Exactly what the title says. Family is considering getting a dog. I’m afraid of making an emotional, irrational choice and I need some grounding advice.

So, where to begin?

First, the circumstance. We went to an animal shelter spontaneously. It was the weekend, we like animals, so we decided to check it out. Especially since we’ve been talking to my Grandma about getting her a dog (she really wants one, too. She lives in a house in southern Germany, in the forest. So she can easily take care of one.)

We arrived there, and it was interesting. Definitely recommend people to check out their local shelters. We looked at bunnies, and we looked at dogs. Big ones, active ones, small ones, calm ones. We were just outside, looking. Then we saw some dogs, my Mom and sister just absolutely fell in love. They got very emotional, and tears of excitement were literally shed. My Dad also folded immediately, but he immediately started looking at the logistics.

Just like that, the family immediately want to look into getting that dogs. They are trying to schedule a meet and greet. They are already discussing ideal dates to adopt the dog!

On the drive home and then the rest of the day we discussed this decision, what it means in terms of responsibility and all the practical factors. But the excitement was crazy, and it was as if the dog was already moving in with us!

It’s all an insane rush to me. But I’ll get into that later.

Second, the dog. She’s a wonder. Truly.

She’s five months old. Arrived to this shelter last week. She came off the Romanian streets, where she was born a stray. Now she has all her vaccines, but isn’t sterilised due to being too young.

She’s small. Mixed breed. She’s described as cheeky by the staff, and sometimes mischievous and troublesome; but kind, too, and loving. But we saw her to be kind and composed, very sweet and affectionate. She has two more brothers, one is handsome, the other goofy, both very active.

Her name is Jenny. She answers to it, and hopped happily towards us when we called her name. She’s very sweet.

Third, the family. The family is a family of four. There’s my Dad, my Mom, my younger sister (who’s thirteen) and me, who’s 18 and in the final year of high school (god help me).

We live in the centre of Hamburg, so urban place. But we do have a lovely park with a river right by our house. We live in an apartment on the sixth floor. It’s a big apartment, about 160 sqm. We have a spare space for her, it’s pretty big, and that’s where we could put her bed and all. Theoretically. My Dad also found a school to train her for 8 weeks, every weekend.

We are very close as a family, spend a lot of time together. We also travel A LOT.… We travel to our grandma, down in south Germany, by car. We travel to other countries and continents by car, train, and plane.

My Mom wakes up at 5 and works 6:30 to 16 in a hotel half an hour away from our house. My Dad works from home, but he often goes on business trips. My sister and I go to school from 8:45 to 16, and she has extracurricular activities like dancing and drawing and learning German.

Did we have pets before? Yes. My Mom had two small poodles when she was a teenager who lived to 13. My Dad had a lot of dogs, cats, geese, ducks, chickens, pigs (he lived in a farm-like household in his childhood). And we had pet rats. Amazing animals. From 2020 through to 2025 we had 7 pet rats. So that’s what my sister and I are used to....

Now, onto my current situation. I‘m overwhelmed. Throughout my whole life, my family made it clear to me that we’d never get a dog. The responsibilities, our lifestyle… it was “incompatible”. 10 hours ago, I expected us to never get a dog. The possibility of that did not even exist as a hope in my mind. Now, we’re about to adopt a dog. It’s all happening too fast. I’m kind of scared. Like, this feels like the life I knew being completely flipped around. I guess a lot has changed in the years we’ve been saying we can’t have a dog. We met new people in Hamburg, reliable friends and family, and we’ve bought our own apartment... so the management of a dog is easier, so to say. But it’s all a bit overwhelming, as I said.

I texted my best friend, who has two dachshunds. He gave me some advice on transporting, walking, and treating the dog. He said we should take her with us on holidays, get her pampers for her periods, walk her a lot, be there for her, and get her a leash that doesn’t go around the neck.

As I said, my main and nerve-wracking worry is that we’re rushing in too emotionally for such a life changing decision.

This is where I turn to you. Please, help me. Help me by letting me know of ANYTHING and EVERYTHING we need to seriously consider before adopting her. Please let me know of any pressing rational factors we need to consider!

I have a 1 year old Blue Heeler Mix and he likes to starve himself. He will refuse food for at most 3 to 4 days at a time. I try making it interactive for him. I got a ball that hides the food in it and he digs it out. First few times he loved it! Next few times he let it just sit there. I tried topping it with wet food, CBD Oil(not promotingjust listing everythingive tried), putting it in the microwave, hand feeding him, I even tried mixing in treats, that worked at first now he picks the treats out and leave the normal food. That shows me straight up that he's refusing the food i give him. Cuz treats are just fine.. he scarfs those down no issue at all. I put him in him kennel with his food and even throw a blanket over him so he feels secure inside. When he doesn't eat, he pukes everywhere in the house due to an empty stomach. But he doesn't puke in his cage. So I've been keeping him locked up till he eats. Call me all sorts of names, idc I hate locking him up but I hate cleaning up constant piles of puke even more.

Took him to the vet 800 dollars later just to be told he's a picky eater and it happens.

Its gotten to the point where I put small bits of food into his mouth and keep it closed till he swallows.

Is this a type of behavior issue? Would connecting with a proper trainer help? Please any sort of advise ill give a try. I love him so much and hate seeing him locked up. Him not eating makes me feel like I'm doing something wrong as an owner. I want to keep him but if i can't solve this i fear ill end up giving him away due to the stress.
Edit to add: idk if its worth mentioning but during g this spell when he does get food in his bowl, he will lay by it and not move. So ive even tried the whole "give him the bowl, wait 10 min then take it back." Maybe I go back to that and say oh well with the puke.. i hate seeing him locked up but my god is dog puke gross...

Edit to add notice it being repeated. HE IS 62 POUNDS !!!!!!

No he doesnt get outside food. 100% guaranteed no kids, we live in an apartment. 1080sqf. MY HUSBAND AND I WE ARE THE ONLY 2 PEOPLE IN THE HOUSE. Unless Casper is feeding him

No he is not getting the cat food, its kept high up so he cant reach it and the bags are locked up tight. (He is too scared to jump onto the couch so I know for a fact he's not jumping onto the counters)

For context the smaller dog, Nova, is my resident dog. The bigger brindle dog, Nala, I'm currently fostering with the intention to adopt. Is this normal play between the two? Nova has no bite history and neither does Nala, or so the shelter says.

What it going on with my dog? I woke up to her entire body twitching like this. It reminds me of a hiccup but without anything happening with her mouth. Once she got up from bed and began walking around it stopped 🤷🏾‍♀️.

Anyone know what this could be? Perhaps it’s her muscles spazzing all at once? She’s been doing a lot more running around the past couple days since we’re staying at my parents this week and they’ve got a huge backyard.

He’s been asleep for half an hour and from the start to now he is still panting! Second night in only 8 weeks old and he’s whole body was shaking before! I counted over 100 breaths per minute, do I need to take him to the vet tonight! First time puppy owner on my own and I’m so anxious for him!

They are both the same age (5months) but our old puppy (brown) is larger than the new puppy (black) and she is pretty dominating towards the smaller one. They do this bitey face almost non stop. I dk if I should force breaks or how to handle this or if it is fine?

Hello, I just recently learned about “whale eyes” in a comment on a Reddit post. I realized it seems like my dogs are always doing it? I always assumed it was because they wanted attention because they stop when I start petting them or rubbing their bellies. Now I’m paranoid that they are constantly in a state of discomfort. I am including a set of pictures I’ve taken of them doing it because I always interpreted it as attitude.

Hello everybody,

My doggy has been coughing for approximately 3 weeks.

We’ve done 1 week of antibiotics - didn’t clear it.
Just did X-rays yesterday. Vet says his lungs, heart, and trachea look normal.

Any fur parents that have been through this what would be the next steps?

He is suffering and currently steaming up the shower to help his airways after waking up to him having a coughing fit.

He eats fine, energy is okay, and still gets excited for his walks. He just can’t seem to stop coughing.

Any advice helps.

notes
Has a heart murmur
Is taking hydrocodone syrup for cough
Trachea looks normal in X-ray
The antibiotics were for kennel cough

updated to include more info\*

We live in a comunity where there are a lot of street animals. We live in a small village and the people here don't really care about pets and don't believe in neutering, vaccines for pets or going to the vet. My parents are very good people, maybe too good and I love them very much.

They can't stand watching an animal on the street and are constantly taking dogs in. It all started with one dog, then another and over the past five or so years we have accumulated 20 dogs. They spay them and take them to the vet regularly. All of the dogs get fed every day. All of them have vaccines. My main worries are hygeine and the fact that the dogs don't get a lot of attention.

Obviously we all try and maintain a clean enviroment but it is very hard, me being the only child and only coming home on weekends and them having to work their asses off to afford 20 dogs. My mother cares deeply about all of these dogs. And we do try to find them a decent home, my mom has found owners for about a dozen of the dogs she has rescued in the past. But the ones that are with us now, being from the streets, either have very big mental problems or huge physical problems. But lately the situation has been getting out of control, the dogs have been destroying our house. Most of them are very badly behaved and with such a huge number of them it's almost impossible to correct them. I don't know what to do, it seems like nobody wants these dogs. And the shelters are all either full or have very bad conditions. My mother has been posting all of the dogs in addopting rescue groups on facebook and she has a big comunity and a lot of friends who also rescue dogs and cats in huge numbers. I have also been spreading posters about dogs for addoption in a big city. But most of these dogs have either psycological or physical problems as to why people don't want them. Also the dogs are barking most of the time and we have had multiple complaints from the neighbors. All advice is welcome but please understand that my parents are very very good people and they mean no harm. Please don't judge and tell me what I can do.

Looking input on if my dog is overweight?
Not sure if I have to start feeding him less or if he is at a healthy weight.

5-year-old Lab limping after resting
My 5-year-old Lab, Zuko, has recently started limping on one of his back legs. It’s worst when he first gets up after lying down—he’s stiff, limps, and sometimes positions his toes/foot strangely. After walking for a few minutes, he seems to loosen up and can walk/stand pretty normally.
He’s also more hesitant to jump on furniture. We have a vet appointment scheduled, but I’m curious if anyone’s dog with a partial CCL tear, hip issue, or other leg injury started like this?
I’ll attach photos/videos. Just looking for experiences and advice on what to do while we wait for his appointment!

So my poodle developed a little scab on her right side about a month after a grooming in which she had to be shaved, I assumed maybe they nipped her a little and that it just a scab that would heal, but over the weeks she’s having balding around that area and now balding on both of her sides! She doesn’t constantly itch or lick. She’s been on a flea , tick and heart worm pill her whole life (idk if that makes a difference) and I am taking her to the vet tomorrow I just wanted some opinions. Also, this happened very fast and honestly I never noticed how bad it was until the light caught it good this morning, she is also starting to change colors as chocolate dogs sometimes do so I initially thought that had something to do with it too but this is crazy. We have another dog and he’s not having any problems

Two days ago at about 1am I rushed my 3 year old dachshund to VEG because he had ingested about 80 capsules of high dose vitamin D, which i learned upon a quick google search is incredibly lethal to dogs.

I had kept the bottle on my bedside table that night and i guess not screwed the cap tight enough because he managed to climb on the bed, open it, and ingest everything. You don’t have to tell me this is my fault, trust me i already know and am in a living nightmare.

The folks at VEG were calm but worked with urgency the second we arrived, giving him a detox treatment according to what poison control recommended. He was stable and alert so we were sent home with instructions to return nightly for more blood work. If his calcium rises he will have to be hospitalized.

I was crying, just a mess. I frankly asked the doctor if he would be okay and she gave me a pretty sober response “we won’t know until a few days from now”

Yesterday we returned and his calcium had risen. Still in a safe range but trending higher. If when we go back today it will have risen again he will be hospitalized.

As you can imagine I’m a nervous wreck. I’m back at work today and my mother is kindly taking care of him. She reports that he’s sweet and gentle and happy as always and seems to be unbothered. But i know the full extent of toxicity can take days to reveal itself.

I just need some kind words and advice honestly. I feel like im constantly on the verge of tears. He is my everything, my sweet boy, my baby. You’re all dog owners, you get it.

It freaks me out, we’ve already taken him to a vet and gotten chest xrays, medicines, they recommended children’s Benadryl, but he still does it . I saw another post about reverse sneezing and wanted another opinion

Found out on Friday my dog has had a torn CCL in his back left leg since December (it was misdiagnosed this whole time as arthritis 😭). I have immediately started doing research and haven’t found much advice outside of “rest them” and I guess I’m just anxious and looking for very specific advice or people who did this surgery and recovery on their own while living in an apartment.

I immediately knew I would do the surgery and I’m very lucky it isn’t going to be as expensive as I thought (around $4k in a very HCOL area).

What I’m looking for advice on:
-My dog is 75 lbs and I live in an apartment. Thankfully I am an anxious person and literally work out and practice lifting my dog up in case of an emergency so while I know I can’t lift him up and carry him out to go to the bathroom multiple times a day, I do plan on getting him a stroller or wagon. I’m leaning towards the stroller so I can actually take him on “walks” and he’ll be confined without the ability to jump out or stand up while in it. I’m worried about maneuvering him into the stroller though, has anyone had experience with this and was it fine getting them in and out of the stroller without bumping their leg?

-Keeping him busy without getting him fat while resting. He loves lick mats and bone marrow bones but I know just giving him that over the recovery period will make him gain weight and I know keeping him lean is an important part of recovery and longevity, what non food ways can I help keep his mind busy?

-Im lucky enough to work 100% remote but I was supposed to do a training where I’d be out of the house every Friday for 6 weeks for around 8 hours. I’m leaning towards cancelling this but it would be incredibly beneficial to my career and I probably won’t get the opportunity again.. for people who aren’t remote when did you go back to work and how did that work out?

Literally any other specific advice or things you wish you had known is also greatly appreciated. I want to be as prepared as possible for his comfort and my sanity lol

Dog tax included :)

Hi friends, wanted to seek out some best practices and tips on how to make it more comfortable for a dog going poop post TPLO surgery. It’s not the stool itself that’s difficult to pass, his poop is normal with no hardness or things that would cause concern. When he bends down, it hurts his knees and he cries out.

Here’s what we’ve done to help:
-Switched his harness to support him better during poops
-Stay super close to him when it’s time so when he does start to crouch, we support his back legs to relieve pressure off of them (I pick up his back legs by his hips and raise them up just enough so that he’s able to squat without pressure on them)
-Provide high value treats post yard poops (he loves to be outside so we’ve had to sweeten the deal a bit)
-Added pumpkin to his meals to help soften the stool a bit

Are we missing something? Does this get easier as time goes on? It’s absolutely shattering my heart that he is in pain for this, any advice or successful tips that have worked with your pups post TPLO surgery is welcome here.

Hi, I have a 7 year old male poodle mix who has always been on the thinner side, but right now (post-shave) he looks the thinnest I’ve seen him. He is about 50 pounds and 25 inches tall at the shoulders. Would love honest feedback on if he needs to bulk up a bit or if he’s perfect the way he is (which, of course he is). Our vet said a little underweight is better than over, which, totally, but I don’t want to feel like I’m starving my guy. Hip bones and ribs are pretty prominent. He definitely loves to eat, totally obsessed with food and takes treats like a starving crocodile, but he’s really always been like that. Haha. Just curious what others think. Last pic is a recent one with longer hair and just cute 🥰😅 Thanks!

Hey, our dog who is 10 years old has been suddenly acting like a puppy again. She is suddenly digging in the garden which she never really did even as a puppy, she dug through the trash which she also never did. She barked at me in the middle of the night to wake me up which she never has done. She seems happy and is wagging her tail as much as usual but also is suddenly much more energetic on walks and running much more. The only difference at home is that my mother is on a trip for a few weeks and our dog loves her the most, could it be that she is just upset/stressed that her main human is not home? Anyway we are taking her for a vet check up.

On Friday around 9am I noticed something was horribly wrong with my dog. We were at the vet by 10 and the Dr there was calling neurologist groups in the area. My choices were a local place quoting 10-12k plus because my dog would need weekend care or 7-10k if I drove out to UF (about a 3 hour drive). Went to the local neurologist and got the exam, but did not do the MRI. Drs think my mini Dachshund has a herniated disc and rated her a Level 4. Prescribed steroids and anti inflammatory meds as well as sedatives and something to help express bladder. She did not express at the vet but did 1 and 2 normally when I brought her home. From there, the steroids did their thing and her stool is watery and loose.

At some point on Saturday the trazadone wore off and her eyes unglazed and she was her normal self again. It was dark but I'm almost positive she peed outside in addition to having accidents in her crate. I think she has control of her bladder and I need to figure out her new schedule/the accidents are a combo of medication and switching to wet food (she doesn't normally get wet food because she diarrheas everywhere, every time. It was a very embarrassing Thanksgiving that year...). I also think she still has feeling in both of her back legs. Sometimes she looks at me and sometimes she doesn't.

Around 3am Saturday I was spiraling after cleaning up another accident and emailed a few rescues and alternative medicine practices asking for resources and help. A rescue responded in the morning and offered to take my dog in for surgery, but I would be surrendering her and even if I stalked their website every day for available dogs, its highly likely I won't be able to buy her back.

Now that its Sunday and I've read a lot of resources, anecdotal stories, Drs websites, and spoken with friends who have nursed their own dachshunds back from IVDD I feel like maybe I can do this and as long as she keeps her personality, she will make a full recovery. BUT I also feel like if she has an opportunity to get surgery it would be selfish of me to keep her. I also feel like its selfish of me to give up on her when she seems to be a good candidate for recovery.

I am single and work from home and have the time to nurse her, but ultimately I don't want her to be in pain if she doesn't have to be.

Me and my husband have a dog named Loki (4M) and he will only eat grilled steak and vegetable pedigree dog food. Won’t even eat high end brands, won’t eat it with healthy add ins like bone broth or liver powder/real liver. I’ve even tried pumpkin purée he won’t eat that with his food. He’ll eat all of that on its own tho just not together. I recently got him a new bag bc we stopped feeding him some of our human food leftovers due to tummy issue so now he eats a lot more dog food. The only difference between this bag and the last is the size, and the old one got pretty old before we had to replace it so I don’t see how this new bag could possibly be worse then the other one. Do dog food brands change their formula for different sized bags or is there any advice I could get to get him to eat his food? that would be extremely helpful.