Talk me off the ledge
- Thread starter A. Nonymous
- Start date
My sheltie has access to the house 24-7, whether I'm there or no... Let her out to do her business in the morning and night, and when I'm around mid-day (yes, I'm always around at some point). My cats get into more things than she does. She sleeps by my bed, too, so maybe this is an exception 
I'm not able to come home in the middle of the day on a regular basis which means if the dog was crated in the house, he'd be crated for 9+ hours at a time and sometimes longer. To me that's just beyond cruel. So, I'd rather they have a warm/cool place to hang out in the garage if they want and have access to the yard through a dog door to do their business.
Went down to the pound today and eyeballed a basset hound there which is what I really want. They told me this particular guy is extremely possessive about his food bowl (which I can relate to), but didn't have any information on him otherwise.
I confess that part of my second thoughts is the maintenance. I love how fish are fairly low maintenance pets once you get started. It takes me an hour a week to change the water in all 4 of my tanks (and usually less than that) and that's about it. I could stand to lose some weight and a dog would make an awesome walking companion to me. The maintenance and the time/money investment on a dog are the big cons to me at this point.
Went down to the pound today and eyeballed a basset hound there which is what I really want. They told me this particular guy is extremely possessive about his food bowl (which I can relate to), but didn't have any information on him otherwise.
I confess that part of my second thoughts is the maintenance. I love how fish are fairly low maintenance pets once you get started. It takes me an hour a week to change the water in all 4 of my tanks (and usually less than that) and that's about it. I could stand to lose some weight and a dog would make an awesome walking companion to me. The maintenance and the time/money investment on a dog are the big cons to me at this point.
I would say....get a male black lab. My family has only ever had, bred and raised black labs, and they are my favorite ever. I say a male because every single male that we have had has been waaaaay more obedient and loyal than the females. They are extremely affectionate, and when you train them once, they never go back on that. The females on the other hand are typically more destructive and unruly. There were a few exceptions, but overall thats how it is.
I love big dogs also because you can waller all over them and love on them and stuff, and they love it. They are great inside dogs and SUPER obedient and calm when you need them to be. As long as you give them time at least 3 or 4 times a week to go crazy in the back yard with you, run around, play tug of war, stuff like that, they are the most rewarding pet i have ever had. They have their own hilarious personalities, but at the same time, they aren't high maintenance and A.D.D. or out-of-control hyper like a lot of terriers are. When they are puppies they can be trying, what with the chewing, occasional digging, and just learning the time and the place to do things.
My dogs are sometimes in their pins for over 9 hours when we don't plan ahead for an unexpected event or something, but they are trained well and are really good about being patient for us to come home and let them out to waller with. As long as you be sure to make up for it with a treat or two, they're fine with it (within reason tho, don't just leave them in there for a whole day thinking you'll make up for it later). A few of the dogs i would trust to have free roam of the house while im gone, but not all.
I also love sharing a bed or the couch with them, they are so much fun. I am more attached to them than i am to almost everybody i know. They will become your little shadows eventually and you will love it.
On the other hand, if you aren't willing to go through the hard work of training, giving them room for mistakes, and the mishaps, then you should not get a dog. Training them is the most difficult aspect of having a dog, especially a dog like a black lab, but once you do it is such a rewarding experience. Most people underestimate how much it takes to train a dog. You probably think you are ready, but just wait until 3 o'clock in the morning when you smell something aweful and have to go clean up a puppy's mess. So before getting one, take into consideration that there will be times when you think you have made a mistake getting him, but the unconditional love they give you after all the work you pour into them makes it more than worth it in the end.
Good luck choosing
I love big dogs also because you can waller all over them and love on them and stuff, and they love it. They are great inside dogs and SUPER obedient and calm when you need them to be. As long as you give them time at least 3 or 4 times a week to go crazy in the back yard with you, run around, play tug of war, stuff like that, they are the most rewarding pet i have ever had. They have their own hilarious personalities, but at the same time, they aren't high maintenance and A.D.D. or out-of-control hyper like a lot of terriers are. When they are puppies they can be trying, what with the chewing, occasional digging, and just learning the time and the place to do things.
My dogs are sometimes in their pins for over 9 hours when we don't plan ahead for an unexpected event or something, but they are trained well and are really good about being patient for us to come home and let them out to waller with. As long as you be sure to make up for it with a treat or two, they're fine with it (within reason tho, don't just leave them in there for a whole day thinking you'll make up for it later). A few of the dogs i would trust to have free roam of the house while im gone, but not all.
I also love sharing a bed or the couch with them, they are so much fun. I am more attached to them than i am to almost everybody i know. They will become your little shadows eventually and you will love it.
On the other hand, if you aren't willing to go through the hard work of training, giving them room for mistakes, and the mishaps, then you should not get a dog. Training them is the most difficult aspect of having a dog, especially a dog like a black lab, but once you do it is such a rewarding experience. Most people underestimate how much it takes to train a dog. You probably think you are ready, but just wait until 3 o'clock in the morning when you smell something aweful and have to go clean up a puppy's mess. So before getting one, take into consideration that there will be times when you think you have made a mistake getting him, but the unconditional love they give you after all the work you pour into them makes it more than worth it in the end.
Good luck choosing
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i know i couldent handle taking care of the "family dog" alone, and hes just a miniature dachshund. good thing my parents like him so much...
i think you should invest in a nice big tank, and a shark :devil:
i think you should invest in a nice big tank, and a shark :devil:
also, the pound usually has lots of black labs or some variation and mix of them, they are GREAT running dogs. I would think that a basset hound's legs would be a tad short to be too fast lol
I could dig out my entire backyard and turn it into a shark tank. Perhaps I should give some thought to this. I could feed it neighborhood children who stray into my yard or possibly the neighbors chihuahua who is constantly growling at me and and has tried to bite me a time or two. (Fortunately for me, it's a chihuahua and can't even get it's teeth into my shoe leather.)
I think the garage with access to the back yard would be much better than crating, even if you were able to come home during the day. If you have a place such as this, it would make since to use it.. 
Ask the pound if you can do a test run with the basset hound. It's origins are for hunting, so I really dont see its legs giving out on walks.
Ask the pound if you can do a test run with the basset hound. It's origins are for hunting, so I really dont see its legs giving out on walks.
Get a golden retriever. They are layed back but athletic when you want to play, and are great "fireside" dogs. I have two and absolutely love them!
I think the garage with access to the back yard would be much better than crating, even if you were able to come home during the day. If you have a place such as this, it would make since to use it..
Ask the pound if you can do a test run with the basset hound. It's origins are for hunting, so I really dont see its legs giving out on walks.
I kind of feel sorry for this particular guy. He was apparently brought in as a stray. Someone adopted him and kept him for all of 4 days. Then they thought he was too big and brought him back. I need to finish fencing off my yard first I'm afraid. I have about an 8 foot section that's unfenced.
