Becoming a first time dog owner

[superk]

Thanks for all of the responses. I'll have to consider if doing this would be a good idea.

[Parnassia]

Originally Posted by superk

Thanks for all of the responses. I'll have to consider if doing this would be a good idea.

Good on you OP. It's best for all involved. The timing may not be great right now, but that doesn't mean it never will be!

[Three Wolves In Snow]

8-8 shift for 7 days

As much as I would love for everyone to save a dog from the pound, it's just not feasible for everyone. It's going to come down to what 'sometimes' means, when you say

My job sometimes requires me to work on-call on an 8-8 shift for 7 days

How often is 'sometimes'? Is it possible that 'sometimes' could be 2-3 weeks in a row? Is it just one week a month? Is it one week every couple of months?

If it's once a month, or once every couple of months, this could work. If 'sometimes' means 'often' as in 'could be 2 weeks a month or 3 weeks a month', then it's not going to be fair to the dog, especially when you first get the dog.

Twelve hours a day for 7 days in a row is going to be hard on the dog. If you want a dog, I highly recommend that you use up some saved up sick time/vacation time/whatever time off you might have accumulated for when you first get the dog. I believe that the first couple to a few months of having your dog, you should be there more often than not. And you definitely should not get a puppy if your schedule can look like that. A puppy cannot hold it more than a couple of hours, certainly not 10 or 12 hours.

As others have mentioned, and I know, personally, 12 hours is exhausting. When you get home, what kind of energy are you going to have left for the dog that has been sitting at home all day? It's not just about 'walking the dog' when you get home. The dog needs time with you, needs to get out and do things, not just 'go for a walk around the neighborhood'.

So, you have an 8-8 shift for 7 days. It's not just 12 hours of work. Add in your 'getting ready' time, your commute time, AND the time you will need to spend walking/entertaining your dog in the morning before you go, and walking/entertaining your dog at night when you get home. You could be talking, potentially, 15-16 hour days before you get to settle in for the night, depending on what 'sometimes' means. Are you up for that for the next (depending on age of dog, not starting with a puppy) 8-12 years?

Dogs are great companions, but they get that way when you are actually there interacting with them, taking them out to do things that are fun for the dog, exercising the dog, training the dog, etc. Even an older dog is going to be 'new' to your household, and that still requires a lot of attention until the dog settles in. Depending on the dog, it could be quick, or it could take some time.

Make your decision based on what is fair to the dog, and yourself.

[Dashdog]

I love dogs and have always had dogs. I managed to work 12 hr shifts ( 3X a week) without it being an issue for my dogs. I have a dog door going out to a small fenced patio which to be honest they rarely had to use while I worked. I have 2 and sometimes 3 dogs at a time so when I was at work they were never alone as they had each other. It worked out great and now I have been retired a few months which is nice for both the dogs and I.

As much as I love my dogs I will be honest I do not like to travel with them so either board them or hire a pet sitter, it just depends on how long I will be gone. I find I do enjoy my dog free trips and being away from them once in a while. I get to relax and have fun and not worry about the dogs.

Recently I have started lure coursing and racing the younger dog and that has involved some over night travel. Both dogs are about 45-50 lbs. I have had no trouble finding nice hotels that accept them and they are well behaved at hotels but having dogs with you really does limit what you can do. If you leave them in the room and go out they might bark and other hotel guests will not be happy nor will the hotel .When it is warm out you can not leave them in a car while you do things so yeah meals are take out. Visiting places that do not allow dogs is not possible either. There are even hiking trails that do not allow dogs so yeah it limits you as to what you can do.

A few years ago when my home was fumigated for termites I took the dogs up the coast to Moro Bay for a couple days and we stayed at a fun dog loving hotel. Having the dogs with me limited where I could eat and what shops I could go in so we spent much of our time just walking. I could not even go kayaking out in the bay. Restaurants with Patios allowed dogs. My dogs behaved better than many kids on those patios! One restaurant along the water front had tarps for shade over the patio and Plexi glass as a wind break on the ocean side, there were birds on the patio and while my dogs ignored them small kids were chasing the birds that would then freak out and fly into the plexi glass.

One night I was sitting on the patio at the hotel with my dogs and watched as people in another room left their large dog alone in the room so they could go have a fancy dinner at a restaurant across the road. They were not gone 15minutes when the hotel called them and told them one of them had to come back because their dog was barking. They were not happy they did not get the dinner they wanted so yeah traveling with dogs can be a pain and limit what you can do. So if you enjoy travel and think oh I will just take the dog with me just be aware trips may not be like what you are use too. You also have to haul dog food and bowls etc along so in some way it is like traveling with kids, more planning and luggage.

[carcrazy67]

Dogs are a way of life, reading through your initial post, it appears to me that a dog would not be a good fit. Not a cat person but that might be a better fit!

[mgforshort]

We live in a small town in the Sierra foothills and I know just about everyone in a 1-mile radius around us if they have a dog. When I had a minor surgery I had three offers of taking care of little Randy for that day or longer if necessary. I always offer free boarding in our home if someone must leave for a week or two. The thing to remember is: walk with your dog as much as you can and stop and talk with other dog owners. There will be rewards.

Little Randy is a young pup, mini poodle dude and needs supervision. Tobi, the big Airedale is different, we could leave him alone for days and days with water and food and he'd be content. We have 2 dog doors and Tobi could stay in the house, the garage, or in the large fenced yard, whatever he likes at the moment.

[rfomd129]

Originally Posted by pathrunner

I agree with this. 12 years ago when I got my first dog, it was a huge adjustment after not having a dog for many years. It is a huge lifestyle change. I got my second dog 10 years ago. I love them to pieces and they enrich my life tremendously, but they are a lot of work. They are very housetrained, so they can be left for several hours without incident. One time I got stuck and couldn't get home and was gone 12 hours. I was amazed that there was no accidental elimination. That's not the norm for most animals.

At this point in my life I love my dogs to pieces but they are actually preventing me from moving on in a way that I really need to. Still, I will never get rid of them or forsake them. They are sentient beings with intense feelings. They are sweet, affectionate, and a joy to be around. They are old and I can wait.

That being said, IMO your situation sounds less than ideal for getting a dog. If you do get a dog, I'd suggest two, so they can keep each other company. That's why I got a second dog, so that he could keep her company while I was away working a split shift 2-3 hours in a.m. and in p.m. It worked out very well.

Another thing is, if you have a dog for a long time your life will change - maybe more than once. My life is very different from when I first got my dogs. A lot of people told me to get rid of them after the change. No. I made a commitment and I'm going to keep it. I also get criticized for feeding my dogs quality food and treats that cost extra money. That's been my insurance against vet bills, and it has worked.

If your circumstances are going to change, which one can never predict, you have to think of the dog. One of my dogs would adjust very well to being rehomed but the other one would not, unless he went with her.

By the way, I got my first dog at 59 and the second at 61. Think about things going forward. I have more health issues now, the dogs are a lot of work and it's gotten more difficult. If you gave a wonderful home to a needy senior dog (like if he/she had to be rehomed for whatever reason, like an owner's death), it might be the best option. My 13-14 year old boy is, to me, the best dog in the world.

I've worked in dog Rescue for many years and your post makes me so very happy. Thank you for sharing your experience and offering the OP your excellent advice.

[pathrunner]

Thank you I almost re-homed my girl 4 times during the first two years. She was 7 months old when I adopted her. She was and still is very energetic. She was a serious challenge. I even contacted a rescue and learned that throngs of black labs are in rescues. I looked at all those sad faces on the website and became determined that no matter what I would see it through with my girl. She is sometimes still a challenge, but she's so sweet and loving (except when she's being jealous of her brother ) that she has added an amazing amount of quality to my life.

I'm glad the OP decided to really think about it before getting a dog. Yesterday I was at the dog park. A young guy had a 2-month old purebred white boxer puppy, the cutest little thing in the world. Another young girl had a 4 month old purebred Australian Shepherd. Both gorgeous sweet puppies. They have the ability to spend time with the dog in the daytime, fresh air, exercise, socializing and playing with other dogs.

It really made me realize that if I ever got another dog after this it would be a senior, a dog over 5-7 years old. One that travels well because that's what I intend to do (domestically).

[rfomd129]

Originally Posted by pathrunner

Thank you I almost re-homed my girl 4 times during the first two years. She was 7 months old when I adopted her. She was and still is very energetic. She was a serious challenge. I even contacted a rescue and learned that throngs of black labs are in rescues. I looked at all those sad faces on the website and became determined that no matter what I would see it through with my girl. She is sometimes still a challenge, but she's so sweet and loving (except when she's being jealous of her brother ) that she has added an amazing amount of quality to my life.

I'm glad the OP decided to really think about it before getting a dog. Yesterday I was at the dog park. A young guy had a 2-month old purebred white boxer puppy, the cutest little thing in the world. Another young girl had a 4 month old purebred Australian Shepherd. Both gorgeous sweet puppies. They have the ability to spend time with the dog in the daytime, fresh air, exercise, socializing and playing with other dogs.

It really made me realize that if I ever got another dog after this it would be a senior, a dog over 5-7 years old. One that travels well because that's what I intend to do (domestically).

"Black dog bias" is real. They are often the last to be adopted. One of my jobs in Rescue was to photograph the dogs for our websites and I took a seminar to learn how to use lighting to best capture the expressions on the faces of black dogs. Most of the dogs we've owned (foster fails) have been black dogs : )

[pathrunner]

Same with black cats. I've owned a black cat who was really great, and my current dog is a wonderful, sweet girl who loves people. I don't understand the black bias at all.