4 ms·

Raise at least one puppy before you become parents. Make your first mistakes where they're easier to forgive. Then you have a hound helping raise the tot, whic

Raise at least one puppy before you become parents. Make your first mistakes where they're easier to forgive. Then you have a hound helping raise the tot, which can be very rewarding for everybody. Alternatively, if you can't stand handling shit; you learn that in short duration "easy mode" first and face less social disfavor for bailing out of the commitment to a puppy.

meowfly 3y ago
I think this is generally good advice. I'd be a bit careful though and add that some people who will make fine parents are poor dog owners. They don't think of the dog as part of the family/pack and the dog ends up in the backyard alone its whole life. Having a dog can also be cumbersome if you are renting, because you will pay a premium to ensure your future apartment is dog friendly. At my local Humane Society most young dogs seem to get adopted quickly. Senior dogs or dogs with health problems have a hard time. I think anyone who wants to get a puppy should be willing to re-home as soon as possible instead of crating or banishing their dog because it's misbehaving (or you don't want them on your furniture). Certain dog breeds (e.g Dachshunds) are really easy to re-home because there are rescues dedicated to them. Seems like my local shelter is usually full of pits and lab mixes.
antisthenes 3y ago
I strongly second this post. I raised a puppy during COVID lockdowns while working remotely. Raising, training, and socializing a dog are great training wheels for later becoming a parent. It is a lot more forgiving, and the childhood phase for a dog is way, way shorter than it is for a child. If you can tough it out for 8-10 months, you'll also benefit from a loyal and well-behaved companion. There are also the additional benefits of befriending other dog owners, and the emotional support from a pet. Not sure if this will work the same for a cat, but it doesn't hurt to try!
codegeek 3y ago
As a father of 3 kids who has also raised puppies, I second this.
stevofolife 3y ago
Seems reasonable but not so friendly in practice. Not everyone can afford to raise a pet due to living conditions, financial reasons, and time and attention. Edit: "Afford" might not be the best term to use here since it relates to money mainly. "Capacity" might be slightly better.
- bokchoi 3y ago
  Not to be snide, but if you can't afford to raise a puppy, you probably can't afford to raise children.
  - stevofolife 3y ago
    I don't think that how life really works? Also not trying to be a snide either.
    - feoren 3y ago
      Which part is not how life works? Quick Google searches say that the average lifetime expense for a dog is $20k to $55k; for a child it's $240k. I'm sure these numbers could be argued endlessly, but the rough order of magnitude is right. And life really does work like "if you can't afford $X, then you definitely can't afford $10X".
      - randomdata 3y ago
        > I'm sure these numbers could be argued endlessly Indeed they could. Most painfully, the child figure includes things like the cost of keeping a larger house. Yet in reality a child couldn't care less how big or small of a house you have. Hell, early North American settlers used to live in tiny, one room log cabins and raised like 12 children in them just fine. If parents choose to live in more luxurious accommodations, good on them, but if we are being honest that is an adult cost to satisfy adult desires, not a child cost. The cost to support a child on what is actually necessary to support a child is only a tiny fraction of that. But let's say, for the sake of discussion, that the figure is irrefutable. A big difference is still that the child starts to contribute after the first few years. The outflow may be $240k, but there is an inflow to offset it. Unless you are an evil parent who locks the kids in their bedrooms until they turn 18, a net gain would not be unexpected. While there may be individual dogs out there that could have the same said about them, in the typical case the dog can't offer anything to contribute, even if the dog wanted nothing more.
switch007 3y ago
I've been told by multiple parents that I shouldn't have the audacity to suggest raising a puppy is ANYTHING like raising a child lol
- AndrewDucker 3y ago
  It's like a kid insofar as it takes a fair bit of effort, constrains your life, and you have to deal with another sentient being with their own likes, dislikes, and ability to make mess that you're responsible for. So you learn a lot about your own tolerance for dealing with all of that. But there's a lot more of all of that with kids, and obviously the details are vastly different.
- zwaps 3y ago
  It really isn’t
- pavel_lishin 3y ago
  Parent who's had pets here: it's fine to suggest it as a weed-out approach - if you can't handle a puppy, you're going to have a hard time with a child. But I understand and share the frustration when "dog moms" and "cat dads" try to equate owning a pet with having a child.
smusamashah 3y ago
It could be just a pet than a puppy specifically. Just makes this advice a bit more broader/universal. Even then, pets probably don't get same respect / care in all cultures.
- pavel_lishin 3y ago
  Not all pets are equal; raising a kitten is not as labor-intensive as raising a puppy, and raising a goldfish will teach you very few skills tranferrable to raising children or other pets.
carabiner 3y ago
Yes, I lost my mind raising a kitten. SO MUCH ENERGY, running around at 2 am, chewing on random shit non-stop, $3k in emergency vet bills, finding overnight pet sitters for vacations, kitten-proofing my apartment (basically same as baby-proofing it). I can only imagine a baby would be 10x more effort and cost. Now I love him more than anything, but it steeled my decision to get a vasectomy.
- swozey 3y ago
  I only have 2 dogs now but I miss the absolute chaos of having 2 cats flying around the house. My dogs don't do ANYTHING all day long unless I prompt it. Like, they don't play with one another unless I start throwing the ball to them then they'll wrassle around and burn some energy. If I don't do that they literally will just sleep all day. I want a cat so bad i'm on so many cat subreddits. But I HATE litterboxes and I don't know if one will fight my dogs. Cats will zoom around all day long. Such fun chaotic energy. I can't imagine a baby I'll pass I'll keep cats and dogs
  - carabiner 3y ago
    I use the SpeedySift litter box which might be the most litter efficient solution that's cheap. The Litter Robot would be better but $$. A lot of innovation in automated litter boxes in the past 2 years though. Most of them cost around $500.
browningstreet 3y ago
Take your household/tribe and that puppy to dog training class, too.

meowfly 3y ago

I think this is generally good advice. I'd be a bit careful though and add that some people who will make fine parents are poor dog owners. They don't think of the dog as part of the family/pack and the dog ends up in the backyard alone its whole life. Having a dog can also be cumbersome if you are renting, because you will pay a premium to ensure your future apartment is dog friendly. At my local Humane Society most young dogs seem to get adopted quickly. Senior dogs or dogs with health problems have a hard time. I think anyone who wants to get a puppy should be willing to re-home as soon as possible instead of crating or banishing their dog because it's misbehaving (or you don't want them on your furniture). Certain dog breeds (e.g Dachshunds) are really easy to re-home because there are rescues dedicated to them. Seems like my local shelter is usually full of pits and lab mixes.

antisthenes 3y ago

I strongly second this post. I raised a puppy during COVID lockdowns while working remotely. Raising, training, and socializing a dog are great training wheels for later becoming a parent. It is a lot more forgiving, and the childhood phase for a dog is way, way shorter than it is for a child. If you can tough it out for 8-10 months, you'll also benefit from a loyal and well-behaved companion. There are also the additional benefits of befriending other dog owners, and the emotional support from a pet. Not sure if this will work the same for a cat, but it doesn't hurt to try!

codegeek 3y ago

As a father of 3 kids who has also raised puppies, I second this.

stevofolife 3y ago

Seems reasonable but not so friendly in practice. Not everyone can afford to raise a pet due to living conditions, financial reasons, and time and attention. Edit: "Afford" might not be the best term to use here since it relates to money mainly. "Capacity" might be slightly better.

bokchoi 3y ago
Not to be snide, but if you can't afford to raise a puppy, you probably can't afford to raise children.
- stevofolife 3y ago
  I don't think that how life really works? Also not trying to be a snide either.
  - feoren 3y ago
    Which part is not how life works? Quick Google searches say that the average lifetime expense for a dog is $20k to $55k; for a child it's $240k. I'm sure these numbers could be argued endlessly, but the rough order of magnitude is right. And life really does work like "if you can't afford $X, then you definitely can't afford $10X".
    - randomdata 3y ago
      > I'm sure these numbers could be argued endlessly Indeed they could. Most painfully, the child figure includes things like the cost of keeping a larger house. Yet in reality a child couldn't care less how big or small of a house you have. Hell, early North American settlers used to live in tiny, one room log cabins and raised like 12 children in them just fine. If parents choose to live in more luxurious accommodations, good on them, but if we are being honest that is an adult cost to satisfy adult desires, not a child cost. The cost to support a child on what is actually necessary to support a child is only a tiny fraction of that. But let's say, for the sake of discussion, that the figure is irrefutable. A big difference is still that the child starts to contribute after the first few years. The outflow may be $240k, but there is an inflow to offset it. Unless you are an evil parent who locks the kids in their bedrooms until they turn 18, a net gain would not be unexpected. While there may be individual dogs out there that could have the same said about them, in the typical case the dog can't offer anything to contribute, even if the dog wanted nothing more.

switch007 3y ago

I've been told by multiple parents that I shouldn't have the audacity to suggest raising a puppy is ANYTHING like raising a child lol

AndrewDucker 3y ago
It's like a kid insofar as it takes a fair bit of effort, constrains your life, and you have to deal with another sentient being with their own likes, dislikes, and ability to make mess that you're responsible for. So you learn a lot about your own tolerance for dealing with all of that. But there's a lot more of all of that with kids, and obviously the details are vastly different.
zwaps 3y ago
It really isn’t
pavel_lishin 3y ago
Parent who's had pets here: it's fine to suggest it as a weed-out approach - if you can't handle a puppy, you're going to have a hard time with a child. But I understand and share the frustration when "dog moms" and "cat dads" try to equate owning a pet with having a child.

smusamashah 3y ago

It could be just a pet than a puppy specifically. Just makes this advice a bit more broader/universal. Even then, pets probably don't get same respect / care in all cultures.

pavel_lishin 3y ago
Not all pets are equal; raising a kitten is not as labor-intensive as raising a puppy, and raising a goldfish will teach you very few skills tranferrable to raising children or other pets.

carabiner 3y ago

Yes, I lost my mind raising a kitten. SO MUCH ENERGY, running around at 2 am, chewing on random shit non-stop, $3k in emergency vet bills, finding overnight pet sitters for vacations, kitten-proofing my apartment (basically same as baby-proofing it). I can only imagine a baby would be 10x more effort and cost. Now I love him more than anything, but it steeled my decision to get a vasectomy.

swozey 3y ago
I only have 2 dogs now but I miss the absolute chaos of having 2 cats flying around the house. My dogs don't do ANYTHING all day long unless I prompt it. Like, they don't play with one another unless I start throwing the ball to them then they'll wrassle around and burn some energy. If I don't do that they literally will just sleep all day. I want a cat so bad i'm on so many cat subreddits. But I HATE litterboxes and I don't know if one will fight my dogs. Cats will zoom around all day long. Such fun chaotic energy. I can't imagine a baby I'll pass I'll keep cats and dogs
- carabiner 3y ago
  I use the SpeedySift litter box which might be the most litter efficient solution that's cheap. The Litter Robot would be better but $$. A lot of innovation in automated litter boxes in the past 2 years though. Most of them cost around $500.

browningstreet 3y ago

Take your household/tribe and that puppy to dog training class, too.