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>People need to do far more research when adopting or buying dogs. It would help a lot it society didn't encourage people to adopt dogs, and normalize dog owne

>People need to do far more research when adopting or buying dogs. It would help a lot it society didn't encourage people to adopt dogs, and normalize dog ownership. It's really something that only rich people should do, so they can show off their disposable income (e.g., 3k for a house/pet sitter to go on vacation, hiring a dog walker, etc.). Regular people have no business owning an animal that requires this much care and attention, when they're already busy with their work, social lives, their own kids, etc.

pdonis 3y ago
I don't agree that you need to be rich to properly care for a dog, but you do need to understand and accept the commitment it takes. One thing that can help a lot is remote work. That means you can avoid expenses like hiring a dog walker or sitter because you can be there with your dog. As for the vacation part, my wife and I solve that by simply taking our dogs with us. That does restrict what you can do; we personally don't care because we don't take the kind of vacations where having dogs along would be a problem.
__MatrixMan__ 3y ago
> when they're already busy with their work, social lives, their own kids, etc. It would also help if society didn't encourage people to have kids. Then they could probably afford to take better care of their dogs.
AdamJacobMuller 3y ago
Other people handle that situation (vacation) differently. They may board with friends. They may board the dog in a facility. There are many ways to reasonably handle that situation that doesn't cost 1000s of dollars but keep in mind I have three dogs (3x the cost), had a relatively long trip (3 weeks), was traveling internationally (needed someone who I had impeccable trust in), and I am determined to disrupt their lives as little as possible (so no boarding). We should totally encourage people to adopt dogs (adopt, not buy)! We should just be totally honest about what they are getting into and what resources are required (mostly your time) to do it properly. > It's really something that only rich people should do Not at all, you don't have to do it how I did it, I am fortunate enough to be able to choose a path which optimizes my time (hiring a walker) and their lives (hiring a home pet sitter). > so they can show off their disposable income (e.g., 3k for a house/pet sitter to go on vacation, hiring a dog walker, etc.) Honestly, that statement just offends me for reasons I can't articulate at the moment. That so misses the mark of why I have dogs and why I wrote that comment.
xboxnolifes 3y ago
May I ask where you live that you pay a pet sitter 3k for, presumably, a less than 1 month vacation and 1 dog? Sounds quite lucrative.
- AdamJacobMuller 3y ago
  Northern New Jersey. I think it was 125/night for someone to spend 12-16 hours a day in the house with my dogs. Technically under minimum wage (15/hour in NJ!) for full time care of all 3 dogs. I think I paid reasonably but generously, I didn't have any interest in hiring the cheapest possible person. Edited to add that I just checked wag (pet walking/sitting app) to see how much I "over" paid. Wag charges 40-60/night depending on location; I assume North NJ and wanting a highly verified and qualified sitter and 3 weeks and me generally being absurdly picky) would put me easily at or above that range, plus, they charge 25/night/extra pet so I'm at 110/night with Wag. Not that I think the average Wag walker is bad, but, I'm much happier paying a bit more for someone I know and trust.

pdonis 3y ago

I don't agree that you need to be rich to properly care for a dog, but you do need to understand and accept the commitment it takes. One thing that can help a lot is remote work. That means you can avoid expenses like hiring a dog walker or sitter because you can be there with your dog. As for the vacation part, my wife and I solve that by simply taking our dogs with us. That does restrict what you can do; we personally don't care because we don't take the kind of vacations where having dogs along would be a problem.

__MatrixMan__ 3y ago

> when they're already busy with their work, social lives, their own kids, etc. It would also help if society didn't encourage people to have kids. Then they could probably afford to take better care of their dogs.

AdamJacobMuller 3y ago

Other people handle that situation (vacation) differently. They may board with friends. They may board the dog in a facility. There are many ways to reasonably handle that situation that doesn't cost 1000s of dollars but keep in mind I have three dogs (3x the cost), had a relatively long trip (3 weeks), was traveling internationally (needed someone who I had impeccable trust in), and I am determined to disrupt their lives as little as possible (so no boarding). We should totally encourage people to adopt dogs (adopt, not buy)! We should just be totally honest about what they are getting into and what resources are required (mostly your time) to do it properly. > It's really something that only rich people should do Not at all, you don't have to do it how I did it, I am fortunate enough to be able to choose a path which optimizes my time (hiring a walker) and their lives (hiring a home pet sitter). > so they can show off their disposable income (e.g., 3k for a house/pet sitter to go on vacation, hiring a dog walker, etc.) Honestly, that statement just offends me for reasons I can't articulate at the moment. That so misses the mark of why I have dogs and why I wrote that comment.

xboxnolifes 3y ago

May I ask where you live that you pay a pet sitter 3k for, presumably, a less than 1 month vacation and 1 dog? Sounds quite lucrative.

AdamJacobMuller 3y ago
Northern New Jersey. I think it was 125/night for someone to spend 12-16 hours a day in the house with my dogs. Technically under minimum wage (15/hour in NJ!) for full time care of all 3 dogs. I think I paid reasonably but generously, I didn't have any interest in hiring the cheapest possible person. Edited to add that I just checked wag (pet walking/sitting app) to see how much I "over" paid. Wag charges 40-60/night depending on location; I assume North NJ and wanting a highly verified and qualified sitter and 3 weeks and me generally being absurdly picky) would put me easily at or above that range, plus, they charge 25/night/extra pet so I'm at 110/night with Wag. Not that I think the average Wag walker is bad, but, I'm much happier paying a bit more for someone I know and trust.