r/Dogowners

I am currently 21 weeks pregnant with my first baby, and my husband and I have been wanting to adopt a dog for a long time now. We just moved into a new place that is finally dog friendly 2 months ago and have lightly started looking at available dogs at nearby shelters. We just found a dog that seems perfect for us- 5 years old, in good health, only 16lbs, and described as house-broken, super easy going, and cuddly. Great with kids of all ages and other dogs. The shelter also describes him as being a great companion for a senior (which feels like a good sign temperament-wise).

For more context, we live in an apartment on the third floor in a very walkable neighborhood with a park 5 minutes away. I work in my neighborhood and have a very flexible schedule where I am able to come home for lunch everyday. My husband is also able to take him into his office and would be taking over the brunt of his care while I am recovering postpartum. We both grew up caring for family dogs but have not had one ourselves.

With all of this in mind, I can’t help but think that it isn’t the smartest idea to get a dog right now. Has anyone been in a similar situation?? My heart says we should go for it, but my brain is telling me to wait. Would love some input/advice. TIA!

Hey! My boyfriend is a big dog lover. I have only had cats when growing up so I don’t really know a lot about dogs, not even things that might be considered basic.
He has told me that he would love for us to get a dog, and I have said of course, because it means a lot to him. But I must admit that I don’t know a thing about them 🥹 I used to be terrified of them as a kid because I had some really unlucky experiences with them. It’s still rooted deep in me. I‘ve met and been somewhat close to my relatives dogs - but I’m still a little unsure about what to keep in mind when getting one. They seem quite different than cats haha

So I was wondering if you have any advice on
\- how to approach getting a dog
\- good breeds for a first time dog owner
\- any important knowledge you think I might benefit from knowing

I would love to be the best dog mom possible 🫶🏼
thank you!

We got that call from the vet this morning that our dog tested positive for Giardia🫠. I have read all the reddit horror stories about this specific parasite and if anyone has and tips and tricks on how to kick this hopefully the first time around, I will take any advice.

He is in a cone right now because he has some allergies and he has been biting and licking his paws too much. I’m thinking this will be great for the Giardia because now he can’t lick his butt and reinfect. We are also going to be cleaning his bed, toys, and food bowls daily and disinfecting and vacuuming around his crate. I have some unscented dog wipes for his paws and butt after he goes outside as well. Any other tips anyone can think of or does this sound like a good plan? Thanks!

I have an active, happy jumpy Aussie Shepherd with a cruciate ligament tear in back right leg. He still bears weight on it some and limps if he over does it. His mood and behavior has changed because of this and he’s been mopey but I noticed he still wants to play ball. But we can’t do that with him. What should I get him??

Je pense à adopter un beau chien l'année prochaine, et je serais tellement reconnaissant si tu pouvais me donner quelques conseils précieux. Je travaille de 8h30 à 16h30 ou de 9h à 17h, mais je travaille depuis chez moi un jour par semaine. Je ne travaille pas le week-end. J'aimerais savoir comment habituer mon chien à être seul pendant mon absence, et comment lui apprendre à l'accepter positivement et à être propre. Bien sûr, je pourrais le laisser chez mes parents pendant que je travaille, mais pas tout le temps. Je suis quelqu'un qui aime être à l'extérieur, donc il en profitera au maximum. Mais comme je n'ai jamais eu de chien auparavant, j'apprécierais vraiment des suggestions de races de chiens.

Pour l'instant, je vis avec mes parents dans un appartement, nous allons avoir une seconde maison qui est un studio dans lequel je déménage l'année prochaine, il donne sur la mer, avec une piscine et de nombreux jardins et endroits pour marcher.

Eh bien, évidemment mon chien aura beaucoup de choses à découvrir.

Je ne sais juste pas beaucoup sur les races qui peuvent être aventurières, pas trop bruyantes parce que j'ai des voisins... et faciles à vivre...

On m'a proposé le bichon maltais et le coton.
Et jai un coup de coeur pour le Cavalier King Charles ❤️

Ma mère n'aime pas les chiens boston pour leur apparence, mais oui, je suis perdu !

J'ai oublié de mentionner que mon oncle ou même mon père peuvent le sortir se promener à l'heure du déjeuner, ce n'est absolument pas un problème.

Merci beaucoup, tous vos conseils peuvent être utiles 🙏🏻

Im at a point where I need to work over 40 hours per week and I don't have family and neighbors that can consistently take him out while I'm working 15 hour shifts. I cant always count on my neighbor to take my dog out all the time as he has been doing it for free.

I have been paying a dog walker which eats up 20% of my paycheck which I cant afford to lose but I have no choice

All my family members are too old to handle the task of taking a dog out.

Location: Texas

wish I had left This badly run dog daycare immediately like my gut told me to but here we are with a tragedy

nervous to name as a former fired employee in Texas especially since dog died after they weren’t brought back in, and management says it was ultimately on the tech employee who forgot, when it was middle management on site that day did not notice for hours after the tech left for the day because even though middle management on site had been told that was their responsibility to check after the techs, they would grumble and simply not do it so it seems like in the company/HRs eyes it falls solely on the tech and were they fired.

management had been warned multiple Times by text and verbally by that same tech that responsibilities were not being completed for months before this and that they needed more support and supervision

the conditions of the facility were sorely lacking, dirty kennels, outdoor areas run down, so much that people paying extra had their dogs in standing water with dirt, rocks, poo, bricks to cover holes, and dirty water in bowls not regularly replaced

employee training and support was horrible so now worst case scenario happened and dog died.

Meanwhile they’ll continue to take in dogs of all temperaments and conditions then expect overworked back of house to deal with it.

I’ve submitted a complaint with the city of the conditions along with photos but if I post on like google reviews they may go after me? Is that a thing?

So my rescue/mostly pitty has displayed a new, strange behavior. My wife hurt her ankle yesterday and is now on crutches. When we got home from the er and she walks in with the crutches, our dog starts cowering and barking. This was so bizarre! She is nothing but lovable and will dent walls with her tail wagging when she sees us! Whenever my wife used the crutches to go to the bathroom or change rooms, our pup just growled! Was it the sound of the squeaky cheap rubber on the armpits?? Was it the creak of the dollar store aluminum frame?? No idea!! Anyone hane this happen?? Anyone??

In about two months, a puppy is coming to live with me. I’m 21 years old, I’ve finished my A-levels and haven’t yet gone to university or started an apprenticeship. I did, however, work at a company where I’d actually intended to do my apprenticeship. Whilst I was there, though, I realised it wasn’t what I’d imagined, or rather that the job really isn’t right for me. Now I’m feeling a bit at a loss and don’t know what my career future should look like, so I’m carrying on working for the time being and have decided to work part-time for the first year with the dog so that I still have enough time for training and socialisation. As soon as he’s one year old, I’d like to either start a degree or an apprenticeship. Whilst I’m out, he’d be at home with me; before I leave, I’d make sure he gets plenty of exercise, and again afterwards when I get back. I’ve been dog-sitting for years and am well aware of the work involved. My mum would be there from time to time and could take him for walks whilst I’m at school. The dog will still largely be my responsibility, though, and my mum wants to be involved as little as possible. The breed I’ve chosen is very calm and sociable, adaptable and actually compatible with that sort of daily routine.
I’d also like to add that I’m very experienced with dogs and, for as long as I can remember, have wanted nothing more than to have a dog.
However, I’ve already received several comments saying that getting a dog would just make my life unnecessarily difficult and ruin it.
Now that you’ve read this, what do you think? Does my plan sound feasible, or rather unrealistic and naive? Is getting a dog really such a bad idea?

Hello, a little background of myself. I'm from Malaysia, I grew up with dogs for as long as I can remember, due to the nature of my dad's semi-full time job as a dog rescuer, he rescues strays from the street, and bring them to the shelter.

In a few months time me and my spouse is going to have a house of our own, she already owns a British Longhair cat, and she encourages me to also own a dog that I love, which is either a Shiba Inu or a Husky. I do dogs for the love of God, and I know I will care for them and love them as much as my own child,

But I'm here seeking advice from experienced dog owners, despite the fact that I grew up with dogs of my own since young, I wouldn't call myself experience when it really comes to it, as my house dogs are mainly mongrels and we just let them roam in the garden, so it's very easy if they poop or urine, at the very least, much less hassle.

So, for all of you dog owners, for indoor dogs, how do you manage the poop and urine ? What are some life hacks or tools that can make life easier ? For example, cat only needs cat litter, and they do their things, they won't poop or urine at every random corner of the house, that's my main concern, please do share your advice!

My parents had their dog since 2022, when I still lived at home. But since then I‘ve moved out and only visit every so often.
They adore and care for him deeply, he really is loved. My dad works from home so he often walks the long walk (lol movie reference) but they share the walkie time pretty evenly.
The issue:
They both have trouble walking, always an issue with the foot or the leg (they are in their sixties) so they can‘t be as active with him. They often take the bike with them on walks, he gets enough outdoor time but they can‘t really play with him, like he deserves.
There isn‘t a dog park nearby, only a lot of fields where they rarely meet other dogs and their owners and never the same ones as often, as they need, to be friends. So, what can I do to help? When I visit I play with him of course but that really isn‘t sufficient.
They don’t really want another dog and also can’t afford to care for another one.

Edit because I forgot to add, he is 5 years old and I am from Germany:)

My husband and I are new to the English Setter community, we just picked up our 11 week old boy Benny last week. We’ve been lucky enough to have some time off from work for a couple weeks while we get him situated in his new home. However when we return to work, there will be 2-3 days a week that we are both gone from about 8-4pm. We do have family nearby that can check in on him midday and a garage with a connected fenced outdoor run for him. Crate training has been a bit of a struggle for him so we are leaning towards not keeping him in his crate for that long.

Any advice or recommendations on how we can set him up best to be left alone for 4 or so hours at a time?

Hi everyone! My mother is a smoker who smokes inside. I'm planning on staying with her for two days and it would be nice to take my dog. She also has a dog and mine is quite anxious, so it would be a good experience for him. My worry is, he's a small 6.5kg dog in a pretty heavily smoked in home. I can ask her not to smoke indoors while we're there, but will just bringing him into the house for 48-72 hours be damaging to his health?

Thank you 🙏

My son and his wife have a male cheweenie. No health issues. The vet quoted $1,000 for him to get fixed. We all can’t believe this price.
The vet is located in a more affluent area of southern Maine. What has been your experience?
I live in central Maine and have not experienced this.

Recently got a puppy about 3 weeks ago, we have been potty training which is going well, but he obviously is still having accidents in the house. He ONLY goes on the carpet, which I immediately stop so it’s only a small bit. I blot all the excess urine, spray with enzyme cleaner (natures miracle) and then let sit and blot again.

However, the smell does not seem to go away. I have gone back over the dried spots and sprayed again, tried rewetting with water, blotting and spraying, but the smell remains. It is at the point where the entire house smells like dog urine and it is, quite frankly, unbearable. An upright carpet shampooer is not really in the books for us right now. What can I do to get the smell out of the carpets????

so I grew up having dogs all of my childhood. I haven’t had a dog now in over 10 years. We are looking into getting a dog again and this may seem silly but we like to go out often ( parties, beach, etc) what would we do with the dog if we can’t bring him/her out? Of course I know the dog would need to be walked a few times a day. Morning and evening is usually no problem for us.

Location: Omaha, NE I live at an apartment complex in Omaha that has a dog park, but it has no lighting at all and is completely pitch black after sunset. There aren’t any posted hours saying it closes at dusk, and residents still use it at night. With it starting to get dark earlier, it seems like a safety issue.

The fence has also been a problem. On July 21, my dog was able to squeeze through a loose area, escaped, and was injured. Management slightly repaired the fence afterward, but it still wasn’t fully secure. We told them that it still needed to be fixed and never received a response.

Does anyone know whether Omaha requires apartment complexes to provide lighting and secure fencing for shared amenities like a dog park?

His adopted owner decided to bring him back to me yesterday. I noticed he was overweight but he has been a chunk since he was born.
When I took him on a walk, I noticed a very concerning *waddle* as he walks… I’m not over exaggerating as I’ve looked it up on TikTok videos.
He waddles, very heavily.
He is a pitbull/blue heeler mix if that might be of use or helpful. I just got him home from our walk and he’s lying down so I won’t be able to get a video now but I will post one soon.
He has insurance, calling vet after this, but I know they will just want me to take him in. I am busy for the next few days and I want to be able to care for him properly until I get him in to see them.
Any advice is appreciated

I have a 6-year-old chocolate Lab who has had his fair share of medical adventures. 😂 He has a sensitive stomach, and he was born with a rare disorder called Reflex Dyssynergia (RD), which causes frequent UTIs.

For years, we thought his UTIs and stomach issues were food-related, so he was on Hill’s prescription Hydrolyzed Protein + Urinary Care. It was $208 a bag and, despite all that, he still had stomach issues and UTIs.

Eventually, our vet figured out that the RD was actually causing the UTIs, so she gave us the okay to switch him to regular food.

He’s been on Kirkland Chicken for about 5 months now, and thankfully the UTI issue has been resolved. BUT… now we’re having anal gland issues. His stools just aren't firm enough to naturally express them.

I’ve tried Glandex and adding pumpkin, but neither has made much difference. I’m starting to wonder if chicken may be contributing to his sensitive stomach.

So, what food would you recommend for a dog with a sensitive stomach who needs firmer stools/has anal gland issues?

I’m not looking for a raw diet. I have immense respect for people organized enough to remember to thaw their dog’s food… I can barely remember to thaw our own. 😂

He’s also not picky. He’s a Lab. He will literally eat anything. 😂

Would love to hear what foods have actually worked for your dogs!

We have a 9-week old CC and want to purchase pet insurance. How did you choose tour package, why, and would you choose differently?