Dog?

October 26, 2007 9:32 PM

I want a dog. Would a dog want me?

OK, I read the other dog threads and I'm still unsure if I'm totally bonkers to consider adopting one right now.

FACTS:

• I live in a two-bedroom, 900-square foot walkup apartment.
• My roommate has two cats. I have one. They moved in a couple of weeks ago. I haven't broached the subject with her yet. (all three are indoor/outdoor and pretty savvy)
• I live in Oakland and work in San Francisco, so workday plus commute has me away from home at least ten hours each weekday. I also might be taking classes a couple nights a week starting in January or so.
• I don't have a car.
• I don't want a yappy little purse dog.
• Money is tight.

BUT: when I'd be home, I'd give the dog all the love his little doggy heart could want. I'd just need a breed that would tolerate being crated for most of the day, but would also go for runs with me and be into chasing a frisbee at the park on the weekends. Temperament-wise, I'd want a dog who'd be good-natured and get along with everybody, and would not bark and/or cry all the livelong day (and I'd of course invest in all the training necessary to make everything happy and harmonious).

Does such a dog exist? I grew up with dogs, but they were mostly Rottweiler-sized, and we lived in a house with a backyard and my mom was home most of the time. My current living situation is not ideal, I know, but I'm not thinking five-month-old puppy or border collie or mastiff, and it has to beat a crowded shelter or death. Do people with full-time jobs have dogs? Am I dumb? If it matters, I'm 24. Thanks.

posted by granted to Pets & Animals (27 answers total)

I think, given the right dog, all the other conditions could be fine (excluding, perhaps, the roommate).

But dogs are not cheap creatures. Food. Vets. That gives me pause.
posted by flibbertigibbet at 9:40 PM on October 26, 2007

To be honest, it doesn't sound like your an ideal candidate to me. If you want something bigger than a yappy purse dog, I don't think you have enough space especially with 3 cats already in the apartment.
posted by matkline at 9:40 PM on October 26, 2007

The two things that stood out for me in your post were that you work ten hours a day (and might be soon taking night classes) and that you haven't spoken with your roommate about this yet.

I adopted a dog in July, after waiting close to twenty years to do so. She's the love of my life, but there is no question that I have had to alter my life pretty drastically. It's not the space so much (I live in a one bedroom in Brooklyn with my partner) but the recognition that I am now responsible for this being that is sooooo much happier when I'm around than when I'm not.

If I were you, I'd be worried that I wouldn't have enough face time with my dog. That's what stopped me from getting one all these years. When I finally did get one, I moved from a five day schedule to a four day schedule, just so my pup gets to have three whole days when she hangs out with one or both of us. I don't think she cares so much about the quality of what she eats (although I give her the best food I can afford), or the size of my apartment, but she does care when she doesn't get to see us enough. If you're really gone 10+ hours a day, you might want to think more about this. I'm not suggesting that you work part time like I do (I just decided to cash in all the chips I accumulated covering other peoples' work when they went on maternity leave) because I know that's not feasible for most people. But a good, long walk every day is the one thing my pup looks forward to the most, plus some quality time with one of us and her toys.

WRT not speaking to your roommate, I believe in full disclosure, so that you avoid having to take the dog back when you realize that your roommate doesn't approve. I harassed the members of my coop board constantly to tell me in writing that they were okay about me getting a dog. I didn't get it in writing ultimately, but I'm pretty sure I have a legally defensible position if they were to start a pet holdover against me. At the end of the day, I wanted to make sure that all my years of waiting were going to be rewarded with a puppy that was loved and welcome in my home.

Sorry this is so long -- I feel strongly about this issue.
posted by lassie at 9:54 PM on October 26, 2007

Oh, and FWIW, mine is a distinctly non-yappy, 28 pound beagle mix.
posted by lassie at 9:58 PM on October 26, 2007

Oh, I'd of course talk to my roommate about getting the dog before I did so. I just thought I'd solicit the opinions of the community before I started sending out feelers to her. If she wouldn't be into it, I'd wait.
posted by granted at 10:07 PM on October 26, 2007

10 hours without a potty break is more than you can expect from most dogs. Some can go that long, but not most, and even those who generally can, can't always. And you're talking about, in addition to your job, being away for classes, too, presumably making it a 12 or 13 hour day for the dog. Not a great way to keep a dog, as once a dog starts having "accidents" that aren't the dog's fault, you'll get more behavior problems, too.

Dogs need exercise, too. Not just being put out to do their business, but covering some real ground, nearly every day. So, it's not really a question of how much love you'll give the dog when you are home, but how much exercise and care you're going to do in that time.

Finally, the financial responsibility for having a dog can be significant, but dogs have been getting along with people for many thousands of years, before modern veterinary care standards. You do, generally, have to be able to meet annual immunization and tag costs, daily feed, and reasonable grooming/health maintenance costs (annual exam, blood work when needed, and perhaps dental cleanings). Probably $600/year, for a beagle sized dog in good health. If the dog gets into an accident, or has some unforeseen health problem that develops quickly, like a twisted bowel, you generally want to have some financial flexibiity for such emergencies, which can require immediate surgery and 4 figure financial commitments. For many people, this takes the form of pet insurance, or a credit card account they keep specifically for emergency use.
posted by paulsc at 10:07 PM on October 26, 2007

I'd say it isn't your time yet.

You live in an area where a lot of people have jobs where they can bring their dogs to work--wait until you get one of those jobs, and a car of your own to drive with the dog back and forth if necessary. Wait until you're not taking classes. Wait until you're able to move into a place with a little more space so the kitties and pup aren't all up in each others' grill all the time. Wait until you can afford to shell out for doggie daycare once in a while when you have a day full of offsite meetings or when you have to travel on business.

You are probably the right person for a dog, but you don't really have the right life for a dog right now. But you can get there. Meanwhile, make friends with dog people, and maybe get to be the doggie godparent now and then.
posted by padraigin at 10:08 PM on October 26, 2007

As a former roommate of a person who had a schedule similar to the one you're describing but was too selfish to recognize that a dog was inappropriate for him, I would encourage you not to get this dog.
posted by 517 at 10:09 PM on October 26, 2007

I honestly don't think that you have enough time to give a dog. Dogs that are not the petite/yappy variety need daily exercise and lots of play time, or else they can start to exhibit annoying behavioral issues (ie. barking). Also, obedience training is expensive. Training a puppy to not bite/pee on the carpet/chew on stuff can be very time consuming.

My partner and I have two dogs. They get crated when we are gone, but never more than 4-5 hours at a time. We take turns coming home for lunch, letting the dogs out and playing with them. If we can't make it home, we have a friend who works in the neighborhood who will stop by. The idea of leaving my dogs in their kennels for +8 hours makes me really sad.

You could always consider dropping your dog off at a doggy daycare while you are at work.
posted by pluckysparrow at 10:09 PM on October 26, 2007

More than anything else, you need at least one person who will take care of it, if you ever want to come visit say, San Diego. Someone who will GLADLY take care of it. I can't emphasize this enough.

Your present life (being gone minimum ten hours a day, no car, three cats etc.) calls for a mellow, low-key, extremely tolerant dog, but if I've learned anything, I've learned you can't be certain about a dog's temperament right away. My dog is a pound dog, and I can't even explain how much I love him, but he has issues. And they weren't all apparent in the first few days -- they emerged over time, in different situations we encountered. Nothing against classes & training, but for training to work you need tons of time for it to set in, and time is what you don't have (or won't have when classes start).

the recognition that I am now responsible for this being that is sooooo much happier when I'm around than when I'm not

This is such an important point -- when I'm gone, my dog actually crawls under the bed or in the bathroom and shuts the door. Even if he's being dog-sat. It's as if his life goes on hold until I come home... and ultimately, it's far, far more saddening than sweet.

I beg you to wait. At least until classes start, and you can actually find out what your lifespace will be for the next six or seven years.
posted by changeling at 10:21 PM on October 26, 2007

You could always consider dropping your dog off at a doggy daycare while you are at work

nice thought, but isn't that really expensive, especially on a grad school budget?
posted by changeling at 10:23 PM on October 26, 2007

Yep, daycare would be expensive. A daily dog walker is the next solution. Still too much for a tight budget.

I'd vote no, a dog need better circumstances. Sorry.
posted by artdrectr at 11:01 PM on October 26, 2007

I think you should think about your cats
posted by hortense at 11:05 PM on October 26, 2007

Dog-share? Crazy, but we've considered it too. (We live in Lake Merrit in Oakland as well) You could be a dog's weekend parent (it sounds like the week wouldn't be feasible).
posted by arnicae at 11:09 PM on October 26, 2007

I'll reiterate that right now, you're not a good dog owner candidate. However, if you want to get your pup-fix on, could you consider volunteering at a shelter?

I did this when I lived in an apt. complex with a strict no pets policy (seriously, they wouldn't even allow fish). But the shelter I volunteered at had a one-day program that one had to sit through and then you could come and go at your leisure, as time permitted. It was a nice fix until I was in a time and place to adopt a pup of my own.
posted by Ufez Jones at 11:47 PM on October 26, 2007

I don't think that you're in a position to be a good dog-owner right now. Maybe later, though.

So, I vote no for now.

Chinchillas make great pets and they are active at night when you'd be around. They are relatively smart, make cute little barking sounds, and LOVE raisins. I would suggest a chinchilla instead. You can come home and let your chinchilla run around the house for a while. Just watch the cats.
posted by Ostara at 12:10 AM on October 27, 2007

Make friends with a dog-owner and borrow the dog from time to time. Or offer to pet-sit for free!

That's sort of what my boyfriend does. The man loves dogs more than most people, but he doesn't have the space for one right now. His best friend has a great dog, though, and he pet-sits all the time. When his friend is under the weather, out of town, not feeling particularly energetic, or just willing to part with Pooch for a while - M happily drives over and takes Poochster to the dog beach for some quality time away from home. It's good for the dog, good for the dog's owner, and good enough for M until he's got enough space and time for a dog of his own.
posted by katillathehun at 12:20 AM on October 27, 2007

Don't do it. You already have your doubts or you wouldn't have asked.

A happy dog gets out frequently. You cannot decently expect it to wait all day for you to come home -- and it cannot wait, so it will piss and shit your stuff, and it will scratch and chew stuff in frustration and loneliness.

Then there are the cats. And the roommate. And the lack of money. And the small space all day. "I'd just need a breed that would tolerate being crated for most of the day" -- dogs aren't dolls to be taken out when you want to play house.

So don't get a dog. You have enough beasts in the place. Think hard about what you really want, and if it's love, someone to come home to, someone to hold at night, someone who needs you, perhaps you should try to find it in a human who doesn't depend on you while you're away from home all day, every day, and frequent nights.
posted by pracowity at 2:48 AM on October 27, 2007

yeah, i think your heart is in the right place, but your schedule isn't very dog-friendly. alas.
posted by thinkingwoman at 6:29 AM on October 27, 2007

In your current description of your time (10+ hours per day at work and maybe night classes), you don't account for any social time for yourself. Think about how often you'll want to be going out with friends without your dog, too. Even just one dinner out or a movie per week would add another few hours of solitude to your dog's life.

Also something to think about is what you'll do with the dog when you have to go out of town for holidays/visiting family/vacation/work travel/etc. It's not always easy to travel with a dog even when you have a car, so I'd think it would be very difficult without one. Kennelling dogs is expensive, especially during high-demand times like holidays, and not all dogs tolerate it well. In fact, that's how I found out that my dog is a "fence climber"--after he scaled an 8-foot fence during his one stay in a kennel. Now we use an in-house dogsitter when we have to leave our dog, and that costs $25/day.

Before I got a dog I volunteered at an animal shelter as a dog walker. That might be an option for you, which other posters have also mentioned. You'd get to spend meaningful time with dogs who need you and find out a lot more about what kind of dog would be right for you. It's also a very good reality-check on how untrained dogs act. Though you're willing to train your dog, training takes a lot of time, and you'd be dealing with an untrained or partly-trained dog for weeks/months.

You'll get a dog someday, but now doesn't sound like the right time. It's good that you're thinking it through. Many people don't, which is a big part of why so many dogs end up in shelters.
posted by chippie at 6:48 AM on October 27, 2007

I vote no for two main reasons: you don't have enough time to be a good dog owner (10 hour stretches alone in a crate five days a week is not only not ideal, it's inhumane), and you don't have enough money to be a good dog owner (money can make up for time in some ways, since you can pay for a dogwalker to take your dog out and/or take it to doggy daycare). All due respect to paulsc, but owning a dog responsibly is expensive periodically, you don't get an out from being a responsible owner just because your funds are limited and 100 years ago pets were treated as disposable. Owning a dog is not a necessity of life, if you are going to take on the responsibility for another living creature (who has no say in the matter), then you'd better be prepared to uphold that responsibility, financially and in all other ways. I work in a vet clinic, and at least a couple of times per week people come in with a pet who is in dire need of treatment for some thing or other which massively affects the pet's quality of life and general health, which they decline because "it's just a dog" or "I don't have the money to pay to get my cat's bleeding, pus-dripping mouth taken care of, even though the cat is in agony and I certainly don't want to bother with CareCredit or anything else that would allow me to pay for it because it's just a cat after all". Don't be that person, please.

The vast majority of companion animals are going to have AT LEAST one incident in their lives which will cost a couple of grand to manage properly, and ideal routine proper vet care involves physicals twice a year (once a year is like you having a physical once every 5-7 years), bloodwork at least once every few years, dental treatment every couple-few years or more for some pets, vaccinations or titers every 3 years, heartworm treatment year-round, etc.

Sure, you COULD own a dog, crate it 10 hours a day and then have to deal with a dog which not only isn't housetrained, but which has also been forced to over-ride its natural instinct to keep its den clean, which removes your most powerful tool for housetraining (the crate), you could own a dog and have to deal with the myriad behavioural problems which come from 10 hours a day alone in a crate and an owner who doesn't have enough time or money to attend training classes and work with the dog daily. And you COULD own a dog and just "not be able to afford" to look after it properly, even though you knew that ahead of time. But since you asked this question, I suspect that you already know that your current situation does not allow for truly responsible pet ownership at this time.

Since you actually bothered to research and discuss this before you got a dog, I suspect that when your situation does allow truly responsible ownership, you'll make a great owner.
posted by biscotti at 7:17 AM on October 27, 2007

If you were to get a dog, a rescue greyhound would be ideal. They sleep for 18hrs a day, and prefer to lounge around most of the time. They have short bursts of energies so a couple good play sessions and/or walks and they're good to go.

A few caveats:
- they can never be off leash. Training any sort of recall is virtually impossible since they're breed to focus on something and run run
- You need to find a rescue that tests for cat compatibility as some view cats as prey.
- Even a "cat safe" greyhound can be fine with cats indoors, but strange cats, cats outdoors, or even familiar cats that run away can trigger prey drive.
- Many retired greyhounds have never lived a normal life, and
aren't house broken, or e even familiar with how to live in a house, and often need to be taught things like how to use stairs. Some rescues do this, some don't.

Money is going to be your big issue though. It depends on what you mean as tight. Can you afford decent dog food and regular vet visits? If an emergency comes up, will you be able to take care of it? If its a matter of cash immediately on hand, but you have ways of dealing with emergencies (reliable family, credit cards, or even credit care [emergency people/pet medical care credit]) you might be able to do it. There are many sites that detail budgeting for a dog - look at those and consider it the minimum. If you can't afford that, you can't afford a dog.
posted by [insert clever name here] at 8:11 AM on October 27, 2007

I bought a car specifically because I got a dog. I tried for a few weeks without it and I realized that it just wasn't going to work. I simply couldn't take her anywhere. A year ago she was attacked by another dog and had to be rushed to the hospital. I don't know what would've happened if I didn't have the car -- no cab would've picked up my profusely-bleeding 70-lb greyhound.
posted by nev at 8:51 AM on October 27, 2007

Dogs are pack animals, and get bored an unhappy if left w/o interaction for long periods of time. You're asking for it to tear stuff up, cause a ruckus, be overly excited and hyper every time it sees you, and otherwise non-endearing behaviors.

It would be unhappy and you would be unhappy
posted by doppleradar at 9:04 AM on October 27, 2007

Crated for most of the day? No.

Wait a couple of years until your living conditions change, and both you and the dog will have a far more rewarding experience.
posted by Krrrlson at 10:19 AM on October 27, 2007

Service Dog Organizations usually need people to socialize, bathe and walk dogs. Some of them, after you are trained in how to teach basic obedience skills, will let you be a week-end Mom or Dad. You could get your dog fix that way without the expense and crating. Also, working with many different dogs, you'd know what kind of dog would suit you when you get into a more dog friendly situation. If you can find a place that will let you participate in training you will also know how to humanely train your dog.
I think, if you have a dog that stays in a crate for so many hours a day, it will be so frantic for attention that it just won't ba a joy to be around when you are home.
Here is a link to some Assistence Dog places in CA if you're interested, and there are probably more. The Guide Dog Organizations need more highly trained people so they might not want more casual volunteers,
posted by BoscosMom at 2:22 PM on October 27, 2007

Here's something from the SF/SPCA

Dog Volunteers
Provide shelter dogs with love, companionship, attention, exercise and training. Walk and socialize dogs. Assist with dog play groups. Take dogs on field trips outside the shelter. Teach basic skills that will help dogs find a home more quickly and stand them in good stead throughout their life. Assist at public dog training classes offered at The SF/SPCA.
posted by BoscosMom at 3:04 PM on October 27, 2007