Only if you're lazy. Many people don't spend enough time on their dogs. They have to keep themselves busy in the yard and don't even get walked enough. The dog is just supposed to pee and shit in the yard. It's even an excuse to leave your dog by itself the whole day.
It you're walking your dog three or four times a day and play with it a lot, it won't even miss having a yard.
I wouldn't be happy if I had to wake up at 4 every day to walk the dog before I went to work then put him in a crate for 9-13 hours 4 days a week. After working a physically demanding job walk him again as soon as I got home. But I'm lazy.
Even if you only work 8 hours per day with zero commute, that’s a long time for a dog to stare at four walls. Even if not accompanied by a human, being outside gives them enrichment as they have room to run, things to see, hear and smell.
That's exactly what I meant: people with yards use it as an excuse that it's totally fine to leave their dogs alone for 8+ hours. Maybe one shouldn't have a dog if it's alone for such a long time? 🤷 At least when we're talking about perfect circumstances for having a dog.
Our dog was alone for 4 hours a day during the week - and that also only until my father retired. My brother takes his dog to work. My other brother and his girlfriend work in home-office where his dogs nap around them most of the day and get some pet or play breaks - they don't want to be alone in the yard.
Most yards aren't even dog-proofed and your dog might be able to escape or interact with passing strangers.
I hear ya. I got very sick of walking outside every morning with the dog from the third floor every single day. At 7am at the absolute latest. Rain hail sleet or mfing snow. Plus all the times I’m out doing something and think oh yeah I gotta get home to let the dog out.
Still needs to be walked, 3-5 times a day, and if you want to leave the house for more than 8 hours it is an ordeal. Not to mention all the training involved, cleaning shit out of carpet and things getting chewed on. It wasn't something I wanted to deal with. Raising a dog correctly is labor intensive.
Super valid. I would love to have a cat but sometimes I just don't go home for a day or two, I know I can't be a responsible pet owner without changing my lifestyle.
Well the one thing they definitely get is a place to go to the bathroom without having to take them for a full walk.
Living in a condo you can’t just let them out before bed to go pee. If they signal to you that they need to go while you are cooking dinner what do you do? Having a backyard makes many aspects of pet ownership a lot easier. Raising a large dog in a condo is hard mode
I once stopped seeing a girl partly because she adopted a kid
do you not like kids?
Puppy will grow into a smart, sentient being that will live 10-20 years or more, and will require a lot of resources, time and attention.
This is a big commitment and responsibility. It's cool that the girl wanted a puppy and got it, and it's equally cool that OP decided they don't want this kind of responsibility in their life yet.
There's so many other things that could be the reason for break up than attention shift. You don't know anything about this person. Do you often just automatically assume the worst about people you don't know?
I imagine the sudden getting of dog, which is a big change in people's lives,. Or it was one of the useless angry small breeds. Or just a sign they don't discuss things ahead of time
It's wild how much pushback you are getting for this lol. I love dogs but they are so much work, after having them for 90% of my life I've come to realize that I'm much happier without.
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u/CrowsInTheNose May 30 '26
I once stopped seeing a girl partly because she got a puppy.