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OP, do not get another dog. In fact, it would probably be best if your current dog found another family that could really love it and appreciate it. What a shame that your poor dog has to live with all of you: your wife who puts a dog through living with someone like you (in fact, it sounds as though your children are just barely tolerated by you); your children who are not learning responsibility, only to shut away (or chain up) that which is annoying; and your wife is irresponsible in that she expects you to take over some care of this "creature" who inhabits some of your space some of your time.
I think your wife is far worse than you are since you are not the one who wants a dog. She wanted the dog but she doesn't take responsibility for it, and that's both selfish and reprehensible. Feel free to show her this post.
I totally agree with Foxywench. Do your poor dog a favor and find it a new home. If you don't know anybody who would take, contact local rescues or no-kill shelters. They will be more than willing to help you place your dog.
The main thing is this--I'm not a social person where it regards pets, nor do I care for the upkeep that's necessary. When I'm home, either I'm spending time with my wife and kids or I'm doing solitary things like reading etc. I have ZERO interest in having to clean a litter box for a cat, or walk a dog twice a day, or deal with whining or barking, or a dog being in the house making messes. I just want to do what I do and be left completely alone.
Do NOT get a dog, or a cat, or a ferret, or a guinea pig, or a hamster, or a rabbit, or a parakeet or a fish. Just don't!!!
Do NOT get a dog, or a cat, or a ferret, or a guinea pig, or a hamster, or a rabbit, or a parakeet or a fish. Just don't!!!
That's my very point, that would suit me just fine.
I had an epiphany of sorts awhile back. To wit: I found that when I visited people I often-times enjoyed their pets & was far more relaxed around them than I would be pets at my own house. It made no sense to me that I could enjoy their pets quite well while being anxious about pets being at my house.
I couldn't figure it out until I remembered how many people talk about the joys of grandparenting--they get to enjoy the kids but then the kids go home and the grandparents don't have to deal with the kids LIVING with them 24/7. They weren't awful kid-hating people, they just appreciated being able to enjoy them in that way vs in the manner of them living WITH them. Aunt/uncles is a similar thing, I think. After all, the parents are the ones whom the kids live with 24/7, so the role is different & that also means they're too much preoccupied with the RESPONSIBILITY aspects of their kids to enjoy them in the same way grandparents and aunt/uncles do who aren't burdened with the responsibility aspects.
In this case, it goes like this: if you see a dog tied up all you are thinking of is how much more fun that dog would have being allowed to explore more freely, whereas the owner has dealt with the headaches of trying to prevent it from going into the neighbor's yard and scaring their kids or cats & has dealt with trying to do this via a fence only for the fence to not be built well enough or whatever. Thus, their priorities are different. The same goes with laughing at the dog's antics of peeing all over everything or such, because you are watching a show of sorts, whereas the owner is tasked with the grunt work of cleaning it up.
It occurred to me--that is what I am, I'm like a grandparent, only with pets vs children. I'm like a grand-pet owner vs a pet owner. I get to enjoy the cute cat or energetic dog, but I don't have to clean behind them, or worry about them eating my food on my kitchen table, or them going into the neighbor's yard, because this is at someone else's place and they're the ones responsible for their care.
Growing up we had dogs that weren't tied up or fenced up but they weren't prone to going into the neighbor's yard and causing any trouble. They did fine being outdoors with us indoors vs being around us indoors/outdoors every single minute. That is how I'd do it here if they weren't prone to going into the neighbor's yard. An invisible fence could possibly fix that. Or if I didn't feel like them bothering me while I was in the yard reading a book, I could tie them up for the duration (assuming they don't start yapping & whining and ruining the atmosphere that way) and then let them loose when I go back inside.
But if it were totally up to me, we'd just not have any pets period at all.
Don't get a dog. For the dog's sake, don't get a dog.
Have your wife read your post and this thread.
If she truly loves dogs, she'll know that it's best for the dog if she lives a dogless life.
That's what I don't understand. Why be so gung-ho about getting a dog if you're not going to pay that much attention to it ultimately? It always goes that way, not once has it not gone that way. She pays it quite a bit of attention the 1st day or two, then it fades and never returns. It makes no sense. It reminds me a lot of a child seeing a toy in the store just BEGGING to have it, but once you get it, they immediately no longer like it.
I always end up spending time with it myself, but not as much as I know it needs, fortunately the kids playing with it helps somewhat, but then if their interest ends up fading too, then I have it re-homed. A cat would be far more suitable in that regard (just stay off the kitchen table & do your business outdoors). If she were an animal lover that spent a lot of one-on-one time interacting with the dog, then it would make more sense. (Just don't be like this following person....)
Quote:
Originally Posted by Driller1
If I had a choice between my dogs and my husband....the dogs would win.
Then either you don't understand what marriage is or don't respect it. Once you get married, your spouse is #1 over everything and everyone else--even your parents, even any kids you have together. You don't DARE put any pet (dog, cat, any pet) on the same plane of importance as your spouse. EVER. PERIOD. Thankfully my wife, for all her imperfect thinking, hasn't gone that far. She's just trying to have it all, which isn't always possible.
I actually have a close friend who loves dogs a lot, so much so he even helps out at a local dog rescue shelter (and I even donated a bit of money to it) & we get along great. This may be because he is single & isn't putting his pets over his wife/kids, he has neither. He also has common sense to balance out his love for dogs. If they bark a lot, he'll tell them to knock it off. He lets them in the house all the time, they go where he goes, he walks them every day (sometimes twice), but he will confine them to the outdoors on occasion for different reasons if he feels like it. Once when they went rolling in the mud & then wanted in during a storm, he wouldn't let them because of how they had rolled all in the mud. Otherwise they're in his house all the time, and I'm even cool with it when I visit. Heck he had 2 dogs that were probably 110 pounds each that looked like mini-horses, and they were all around my kids, and I was cool with it. He has common sense to balance his love for his dogs. Heck, he once admitted to spending like $3000 on surgery for his dog and asked me if I thought he was crazy (everyone else had told him to just have it put to sleep) and I told him no, other people spend $3000 or more on boats or 4 wheelers or such, what's the difference? And again, he has no spouse getting upset because she wanted a nicer car or such & being upset that he spent it on a dog instead, etc.
People like that, I have no problem with them at all. Like I said, too, if it's the right kind of dog, like that one I had some years ago, I get along with them great. Dogs that are submissive & don't make a lot of commotion over nothing, dogs like him, I do fine with them. But I figure that dog was 1 in a million & I'd rather not bother. Given that any dog that doesn't fit gets re-homed to a nice home, all is well that ends well in that sense, but if you know it's not likely to work, why bother to start with? To borrow the phrase, just let the sleeping dogs lie.
Do not get a dog, DO NOT GET A DOG.........DO NOT GET A FREAKIN DOG!!!!!!!!!
Yep....simple as that.....
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