What is the appropriate age to have your "own" dog?

[Georgygirl]

Even though I don't live with my parents, I know they would help me out if I needed it. When Joey had surgery they told me they would lend me money if I needed it. It turns out that I didn't, but they were still there for me. In fact, my uncle's dog (okay, really my uncle, but it a cute idea) even sent Joey a get well card with money in it. Just because they are willing to help me doesn't mean that Joey isn't my dog. All his papers and vet records are in my name and I pay for his expenses.

 

[Melissa_W]

I think your situation still fits into what I said. You had to find some way to get the money. A loan (whoever you get it from) fits into that.

 

[oc_spirit]

No, that's just convenient!

LOL so then wouldnt it simply be convenient that your (general you) parents just happen to live in the same house as you???? I am failing to see the difference here if in the same situation the parents/neighbour have zero resposnbility and zero official ownership over the dog??? The only thing that differs is residency but that in itself doesnt equal ownership.

When me and my BF move in together I will have "my" dogs and he will have "his". Sure each will do stuff with the other's dogs but we each have our own idea about what training we want done with our current/future dogs and if there are multiple "owners" conflict is more likely to occur. For example lets say we got an APBT (just throwing a breed out there) and he wants to do flyball with it but I want to do agility and both happen to fall on the same days for training, who gets to do what they want???

 

[Herschel]

LOL so then wouldnt it simply be convenient that your (general you) parents just happen to live in the same house as you???? I am failing to see the difference here if in the same situation the parents/neighbour have zero resposnbility and zero official ownership over the dog??? The only thing that differs is residency but that in itself doesnt equal ownership.

When me and my BF move in together I will have "my" dogs and he will have "his". Sure each will do stuff with the other's dogs but we each have our own idea about what training we want done with our current/future dogs and if there are multiple "owners" conflict is more likely to occur. For example lets say we got an APBT (just throwing a breed out there) and he wants to do flyball with it but I want to do agility and both happen to fall on the same days for training, who gets to do what they want???

This is really interesting. On paper, Herschel is my girlfriend's dog. On paper, Nala is my dog. They are both ours. We share responsibility, I do the training that I want, she does the training that she wants. We don't see them as "your dog" or "my dog". We call them "our dogs", too. Maybe it's just a difference in mentality?

Residency is a huge factor. As Melissa said, having someone that can bail you out in case something goes wrong relieves a lot of stress. If, for some reason, I couldn't make it home for lunch today then I would have to scramble to find someone to let them out and exercise them. Does that hold true for someone living with their parents? We have friends that live very close that we absolutely trust, but it isn't the same as having someone living in the same home.

Further, if you live in a home that your parents own, that takes a lot of the stress of dog ownership off of you. Liability, damage, etc. all lies with the parents. Yeah, you can chip in to fix the damage or help with the repairs, but at the end of the day, it is on the parents.

 

[Toller_08]

This supports my point even more. Winston and Morgan are truly family dogs, even though you do more for/with them than anyone else.
Why did your parent have to co-sign? Legally, she is your parents responsibility. Additionally, where does Dance live? sleep? play? Who owns the yard? If your school is having a field trip until 10 p.m., what special arrangements do you have to make? "Mom, Dad, can you please feed Dance and take her out? OK, thanks!" That isn't the way it works for a lot of us. It means that we either skip the trip, drive ourselves, or make special arrangements for the dogs.

As a couple of other people have mentioned, to say that a dog is truly yours it means that your life is determined by the dog. Our parents aren't in the same house so they can't let the dogs out when they get home. We have to be home. Even if it means missing a party, a seminar, or a happy hour.

I do understand what you're getting at, but in my house, it's similar to the way OC_spirit described her house as being in her last post.

As far as sacrifices go, I don't feel as though I'm sacrificing a ton (yes, there are some that I've had to make regarding college and such). I'd rather live my life with my dog by my side than not have her because I might be able to do a bit more with my life.

I make sure I'm home for her - I feel I have to be home, because if I'm not, she will not be getting everything she needs. Sure, it is very convenient to have somebody else be going home to let her out if I (for some reason) was not able to make it home on time, but if I lived on my own, I'd make other arrangements or I would simply not do whatever was going to make me late (like go on a field trip - haven't been on one of those since I was 11). As far as having somebody co-sign goes, that was simply to say that "yes, this person is capable of providing the necessary care the said dog needs" since I'm not 18 yet. They aren't responsible for Dance in any way, as per her particular contract. It's hard to explain.

To me, it sounds like you're saying that there truly is no appropriate age to have your own dog, which is what the original question was. It sounds like in order to call a dog your own, you must be living on your own, regardless of age.

 

[Herschel]

To me, it sounds like you're saying that there truly is no appropriate age to have your own dog, which is what the original question was. It sounds like in order to call a dog your own, you must be living on your own, regardless of age.

Toller, you know I think you're a fantastic dog owner. I'm not trying to cut you down by saying any of this, and I really don't think it means you are any less dedicated to Dance.

I'm saying that as long as you are a dependent and living under your parents roof, your dog is most likely their dependent as well. Yes, you may pay for all of their care, but what are your other expenses? Are you paying your parents for each meal you eat? The heating for your house? Rent for your room? I hope not--and as long as you don't have these expenses, you aren't out on your own. The very reason that you have the luxury of being able to provide for your dog at such a young age is because your parents are providing for you. Indirectly, they are responsible for you having the dog. Do you see what I mean? Check your PM.

 

[elegy]

it's been interesting reading this thread. we had a family dog when i was growing up, but it was not until i was finished with college and living somewhere stable with a stable job that i took the plunge to get a dog of my own. i missed having a dog while in school, but i am extremely glad that i was not tied down by one (not having anything to do with my social life btw- i really had no social life. there's no way i could have put the focus on my studies that i needed to if i had to work in order to provide for a dog, and there's no way i would have had enough hours in a day to do school, work, and dog, especially not well). i am glad that i worked to put myself in the right position to get a dog before i went and got one.

i have a very good friend who raised seeing eye pups when we were younger. she had them and her sister had them, and on paper, they were each of the girls' responsibility. they were to train them, feed them, exercise them, socialize them, etc. when my friend decided to get a dog she thought it would be just like it was when she was a kid.

boy was she in for a very brutal awakening. having a dog on your own, without your parents to fall back on (and this doesn't have anything to do with money- expenses were covered by the seeing eye puppy club) is much much different. the responsibility is all yours, every hour of every day. if you need somebody to fall back on, you have to make arrangements for that. she found it extremely overwhelming at first, and it took quite awhile for her to adjust.

 

[FoxyWench]

"I'm saying that as long as you are a dependent and living under your parents roof, your dog is most likely their dependent as well. Yes, you may pay for all of their care, but what are your other expenses? Are you paying your parents for each meal you eat? The heating for your house? Rent for your room? I hope not--and as long as you don't have these expenses, you aren't out on your own. The very reason that you have the luxury of being able to provide for your dog at such a young age is because your parents are providing for you"


now i just wanted to make a note on this...
to an extent i do agree, many peopel are living at home scot free and using this "ease" of living to ease the financial burden of owning a dog...which in most cases your probably correct, if many of the people who own dogs but at living at home had to pay rent and bills and such they couldnt afford a dog...
i also agree that someone relying on their family to let the dog out kind of passes some responsibility in SOME cases.

however there are many out there that are living at home that this doenst count to.

ill use myself as an example.
i "live at home" with my family, BUT, i rent a room (soon to be an apt as they are converting the garage) so i pay rent, and its the average for a space of the same size in this area, and once the room is finnished as an apt my rent goes up. i Buy my own food and cook it myself...i bought my own car, pay my own insurance on it and put gas in it myself, i pay all my own bills and bought everythign i own that wasnt a gift...

when im not home on time or at my bfs for a weekend i PAY my sister the average a petsitter in this area charges to take care of the dogs for me...

if i just asked her/expected her to do it then sure i wou be passing my responsibility off, but since i pay i consider that still 100% my financial responsibility...

YES i live in my parents house...under my parents roof, but in my case (and im sure there are many like) despite that fact my dogs are 100% my responsibility..that includes paying rent!

 

[Herschel]

it's been interesting reading this thread. we had a family dog when i was growing up, but it was not until i was finished with college and living somewhere stable with a stable job that i took the plunge to get a dog of my own. i missed having a dog while in school, but i am extremely glad that i was not tied down by one (not having anything to do with my social life btw- i really had no social life. there's no way i could have put the focus on my studies that i needed to if i had to work in order to provide for a dog, and there's no way i would have had enough hours in a day to do school, work, and dog, especially not well). i am glad that i worked to put myself in the right position to get a dog before i went and got one.

i have a very good friend who raised seeing eye pups when we were younger. she had them and her sister had them, and on paper, they were each of the girls' responsibility. they were to train them, feed them, exercise them, socialize them, etc. when my friend decided to get a dog she thought it would be just like it was when she was a kid.

boy was she in for a very brutal awakening. having a dog on your own, without your parents to fall back on (and this doesn't have anything to do with money- expenses were covered by the seeing eye puppy club) is much much different. the responsibility is all yours, every hour of every day. if you need somebody to fall back on, you have to make arrangements for that. she found it extremely overwhelming at first, and it took quite awhile for her to adjust.

Well said. We have several friends that had "their own" dogs when they were growing up at home. Now, things are harder than they could have ever imagined. From behavioral problems to time commitments, so much changes when you don't have the stability of "home".

 

[Herschel]

i "live at home" with my family, BUT, i rent a room (soon to be an apt as they are converting the garage) so i pay rent, and its the average for a space of the same size in this area, and once the room is finnished as an apt my rent goes up. i Buy my own food and cook it myself...i bought my own car, pay my own insurance on it and put gas in it myself, i pay all my own bills and bought everythign i own that wasnt a gift...

YES i live in my parents house...under my parents roof, but in my case (and im sure there are many like) despite that fact my dogs are 100% my responsibility..that includes paying rent!

You're basically living in an apartment that just happens to be on your parents property. I think this is quite different than a minor living at home. Either way, kudos to you for being so responsible!

 

[jess2416]

i "live at home" with my family, BUT, i rent a room (soon to be an apt as they are converting the garage) so i pay rent, and its the average for a space of the same size in this area, and once the room is finnished as an apt my rent goes up. i Buy my own food and cook it myself...i bought my own car, pay my own insurance on it and put gas in it myself, i pay all my own bills and bought everythign i own that wasnt a gift...

YES i live in my parents house...under my parents roof, but in my case (and im sure there are many like) despite that fact my dogs are 100% my responsibility..that includes paying rent!

Thats the same situation Im in...

 

[verderben]

I got my first dog when I was 10. At 10 years old I knew more about APBTs than most adults. My parents got me the dog for my 10th b - day. They bought the food, and paid the vet, but I walked her everyday, fed her, often times stayed home to play with my dog instead of going to friends houses, I took her to training school myself at 11 years old. It was down the street so I walked there with her every week by myself. At 11 years old I had a dog that I had trained totally on my own to sit, stay ( you could put her in a sit stay and walk out of sight and come back and she would still be staying, heel, down, come, down on recall, shake, roll over, dance, sit pretty, and pull a cart. So I guess there is no actual age I think it just depends on the individual kid. My dog is still around she just turned 16 years old on October 4th

 

[Punkygirl0101]

My mom got me my first dog at 7, Harry (Dachshund) who I still have today, He turned 11 in July. He slept with me, and was considered my dog but my mom did most of the work. (We had another dachshund and a toy poodle at that time). I didn't start paying for everything for my dogs until this year. I technically own 5 dogs. (Harry still, Jannah, Brad, Bjorn, and Lucy). They sleep in my bed, I pay for their food/supplies, I walk them, I take them to the dog park, I pay for their vet bills, etc. And the other 7 are my moms.