Adopting a stray dog

It's called responsibility, If you're not sure if you should get a dog then you probably shouldn't.

I've got 4 dogs and do 100% of the feeding, cleanup, etc. It is a labor of love. If you go out of town for more than 2 days, you have to make sure you have a friend or neighbor who will come over to feed the dogs and make sure they have water. Or you can pay to board them at the local animal hospital.

jackofalltirades wrote:

It's called responsibility, If you're not sure if you should get a dog then you probably shouldn't.

Got it: if I were a responsible person, I would dive into dog ownership blindly, careful consideration of what those responsibilities are be damned.

worth the commitment wrote:

If you go out of town for more than 2 days, you have to make sure you have a friend or neighbor who will come over to feed the dogs and make sure they have water. Or you can pay to board them at the local animal hospital.

Ha, if only there were more than a single grocery store within 30 miles of me, we might have a "local animal hospital." But I'm rarely gone from home more than 2 or 3 days at a time, and on a lot of those occasions (things like camping or visiting friends for the weekend) I'd be able to bring the dogs.

Mostly I'm looking for someone to inform me as to some of consequences I might be overlooking. For example, I lived about 500 miles away for the summer and had to road trip back to my house before the school year started; how much harder would it be to find motels if I had dogs?

don't get a dog. it'd be bad for your running, teaching, and it would eat all of your shit.

It can be difficult to find hotels that allow dogs, but it's not impossible. I have 3 large dogs ( ~70lbs each) and have found hotels that allow them. I usually get a AAA tour guidebook for the states I'm traveling because it lists hotels in an area and if they allow pets. Note that many hotels say pets are welcome, but then place limitations on number or size. It's much easier to find rooms if you have only one dog and it is small (<20 lbs).

Stay in motels in areas that have good bird hunting. You'd be hard pressed to find a place in South Dakota or Kansas or Maryland's Eastern shore that won't take dogs.

If bird hunting contributes to the local economy, you'll find a place to stay with your dogs.

..................... wrote:

You'd be hard pressed to find a place in South Dakota or Kansas or Maryland's Eastern shore that won't take dogs.

good to know that if I'm ever in hell I can take my dog with me.

math teacher wrote:

Ha, if only there were more than a single grocery store within 30 miles of me, we might have a "local animal hospital."

Not having an animal hospital even remotely close might be something you're overlooking. If they're pups, you're going to have to get their shots.

I understand they're strays, but if you are going to be out of town for 2-3 days very often, I'd say don't adopt them. It's kind of mean. As strays, the can run with a pack and do dog things. When you adopt them and keep them at your house, it's cruel to skip out of town. They really do miss you when you're gone (at least it seems that way when you return.)

But the good thing about a dog is that once you get back, he / she doesn't know if you were gone 30 minutes or a week. You'll get the same reaction.

The most important thing is the way you treat them. PATIENCE and CONSISTENCY. Don't give them an old pair of shoes to chew up, then get mad when they chew up a new pair. Don't get mad if you forget to let them outside and they pee on the floor. Keep things simple: good or bad. Don't let anything be okay sometimes and not okay other times. My dogs love me and trust me because they know what to expect from me.

If you do have to travel some, it's good to have 2 dogs -- they'll play together and not get so bored and lonely. And I try to have a neighbor feed them when I am going to be away more than a day. Both my dogs came from animal shelters, and I can't stand the thought of keeping them in cages. I know some people call them "crates" or "kennels", but they are still cages.

Bad Newz Kennels will keep your dog for a pretty reasonable fee. Check it out.