Dog owners - past and present - would you get another dog? - Page 3

[Funny Face]

I won't get another dog until I have too much money/time/energy/love and don't know what to do with it.

We rescued our schnauzer in his 'golden years' thinking we'd give him a good home before he died. That was 5 years ago and he's still here, peeing on anything he can and grooming costs a fortune. There also isn't enough time to go around with the kiddos.

I love him but won't put myself in that place again for a LONG time.

[tessa_s212]

EVERY child deserves a dog growing up.

Currently dogless because I can't find/afford a place to allow a dog. It's breaking my heart that DS isn't currently growing up with a doggy. But, we'll have a dog again as soon as we can responsibly afford and care for one.

[BurtsGirl]

Our current fur-baby is around 8 years old. He's THE best dog I've ever had and I'm totally afraid I've been completely spoiled with him. I voted maybe. I know DW would want another one but I'm just not so sure.

[tessa_s212]

Oh, and I just adore older dogs. I know when the time comes, it'll likely be an older dog I'd adopt. So much easier, and feels just so much better to give an old one a home.

[rhiOrion]

I can only really go on what I did last time. When our beloved Aspen got hit by a car it was several years before I got another dog. My roommate and I had moved apart the day before Aspen died (he moved in with his boyfriend and I moved in with a friend and he kept Aspen the dog, and I kept the cat), and he got a new dog pretty much right away. It's just different for different people, I guess. I knew that there was no way I could replace Aspen, and until I felt like I could get another dog without expecting that dog to BE Aspen, I knew I wasn't ready. So, several years later my DH and I got Maya, and she does get compared to Aspen, but she's NOT him, and that's OKAY. She's her own special wonderful great weird self. So I assume I'd have similar feelings if anything ever happened to her. But I don't know how much of that was Aspen's sudden death, and if it might have felt different if we'd gotten some closure.

(like others have said, I doubt I'll ever get a puppy)

ETA: Once we buy a house we may end up getting a friend for Maya anyhow. She LOVES other dogs, but two dogs and a cat in a townhouse seems like a bit much. But we're not sure, because that would mean 6 dogs when we visit my parents' house (they have two, my sister has two)

[amber913]

I could probably live without a dog, but dh can't. I'm incredibly apprehensive about another big dog puppy, though. 75lbs of puppy energy coming at you? Dear god, that part was tough! I'd be more inclined to adopt an adult big dog. I like to keep our options open, but i'm pretty sure we'll only ever have Rotties.

[zuleicamoon]

We just had to put our beloved shepherd/husky mix down a month ago. We will likely get another dog because we like to have animals with us, but I'm not ready yet and probably won't be for a while. But we added a second dog about a year ago, and if we didn't have her I'd probably need a "replacement" sooner. A house without animals just feels so empty/ lonely. That said, as much as I *love* large dogs, I won't have another that size until our kids are much older...the pitbull we have now is the perfect dog size-wise I think, and any dog that comes in to our house in the next few years will probably be of a similar size.

[Sol_y_Paz]

Dogs are the best creatures on earth as far as I am concerned.

Edited by Sol_y_Paz - 10/11/11 at 11:51pm

[gini1313]

I would wait until all my kids were much older. At least 5 years, if not more.

Of course, our dog is still young (turning 2 this month), so he will probably be with us until the kids are older as it is

[babycarrier]

Just lost my dog of almost 14 years end of October. Though I would love to have another, I miss my Buddha far too much. Still hurts to walk through the door and he is not there. He was a hundred pounds of a lot of love and a lot of care at the end. I'm sure within a couple of years we would have another dog for the boys. Dh seems to think so.

[Sierra]

This is on my mind, as we have an old dog on her way out. I am hoping we'll get through the holidays, but the vet is at the ready for our call if our dog starts to suffer. She has been ill.

I will be so sad when she is gone. So sad. This dog has been in my life longer than my wife and children.

We went from four animals to just this dog in a period of a few years. We had to give our two cats to a friend before making a cross-country move, as they were old cats and we worried very much about their ability to survive the stress of the move.

The leash broke on one of our dogs last February, and he was killed by a car as a result.

The house is going to feel all too empty when this dog is gone. I know it will be hard for me if we don't get another dog within the year.

I also don't think I will feel as safe in my house. We live in a somewhat rough city, and while our dog is as sweet as can be, she does have quite the bark on her. It felt good that we had a big dog around to bark and scare folks off when necessary.

But...
(1) dw wants a break from pets for a while.
(2) I may be going back to school next fall, in which case it would be an unwise time to get a dog...partially because our housing situation will be up in the air.
(3) A huge factor-- perhaps the deciding factor-- is money. We are not doing well financially right now, and it was hard in this last year to afford dog food and especially vet care. Really, really, really hard. Until we can get out financial situation worked out, another dog is not in the cards. It is just not.
(4) I also worry that if we got a dog, I would constantly compare it to this dog. She is just such an awesome dog. Our other dog, the one whose leash broke and was killed by a car, came to us as a puppy and was a crazy one from the start. If he would have listened to me...he wouldn't have died. I don't know if I want to care for another crazy dog right now. I really want to have a dog like this one, but, I know well there are no guarantees in life.

Still, I am a reckless optimist, so since there wasn't an "other" choice and I really couldn't bring myself to select "no," I chose "yes" and even within one year.

[MidnightCommando]

Originally Posted by mata

we got a puppy this summer, and we have an 11 year old dog already. we were mainly motivated because we wanted a large dog, but it was in my thoughts that it would be mighty lonely if we suddenly found ourselves dogless in the house. Of course, the puppy can never be a replacement for our beloved first, she's just a different but equally wonderful companion. I love dogs. I really don't want to be without one ever.

Same here excepw We plan on getting another dog in the upcoming few years 'just in case' even though ours is only 6. I cannot see us being dogless ever.