue lurcher and he is lovely but.... you go and view them and I promise you you wont go home without one, and that doesnt neccessarily mean he is the right dog for you. You dont always know their past, or how well trained they are until you get them home, they in the throws of destruction, but you have already fallen in love with them, no going back!

I think getting a rescue dog is a great idea if you have been a previous dog owner, and can recognise little tell tail signs of previous training etc. With a nice ittle pup, you can teach him how you want him to behave from the start .... much much easier IMO

8 hours alone is not ideal, but many many dogs manage it, and if he gets a good walk before and after, lots of cuddles blar blar I am sure he will be glad of your company.

I am sure you have already :smt055 for him ;)

[the_lone_wolf]

if she were left in kennels, ours would likely go full on border collie insane, so when we go away we know another family who have a dog, they come to live at our house and basically look after her. she loves it, they love it because they love her, and when they go away we look after their dog too.

just another option to kennels

[neio79]

I have a 5 yr old Springer and had him from a puppy. Me and the Mrs can be out up to 9 hrs before we get back to him. Not all week but certainly a couple of days. If her shift is late or day off in the week he gets 3 walks a day, and at weekends he has 3 walks a day. I take him out at 7 and then in the evening at about 6. HOWEVER he has dog flap to let him self out into the garden to relive himself while we are out and over night.

He is fine, I just take him for longer walks if we are both out in the day to make up to it. The only down side is that with the dog flap if there isa bitch on heat he will escape and chase her. A few times he has been let back in by neighbours.

As for insurance, anyone who has not got it is a tw*t, and irresponsible. If you can’t afford it don’t get a pet, a bit like car insurance. £50 excess is nothing compared to a £3000 bill for an op.
It costs us about £10 a month for coco who is a pedigree Springer Spaniel with direct line.

[the_lone_wolf]

As for insurance, anyone who has not got it is a tw*t, and irresponsible.
what if you can afford to pay the vet's bills? are you a **** for not wanting to give your money away to insurance company's profit margins?:-k

[neio79]

if you can afford it fair enough but most peole cant afford a one off big bill, so insurance is required, what if you could afford to repair your and the other persons car in an accident does that mean you should not pay car insurance to give the insurance companies a bigger profit??

[21QUEST]

I didn't have any insurance.....maybe I'm a Twot eh :-k :D ;)


Ben

[neio79]

I didn't have any insurance.....maybe I'm a Twot eh :-k :D ;)


Ben
Maybe, if you had to for out thousands for ops and alike, you could not afford it and the only choice would be a loan or having your pet put down!! How much of an ar*e would you feel then as your own tightness stupidity meant you had to put your loved pet down?

[the_lone_wolf]

what if you could afford to repair your and the other persons car in an accident does that mean you should not pay car insurance to give the insurance companies a bigger profit??
in theory no, however motoring is very different, whilst unlikely, you could cause an accident that required compensation running into millions of pounds, such as gambling the lights at a level crossing and causing an event like ufton nervet, so having third party cover is, and should be, mandatory. as you're own vehicle / injury costs are never going to be as high as that, fully comprehensive cover is optional

pet insurance is very different, you are only insuring the health of your pet, not the damage it might cuase to a third party, the costs of which are unlikely to exceed say £10k, so it's entirely optional, but irresponsible of the owner to cause suffering to the animal simply because they are unable to pay for the treatment required

[Pedrosa]

Dogs can handle the hours on their own but you need to try and help them out a little if possible. A young dog left alone will when teething gnaw at anything,doors,furniture etc in an effort to ease the discomfort as it's adult teeth break through. Understanding dogs tells you this is not destructive behaviour but a sort of therapy for the animal.

Ensuring it has lots of toys to play with and chew at this stage in particular is essential. A trusted neighbour or family member who can pop in at some part of the day to give the little mite a bit of company and attention would prove a masive boon also.

I presently live in an apartment and Roxy has her own chair that she loves to sit on for a snooze on the terrace and she always has her bed close by as well. I give her a good 1 hour walk every day. My habits are likely to change over coming months beginning next week with a trip to the Far East,(no not the Golden Triangle!) I will be on pins hoping my son will look after her properly in my absence. There is a kennels we have used and they are very good with her,it helps that the son of the owner absolutely adores her and plays with her rather than keeping her in a pen.

I am going to be house hunting real soon and one priority is to finally have some garden for Roxy to have more of her own space. Dog owners, what are we like?:rolleyes:

[neio79]

pet insurance is very different, you are only insuring the health of your pet, not the damage it might cuase to a third party, the costs of which are unlikely to exceed say £10k, so it's entirely optional, but irresponsible of the owner to cause suffering to the animal simply because they are unable to pay for the treatment required

wrong you can actually be sued for millions in damages and personal injury if for example your dog runs out into a road and causes a car crash, just like if you pulled out at a junction you are responsible for the damage and injury claims!!

[Luckypants]

wrong you can actually be sued for millions in damages and personal injury if for example your dog runs out into a road and causes a car crash, just like if you pulled out at a junction you are responsible for the damage and injury claims!!
And is covered by your household insurance in most cases.

I do have pet insurance BTW

[the_lone_wolf]

wrong you can actually be sued for millions in damages and personal injury if for example your dog runs out into a road and causes a car crash, just like if you pulled out at a junction you are responsible for the damage and injury claims!!
yes, but your pet health insurance won't cover you for that will it?

i never said you couldn't be liable for it, just that your pet insurance wouldn't cover you for it:cool:

[neio79]

yes, but your pet health insurance won't cover you for that will it?

i never said you couldn't be liable for it, just that your pet insurance wouldn't cover you for it:cool:

most pet insurances do cover you or can cover you for things like that, another good reason to have them, especially if like my little s8it of a dog he escapes when a bi**h is on heat!!

[the_lone_wolf]

most pet insurances do cover you or can cover you for things like that, another good reason to have them...
the thread was discussing vet's bills, now you bring it up as if your original assertion of saying anyone who didn't have pet insurance was a **** is still valid? you never mentioned anything about 3rd party liability cover, which as LP has already pointed out this is usually covered by your home insurance anyway. perhaps if you live next to a factory that specialises in making chemical weapons with self-destruct buttons modelled on the **** end of a female dog, and has a poor contractor maintaining their fences, and it's excluded from your home insurance policy, then you should consider getting special protection for 3rd party liability...

somehow i think i'll survive without:rolleyes:

[Smudge]

i have two dogs and two cats ive never had insurance for them ive just payed for vet bills in instalments i dont let the dogs off there leads until its safe to do so, i would never put there lives in danger as there like our kids as we carnt have any, they sleep on the bed with us and i let them lick my face which will get some comments im sure, ive always had pets but would never cage a bird or imprison a fish nothing you have to keep imprisoned

[neio79]

the thread was discussing vet's bills, now you bring it up as if your original assertion of saying anyone who didn't have pet insurance was a **** is still valid? you never mentioned anything about 3rd party liability cover, which as LP has already pointed out this is usually covered by your home insurance anyway. perhaps if you live next to a factory that specialises in making chemical weapons with self-destruct buttons modelled on the **** end of a female dog, and has a poor contractor maintaining their fences, and it's excluded from your home insurance policy, then you should consider getting special protection for 3rd party liability...

somehow i think i'll survive without:rolleyes:

you are just being silly now :(

[adw]

I have an accident prone staffie called molly, who has the attitude i'll walk through you rather than around you :rolleyes:

Love her to bits though. We get our insurance with Marks and Spencer and i'm pleased to say there is no excess either! Costs about 10-15 a month i think and has been used once already! :rolleyes:

[-Ralph-]

This is Murphy, my black lab (click to enlarge)

He's usually on his own 8 hours or so a day.

We rescued him when he was 2 years old and he had spent long spells of time in a 2ft by 4ft cage. He was used to spending time on his own and the kitchen he lounges about in now is luxury by comparison.

The reason we wanted to rescue rather than get a puppy was because a puppy needs fed 4 times a day, about every 4 hours. Puppys left alone will usually chew as well so you can leave them in large shed or a garage (heated at this time of year!) to minimise the damage to your kitchen.

I think you'll be fine if it's only 5 days a month he'll be left a full day. Maybe just get your Mum to pop in at lunchtime for these 5 days.