Would you rather get a puppy or a grown dog, or neither?

If I had to get a dog, I would probably get an adult dog. Puppies need a lot of time and energy ( and food ), and need to be trained. A dog that has passed that stage would be better, if it doesn't have any bad habits.

by Lluxi

It costs us $1.21 to feed two large dogs per day. Total. Not each. My vet says they are fat (!) They get only fresh food and are fed once a day. They get half a cup of non cereal dry food with their meat. They are as fit as fiddles.

That's much less than I thought. What about other costs, such as vaccinations?

I definitely need a dog and have had dogs all my life apart from when I was first married the first time, and we lived in a flat and were not allowed to have pets.
I used to adore having puppies and watching them grow up (far too quickly) and their quirkiness, but since having an accident I could no longer handle a puppy and indeed cancelled an order for one after my accident.
An older dog is also not so wild and not so much work and as I am unable to bend well, an adult dog suits me better now.
However with adult dogs, comes often bad behaviour and it is harder to train an adult dog, however I worry about the time when it would be unfair to get a dog due to my age, and I also worry what will happen if I die and have a blind dog and a dog that is timid as she lived in kennels for the first six years of her life.
But back to the question - an adult dog in my old age!

by Finy

However, we would doubtless both be happy to be smothered in puppies once a week if offered. Am I right??!! LOL

I'd rather a puppy so it can grow with my family and my toddlers can know it for a loooong time.
But I'd also rather an older dog because with two toddlers I wouldn't have the time to put into training a puppy.
Good question - hard to answer!

by Belinda

A stray dog left 5 puppies in my yard. I didn't really want dogs but now I have them. I'm going to have to give some of them away though, tooany to feed. Az

by dwatk

That is a lot of mouths to feed!

That is really kind of you, dwatk, thank you for looking after them :-)

As much as I do think puppies are adorable.. I have so much else happening in my life that an older dog is the one I prefer.

We adopted an 18 month old dog - her owners didn't want her anymore :( and had advertised her in the local paper.

She has been an absolute delight.. only problem was, I didn't have the heart to rename her.. and I am not keen on her name lol

by BritishStorm

I changed one of my rescues as he was named after alcohol . . dropped the b and the r and got sandy. Much better. I have a friend who inherited a dog named Lolly . . she renamed her Holly. My original rescue even had a boy's name!! She has a girl's name now. Poor baby. They beat and abused her, terrified her, starved her and even gave her a boy's name. Lov-el-y people. Not. Grrrrrrrrrrr.

Sickening isn't it Rice. There are some horrid people out there.
Chloe is our little girls name... unfortunately we couldn't think of anything we liked that rhymed with Chloe... so she kept that but also answers to fluffybum lol

I adopted a dog called Chucky...didn't like his name and couldn't think of something I liked that rhymed. One day as I approached him I though- Chuckles. He was such a happy, clever , cheeky chap- Chuckles suited him perfectly. I often give my dogs nicknames, you could use the name Chloe less and less, so her new name could be Fluffy Bum.

Zoe!!!!!

That's a hard question. I would love both! We live in an apartment and can't get a dog. When we are able to get a dog we will probably get a puppy.

by AJ

Young Adult if it were possible...
Which it's not right now, sadly :(

by jonaja

While I like the idea of a dog, I don't think it would be a good idea for us. I feel like I've got enough on, so it wouldn't be fair on the dog.

by Vee

$572. Two dogs. Vaccinations and yearly heartworm. Sadly, vets are not cheap.

(sorry Vee, I should clarify that the cost included the consultation fee and the annual checkup for both.)

You're right, Rice. Not cheap. I have to be honest, though. I had a terrible incident with my hens (I can't remember if I told you. I took the wrong damn hen to the vet). Anyway, the vet was so great. He saw us right away (when I brought in the right one), and he waived the fee for the second dose of antibiotics.

Oh Vee, that's sad. I hadn't realised you had the wrong hen first. Good on your vet, that was very nice. I've done the same thing with a dove . . .they all look alike.

Thanks, Rice. I feel less of a dimwit now, LOL!

I have this dilemma at present. Security in my neighbourhood is not what it was. There is an element with the growing drug problem..etc. I feel a large dog may act as a deterrent to a potential criminal.
My little girl- a West Highland Terrier is six. She is a delight...now. She understands so much , but it was a battle getting to this point. She has been the hardest dog I have ever trained and has been an exercise in patience. We bought her when our dog was seven and so very clever. We wanted him to help train her. Unfortunately he was killed by a snake when she was still a tiny pup. As a youngster she was so willfull and determined, but that is a terrier aparently. I have considered a second dog and Ruthie would be of some help in training a young one but I have been advised that if I want her attention I better have her as an only dog. I could see that is likely with her nature.
I would consider an adult, but I dread having to retrain a dog that has bad habits. I don't know if I have the energy for a puppy. Oh the dilemma!

by annfi

If it is any help at all . . . little dogs are better than big dogs, particularly terrier varieties - there are more likely to bite an intruder in a face off, they are so gutsy. Big dogs are also more likely to be stolen. I have had several giant breeds and also terriers and I would bet my terrier to save my life over a big dog. Also, burglars are more likely to trip over a small dog (seriously) and you can throw a small dog at them. . . . .I'm kidding. LOL

annfi, I'm sorry, I've no advice, but I do wish you the very best in making a decision!

Thank you Rice and Vee. I appreciate your care.

Neither. Not even a gold fish. Love animals from a looooong distance.

by njsan

Neither

by fran.

I'd choose either but having my timid cat would mean it would have to be a puppy. Only problem there is digging in the veggie gardens and perhaps knocking over any of the 200+ orchids we have out the back. When we had to have Beagle Bailey put to sleep we all cried that much, including my youngest daughter and her two children that we decided we couldn't bear losing another dog so my cat gets all the attention.

by helga

I love both, puppies are so cute and boisterous,some puppies are easier to train than others.My older dog was toilet trained so quickly, where as my younger one took much more time.

by Diana Nairn

A puppy, definitely. I think an older dog is better suited to an experienced dog-owner as they're often more strong-willed and harder to train (unless you're lucky enough to get a pre-trained dog). I like the idea of having a puppy growing up with me, plus I find puppies adorable.

by annep

I'd only buy a cat!

by Miro

Neither - I'm a cat person!

by poppy