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Should I get a dog?
noir_blood
Registered User regular
Registered User regular
Pretty much the title. I seen pet threads pop up every once in a while here, and usually they get filled with great advice, so I'm looking to have some knowledge, and perhaps just hard facts dumped on me.
The gist;
The GF and I just recently moved to a 2 bedroom apartment on the first floor. The space, plus the fact the management pet fee/deposit are a hell of a lot more reasonable than our old place has made us consider getting a pet.
Due to school, work, there's some days when neither of us get home till around 7 pm. This alone I know means a puppy is out of the equation, but does it remove us from dogs altogether?
There's not a specific breed that we're attached to, so any type of dogs you guys recommend that would be good apt dogs? I'm mostly worried about barking, as I don't want to become THAT neighbor.
Also, where should we be looking for one? Once again, thanks to PA I know better than going to something like the mall pet store so where should I look for?
The gist;
The GF and I just recently moved to a 2 bedroom apartment on the first floor. The space, plus the fact the management pet fee/deposit are a hell of a lot more reasonable than our old place has made us consider getting a pet.
Due to school, work, there's some days when neither of us get home till around 7 pm. This alone I know means a puppy is out of the equation, but does it remove us from dogs altogether?
There's not a specific breed that we're attached to, so any type of dogs you guys recommend that would be good apt dogs? I'm mostly worried about barking, as I don't want to become THAT neighbor.
Also, where should we be looking for one? Once again, thanks to PA I know better than going to something like the mall pet store so where should I look for?
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As for the breed, I'd advise against a pure breed in any case. Taking breeding too far has ruined many a great breed of dog.
Occasionally getting in fairly late is not a dealbreaker. Don't forget you can also choose to get up a little earlier for a quick (or even a longer) walk in the morning. However, seeing as you don't have a garden, do not an energetic dog, certainly not a working dog. They'll go nuts if they have to sit in an apartment all day.
Many, many people that have 9-5 jobs have dogs, 8 hours not really that bad as long as you pay lots of attention to them otherwise. I also suggest toys while you are gone so they don't make toys out of your furniture.
The pound, rescues, and Craigslist are all valid places to find animals. All have pros and cons. Example: With the pound you're saving the life of a dog. Also, it will usually have all vet work current and be altered. Con: it's hard to determine the personality of a dog from a pound, it can take up to 6 months for a shelter animal to relax.
As for good breeds, don't get a hound in an apartment if you don't want to be "that guy." My best friend tried to live in apartments with her basset/beagle mix. So many noise complaints.
Also, I'm pretty sure you're aware but, dogs are expensive. I spend about 20-30 a month on food and just since January I've payed $450 to my vet between the two of them.
Layla: Spay, 3 vaccines, heart worm test, heart worm prevention meds, city tags, wellness checkup.
Alton Brown: Dental cleaning (this is actually scheduled for the 1st and I have been quoted 250$, it may be more.
Plus I take Alton to the groomers twice a year at 30$ a visit. Again, that's really inexpensive as I go to a local independent groomer and not Petco or some such place.
I'm lucky that my vet is AWESOME and inexpensive. Shop around for a vet. The vet my friend goes to quoted 800$ for a dental for my dog and charges twice as much for an office visit. Plus I hate all the vets there.
My dogs:
Alton Brown sporting his new haircut
Layla (Her old owners named her and I didn't change it) after playing Tug of War with the neighbor dog.
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Do you have any friends with dogs? Might they be traveling any time soon? My husband and I had been talking about maybe getting a dog for a couple of months but it was dog sitting that made me really sure that it was a good idea in our living situation.
As to what kind of dog would be a good idea, what is your life like? Do you have people over all the time? Do you like to go hiking on the weekends? Do you have a consistent schedule? Some dogs live for routine, others think that breaks from routine are the best thing ever. Some dogs like meeting new people constantly, others don't.
Look for a shelter where people are interacting with the dogs most of the day or a rescue where the dogs are living with people. These sorts of places will know a lot more about the personalities of their dogs and be able to introduce you to some dogs that will fit into your lifestyle rather than just tell you about some breed stereotypes. There are lazy border collies and hyper greyhounds out there, it doesn't matter if 99% of the dogs of a certain breed are one way if you get the oddball. I would suggest finding a few of these places and contacting them and asking if any of their dogs are right for you. Much better than falling in love with a dog's profile on petfinder and later figuring out that it isn't the right dog for you.
Craigslist is hit or miss, there are good people with good dogs they just can't keep, there are people trying to dump their dog on the first person who shows interest who will lie to you and there are puppy mills selling the puppies that didn't sell through other venues. On craigslist, it is a good sign if the people want to meet everyone that will be living with the dog (maybe multiple times) and have you over to their house and probably also want to sell all of the dog's toys/supplies along with the dog. Definitely look at craigslist but be a little suspicious and don't fall in love without meeting the dog and it's current owners.
Another issue to consider is vet expenses. Not just the routine stuff, but can you afford an emergency visit, surgery, etc?
Then there is the time required to care for, exercise, and interact with the dog. Do you have the time to do those things?
A lot of rescue organizations will have an adoption application that will run through a good list of questions that you should consider.
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How many days a week would the dog be alone for that long? If the answer is more than one I'd advise that you wait for schedules to allow, especially around the time you first bring it home. If it's because one or both of you are students, it'll pass.
Are you guys married to the idea of getting a dog? Seems like a couple of cats would work out better in your situation. Two cats are pros at entertaining themselves and are still cheaper, quieter, and easier to care for than one medium-sized dog.
I actually agree with this unless you've been together a few years.
I also wouldn't feel comfortable having a dog in an apartment (unless it's a really small indoor breed I guess) without a bigass park and/or forest close by with good walking possibilities. I'm thinking of the dogs well being here.
Dog food, vet appointments and general dog accessories can also be quite a strain on your economy. This is more a question of your well being.
Just my two cents.
As to the apartment thing, breed size does not necessarily correlate to exercise requirements. Jack russels are 15-20 lbs and there are border collies and aussies under 30lbs and all of those dogs need a ton of exercise. Retired greyhounds on the other hand are 80-100lbs and very happy as a couch potato.
In addition, among my friends I have noticed that in many cases the dogs belonging to people who don't have yards actually get more exercise because those owners walk their dog while the people with yards just let their dog outside and assume it is exercising itself.
Also, there are breeds that are great for apartments, like Pugs. Pugs can't be outside dogs anyhow because of their smooshed little faces and it isn't recommended that you exercise them too hard. I give mine 3 or 4 outside potty walks a day, but most or her exercise is indoors playing Tug or Rip-Open-The-Toy-To-Find-The-Sqeaker(her favorite game).
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Good observation. I have been told this by a dog trainer and by some friends that work at a doggy daycare. They both also said that people with fenced yards are more likely to start ignoring their dogs than people that have to take them out on a leash to poo.
I can third this, having had my pup in a house with a yard and now an apartment. I didn't "ignore" my pup, but he does get more exercise now that I am forced to take part in it. Also means I am getting more as well, which is a good side effect.