Hi,
So I am assuming that you've opened this thread because you're thinking about getting a puppy or a dog? You might even have decided on the breed (or rescue center) you would like. Maybe you already have a cat or a goldfish or similar pet but feel like it's time to won a "real companion"?

Well, I (and everyone else who is about to post on this thread) was in the same position once. And we're here to tell you why you SHOULDN'T get a dog or a puppy.

Why are we doing this? FOR YOU!

Every year, people just like you get a dog or a puppy with all of the good intentions that go with it, yet EVERY year, thousands of dogs and puppies (just like the one you're planning on getting, and possibly even the one you do end up getting) end up in rescue centers, victims of road accidents or euthanised (i.e. killed by a vet at the request of the owner). It's no good thinking that this won't be you, because frankly; that's what everyone else thought when they got their dog! So obviously, people end up changing their minds (or their circumstances change it for them), and you're not immune from that. Only a fool would think they were.

We're going to ignore all of the so called 'good points' about having a dog in this thread...you obviously know what they are, otherwise you wouldn't be here.

In this thread, we're going to discuss the truth. The stuff that can wear you down and make you feel like giving up...and then eventually doing just that!

In each and every reply over the next few pages, you will experience one good reason from each member why you shouldn't have a dog. Their experiences shouldn't be taken lightly. It's our real lives with our real dogs...not the fantasy you are imagining right now. If our dogs were humans, you could say that we've been down the aisle, honeymooned, bought the first house, lost the first job, had the visits from the bailiffs, discovered the first affair (as well as the first hidden credit card bill) and are about to experience the second shoplifting teenage son as you are still giddily hearing "Here comes the bride"!

The replies in this thread are the awful truth about owning a dog. We hope it helps you avoid making a mistake that both you (and your new pet) end up regretting!

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Here's my one reason...

Are you really, truly prepared to pick up **** everyday for the next 15 years? Owning a dog isn't like years ago. You can no longer just let them run free in the local area, or even in the local park. When you take your dog out for a walk you will need to carry plastic bags and keep a careful eye out for when they do a number 2 (average 2-3 each walk). You then need to pick this up in a plastic bag and carry it until you reach a poo bin (you cannot legally put them in ordinary bins) or your own bin. And that's not all. In your own garden, on your own lawn, your dog will poo about 2-3 times per day. The rain doesn't wash it away (like cat poo). If you don't remove it, you cannot mow the lawn and you certainly can't walk/sunbathe/barbecue on it (and neither can your partner or kids for that matter!).
Sometimes it's windy, sometimes it's snowing with sub-zero temperatures, sometimes it's very dark, wet and muddy. Your dog will still poo and you will still have to pick it up. Leaving it until the next day is like leaving the dishes undone...it just gets harder and harder to clean up.

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Well obviously we all love owning dogs and find it very rewarding sharing our homes - but in the spirit of this thread and talking about what I've found challenging here goes.

Zipper has destuffed a sofa and chewed a hole in the garden fence , he's a 18lb Shih Tzu cross

Lilly wee's when left alone if she feels stressed and has ruined 2 carpets that we've had to replace , she's a 9lb Maltese cross

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A dog Possesses Beauty, Without Vanity,Strength without Insolence, Courage without Ferocity, And all the Virtues of Man, Without his Vices.

Aww, I love my doggy, he's great

But he has given me a black eye from jumping up, and burnt my hands by running off on a long line. Ouch!

- everytime you take them to the vet for check ups for smaller problems such as minor injuries, infections or upset tummies (though small, still need to be seen) it would cost you maybe £30-40 and you can't get it back on your insurance cos the excess is probably £50-70. You might sometimes end up doing this twice a month (one week bad tummy, next week ear mite)..so you'd better have spare cash for this!

- if they happen to be sick or have diarrhea when you are not home...be ready to clean up the house of horror

- they might wake you up 6 am every morning and you HAVE to get up otherwise they might have an accident on your carpet or in their crate...or for some dogs they would not stop barking until you are up!

hmm i am sure i will think of some more later

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My collie cross opening the cupboards and eating all the food! Puppies getting into your expensive shoes and chewing them to pieces, and one time my pup ate my purse, and the £100 that was in it. Ahhhh but i must say i still laughed Because....theyre worth it. hehe

my sister told me a couple days ago her chow chow chew through three pairs of her shoes and boots...worth about £150 or more each pair

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So there you go...within 20 minutes of this thread going live, we're already up to a garden that cannot be used, carpets and fences that need replacing and black eyes.

Here's reason number 4 (might be reason number 5 if someone else posts first):

The mess and untidiness
You don't have to be a clean freak to notice the mess created by a dog. If you currently own cats and think that you're used to it...think again.
If your other half (or you) goes mad when the remote control is left on the floor, or the dishes are left in the sink, then you should DEFINITELY think again.
If you're lucky, you'll have a non-moulting breed, in which case you will only have to put up with the dirty marks on the walls, half chewed off wall paper, toys and bones scattered everywhere, scratch marks on the doors, filthy carpets, really filthy patio doors, fresh mud on the floors and couches and chewed up letters/toilet rolls.
If you have a moulting breed (i.e. most breeds) you can add "hair everywhere" to each of the above.
Can you put up with it? Can your other half? Will your marriage last? This is NOT an exaggeration. Search this forum and you'll see loads of posts where the OH has said "It's me or the dog!"

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Lol. Bet she was gutted! But if you look at it in a positive way, you can then buy more shoes as you have the space. lol. Yeh i was gutted though, they were my fave wedges, but i never wore them

The things I don't love so much... having to decline days/nights out/holidays/drinking sessions with friends and family because there's no-one to watch the dogs and kennels for 3 dogs would be extremely expensive.

Toilet training. I cannot begin to express how long this takes and when you think your 8 month pup has got it (bearing in mind you've been doing the training for the past 6 months) they suddenly revert back to being 12 weeks old and you have to start all over again.

You only have experience with friendly dogs. What do you do when you get a dog aggressive dog? You rack your brains trying to figure out where you went wrong - but you can't think of anything. You've raised this dog the same way you raised your extremely friendly GSD. Nobody will have you at training classes because of her aggressiveness and the only behaviourist in your area charges through the roof.

Picking poop up is definitely not a nice job but when you times it by 3 it's a constant battle and some parts of your garden have become 'no go' zones.

Your clothing becomes covered in fur no matter what you do. You put it in the washing machine and it comes out with even more fur!! How is this even possible????

Chewing. The bane of my life.

Oh another one for house breaking; wooden flooring. All well and good but pee warps the wooden floor. NICE.

The violent poop your pup projects after something they scoffed on their walk the day before. It stinks, you retch and you thank God she did it on the leather settee and not the fabric one.

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