Doggie...

lazygit

Are we suitable owners do you think?


So my self and the wife are thinking of getting a dog maybe 2 depending on size.


A couple of things about us first.


1. I work in IT, a very busy part, and i gone form 7am to 8pm almost every weekday.
2. My wife is a teacher and is gone from about 9am to 3pm every day, but of course as a teacher she gets 3 months off in the summer, and all the usual other holidays... (she wants a doggy to keep her company)
3. We are almost always home at weekends.
4. I can work from home once a week.
5. We live in a semi detached house with a secure back garden about half the size of a tennis court.
6. We have no kids, and don't plan any for the next few years.


We are only considering a rescue dog, maybe from irishanimals.com, were looking for something small to medium in size, maybe a westie or a jack russle.


I have had dogs all my life until i started working about 10 years ago, every one was a Springer spaniel, and all were mental !! so i am fairly familiar with the thing that the get up to.


I absolutely love dogs, and would never think of getting one if it would not be happy, i have never had any trouble with any dog of any type, they always seem to love me for some reason, even strange dogs!


so.. do you guys think we would be suitable owners give the amount of time were away from home?

fits

I would say go for it. You sound more than suitable. 9am -3pm is pretty reasonable. I wouldnt get a young pup though. I wouldnt get something as energetic as a springer either given the amount of exercise they need. Lurchers and greyhounds are really low maintenance, happy couch potatoes, but its up to you what you'd like.
Whereabouts are you? I could tell you of any nearby rescue...

SuzyS1972

Your wifes hours would be fine
I would say though jackers are highly strung and need lots and lots of exercise despite the size of them !!!!!

Gardens don't matter so much with size as long as they are secure as no dog runs round and rounds and tires himself out !!!!!!

Take a look at

www.dogsaid.ie

they have plenty of little ones desperately in need of homes - we carry out a quick home visit and all our dogs are neutered , fully vaccinated and microchipped !

Good luck

lazygit

im in drogheda mate

fits

Well Dogs Aid is just beside the airport, so convenient, and they've lots of nice smallies.

Glowing

Abhaile Greyhounds in Dundalk: http://www.abhailegreyhounds.com/

- or if you fancy a day out in Tipperary, www.Paws.ie are overflowing with beautiful dogs ....

SuzyS1972

Also you could try Drogheda Animal Rescue - they always have loads of dogs needing homes too.

peasant

While 9 - 3 is a bit borderline (in my personal opinion) the simple fact that you worry about this beforehand lifts you above 90% of the dog owning population ..so, yes, go for it.

One bit of advice though ...do not get a terrier. There is no way that such a little bundle of energy and temperament will sit still for most of the day ...it simply would be asking for trouble.

A greyhound or lurcher sounds like a very good idea to me ...or maybe a slightly older dog that's calm and relaxed and wants nothing more than a place to call its own.


EDIT:
Re-reading that post it sounds as if you needed special dispensation from me to get a dog ...

That's not what I meant it to sound like ...but ...ahhh, feck it ...hope you know what I meant to say ....

;-)

Glowing

Actually since you're away from 9-3 every day, I would suggest getting 2 dogs rather than 1. They might not be so troublesome during the day if they had each other to entertain.

Would you leave them inside or out during the day? If you had greyhounds or lurchers, they'd want to have pretty cosy accomodation during that time, as with their thin coats, you couldn't really leave them outside in the winter. We have a dog-flap into the utility room installed which is dead handy for them.

fits

Glowing wrote:

Actually since you're away from 9-3 every day, I would suggest getting 2 dogs rather than 1. They might not be so troublesome during the day if they had each other to entertain.

I dunno about that now... We got one (a whippet x) and waited for a year before getting another. The whippet x is certainly much happier now he has a friend but if we had gotten the other dog sooner, certain bad habits might have been passed on (bin raiding and shoe chewing, but he was only a pup)

I dont know really there are so many different opinions on the best way of going about things, when all that really matters is that common sense is applied.

To the OP, I live in a tiny box of a house and our newest lurcher is a very big boy. Because they are so quiet inside, my two largish dogs are fine in the small house (I've no garden either but they get three walks a day, once by a neighbour). I think this would be unthinkable with any other breed. Its not ideal for them, but they are happy out and I have no trouble with them at all.

Glowing

Yeah I guess it depends on the actual dog. I just hate the thoughts of a dog sitting at the back door pining for its owner for 6 hours a day! But they might do that anyway, even if there were 2.

We had our first greyhound for 6 months before we got a second and although its a bit more work, for 2 dogs of that size, they're incredibly quiet. They'll sleep all day if you let them! We're in a standard 4 bed semi-d with a reasonably sized garden and they're happy enough - never bark either. I take the two of them out alone and they're no trouble on the lead either.

SuzyS1972

Totally agree with Fits - I've been helping re home dogs for 5 years now and would never re-home 2 dogs together
It's asking for trouble
Let one settle in and when thats going well decide on a 2nd dog.
If you get 2 together you are trying to train / bond with 2 at the same time and it's not fair on a dog who has already been abandoned in my opinion.

I had one for a year 1st then introduced the 2nd sucessfully.
Our 1st dog turned out to be a bit of a handful and it took us a while to get used to him and him to us.
Our 2nd dog is a joy and was never a problem so they get on great
No. 3 came along 2 years after that !!!!

And so it goes.

Most reputable rescue groups would not give out 2 dogs at once anyway unless they came in as a pair which is different

Glowing

I wasn't suggesting that he get two on the same day or anything! Just not to plan to leave one alone permanently for 6/7 hours a day!

FranknFurter

peasant wrote:

One bit of advice though ...do not get a terrier. There is no way that such a little bundle of energy and temperament will sit still for most of the day ...it simply would be asking for trouble.

A greyhound or lurcher sounds like a very good idea to me ...or maybe a slightly older dog that's calm and relaxed and wants nothing more than a place to call its own.

Not really true.
While certain breeds can tend to be more hyper than others, I had a Jack Russel who was the calmest, quietest dog you could ever meet, and a cavalier king charles who was an utter nightmare. I do suggest a neutered female though if you decide to go with an older JRT.

Greyhounds and lurchers I dont have any personal experience, although Im told greyhounds are very easy to keep and are usually very low maintainance when it comes to energy.

But, Ive said it before and Ill say it again, every dog is individual, breed has virtually nothing to do with "personality". And rescue dogs are definitely the way to go in my opinion. And many rescues are happy to provide any aftercare support if you have questions.

B

hotlips_h

I don't think the size of the garden matters at all although it's handy if you can throw a ball for the dog in it. It's most important that it's secure. Most dogs aren't going to run around and exercise themselves by doing laps around the garden. They need the mental exercise of getting out of their own territory for a walk anyway.

I don't think 6 hours is too bad. Our 4 year old labrador-cross is on her own for probably 4-5 hours every morning and she's absolutely fine. She is indoors at this time of year and just sleeps in her bed in the kitchen. We leave her in the garden in the warmer weather. She has a kennel with a cushion but lies on the deck in the sun when the weather is nice. She gets a 1/2 hour walk in the morning before we leave for work and plenty of other activities later in the day.

You sound like very good candidates for an adult rescue dog who is laid back enough to relax when on its own but who loves a good run when you're available.

Good luck!

iguana

You could always hold out and wait for two dogs who are bonded together. It isn't unusual to find two dogs that a rescue is looking to rehome as a pair. I would always suggest getting the dogs while your wife is on holidays as she would be able to settle them into their new home. And teach them the ways you expect them to behave while she is around full-time.