Should We Get a Dog?

I would have him checked out by your vet.

Do you have the money to feed and care for him?
Do you have the time to house train, if needed?
Do you have the time to love and care for him?
Do you mind cleaning up after him?
Do you have room for him?
Do you have a yard or a run for him?
If you travel a lot - how you will care for him when you are gone?
If you have answered yes and know a plan - then yes - keep him if you can't find his owners.

I would put up a picture of him all over town...maybe even as far as Leonardstown - if he looked like he had walked a long way!

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LMAO, we had a little black lab puppy 'visit' our house yesterday too ;)

My 5 year old is allergic to dogs, but we still have ours ;) We get him shampooed with that anti-allergen stuff, and I vacuum like a crazy lady. It doesn't effect her.

I would do a test run with the dog you found, or 'foster' a dog from an animal shelter to see how bad your son's allergies get (or don't)... every dog is different. You have to be diligent about brushing/shampooing, and keeping the place vacuumed and dusted.

My 7 year old was in tears when we found that dogs owner yesterday. I asked her 'if River (our dog) went missing, wouldn't you want someone to bring him home?'... she said 'of course'... So I explained that she should be happy that we found that puppys home; her owners missed her. My point is, try to find the owner first. It's going to be so hard if the kids get attached, then that dog has to 'go home'. Tell them from the get go that you are still actively trying to find the owner, so they know better.

And hey, if you DO find the owner, yeah, time to get a dog ;)

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With allergies, I would be careful about this decision. Don't let your kids get attached until you know for sure.

I don't want to take care of another living creature at this point in life, and I don't want to commit to walking a dog at least 2 times a day. And in this economy a pet is a luxury between the food, vet bills and medications they need.

Good luck.

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- Who will take care of the dog?
- Are your kids responsible?
- Do you have a fenced in yard?
- Do you have TIME for a dog?

So many dog owners get dogs because they are cute and cuddly and fun. But, they don't care for them properly. Dogs (esp the kind you are referring to) need VERY regularly exercise. Is someone prepared to walk and/or run with this dog daily?

I would keep the dog - but I am a runner and could take the dog, and I know the entire fam would chip in to care for it. I would make sure to have our yard fenced in and extra money in the bank to pay for its care as well.

Good luck!

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I recently learned something about dander allergies. My husband is asthmatic and allergic to dander. We have several pets and my daughter and her several pets are staying with us. The extra dander started making my husband cough and wheeze something fierce. A friend of mine told me that sprinkling brewer's yeast on the animals' food changes the composition of the dander so that it's not as reactive for people with allergies. When I started doing that, he went from having several full-blown asthma attacks a day to occasional sneezes and sniffles..

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I am a HUGE animal advocate and get very frustrated when folks get an animal before truley thinking about it only to find out the dog/cat isn't a good fit for their life and suddenly need to rehome the animal. Cheryl O had all the right questions everyone should ask themself before they get any animal. I myself am a working mother/wife of two children with 2 Labs and 1 Golden Retriever. I am a very busy person BUT I set aside time for my four legged kids because that is the committment I made to them. It is exhausting and there are times when I truley don't want to walk them but again, I made a committment to them so my energy level is sacrificed every now and again to ensure they get the love and attention they deserve. It is like having children and a LIFE-long committment. Think long and hard before you decide to keep the dog :)

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freedom ~ that's a biggie! If you work or take vacations are you willing to pay to have someone walk your dog, take care of your dog, feed your dog? Or will you hope that your mom will take your dog and take care of it while you are gone? Personally I would never have a dog (or cat) because I would not want to have to be tied down to making sure I got home to let the dog out or having to find someone to watch my dog while we were away. Not to mention the clean up after a dog. I can't even imagin what kind of hair would be all over the house with a black haired Lab! Not sure how it would work in your house,but it seems like in our neighborhood every family that has a dog, the mom is the one that takes care of the dog 90% of the time even though they are usually not the ones that want the dog in the first place. If you don't mind adding things to your things to do list, and your kids are not allergic, then by all means get a dog. I think it would be easier to send your kids to grandmas to play with the dogs that she has! lol

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Ask yourself, Do I want this responsibility for 10 -15 years. In my eyes getting a dog is a tiny bit like getting married. Unless the dog becomes vicious then that dog is a part of the family for life. It really bugs me when people get dogs then just give them away because they don't want to deal with it anymore. If you get a pet it should be a real commitment, not a well we kinda want one, but not sure so, if I doesn't work then we will just get rid of it. It's cruel to the dog.

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Could not have said it better then Rachel D!

Blessings..

not only do you need an enclosed back yard, but you will need to walk him a good mile a day. Labs tend to be in puppy stage for a very long time - it's in their nature.

You didn't say how old your kids are, I volunteered for an animal shelter and we wouldn't allow anyone to adopt a dog if they had kids under the age of 5 (due to high return rate). So, if you have kids under 5, I would think it might be best to wait until your kids are older.

Not sure if MD has ticks, but the vet bills can easily add up.

He might have been already tagged, so I would take him to the vet and see if they can scan him to see if he has been tagged by his original owners.

Good luck.

It's risky to get attached to an animal who may be going back to its owners. Also, labs are high maintenance dogs - good with kids but they need to run and exercise, and as you already know, this one chases cars! These dogs shed and are not typically "hypo-allergenic". This dog has already blown his winter coat so you really won't know for sure about allergies until next spring when the hair is at its worst. Large dogs are expensive - they eat a lot! You also know nothing about this dog's health history.

I would recommend that you really think about whether your family is ready for a dog. The kids always say they will help, and that ends after 3 days, especially when they learn about picking up poop! I don't know if your kids could manage to walk a large dog - depends on their ages but you say this is a big dog. We have neighbors with labs and the kids and parents get dragged down the street a lot!

If you aren't sure about this, that may be your answer right there!

it depends on how much you have going on in your life right now. dogs are a lot of responsibility and a lot of work. also, if you are not financially stable right now or are not sure where you will be financially in the next 10-15 years think about this twice. due to the economy we have not been able to take my elderly dog to a vet in quite some time and I feel VERY guilty about that. also, as someone else mentioned, if you go on a vacation a lot or are away from the house for long stretches of time, the lab will not be happy with this.

it depends on how old your kids are...I regret not following all of the sites that say no new dogs with kids 6 and under...my daughter was 3 when I got a new puppy (had one dog already and she was great with him) and the puppy when to nip and caughter her right on the face and er visit and six stitches later and the pup went back to the store after having to be quarantines for 14 days (because we has foxes in the yard) to rule out rabies...the pup wasnt mean but only being a puppy but it only takes a second for a kid to put their face to close and be caught by the dogs teeth while playing..my friends got a puppy and had to return it because it almost happened with her dog and kid too

I am crazy about dogs but it's a trade-off. We can financially handle it and his food really isn't that much (~$50 a month and we buy a premium brand). It's the unexpected vet bills that could be a hardship. And like people have said, you don't mention how old your kids are. We got our pure Lab when my youngest was 3.5 and in hindsight I'd have waited. He was about 2 or 3 years old and is such a sweetheart but the kids don't really understand when the dog needs your attentionat that age. Now that they're 5.5 and almost 7, they get that I HAVE to take him out. And they just adore him. I feel like he adds so much laughter to the house and entertainment and he's a comfort if my daughters are upset. But he is a lot of work. It all falls on me because my husband didn't want a dog. If your husband is on board, maybe it won't be too much. You don't say if you work full time or not etc. The only reason size is an issue for us is we let him off leash and I think people sometimes are a bit scared to see him coming. And he requires regular, long walks. I don't believe in just letting a dog out to pee so in 2 years, I've walked him (long walks) at least 1460 times... I never blow it off, rain or shine, bc he's restless then. But we don't have a huge house and his size otherwise isn't an issue. I think a Lab mix would be great. That's what I wanted but couldn't find any at the shelters for so long I ultimately went pure Lab via a rescue society. I am glad I'm giving my daughters a dog to grow up with...

They are a lot of work but sooooo worth it! I have a Border Collie, 12 years; a red mastiff/bulldog mix, 9 years; a HUMAN son, 6 years; an American Bulldog, 2 1/2 years; a cat 9 months . . . . they are ALL my babies! Lots of work, but I am rewarded 1,000 times over with their love. Each time I got one, I tried to talk myself out of it (except my actual son of course!), but something in their personality made me decide they were part of me and they needed to be part of my family - I've never regretted any of them. Sometimes logic has nothing to do with it! If this dogs "speaks" to you some way, you will know it and they will be with you!

Keep the dog .:) We put off getting a dog for years because my husband was allergic to dogs that shed (I have 2 boys ages 12 and 15) but last year we finally got Lucky, and everyone in the family is just happier, friendlier. My teen boys show their gentle side when the dog is in thier laps. Sure there is daily work in taking care of a dog, but he does his part by being unconditionally loving, and a great protector.