Do dogs make good pets?

Question

On one hand it is known as man's best friend, but on the other it can be his worst nightmare. Recent events in the UK have shown unprovoked dog attacks, yet on a daily basis dogs attend to the blind and hard of hearing, search and rescue dogs risk their lives for those of humans, police and drug sniffer dogs provide an invaluable service. Their use as working animals is of no doubt. In today's work culture, does anyone have the time to devote to a dog as a pet anymore? With their heavy responsiblity is it now practical to own a dog as a pet? Are the few responsible dog owners who train, socialise and look after their dogs outnumbered by those who buy without thinking? Please share your views.

I don't want advice about getting or owning a dog, that was not my question. I want your opinions. And whoever gave me a thumbs down, I did not deserve that because my question was a serious one, so get a life whoever you are.

Answer 1

Dogs do make great pets, but you can't expect to get one and then just sit back and expect it to be exactly what you want, as do a lot of dog owners. I think most dog owners are fairly responsible and train their dogs well but of course it is the minority who don't that let the animals down. A bad-tempered dog doesn't just happen - it becomes so because of the way it is treated.

It is still practical to own a dog, as long as people realise that time will have to be spent on it. I would love a dog, but as the whole family work full time, it would be totally impractical. I can't wait til I retire in a couple of years time, then I'm off to a rescue centre to find one!

The old saying still holds true - A dog is for life, not just for Christmas.

Answer 2

I feel that you simply have got to be ready to offer a canine what it wishes based on an man or woman foundation. What a breed was once bred to do can provide you with a good indication of what is required to preserve it contented, but i do not suppose the specified undertaking wishes to be replicated, only a suitable state-of-the-art replacement. My feelings are that a badly behaved dog, in any feel of the word, isn't being given what it wishes in phrases of undertaking and stimulation. Enough undertaking and stimulation right from the start will avoid any "uncontrollable" issue in any respect - immoderate barking, pooping within the apartment, pulling on the lead, fleeing the scene, separation nervousness, destruction, aggression, etc - you name it. Yes, i believe it's ok to have a canine as a pet, if the dog is an efficient weight (now not simply too fat to maneuver), good behaved and contented because that suggests the dog is glad, which is the most important factor. Whether or not the dog is a specific breed or a mutt is irrelevent, that simply shows what kind of pursuits they could revel in extra. Any canine wishes undertaking and stimulation and if i had to take a wild guess, i would predict about eighty five% of dogs don't get sufficient.

Answer 3

Dogs can make fantastic pets - IF they are trained properly and properly looked after.

Most dogs need far more exercise than their owners realise. It's only when a dog doesn't have an outlet for its energy that they get frustrated and destructive.

If a dog is properly trained so that they know that YOU are the "leader of the pack" they are far happier knowing this and will behave better.

A labrador is one of the loveliest dogs you can get - very good with children, extremely good temperement and they train very easily and well. However they are one of the dogs that does need a good deal of exercise (great way to get/stay fit!) else they will just chew everything in sight (they still do it a bit, but not so much!) and they are terminally greedy - anything that looks edible, they'll try - so you have to watch they don't get overweight. But they are such lovely, loving, batty dogs - great fun, and a great comfort if you're feeling down.

Answer 4

There are many thousands of dogs in the UK and relatively few incidents of attack. In contrast, there are very many incidents of humans abusing and harming dogs and so I believe that there are more dogs who suffer than humans when pet ownership goes wrong.

Dogs are very adaptable creatures which is why they fit into the human world so succesfully. There are social, like humans, and they operate on a pack system - humans operate through a similar family system.

I believe that there are more responsible owners than irresponsible owners - unfortunately we always notice the irresponsible ones because they affect us in a more obvious way. Also, some who buy without thinking mature into responsible owners.

In a world that is becoming increasingly artificial, commercial and materialistic, sharing your home and day to day life with a dog - or another pet - reminds you that we are mere mortals who should respect the natural world we on (not in or with unfortunately!).

Answer 5

The biggest number of dogs in this country give a lifetime of faithful service and love to their owners, it is the small number of people that are letting the side down, why would someone breed a dog who's sole purpose in its short life is to rip the face off another dog, this is barbaric and out dated.
In fact i do not blame the dogs as they are only doing what they have been trained to do, the same as guide dogs and police sniffer dogs, it is the people who train them for this purpose that should be punished.
My heart goes out to the family of the little girl that was killed, i can't even imagine how they must feel.
The sooner the government do something realistic to rid our country of these potential killers the better.

Answer 6

they can make great pets if they are raised propley, trained right and well cared for. but if any of these are not done then that is when you get problems like the ones in the news. as most of the dogs like the rotties were ment ot be guard dogs not pets.
also alot or things can turn a dogs such as stress, past experences, high piched noises.
so it all depends on the owner. dogs dont bite with out a reason and they are never born bad they are made that way by cercanstances.

Answer 7

I love dogs i don't know where i'd be with out my dog. I think that if you have the time and money to devote to a dog and genuinly love dogs then buy one. You will have a friend for 12 to 15 years. As for dog attacks i think that depends on the breed and how they are raised, if you have a dog known for been gentle and raise him and train him well you shouldn't have a problem. I do think though that you shouldn't buy a dog on the spur of the moment, You have to really want a dog and know what goes along with owning one, too many dogs end up in pounds because people didn't realise how much work they can be or how big they can get and so on.

Answer 8

I've always found that when I have a problem, I look to similar situations elsewhere for my answers....look at people, for instance. Some people have well behaved children who grow up to do wonderous things....some people shouldn't breed....you can't judge an entire species or breed of animal, just as you can't judge an entire nation or race of people, based on the behaviors of a few, personalities are just too varying depending on natural disposition and upbringing/socialization. Some people are helpful and contributing members of society, while others are rapists and child molesters. Some dogs help blind people and deaf people and sniff out cancer and lick children, while other, poorly socialized and ill-raised dogs run wild in packs attacking animals and/or people. I do believe that irresponsible owners by far out-number responsible, especially in the breed that I have chosen my pet from, the American Pit Bull Terrier...when paired with a RESPONSIBLE owner, who takes the time and effort to educate him/her - self, they're GREAT dogs!!! In the hands of most of the idiots out there, Pits are just another urban legend packed to the brim with BS. When I find irresponsible owners I pee on their tires and/or door handles.

Answer 9

The dogs in the news were trained up to be agressive and fierce. They were not family dogs and the child who died should not have been left with it. The owner should be put down!

Dogs are like humans- if you treat then well,they'll be good to you. If you starve them, beat them and treat them badly they will be agressive.

I have two Lhasa Apsos (like dougal from the Magic Roundabout). They are both very placid and perfect family pets. They have become part of the family and could be safely left with children (altho, in sensible terms, this should never happen, they ARE still animals).

Similarly, I have grown up with two different family friends who both had German Shepards. They never once hurt any of the children and were brilliant pets.

Don't believe the media hype! Dogs ARE for life! Its the owners that need sorting out!

Answer 10

Dogs are social animals with territorial and predatory instincts, some which have a higher or lesser emphasis of primal instincts. It is this mixture of the social and the instinctual which causes so many problems.

I don't think its that dogs are or are not good pets, but rather different breeds of dogs and different dog personalities within those breeds will appeal to different people, and can be modled into wonderful or terrible things depending upon their surroundings and experiences.

A dog has some, but very little, control over his instinctual mind. They can be trained, some breeds more than others, to resist these instincts. But due to their very nature and lack of many 'higher order' rights, one is forced to argue that responsibility falls upon not only the humans who claim ownership of the animal but those ethical, non-instinct driven human beings who act against or with the animal to show a modicum of common sense and respect for the beast they are interaction with.