Same goes for kids, boats and swimming pools.

I had to say goodbye much too early to the pets I’ve tried to have and I couldn’t deal with it anymore. I love animals though, so now I volunteer at a wildlife rescue, so I get seemingly infinite animals. I get more chores than love, and ironically I say goodbye to more of them than I ever would pets, but they’re my patients now, not my best friends. But I get to enjoy a ton of animals, some that I never even knew existed, and I still get to feel I did good by them like I did with my rescue pups and kitties. We treated over 4200 animals last year! Overall, it’s a pretty small commitment for all the neat things I get to be a part of.

I dunno, right now I’m in an office with four dogs, one of which has been trained to shut up occasionally. Maybe it’s the owners who are the problem…

same with kids. and cars. and kitchens.

actually. what’s not better if you can have it without being responsible for it?

Cats maybe?

Ah! Bed. that’s better if it’s yours.

I never minded any of that, but the real challenge is time. Not all dogs are ok being left alone all day and arguably a standard workday is too long anyway.

I enjoyed having dogs when my kids were little, because someone could be home more often. But now that the kids are in college it just doesn’t work.

I’m having that argument again today. My ex had gotten a dog over my objection that neither of would be home. Sure enough the dog barks so can’t be left alone on her condo. I can’t say no to a dog, but I’m gone for 9 hours straight and that’s inhumane (plus as the dog gets older she’s started having accidents in that time).

… or taking them to the vet, or dealing with them when you want to go on vacation or need to go on a work trip, or dealing with the guilt of not giving as much time to them as you know you should, or having the neighbors complain because they happen to be a dog that barks too much, or gets out of the yard.

There are so many reasons to want a dog, companionship, and they are virtually the only reliable source of unconditional love, but there are also many reasons bringing a dog into your life may not be a good idea.

Never give a pet as a gift without asking first. Never push a pet on someone who has said they don’t want one.