Stupid resident tricks: getting a dog

[StarTrekDoc]

@donnie - Curious...what do you say about the kids?

@childay - temperament. Poodles are cross bred for their low allergy coat and nonshedding properties, hence grooming (and all the costs that come with that). Poodles are great gun dogs and extremely smart. Not the friendliest of dogs, so with kids and families and outings, that's a factor. Our golden runs off leash sin issues as many labs and goldens do. Poodles...not so much.

@dicast - RV trip. Bring them along! Currently on one now ????. Rover.com is great too. $35 a night for ours and she's awesome with lots of big dogs in big yard having fun all day long

[Donnie]

I say the kids are alright, but admittedly most of what I know comes from classic rock...

[CM]

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[Dicast]

Startrekdoc - we take him with us when we drive but more often than not our schedule means a flight to save travel time. We board him at a house with other dogs but it just takes extra planning. I have never been much of a live with any animal person. I like them outside, me inside and no mess. Our dog is kinda old now anyway. He mostly lays around and stares at us when he is in.

[Gamma Knives]

I have to speak up in defense of shelters. Like anything there are good shelters and bad. Any dog you get (shelter or breeder) will be a risk that the temperament is not what you imagined. I adopted my dog from a shelter during residency. The shelter I got him from had done a temperament evaluation. I explained that I would be at work from 7-4 (I'm a rad onc so my residency had regular hours) and they helped me find the right one. I have no idea why the awesome dog I got ended up in a shelter but he is one of the best things that has ever happened to me. Did I have to clean up some accidents? Yes, I expected that. Also he costs money and I have to get up earlier to walk him before work. I have to find a sitter for him when I go on vacation. These things are totally worth it.

I am not saying you must do a shelter but please don't discount them. There are a lot of great dogs at shelters who would love to join your family. There are going to be some that are not going to be right for you. A good shelter will help you find the right dog. However, (I think) most dogs end up in a shelter because of the owner not because of the dog.

[VagabondMD]

Rogue Dad, M.D. wrote:

Not to derail the discussion, but I could use some dog advice also.

My wife wants to purchase a labradoodle (sp?) based on a few things (low shedding, temperament, good w/young kids, smart, like’s the size, etc).  She’s also told me you can’t get them at shelters and they are extremely expensive, particularly to get assistance to have them trained properly.

I’m 100% ignorant of anything dog related.  I don’t want a dog, but if it actually happens I wanted a shelter animal, not some crazy-expensive thing.  However I’m so reluctant about dogs in general that if we DO get want I want one that checks every box — we already have 3 little kids, so I don’t want a fourth that needs more attention than my kids.

I like cats — but I’m allergic.  Except I’ve had one my entire marriage since my wife had a cat before we were married (and before I knew I was allergic).  Taken antihistamines daily for 11 years now…

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We are long time dog lovers and acquired a labradoodle-ish dog from a shelter, at about nine months old, about nine years ago. Shelter dogs don't usually come with pedigrees, so we do not know for sure. She looks like many of the doodles we see around the hood, the ones that cost $2500 and up.

Shelter dogs do, however, typically come with some emotional baggage or behavioral issues, as demonstrated by our other dog, which would best be described as a non-shedding shedding Jack Russel terroir-like dog, about 5 years old, adopted by us about three years ago after being abandoned with her newborn puppies.

Shelter dogs deserve a break and can make great pets. In fact, we are all going to go for a walk right now.

I did not get my first dog as an adult until I finished training, was married, and owned our first home.

[HandFellow]

I'm with OP on this one.  Having a pet is a drain on time and money.  It isn't fair to the pet and the resident is likely to be overstretched in trying to manage work and home life.

At the same time, there has to be a balance to saving money and not depriving yourself things you enjoy.  What the OP is getting at is that this is not likely the only poor financial decision this other resident is making.

[Hatton]

I must say that I am in favor of shelter dogs.  I loved my huskies but I feel good about adopting a dog that really needs a home.

[TechnoDonut]

PGY-3 resident here. My wife - a teacher - and I have two dogs, mutts aged 3 and 2. Sounds like the OP's "friend" does not have the requisite time to adopt or purchase a dog right now. I would advise her to wait. It's not fair or beneficial to the animal to be confined and alone for that long during puppyhood. I would also suggest considering two dogs when the correct time does come. Our dogs (and one cat) do spend long days in the house, but they are never alone, and I think that's very good for their psyches.

As others have already mentioned, dogs aren't cheap either. We've spent about $10,000 in the last year on dog knees: back to back TPLO x2 for the lab mutt, and a PML repair for the terrier mutt. Certainly, I wish we hadn't had do to do it, but I think it was money well spent on dogs that have ~8-10 good years left. Before her TPLO's, the lab mutt couldn't run, jump, or really do anything due to two completely torn ACL's. Now she's all over the place.

Oh, and don't buy a dog. There's TONS of dogs out there that need homes. The shelters here are literally bursting, mostly with bully breeds, which I've always thought are wonderful dogs. Our lab mutt came from a litter found on a beach in Puerto Rico, and we adopted at 3 months. The terrier mutt I found on the side of I-40 in rural North Carolina, and I think she was about 6 weeks old at the time.

Never posted on a forum that didn't support image posting... I love posting pics of my animal crew...

[wideopenspaces]

Rogue Dad, M.D. wrote:

Not to derail the discussion, but I could use some dog advice also.

My wife wants to purchase a labradoodle (sp?) based on a few things (low shedding, temperament, good w/young kids, smart, like’s the size, etc).  She’s also told me you can’t get them at shelters and they are extremely expensive, particularly to get assistance to have them trained properly.

I’m 100% ignorant of anything dog related.  I don’t want a dog, but if it actually happens I wanted a shelter animal, not some crazy-expensive thing.  However I’m so reluctant about dogs in general that if we DO get want I want one that checks every box — we already have 3 little kids, so I don’t want a fourth that needs more attention than my kids.

I like cats — but I’m allergic.  Except I’ve had one my entire marriage since my wife had a cat before we were married (and before I knew I was allergic).  Taken antihistamines daily for 11 years now…

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Full disclosure, I am a total neat freak and not really an animal person. However, my son REALLY wanted a dog and I wanted him to have one. So I agreed to shih tzu's because they don't really shed and don't create huge poop (I did not want to be picking up enormous pieces of dog poop). They have hair which they lose like a person does but that does not bother me. I honestly would have lost it if we had gotten a dog that sheds. So if your wife is at all like me, PLEASE go with a non shedding breed, even if it's not a labradoodle. We've had our pups for 3 years now and they are seriously the best dogs ever. We love them so much and they are a part of our family. Let us know what you decide on!

[antheus]

I'm in my final year of residency and my girlfriend and I got a goldendoodle about 4 months ago. He's 6 months now and he's absolutely amazing. Intelligent dog, has an incredible temprament, doesn't bark/snap/bite, great with kids and incredibly playful with everyone. He's not without his faults, he's very mischievous and has taken a fair bit of leash training. I was resistant to the idea at first but I don't have a single regret. However, I don't work weekends and my girlfriend works 3 days a week so there's usually someone here for him and I was on some light rotations when we first got him so I was around more to keep him company and let him out. We have a dog walker come twice a day for $25 when both of us are working. He only cost us about $1000 but they're typically 2k+. Most cities have puppy daycare which costs $20-$25 per day and once he's neutered we'll ultimately do that.

All this being said, if it was just me it would have been impossible or VERY difficult to raise him and I have a fairly cush residency. As a busy IM resident I could see it being very difficult. It's not so much the money that I'd worry about but it takes a lot of time and energy which is just so much more manageable when you split it between two people.

[MPMD]

StarTrekDoc wrote:

Grew up with a Shetland and now with two kids and a 1.5 year golden retriever that loves every puddle and bird that comes her way.

Key issues.
Size of pet matters first.
Energy level for daily exercise cannot be understated.
Temperament is big with kids.
Allergies is too for the family.

 

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This is a really good little index card for prospective dog owners.

Dislcosure: we have a 1.75 year old English Springer Spaniel I got from a very casual breeder as a puppy. She is the #1 best dog in the world IMHO.

I am shocked by the amount of terrible, unsolicited advice I got when I was thinking about a dog. A guy at Petsmart asked how old my pup was when I went crate shopping, I said "8 weeks" and he told me I would have an untrainable disaster for the rest of my life. A person at a cocktail party informed me that since I was a doctor and we were thinking about kids I "wasn't ready for the responsibility." If you are a reasonably functional person who understands that you have to put some time into them, dogs are the best thing ever. People are pretty dumb though.

Be careful about saying you want a "high energy" dog. I think a lot of people think that is synonymous with "fun" but it turns out to be something you have to manage. Our dog is amazing but she isn't a lapdog and she gets nutty when she can't exercise. We enjoy that exercise so it isn't a chore, but you have to really enjoy taking your dog to the park or playing with it in the yard.

Another option that hasn't been mentioned here are breed specific rescue networks. If you know what breed you want but don't want a puppy there is an organization for basically every breed that will take surrendered dogs, foster them, and then place them. You'll know exactly what you're getting in to.

We tried the shelter thing, it wasn't for us. Good on everyone who does it. It's too unpredictable for me. Dogs are bred for a reason and there are definite breed characteristics you can at least get a sense of if you pre-select your breed.

[Hatton]

I will put in a good word for mixed breeds.  The puppy I picked up wandering along the road at 6 weeks looked like a daschund because of the color pattern.  Once I treated the parasites he sprouted some legs and grew to be 81 pounds.  It was fun to guess what he was and how big he would get.  I sent some DNA and it came back German short haired pointer.  His name was hatton

[RogueDadMD]

Ah! Is this the origin story of your username?