Comments on: Dog Contemplation

By: kim

kim — Mon, 25 Jun 2012 19:27:38 +0000

This dog was sent to prison for killing the governor’s cat! Bad dog.

http://img.gawkerassets.com/img/17qkgz3d86qx6jpg/medium.jpg

By: kim

kim — Mon, 25 Jun 2012 18:43:03 +0000

Oops. the above block quote was meant to reference one of the above comments, but I misused the HTML tag.

“and finally- insider tip. if you are really serious, but seriously on the fence, consider becoming a volunteer at the humane society or similar style shelter. go walk some dogs and clean up some poop- you will learn a lot about dogs and yourself- and you might even find the love of your life in the process!”

By: kim

kim — Mon, 25 Jun 2012 18:34:41 +0000

The advice seeker has hit on a crucial problem that many of face; we want pets, but live in smaller spaces. This makes it necessary to consider both the breed and age of the dog that you get. It’s actually one of the reasons that smaller dogs are becoming more popular. Smaller “purse dogs” have their advantages and disadvantages. They’re good because, like I said, a smaller dog can be housed in a smaller space. They can be bad because many of the purse dogs are over-bred in puppy mills, and people often misunderstand their natures. As always, the fault of having a “bad” dog can almost always be placed at the foot of the owner.

This is very smart advice! It gives the adopter time to consider the true pro’s and cons. Also, older dogs can be good companions as well. They may have mellowed over time and need less exercise.

By: Mary R.

Mary R. — Thu, 21 Jun 2012 23:01:17 +0000

My addition to all of this wonderful advice are these things: ROUTINE and STABILITY. It’s awesome that there are a lot of people willing to help care for your new pal, but when so many people are loving and caring and telling it what to do, it may be confused as to who to listen to, or what behaviors are acceptable. If you tell he/she to not sleep on the couch, but your roommate allows it, it might make for some problems later on. In my experience, dogs need a semi-strict kind of routine to make them happy. Once they understand what is expected of them, they will do anything for you, and once you have established that you are the pack leader, they will not dick with you, but routine is KEY. Make sure the rules are understood with all your roomies and your fellow caregivers, and don’t be afraid to put pal in his/her place if they’re being a jerk.
Also, be prepared to move with this dog! You are bound to move (in city or out) sometime in the dogs lifespan. If you commit to a dog, then full on do it, and find a place that allows pets. Nothing is sadder than all of those ads on CL that say, “Can’t have dogs in our new apartment, HAS TO GO.” There are always places to move, sometimes they might take a little longer, but it is worth it, and it is more noble to keep your unit together instead of being one of those dicks on CL.
Lastly, I second Matt’s advice on the Humane Society volunteering.

By: matt

matt — Sun, 17 Jun 2012 07:21:08 +0000

YT is nailing some good advice! I would like to second the $$ part- $400-$600 a year for a dog is pretty standard, and that’s assuming no serious injuries or illness.

I’d also like to double down on the doing research on breeds. The past 600 years has been some serious mad-scientist shit in terms of ‘designing’ dog breeds, and each breed was made with a specific task in mind. Need to heard your sheep? We have a dog for that. Need to retrieve your freshly shot duck? We have a dog for that? Need to keep rats out of the barn? you get the picture, but the point is is that there is some deep stuff behind this all. And the weird catch is that almost every desirable trait that a breed has is coupled with an obnoxious one: The super smart Border Collies/German Shepherds, etc can be taught just about anything- easily, but they are neurotic maniacs. The almost wolf dogs (Husky, Malamute, etc) will bond with you hard in a wolf pack sort of way, but then constantly try to run away to go hunt the neighborhood cats and squirrels. Labs are loyal, loving, and smart, but have so much god damn energy that if you can’t run them enough they will literally eat your house. So do lots of homework before you get a dog that looks cool but you later realize just wasn’t designed to fit your lifestyle. And that includes mixes.

and finally- insider tip. if you are really serious, but seriously on the fence, consider becoming a volunteer at the humane society or similar style shelter. go walk some dogs and clean up some poop- you will learn a lot about dogs and yourself- and you might even find the love of your life in the process!