Talk me out of getting a puppy

[JaxJags08]

My 9 month old Aussie/BC mix tore about 5 of our vertical blinds in half yesterday. This morning I went outside and he had dug some massive holes around the beautiful dog house (covered porch and everything) that DH built for him over the weekend. I know he's acting out because he hasn't had much exercise lately, but I hate how he destroys things. He is a loving dog, though. I'm still glad that we have him, but it is work!

 

[Eeyores Butterfly]

I have two puppies, and I love them greatly, but here is some of the negative stuff (to make you feel better about your decision)

-The fleas! Their flea stuff doesn't seem to be wroking, so now I have to go through and spray down my apartment, bathe them, and try to get some new flea stuff. It's really annoying and I feel horrible because one has little redmarks all over his stomach from being bitten.

-Taking them out in the mornings! I am not a morning person, and winter is coming. That is honestly the worst part of my morning because I don't have time to collect myself. I have to get dressed right away to take them out. It's gonna be even worse with snow on the ground.

-You have to walk them a lot. It's healthy, but it's also a PITA.

-You can't do whatever you want after work or be as spontaneous as you want to be because you have to go home and take them out.

-The smell! One of my puppies pees in his crate at least every other night. I have tried everything I can think of and have had to resign myself to the fact. I have had to resign myself to washing several baby blankets a week. I tried crating him without a blanket, but he peed anyway and then it got all over. He is also a submissive peer, so even though he is housebroken (with the exception of his crate), he still pees on the carpet when he gets excited.

I do love my babies immensely, but like anything there are pros and cons.

 

[Mellie2162]

Thanks all. Im actually feeling very good about my decision now. I sat the kids down and explained to them the reason why we couldn't get this one now and they both were very understanding. My brother is calling today and I will tell him no thank you.

Thanks to the PP who talked about boarding. A few years ago when we went to WDW we got a friend to sit with our dogs while we were gone. As it turns out a hurricane missed Florida and hit our state while we were gone. For some reason my friend felt the need to go out on the deck in the middle of a hurricane to let down a table umbrella. As soon as she grabbed it the wrought iron table fell over and smashed her knee. So, while not paying to board them we did end up paying her medical bills with our homeowners (which has since gone through the roof). Thankfully it wasn't a permanent injury.