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No, but with all due respect to the dog lovers of the world, you shouldn't divorce over a 2nd dog issue. Your marriage should be strong than your desire for a 2nd dog. If having a 2nd trumps being married, then you should stayed single, and remain single.
Location: Forest Service Cabin-90% of the yr. Sis & I inherited it and I bought her out.
175 posts, read 125,267 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by docwrangler
Has anyone had success convincing a spouse to add a dog to the household? What did you do - slip drugs in his/her food?
We have a 1-year-old terrier/chihuahua mix. She's been a really easy dog to housebreak and she's pretty trustworthy being left alone in the house when needed. She doesn't wake me up at 5 a.m. - she'll sleep in with me if I want to. Small dogs are definitely a lot easier than big ones. Buuuuuut...
I feel a little gypped. I prefer larger dogs, and this dog is basically a cat. I've never had a tiny dog before (she weighs 8 pounds). She was really the kids' choice. I think now that she's an adult and the kids are more dog-savvy, we should get her a big brother or sister. It's not that I'm not satisfied with the tiny dog we have, but she's getting to be a bit of a diva, and I think she'd benefit from a canine sibling before she gets too old and crotchety to tolerate an addition.
But hubby is not receptive. Meanwhile, these are the other pets we have, all of which he bought (ostensibly for the kids): 2 guinea pigs, 2 gerbils, 2 hamsters, 1 corn snake, and some fish. Next he wants to get a bearded dragon or a tortoise. I'm pretty chill about adding animals. He does the care of the smaller rodents and snake exclusively, so that helps. I do pretty much all the care of the dog, which I don't mind. I'm sure it would be the same with an additional dog.
Hubby says dogs are more expensive to maintain, but you should see the boxes from Chewy.com that come to this house. It's all treats for the rodentia. Holy crap he dotes on those things.
Anyway, not sure exactly where I'm going with this, except to A) hear I'm right and he's wrong, and/or B) get some ideas on talking points to convince a reluctant spouse to expand the "family."
Thanks!
Get a second dog, maybe a little bigger than the first, but keep them outside. Dogs need at least one friend.
I got your humor and thoroughly enjoyed it! Great thread, and some helpful suggestions here.
I second the idea of looking into greyhounds. They seem like the best of all worlds: big, affectionate, attractive, but not high-maintenance. I've read that bloat can be a risk with these deep-chested breeds, but am sure you'd do your homework. I adore big furry dogs, and looked for months for a couch potato as a second dog, as I have bad knees. My vet couldn't stop laughing when I brought in a muscular Australian cattle dog. Normally they have herding drive for days, but this is truly the laziest dog I've ever had. Perfect!
As to husbands, the care and training of, I'm on shakier ground. Sounds like yours is pushing the boundaries a bit by wanting more reptiles, and you may be able to use that as a bargaining point. I chose our last three dogs by showing my husband which ones I was interested in, and taking him along to meet them. So far the "Silence means consent" assumption has been working for me.
Speaking of reptiles, I so applaud your broadmindedness. If a demon snake ever came to my door, hubby and said snake would be sleeping in his car. Preferably far, far away. (One must draw the line somewhere.)
A bit off topic, but enjoyed your quip, "I'm not everyone's cup of tea, but I'm cool with that. I don't want everyone drinking my tea. " LOL Comedian Rita Rudner said, "My husband and I began to long for the patter of little feet. So we bought a dog. Hey, it's cheaper, and you get more feet."
I got your humor and thoroughly enjoyed it! Great thread, and some helpful suggestions here.
I second the idea of looking into greyhounds. They seem like the best of all worlds: big, affectionate, attractive, but not high-maintenance. I've read that bloat can be a risk with these deep-chested breeds, but am sure you'd do your homework. I adore big furry dogs, and looked for months for a couch potato as a second dog, as I have bad knees. My vet couldn't stop laughing when I brought in a muscular Australian cattle dog. Normally they have herding drive for days, but this is truly the laziest dog I've ever had. Perfect!
As to husbands, the care and training of, I'm on shakier ground. Sounds like yours is pushing the boundaries a bit by wanting more reptiles, and you may be able to use that as a bargaining point. I chose our last three dogs by showing my husband which ones I was interested in, and taking him along to meet them. So far the "Silence means consent" assumption has been working for me.
Ha! I wish I could use that, but I don't want to live with the pouting. It's better for everyone if I wait until he's really on board.
Quote:
Originally Posted by coyote lite
Speaking of reptiles, I so applaud your broadmindedness. If a demon snake ever came to my door, hubby and said snake would be sleeping in his car. Preferably far, far away. (One must draw the line somewhere.)
A bit off topic, but enjoyed your quip, "I'm not everyone's cup of tea, but I'm cool with that. I don't want everyone drinking my tea. " LOL Comedian Rita Rudner said, "My husband and I began to long for the patter of little feet. So we bought a dog. Hey, it's cheaper, and you get more feet."
Ahahaha! I love that. And I can agree, having both kids and dogs. The dogs are much easier to care for and have more feet! LOL!
Anyway, not sure exactly where I'm going with this, except to A) hear I'm right and he's wrong, and/or B) get some ideas on talking points to convince a reluctant spouse to expand the "family."
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I've never had a tiny dog before (she weighs 8 pounds). She was really the kids' choice. I think now that she's an adult and the kids are more dog-savvy, we should get her a big brother or sister. It's not that I'm not satisfied with the tiny dog we have, but she's getting to be a bit of a diva, and I think she'd benefit from a canine sibling before she gets too old and crotchety to tolerate an addition.
