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Did Father's Day shopping plus birthday shopping as Mr P's bday is in a few weeks, and I thought I may as well get it out of the way whilst all the manly gifty goods were on display for the purchasing at a discount price lol.
A friend of a friend of ours has a Staffy which has just had pups and we are being offered our choice. 😃🤔😃🤔😃🤔😃🤔 are my thoughts at the moment. I love them; I've always found them loving, staunch, and funny, such clowns. And I'd love for the kids to finally have a dog. And the breeder's lovely. BUT... The side fence needs replacing and the neighbours insist they can't afford to pay their share, so we've been nailing bits together and making do with star pickets for years. They've got a very exy breed of dog they've had for a few years (think several grand) so I'm surprised they're not more motivated to do the fence, but blood from a stone I guess. A Staffy would eat the fence for brekkie. Plus they do need very strong, solid and consistent training right from the very beginning. Plus all the costs involved, on a single income 😬 I feel very sad inside, because I always thought that if you can't afford to prioritise the costs of pet ownership for an animal that relies on you for it's existence then you shouldn't do it. If I'm not being a hypocrite then I know my answer, even though I haven't given an answer yet. It's not fair for the dog or us if we're just scraping by. But it hurts. It's not the first time I've been offered a pup; last time it was a Jack Russell, a breed I love even more (I've owned 3). That one really hurt to say no to, and Mr P was shitty at me for days, but I just can't. I can't if I can't afford to be the kind of owner the dog deserves. And it hurts 😔
" It’s not fair for the dog or us if we’re just scraping by. But it hurts. "
Yes it hurts, but this is responsible pet ownership in action. You have nothing to reproach yourself if you decline their offer. The fence situation is a deal breaker too imo. And when it comes to strong, solid and consistent training - do you think anyone other than yourself can supply that? And there are so many other calls on your time and effort. What would happen if you or one of the minipeelers got sick? You're doing the right thing - both for your family and for the dog. There will come a time in the future when the stars all align and its the right time to get a pup. Just not now.
I hope so. Thanks for the backup.
A Staffy is a major undertaking. It's big and strong and you don't want to neglect training. And they eat a lot and are expensive.
Best for you all and for the dog.
Hugs.
You’re doing the right thing.
Is Mr. P going to be equally enforcing the consistent training, doing the walks and cleaning the poo, taking it to the vet, paying for the costs? Responsibility for a pet tends to fall mostly on mum and all of the effort, cleaning and replacing chewed items also goes up with a baby animal.
Hopefully there’s a better situation in future and you get to wholeheartedly say yes to a puppy.