to get a dog... or not...

[rh71]

I see "my" dog every once in a while when I go home to visit my parents. I just bought a house with my fiance not too far away, but we're thinking of getting a dog of our own. This is going to come as a shock to some of you guys, but the first thing I think of is... I don't think I will be able to take it when it comes time for it to pass away. 10-15 years is not a very long time and I KNOW I will get attached to (it). I don't know if I want to get close to a loved one just to have him/her die not too long from now. My parents' dog is already 6 and I think about the day his time comes... all the time...

How do you guys make a decision like that ?! Buying a dog isn't as easy as people make it out to be.

 

[BadNewsBears]

Buy a Japanese Tosa Mastiff or a Brasilian Fila Mastiff

Get the Fila!

 

[Cyberian]

Don't you and your fiance both work?

A dog/puppy really shouldn't be alone all day.

 

[rh71]

Originally posted by: Cyberian
Don't you and your fiance both work?

A dog/puppy really shouldn't be alone all day.

I work at home full-time now.

Even so, my parents' dog (I still think of him as mine) was left at home during work hours... he just sleeps all day anyway... what's the big deal ? On weekends, he gets so tired by dinner time because he never got any sleep since we're around... I think he'd much rather have his nap during the 8 hours. How many hours a day should a dog sleep ? Ours apparently gets a good 12-16 hours per day.

 

[Furyline]

If you get a puppy, it is a lot of work. Puppys will not sleep around all day and they will keep you up at night. We have a puppy right now, and if we kept a gun in the house, I don't know if that dog would still be living.
We are anxiously waiting for him to get out of the puppy stage.

 

[thedarkwolf]

Yeah I think I am going to skip the whole puppy stage next time and just get a year or two old dog. Puppys are cute as hell and fun but also a huge pain in the butt.

As for the dying part quit being a pansy. Its better to have loved and lost than to have never loved or something like that .

 

[ThaGrandCow]

are you going to never get married because you don't know if you could take it when she died? It's better to have loved and lost... etc...

 

[Vonkhan]

dont get a puppy unless u have lots of free time, patience and dont mind cleaning up poop

otherwise, its the best decision u can make!

 

[Lucky]

Bah, wait until you are married. Chances are you'll grow attached and then if you break up all hell will break loose over custody. Happened to me when I got a cat with a serious GF of about 4 years...I think she was sadder to lose the cat than to lose me. But I was determined to keep the thing.

 

[GasX]

Get a puppy!

The best part about having a puppy is whoring his picture in every dog thread...

 

[leung324]

YES!!!!
SHETLAND SHEEPDOG!!!!!!
the only dog I would keep

 

[thomsbrain]

i'd go ahead and get it. your fiance might die, too, but you're still marrying her, right? and you still see your parents even though they're gonna die. death is part of the deal, and it's a small price to pay for having had that loved one in your life.

 

[0roo0roo]

only you and your girl? better then one person i guess. esp when puppy it needs constant attention, otherwise it'll grow up to be mental basket case, and then that will give you nothing but headaches. best if you have large family so theres always people, or a buncha nice roomates.

 

[kindest]

Originally posted by: leung324
YES!!!!
SHETLAND SHEEPDOG!!!!!!
the only dog I would keep

heh i have a sheltie and a border collie.

I recommend getting 2 dogs so at least they can play together while you leave them home all day.

 

[rh71]

Wow don't compare "better to have love and lost..." with humans ... there's a bit of a difference between 80+ years and 10-15 years of a dog's expected life span. Think of it this way too... my future kid will see the dog die when he's a young adult... the same dog that he will have spent his most carefree days with.

The hardship is more on having lived with the dog for such a short amount of time, but to have loved it a lifetime's worth. I was real sad when my mom gave away another dog because of its behavior... I was about 15 at the time... the dog may as well have died, in my mind. It feels like we get short-changed. Humans can't be compared this way.

I'm all for living life to its fullest, but I don't believe in that "better to have love and lost... " stuff. I'd rather shelter myself from hurt that I KNOW will come... especially so soon. And then on the flipside, I want a damn dog to care for.

 

[thenerdguy]

Get a Cat!

 

[ElFenix]

Originally posted by: thenerdguy
Get a Cat!

yup, they won't let you get attached to them, so no problem with that

 

[GasX]

Originally posted by: rh71
Wow don't compare "better to have love and lost..." with humans ... there's a bit of a difference between 80+ years and 10-15 years of a dog's expected life span. Think of it this way too... my future kid will see the dog die when he's a young adult... the same dog that he will have spent his most carefree days with.

The hardship is more on having lived with the dog for such a short amount of time, but to have loved it a lifetime's worth. I was real sad when my mom gave away another dog because of its behavior... I was about 15 at the time... the dog may as well have died, in my mind. It feels like we get short-changed. Humans can't be compared this way.

I'm all for living life to its fullest, but I don't believe in that "better to have love and lost... " stuff. I'd rather shelter myself from hurt that I KNOW will come... especially so soon. And then on the flipside, I want a damn dog to care for.

Dude, 10 years is a LONG time.

 

[Shawn]

Get a cat, they take care of themselfs.

 

[ZaneNBK]

Get a Macaw. They live like 60+ years or something and by year 10-15 you'll wish it was dead already.

*roommate has a macaw that screams like a banshee for attention*

 

[jw791]

Yup, my dog is going to die in 8-12 years, too.

Will I be devastated? Sure. I'll probably be depressed for a long time.

Is it worth the price of an awesome friend for 10-14 years? Absolutely.

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