Real world logistics of dog ownership

They take a lot of time. Imo dogs aren't something to be fitted in around other life. They have to be one of the main features. That's not to say it can't be done but in a family situation everyone needs to be on board. Our dog pretty much effects everything. Holidays, evenings out, work, mealtimes, exercise. It's a bit frustrating when you can't do something because of the dog but that's the life. We often do things alone that we used to do together. As training progresses those things are reducing but I can't see that situation ever fully going away

You could try fostering as a try out. Lots of rescue charities do this now rather sticking dogs into kennels. You'll be helping the dog, and you won't be committing to the next 15 years.

Assuming you are thinking about a puppy, the problem would be in the first few months - being left alone all day for three days a week wouldn't be fair on it. How long would those days look like (ie, what time is everyone out of the house and back in)? Also, bear in mind a dog really should have a couple of walks a day - when are you going to fit those in? Will the teenager help (they should)? But, on the face of it, I think you might be better off with a cat.

FWIW, we have a dog, when she was a pup we made sure she was never left for more than about three hours. Now she is older, we'll leave her 'all day' a couple of times a week but even then there is always someone in from about 3.45pm onwards so it isn't a long full day. I do all the weekday morning walks and lunchtime walks when I am WFH. Evening walks are a mix of my wife or the kids if they haven't anything on. At the weekend it depends on what we are doing, but we try to involve her in something longer and more stimulating.

We have two dogs; between us there's always one of us at home on a given day; although I'm sure they would be happy to have a day home alone; neither of them struggle with separation anxiety.

We kennelled them for the first time a few weeks ago for a family event (that meant our usual dog-sitter was unavailable); they were both fine. I'm not a fan, but you can't totally give your life over to them 🙂

Holidays for us are almost always UK based in dog friendly accommodation; but I don't think that feels limiting - I've never been one for going and baking on a beach somewhere hot - I'd far prefer to take the dog for a run / walk and head to a pub for some food.

I generally look after the dog exercising - our youngest likes to go for a run; our older dog is quite happy to walk to the end of the road and come back (I don't force her; she's lazy :)) - but we've also got the benefit of a large garden they can roam around in all day; and that takes a lot of their energy out especially in summer when the weather is good.

House training is hard work; even though I've done it a few times now it never feels like it gets easier !

Neighbourhood networks help! I've got a bunch of people nearby who my dog knows well (socialised with the older dogs when he was a pup, socialised with the younger dogs when they were pups) so my dog hangs out with them for days im in the office (once every 2 weeks)

I was not dog person until one day 2 years ago Layla was presented as a fait accompli. As Nick said plan to plan around the dog. I can’t bear to put Layla into a kennels which has meant that my ability to travel and stay away from home has reduced. Working from home or being flexible about where you work from is a big advantage. We offer our employees the opportunity to bring their dogs to work. And having dogs around the office has generally been well received. 

Our dog is 8, I mostly work from home - so the longest she's ever been left is about 5 hours (and that is very infrequent). She likes one big walk a day, although she is definitely slowing down now she's getting a bit older...would previously happily do 6-7 miles but now bales before 4 (she knows all the ways home!).

As above, holidays are always dog friendly, as are pubs/weekend activity. When we need to go away overnight for a wedding/work/whatever she will stay with one of our parents.

Costs add up, we pay about £50 per month for Petplan insurance, her groomers is £45 every 6-8 weeks, she likes chicken. We have never had a clean floor and she loses her shit at the postman or when she hears the doorbell.

Here she is in her favourite position, right now.

I think of it like having a perpetual toddler in the house, apart from the fact you can leave them for a few hours, (assuming you don't get one that's easily bored and finds their own entertainment)

Holidays, days out, medical stuff, toys and entertainment, exercise etc, it's all a similar commitment to having a young kid, for 10+ years.  All need adjustment/accommodation for the dog. There's a lot of upsides too, but definitely a life upheaval.

You are confirming my suspicions that we are probably not at the point to do this.

Assuming you get a puppy, you'll have another 12-15 years of taking care of the dog - so don't count on your teenager to help out much, as presumably s/he will want to leave home at some point...

As everyone else has mentioned, your life does end up revolving (a bit) around the dog. The dog is definitely my dog (and not the wife's), which means I can pretty much forget about having a lie-in for the next 10 years or so, we can't just head out all day as the dog will need to do her business at some point, add on another 100€ for any weekly holiday costs for kennels (and that's a very cheap rate, cash only...), etc. I love having a dog, and for me at least the benefits outweigh the downsides, but it's definitely not all positive.

They take a lot of time. Imo dogs aren’t something to be fitted in around other life.

I have family members who need to know this more, in relation to dogs and other pets / animals being kept...

Lola loves people and people love her.

For a day away various people will look in or take her.

It's rare it's needed though. Where we goes she goes generally.

She chilled on her own for 4hours one she has scraped herself a nest in the duvet.

As an example, this weekend we had my FIL's 80th, travelling to my SIL's house, they have a dog and we were having a smallish 'gathering' ~20 people. Their dog is cool with people coming into the house (as it is hers), my dog is a guard dog and has occasional problems with people, she's also not great around other dogs and food, although she's ok with this one. She's also particularly anti my MIL.

Add to that my Mum's partner ended up in hospital this weekend.

So Saturday I spent several hours with my Mum in the hospital, an evening then with my wife's family, Sunday, back to the hospital for a few hours before a 2 hour drive home.

Luckily, we have some bloody amazing friends/neighbours who we were able to leave her with and they were fine to look after her for an extended time from the original plan. But this isn't always the case. I love my dog, she's terrible and amazing but she does limit things and finding a reliable house/dog sitter is painful and expensive. Oh, and because she's now a bit older and has a long term illness her insurance tripled to over £1k this year.

And dogs get old (despite all the love and treats) and then get really clingy and want to be with you all the time when you are working AND THEN get really sad when you are not around.

I tried getting neighbours to dog-sit for my lad once and it was really hard work for them. Three years of WFH and me being around him all the time meant that, as he got deafer, more frail and more blind, changes in environment and people were more and more difficult. I really could not put him through that again.

But, as said above, your life centers around them. Walking has to happen whatever the rain and, amazingly, carpet and floor colour choice revolves around them, as do decisions on things like robot vacuums. You do get to meet and become friends with a lot of new people and it will probably take you several years to know they are called Andy instead of "Monty's dad" or, shit, the guy that owns Freddy. Can't remember his name, but know his dog.

Anyway, back on topic. Hotels and places to stay have to be dog friendly, trips have to have stops for toilet breaks, you'll always find poo bags in pockets and you will always want to have at least two more than you will think you need.

Ralph died a month ago. I still miss him so much.

Loan dog is way forward for us. Lost our westie this year. Look after sons dog when he's at work 4 on 4 off. Without him I'm sure the passing of Archie would have hit us harder.

Edit why can't I upload pics now?

In your situation I wouldn't get a dog.  That's not preaching, dogs are there to enhance our lives not the other way around (plenty would disagree). The lifestyle that you have wouldn't be enhanced, you would have to make some compromises.  Breed choice would mitigate that but if it is all likely to fall on you...

We have three dogs - lagotto's - relatively active breed. My wife is at home and takes care of them. If we both worked it would be much more difficult and at the puppy stage possibly not feasible. The dogs are great, but at their best when your lifestyle accomodates what they naturally want to do. If we neglet ours for a couple of days then they quickly tell us.

We have one, a greyhound, Eric, we got him when he was 5 years old, he is brilliant.
We were very careful about the breed we selected, whilst I work from home 3 or 4 days per week, I have a busy job so couldn't be giving the dog constant attention. We also went in with our eyes open that our lives would change and that we may not be able to do all the things we used to.
For us, it's been a hugely positive experience. Holidays have changed, we now do more in the UK and said trips are based around quiet beaches and country pubs, both things we adore anyway.
We go "out out" less, instead going to cafes and pubs where the dog can come with us and getting home earlier. We're also lucky in that we've both always done things independently so it's easy for one of us to stay at home with him and one to go out.
Going back to the breed, we chose an adult greyhound as they are lazy as sin and aren't the sharpest tools on the box. He can, and often does sleep for 20 hours per day, doesn't need much exercise (though will do 5 miles of walking if pushed) and doesn't need constant mental stimulation.
Eric can be left for 4 or maybe 5 hours tops and is OK with that, he could probably do more but we don't think that's fair on him. Because he's very laid back and calm our elderly parents are quite happy looking after him, they can't walk far which works for him!
Walking has never been an issue, a love our morning walks, and taking him out at lunch or the evening is never a chore either, but I know others may not find it quite as enjoyable.
So yes, it can work, but things will have to change and you need to decide if that's something you're happy with or not.

Our life revolves around dogs and horses.  It's not really a case of logistics, it's a purposeful lifestyle choice.  Though I don't remember having much of a say in the horse...  It can feel like hard work sometimes and we chose to have a very energetic, high maintenance breed (GSP's) but I couldn't imagine life without them.  I am lucky in that I can take them to work and they love coming out on the hill or running with me.  So they compliment my lifestyle and adding them wasn't that seismic a change.  The horse on the other hand...  Is there a support group for abandoned husbands?

You don’t become a dog owner, you become the dog entertainment manager in my experience. Also, dog butler, snack supplier and therapist.
If other members of your family are saying they will take a full and responsible part of these roles they are lying.

I also cohabit with GSPs. They laugh in my face when I suggest there’s a chain of command.

If other members of your family are saying they will take a full and responsible part of these roles they are lying.

100%!!!

I’d love to explain the chain of command to these two idiots but they never sit still for long enough. And if they are sitting still they’re asleep so not paying attention anyway.

The other side to all this is that our Lurcher is almost 15 now and is and always has been (from about 6months) very happy to lie in the garden or her outside kennel when we are at work. She sleeps all day. During COVID I think she was the most relieved when we went back to work she finally got some peace and quiet.

Every minute of every day has this goofball factored into it, that has been the case for over 6 years now

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Hes ok alone for around 90 minutes. Needs 2hr exercise a day minimum, plus play/brain games/general affection on top of that.

the vet bills can be eye watering - make sure you take out top level insurance

Our two come to work with me and will just lay in their beds in the back of my van with the side door open quite happily.
They get walked first thing, at lunch and again in the evening.
Holidays are always dog friendly and we have been to many places we wouldn’t have been had it not been for the dogs. Both my kids have said that the most memorable holidays have been when we’ve gone camping with them.
I was never allowed a pet as a kid so as soon as I was in my own place I had a dog. It gets me out of the house to witness nature and sunrises/sunsets and so many other things I would never have seen had I not had a dog. Definitely man’s best friend!!
Edit

the vet bills can be eye watering – make sure you take out top level insurance

most definitely this ^^^

MrsRNP and I are the proud guardians of Bert, I have said it many time to people he is the 2nd best thing I've done other than marrying MrsRNP.

Mother nature decided children weren't for us so he gets the love instead.

If I had children I don't think I'd have enough love and time to give him the fulfilled life he has.

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A consideration is holidays. We used to travel the World with abandon - we now tend to holiday in Scotland as we can take the dogs. We recently had a week without them - £700 for a dogsitter who came and lived in our house. Kennels might be cheaper, but both ours are rescues, had a bad life until joining us, and to be honest dumping them at kennels seems an awful idea.
Wouldn't be without them, but out lives have changed for sure. And we didn't have kids so we could be selfish 😀
That said, the beaches of South Uist a few months back really were improved by having them along...

They can be a pain but so much fun everyday when I come through in the dark and hear the tail machine gunning against the floor or the sofa my heart melts. Today was her cuddled up to the cushions on her back fully outstretched.

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I miss my dog, but I don’t miss being a dog owner.

If other members of your family are saying they will take a full and responsible part of these roles they are lying.

This, speaking as the Stereoptypical "Dad who was bullied into getting the dog but is now the primary dog walker and best mates with the dog"

Yeah having a dog will alter pretty much all aspects of your life, but the balance for us is overwhelmingly positive.

It is possible to have a dog and to work, our dog goes to doggy day care all for 3 days a week (which he loves), and the other days one of us at home. They aren't cheap though, so that costs us £25 a day (I don't dare try and work out how much a year!!) , but on balance he's worth paying that to us.

The first few weeks can be hard, we were able to take leave so one of us was around for the first month, but we were able to get him in a routine fairly quickly. Also going to day care / socialising from a young age is good for them.

We wouldn't leave him any more than 3 hrs in the day. In the evening when he's generally less active, and as he's older we might leave him for 4 hours or so if we were going out in the evening.

And double yes for insurance, we've had 8k worth of vet bills in a little over a year! We only had to pay around £300 of it.

You'll never be able to have a cheeky snack in peace ever again!

Yep. Charlie can hear you bite the end off a carrot from the other side of the house. And if you start scraping the bottom of a yoghurt pot he'll be there in a flash.

our dog goes to doggy day care all for 3 days a week (which he loves), and the other days one of us at home. They aren’t cheap though, so that costs us £25 a day (I don’t dare try and work out how much a year!!)

£25 a day is £75 a week * 52 = £3,900 a year. Sorry.

It does sound like a dog would be a burden unless there were changes in your current lifestyle. Covid changed our lifestyle and since then we've raised puppies which has worked out fairly well but they have become a key element of our lives.

One option you may want to consider is volunteering for guide dogs as a boarder/foster. You look after a dog whilst the raiser is on holiday etc. Can give you a taste of what having a dog entails without full commitment and you will get training too.

If you aren't sure then the answer is probably not the right time for the dog.

The two big things that make dog ownership easier for us is adopting two dogs together who are past puppy training age, and a dogflap into a secure garden big enough for zoomies.

The two big things that make dog ownership easier for us is adopting two dogs together who are past puppy training age, and a dogflap into a secure garden big enough for zoomies.

I wish we had a direct access to our garden. She loves just sitting out sniffing the air but shared path means we can't leave the dog open or we have a 6yearold and two greyhounds wander in.

@The-Beard

Our life revolves around dogs and horses...
...The horse on the other hand… Is there a support group for abandoned husbands?

Waves!!! 👋 👋

I'll join the support group! It's that timeless nature horse people have - "I'm just popping to change rugs" - 4 hours later!... 🤣

Any pet rules your life - if you are used to a care-free way of life keep it that way.

I wish we had a direct access to our garden. She loves just sitting out sniffing the air but shared path means we can’t leave the dog open or we have a 6yearold and two greyhounds wander in.

You keep your 6 year old outside? I was tempted, when my kids were small, but never brave enough to try it out.

As someone said dogs don't fit round your life, it's the other way around.

We adopted a 2 1/2 yo Greyhound 3 years ago almost to the day, he needs considering when we do stuff, usually my mum does pet sitting duties but his former foster runs a boarding service (where he's currently getting spoiled rotten whilst I'm on a work trip).

You're absolutely on the money and my thought process was the same. In theory my wife should have been permenant WFH but as we all know many companies reneged on that promise so she works 3 days a week. I WFH 3 days a week and occasionally do trips but we manage well enough. He fits in and we make the effort to make it work, YMMV depending on circumstances.

Plenty of good advice already.

One thing I'll add is that I've experienced more issues/aggression with other dogs/owners in the last 12 months than in all my previous years of owning/walking dogs combined. I can't help but feel a lot of this is due to people getting a dog during Covid and having no idea of the responsibilities and demands, all of which bundles up into ignorance and bad habits.

I've never been one to harm a dog, but I've recently had to be 'physically assertive' to shield mine (on a lead) from others that have got shirty. The owners usually say crap like "Oh, he doesn't like other dogs on a lead... he seems to want to go for them"... so how about you learn to keep your dog under control blah blah.

Not meant in any way to put anyone off dog ownership. Dogs rock. Just my tuppence.

My experience:

We have 2 spaniels which we love. 1 10 and 1 3.

This month I have paid £350 out for insurance, food, both needed clipping plus a couple of small items and dog training classes.

The older 1 is almost blind plus he hates the heat so we can never take him anywhere when it is likely to be anywhere near warm. He has terrible seperation anxiety and often even when you are with him he whimpers and cries making sitting in a pub a problem as it is constant and quite loud. He is in no pain and we always provide him with everything he needs so he s stimulated etc. He also has a number of benign lumps and we have paid 000's for various tests and vet visits each time we find one. Of course he is on very expensive food... We cant claim on the insurance as he has had a back problem plus one or two other things which makes the whole thing a racket in my opinion.

The younger one is pretty flightly and walking with her is not pleasurable in spite of the constant training we do and have paid for. She cant be let off the lead as we would lose her and she would almost certainly be injured or worse. If she sees a car, bird, other dog she is like a bat out of hell and her recall is quite hit and miss in spite of our best efforts. She is also a bit worrying around our 3 year old grandson which adds another element of concern.

I love my dogs but I would never have 2 at the same time again. It really curtails what we do as we would never leave them for more than a few hours at a time.

Just try to get a balanced picture as dog lovers tend to leave out the bad parts.

Charlie can hear you bite the end off a carrot from the other side of the house. And if you start scraping the bottom of a yoghurt pot he’ll be there in a flash

I had a corgi that could tell the difference between you reaching for the milk in the fridge or the cheese box, from 3 rooms away! He liked cheese, a lot. Probably more than the cheese monsters on here. On the plus side I never had a problem getting tablets into him.

We have 2 spaniels which we love. 1 10 and 1 3.

They're unusual names...

One thing I’ll add is that I’ve experienced more issues/aggression with other dogs/owners in the last 12 months than in all my previous years of owning/walking dogs combined. I can’t help but feel a lot of this is due to people getting a dog during Covid and having no idea of the responsibilities and demands, all of which bundles up into ignorance and bad habits.

ditto, i put it down to a whole generation of dogs who never got socialised properly

Nothing to add, except dogs are ace.....and weird
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