S/O- owning a dog | Imamother

amother

Papaya

Wed, Nov 29 2017, 5:22 pm

DH and our oldest child would get a dog in a heartbeat but I refuse to allow it. I have absolutely no interest in taking care of a pet and since I'm the one home most of the time the work would fall to me. One of my kids is also quite allergic to cats and dogs and another kid is terrified of animals in general.

My mother once told DH that if we got a dog it would solve the MIL problem because she wouldn't set foot in our house. She is terrified of animals too and at least one of my brothers is also afraid of dogs.

I have no problem with my kids petting dogs they meet on the street (as long as they wash their hands ASAP) and I've taught them how to do so safely. I just have no interest in having one in our home and the thought of doggie kisses or slobber or shedding is most assuredly not appealing. Neither is having to walk a dog or clean up its excretions. I'll change my children's diapers but at least I know that's only for a couple of years at a time rather than a lifelong commitment.

amother

Blue

Wed, Nov 29 2017, 7:30 pm

I have had more than one bad incident with a dog.
It is totally not a thing in my community. (Satmar). I know of two poeple that do. (one did as some poiny. Don't know about now) amd its hush hush.
Even if it was acceptable in my community I would never get one for a few reasons.
- expenses. If I could afford it, I'd rather give tzedaka. Upgrade my home.
- time commitment. I've never got enough of that
- care and love, I'd rather care and love another human. Maybe foster (it's something I want to do one day.)
- because of some bad experiences, if a dog gets too close it freads me out. I need two feet of space between us. Closers and my emergency instinct flips on. I get hot and cold and a tingling sensation.

My neighbors here (non-Jewish or unaffiliated Jewish neighbors) almost all have at least one dog. Some have more and multiple cats too.
My next door neighbor has two. And her daughter shares custody Wink

of a third. They also have cats and had a bunny too.
One dog (her names "Angel) doesn't ever shut up. She barks 24/7. once she got loose. Ran around my backyard like someone was hunting it. She looked more like an angry deer than a dog.
I wish she would die. Her parents are old and so this dog doesn't get out of the outdoor cage more than once a day to be walked. Other than that she's in an empty cage. We made a high fence mainly because of her.

My husband and kids would get one in a hearbeat.
My kids know a lot of Neighbors dogs names. And they yell their names when they pass. They like petting them and playing with them.
I don't want them growing up fearing dogs. So I encourage them to interact with the dogs. Safely of course.

amother

Azure

Thu, Nov 30 2017, 12:35 am

My dd got a puppy before going off to seminary. I knew I'd get stuck with it, but it's a little poodle and it's pretty cute. Very, very expensive though. Have spent thousands already (dog run built, training lessons, hired dog walker, and all the equipment food, series of vet shots, etc.). I do think the money is better spent on tzeddakah but she got it for anxiety issues and I was advised to do it. It's been an adjustment for sure.

ValleyMom

Thu, Nov 30 2017, 10:10 am

We have black standard poodle for 6 years. My husbands client is a professional breeder and dog trainer and every year for 20 some odd years he would offer to gift my husband a dog for his birthday.

Fast forward... on my husbands "big" birthday he insisted on receiving his gift and since I was outnumbered 4/1 I sadly agreed.

Zoey was hand picked for our family by the breeder/trainer. He came to visit our home BEFORE to see if what we needed to do to prepare for our new family member.

We had to put in fencing, a dog run and new grass.
(about the same amount of $$$ as buying a dog with strong linkage- Zoey's parents won ribbons in dog shows)

Zoey went to boarding school for training for several weeks before she came to live with us.

When she arrived everyone fell in love- except me.
As a puppy Zoey demolished the molding near the floor by teething on it. She ate one of my brand new sandals. She peed everywhere...

Eventually she grew up and those behaviors stopped. I matured and learned to appreciate her.

The Pros of being a dog owner:

You get acquainted with other neighbors that are dog owners.
She is hypoallergenic so nobody is allergic to her
She doesn't ever smell
She is beautiful, loving and very sweet
She never barks- unless someone is on our property- she is an excellent watch dog
She encourages you to take long walks- exercise for you and her!
She goes to the dog run to poop and pee on her own.... we are busy all day so Zoey has learned to take care of her needs too.

The cons of having a standard poodle in your life:

Zoey requires professional grooming which costs over $100 every time- but people stop us after she is groomed because she is absolutely stunning.
Vet bills can be pricey... but she only goes once a year
You must pick up and bag her poop to be tossed before you get home

Rarely do we have guests over who are afraid of dogs- there is a family with a boy that was petrified but once he realized Zoey is very sweet, doesn't lick you or ever jump on you. She has been trained very well- the boy is fine with her.

At this point I am very grateful to have a dog in out life. Several homes have been burglarized- BH not ours, because Zoey sounds very fierce when she barks at the door.
We did take one vacation WITH Zoey that involved renting a dog friendly home near a dog friendly beach- best family vacation ever.

FranticFrummie

Thu, Nov 30 2017, 10:38 am

ValleyMom, that was a great post. You really laid out the facts clearly. Thanks for taking the time to write all of that up!

Standard poodles are a wonderful breed. They make great handicap assistance dogs, are very smart and loyal, and are excellent judges of character. Once you get out of the crazy puppy stage, you will have a buddy for a very long time, as they have longer life spans than a lot of other large breeds.

amother

Purple

Thu, Nov 30 2017, 8:34 pm

I was bitten by a dog twice, by two different dogs, when I was a kid. Another time a stray dog ran into our house when the door was open and tried to bite my sister's shoe off. After that, any time I saw a dog I would start sweating and crying and run as fast as I could out of there. I refused to go into a house with a dog, and if my parents made me I felt like I was on the verge of a panic attack. Baruch Hashem I grew out of that. I am still not fond of dogs, but I am not scared either. My kids love to play with other people's dogs, and I encourage it. I just don't touch them myself!

amother

Blue

Thu, Nov 30 2017, 9:08 pm

imasoftov wrote:

Let alone a poney ...

Lol.
One lives in a huge building with Jewish and non Jewish neighbors. Her older brother (was halfway otd-or rather oadd, so he didn't look satmar) would walk it on kent ave towards north Williamsburg. My sister, who was the only other Jewish family on the same floor as that family had no clue until I had an incident with them/it and then lots of things made sense....

My other sisters current Neighbor has one. She lives in a neighborhood where half the population is non Jewish (or Jewish and unaffiliated) there is enough space between the housest to have lots of privacy. They live in a very private secluded area so they can pull it off.

Eta, pls excuse my typos. My touch keyboard has gonever bunkers.

amother

Blue

Thu, Nov 30 2017, 9:10 pm

amother wrote:

That money was spent in the best way possible.

I hope she's doing better.