Dog justification

[GonaSovereign]

Dogs are 999 times out of 1000 a reflection of the people they live with.

Random stuff happens. I've got the scars to prove it.

There are very few things one can do to improve one's own soul. Adopting an older, shelter dog is one of them. Puppies are good, too.

Anyone who rides a bike understands reward comes after effort. The same is true of dogs. Don't half-ass having a dog.

I've lived and breathed bikes and racing for more than 40 years, but would sell them all and give up pedalling if I had to choose between cycling and a dog.

[cadence90]

Originally Posted by GonaSovereign

Dogs are 999 times out of 1000 a reflection of the people they live with.

Random stuff happens. I've got the scars to prove it.

There are very few things one can do to improve one's own soul. Adopting an older, shelter dog is one of them. Puppies are good, too.

Anyone who rides a bike understands reward comes after effort. The same is true of dogs. Don't half-ass having a dog.

I've lived and breathed bikes and racing for more than 40 years, but would sell them all and give up pedalling if I had to choose between cycling and a dog.

Bravo. Well put.
.

[benb]

I think your kids called you out on being a serial bike flipper if they thought to say you’d just sell a bike after buying it!

[jamesdak]

Originally Posted by CNY rider

More likely a stupid owner problem than a stupid dog problem.

Actually both, LOL! I mean they should have controlled it but it was stupid enough to run right into my front wheel.

[redir]

Get the dog

I was a boy with a dog. Girl with dog same thing. A dog and a child growing up together is a wonderful thing.

[djg21]

Originally Posted by duff_duffy

How can I possibly say no to this request...found on page 6 of 20 on why we need to get a dog!

Get one now, and a second in a couple of years. Two are easier than one. They act like dogs rather than people and entertain themselves. Get the first one trained and socialized and then bring a second one home.

Get pet insurance. I have a Vet for a father who handles my dog’s routine medical stuff, but I live a few hours away and he’s winding down his practice. He encouraged me to carry insurance. I pay $35/month for each of my two dogs, and I got it the minute I picked my dogs up from the breeder to avoid issues with preexisting conditions. It’s peace of mind knowing I won’t be forced to refuse emergency vet treatment because I can’t afford veterinary bills. I use Healthy Paws.

[cmbicycles]

Originally Posted by duff_duffy

Oh, and I’ve already had a serious conversation with her about American made titanium bikes vs carbon....she apologized to the forum members for inadequate research on the Trek model lines.

Lemond made ti bikes, and they were part of Trek's offerings, so on a historical technicality I have to award one dog credit point as Trek did sell ti bikes (as Lemond).

We are on our third rescue pooch. The first 2 we got together. They were 2-3 years old, and were great dogs. One has been with us now for going on 12 years, the other we had to euthanize due to health issues several months ago. We got dog/thing #3 two months ago from the spca... and he was 6mo old. We went into it with the understanding that we were fostering at first. He has started to display some aggression issues that we are working on correcting, and the whole family is on board with both the training and the understanding that if he worsens and starts snapping or biting we will not keep him.

Thankfully our older dog helps keeps him in line. He barks and growls mainly at me and any visitors, once or twice at my daughters until he realized who they were (Duh!). My older dog realized that he was barking at me one night (she is partly deaf so would usually just start barking with him thinking someone was at the door) and snapped at him and then sat down on my feet. He immediately stopped and went and laid down, it was funny, and effective as she is a better teacher than we are. He doesn't show any aggression towards her or other dogs, which is good. She will only be with us a couple years at most, he will hopefully learn to become a companion of the family, and eventually a part thereof. If he doesn't, then he will not be a part of the family. He is a dog, not a person, so while we will go out of our way to help him become socially responsible and trustworthy, if he worsens beyond our ability to work with him then he needs to be re-homed. I am not willing to invest $thousands into training with no guarantee of success at the expense of my families well being, in terms of time, financial and emotional well being.

[93legendti]

We got our dog 2 years ago today. Bowie is a Bergamasco Sheepdog. I needed a hypo allergenic dog. We wanted a dog that didn’t shed a lot, was good with kids, didn’t need lots of exercise and was a guard dog. You can’t walk into a shelter and find such a dog. We tried.

Our neighbors “rescued” a Great Dane, but never exercise her. She barks non stop every time she is outside. She has gotten loose and attacked 2 small dogs. She smashes into our common fence when we play in our backyard. I keep a 4’ wooden staff with me in case she jumps the 4’ fence.

I’m the one who walks Bowie every day, except for when it rains and he refuses to go outside; I am the one who plays with him outside 95% of the time; I’m the one who feeds him 50% of the time; I’m the only who who cleans up the yard. I am the one who socializes him with other dogs and children.

The truth is, he is too strong for our kids to walk and can be too strong for my wife. Sheepdogs have strong prey drives and we see deer on our walks on a weekly basis.

Good dogs are wonderful, but like a toddler that never grows up - as far as the time and energy commitment. And you get back what you put in.

We meet dogs on our daily walks that are rescues and/or do not have a daily exercise regimens and do not have strong owners. They have leash aggression and/or big dog aggression. The dogs that are exercised daily and have strong owners are calm, well behaved and not aggressive. When I say “strong” I mean willing to correct and know when to say “no” and “leave it”, etc.

Letting a dog outside is not exercise or socialization.

I’ve walked Bowie at 10:00pm because I couldn’t do it sooner. I always say, “it’s not his fault I was busy”.

You have to be all in. You can’t think owning a dog won’t be hard or it won’t take a lot of time and energy.

People are always telling me “your dog is so well behaved and calm”. I always tell them, it’s the breed and he gets exercised 1-2 x a day. Too many dog owners on our block are not all in. By their own admissions, their dogs can’t even say hello to us - “my dog doesn’t do well with other dogs”/“my dog doesn’t do well on his leash”.

Do research on which dog breed will be the best for your family. Rescuing a dog that doesn’t fit your family is a mistake and cruel to the dog.

[duff_duffy]

Well, an update on this post....5 months later and we have picked up our puppy! The Paceline comments and feedback helped in the process, thanks all.

[josephr]

thats worth it right there! Congrats on the new addition to the family!

[Louis]

Pets are the best, even when they leave puddles by the door or chew on your chair and table legs...

Edit: just saw this in the NY Times: https://nyti.ms/2OgTcvx

"How to Clean the Most Common Dog Messes"

[Ken Robb]

Originally Posted by C40_guy

I never wanted a dog. Neither did my wife. Our teenage daughter pushed for one for a while, and finally, she stuck a photo of a cavachon puppy in front of us and we were done.

9 years later...it was one of the best things we ever did. He is a part of our life and has made it richer and more interesting.

You should consider pet insurance as part of your pet budget. It may keep you from having to pay out of pocket for those unexpected expenses. A puppy eating a sock can turn into a $2000 expense...

My wife taught me about pet insurance: it may very well cost you more than you get back BUT: it's wonderful to feel free to go to the vet with anything that makes you wonder if your dog REALLY needs to go and if something comes up that would require a BIG expense it's nice to be relieved of thinking "can we afford this?"

[Louis]

Originally Posted by Ken Robb

My wife taught me about pet insurance: it may very well cost you more than you get back BUT: it's wonderful to feel free to go to the vet with anything that makes you wonder if your dog REALLY needs to go and if something comes up that would require a BIG expense it's nice to be relieved of thinking "can we afford this?"

True, but in general, routine pet medical care (including all the procedures my three cats have ever needed over many years of cat ownership) is ridiculously inexpensive compared to a) human health-care, and b) how important they are to me and how much I would actually be willing to pay to keep them healthy.

[Scuzzer]

Congrats! Puppy time with my kids is one of the best times we shared even if it was sometimes exasperating.

[pcxmbfj]

Originally Posted by angryscientist

i'd echo this. Shelters are filled with dogs because kids wanted them, and puppies are too cute to resist, but the reality is that dogs, and puppies especially are a ton of work, and can be painfully expensive if some health issues arise. They will try your patience, chew your furniture and pee on your rugs. If you're not 100% in, you shouldnt let yourself be persuaded.

I'm a dog lover 100%, and believe that dogs enrich people's lives like nothing/no one else can.

It's my view that once you make the commitment to take a dog in - they are part of the family and need to be treated as such. No matter what they do, they'll always be family.

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