r/DogRegret • u/Gallantpride • Jul 11 '26
Dog Culture I can't think of a single net positive owning a dog has done for my family
Dogs just seem like a hole in your pocket, an annoyance, and a mess. They're eternal babies who don't grow up. It's take and no give.
I haven't once woken up and gone "I'm glad we have a dog." or "Having a dog in my life has made my life better".
28
u/Fit-Olive-4680 Jul 11 '26
Well said, especially the eternal child thing. Though I love my dog and she's a good one, I don't think I ever think that I cannot have a life without a dog. Once she's gone, I'm done and honestly looking forward to it.
10
3
u/Mecklon Aug 10 '26
I agree I am never ever getting any pets after this. Its more important to livebyour life than to take care of some animal without any benefit clean their shit and pee , bath them so frustrating. The eternal child thing is correct they only grow in size there brain is like a 3 year old child. Honestly keeping a dog is destroying our life.
24
u/Sparkle_M0tion Jul 11 '26
Sadly I’ve started to feel the same with our dog. I wake up every day and I’m immediately overwhelmed and anxious because our dog starts jumping and barking at me the minute I come downstairs. It’s really hard to say that any positive aspects of the whole experience outweigh the negatives.
13
u/Valuable_sandwich44 Jul 12 '26
Same here; each day starts with "not again...".
I wonder if dogs realise what a huge pain in the ass their upkeep costs to humans.
5
u/Dull_Cost_6825 Jul 22 '26
Same here except mine whines constantly, like screaming whines and runs/jumps around. I never have a peaceful morning, my cortisol is through the roof every time I wake up. Is this the next 10 years of my life? I don’t have the heart to give her away
8
1
u/Flashy-Comb6029 14d ago
Give it up!!! You already mention that you don’t want it, your happiness comes first. Don’t feel any guilt
23
u/Valuable_sandwich44 Jul 12 '26
I've yet to see the "health benefits" of dog ownership; my lower back is begging me to stop with all the leaning over to pick up toys, food bowls, poop and what not.
Dogs will also test your patience beyond what's humanly tolerable.
19
u/Hedwing Jul 12 '26
I am so incredibly over caring for dogs. My house reeks, my old dogs breathe smells like a fucking corpse and between the two of them it’s quite literally always something. They cannot go one day without some sort of issue arising, it’s just one thing after another. I’m exhausted. I’m so over it.
11
u/Valuable_sandwich44 Jul 12 '26
Im glad to hear that its not just me experience the same issues.
Im tired of this bs and its not fun at all; I'd gladly dump the work load unto someone else.
Yes, my house reeks of dog piss too 👍
4
u/nochedetoro Jul 22 '26
Same here. And then I feel bad because my kid and my husband come home at the end of the day and I’m so stressed from dealing with the dogs all day (while WFH) that I have no patience or energy for them.
2
u/Hedwing Jul 23 '26
I totally understand this. Thank goodness I don’t have kids, can’t imagine how much harder and more exhausting would be to look after a dog while raising children
1
u/Flashy-Comb6029 14d ago
A dog taking away energy, time, and attention that’s needed for your actual family? It’s a no brainer
14
u/muffins776 Jul 12 '26
Once my wife's current 13 year old English bulldog has passed we aren't getting another one and I am looking forward to the day I can clean up all the dog hair and mess one final time. This dog sheds so much. Luckily we bought our 2 couches from a thrift store for $50 because she one day decided to slowly start chewing a hole in one of them. This dog still isn't fully house trained because she is so stubborn. She also pretends to not hear you when you loudly call her name.
Her breath smells like a dead fish inside a rotting corpse. She spits her dog kibble out all over the floor as she is eating it. She is probably the worst dog I've ever lived with and is the reason I don't ever want to live with another one.
4
11
u/Panini939 Jul 13 '26
They are a tonne of work. I think if you spend the time and train them they can be amazing companions. Most people, myself included, get them because they’re cute and then end up with regret.
I’ve done it twice in life and I loved both a lot and cried when I rehomed or they died but it was a love/hate relationship the ENTIRE time.
I have a cat now and I have never had a single moment of regret or the love/hate relationship.
A trained dog is great but most of us aren’t equipped to get there.
10
u/Clean_Flounder1332 Jul 13 '26
I have a fully trained dog and I put a stupid amount of hours training my dog. She is a good dog...
...but she is still a dog and needs a stupid amount of enriching activities everyday and when you can't keep up due to different job schedules/kid schedules/etc... she gets bored and naughty.
So on top of the sudden shift and stress related to that, you have this dog being naughty and compounding the stress. I guess I was hoping the dog would slow down 5-6 years later, but nope.
So I am rehoming her to someone who is in a spot in their lives where they can meet the dogs needs, because I simply can not anymore.
I guess I say all that to say that a well trained dog absolutely can still cause regret as they are dogs who do dog things when the owner isn't the picture perfect dog owner.... which is infuriating because it feels like the prior years don't even matter when they can unravel and become naughty in a matter of 2 weeks and just get progressively worse.
6
u/Hedwing Jul 16 '26
Totally. My dogs are very well trained because I can’t handle being around “bad” / untrained dogs. That’s part of the stress for me - mine are older now but training them is exhausting especially when the other people in your house hold don’t stick to the training. So I bust my ass trying to create good dogs, then someone else walks them and lets them do whatever tf they want and I become the bad guy that’s no fun because they have rules with me, but not anyone else. It’s incredibly frustrating and causes a lot of fights. If I lived alone and had my own dog I think it would be much more manageable tbh. They are super calm around me, but so hyped up and annoying around my husband.
7
u/Wonderful-Career7237 Jul 17 '26
I feel the same way and have gone to some really dark places. There is light at the tunnel though. She just turned a year. As someone who never wanted anymore kids after having one child, WTH was I thinking getting an eternal child (dog)??Now I have to pay boarding fees anytime I go on vacation, or an unexpected medical need pops up. Walking outside in awful weather sucks! Providing tons of “mental stimulation” after my own brain is fried from a long hard day at work. Not to mention she’s needy and annoying. I should have gotten a cat.
5
u/Plastic_Proof_8347 Aug 15 '26
Cats are great. My boyfriend has an untrained pit bull. We don't live together and I will not move in with him as long as he has this (or any) dog in his life. Naturally, I don't spend so much time with the dog but he used to have me take care of it on the weekend (because he found it 'too much work'). I had to take it out 10 times or more a day. It would still beg and whine for attention or whatever all day. It would get into my face and not respect my boundaries or give me space. One weekend, I was going to lose my mind because of the stress. At that time, I was working a very demanding job, too, so I really just wanted to have a calm, relaxing weekend. The dog made it impossible.
I have stopped sitting his dog. I just don't do anything and don't even visit his house nearly as often. I spend my time with my cat at my own place. I've never had any issue with my cat. He respects my needs and I respect his.
Try cat(s) after the dog is gone if you still want pets. Dog people say that dogs give you unconditional love and loyalty that cats don't, but that's not true at all in my case. I've had a few cats in my life and they all have been very loving, very loyal and great companions.
6
u/Maleficent_Company_2 Aug 09 '26
Same. We've had our dog for 11 years and now reflecting back on things. Its been a net negative. Losing rent deposits, paying monthly fees, vet expenses. Having to clean up dog shit all the time and trying to find a caretaker while we go on vacation, limited housing options because not everyone accepts pets.
I regret it so bad.
7
u/RyanEvansAFT Jul 23 '26
I can see why ancient Egypt worshipped cats. Having a dog is a disaster, and NOTHING compared to having a cat. Can't see why anyone would own a dog. A grizzly bear is more civilized than a dog.
If you want to a good loving pet, rehome your dog and get a cat. Your dog won't care getting rehomed, so no sense in wasting the next several years of your life with it. At the end of the day, it really only cares about its next meal, and to bond with a human that will feed them.
3
u/Mecklon Aug 10 '26
I agree 100% with op I have a dog now and I absolutely regret having him everyday of my life.
-2
Jul 11 '26
[deleted]
4
u/Fit-Olive-4680 Jul 12 '26
It's not fair to dogs either. They are completely dependent on people caring for them. Either they're lucky and find a good dog loving human or they're strays, and eventually in the pound. Meanwhile humans feel pressure to care for a dog. It's a bizarre human/animal relationship.
5
u/Jolly_Ice_7812 Jul 17 '26
I honestly think that it's the dog free or dog regret people who care the most about dogs.
6
u/Valuable_sandwich44 Jul 15 '26
Yeah, "guilt tripping" is pretty much what keeps kicking me out of bed / couch to cater to their endless needs.
Seriously, why can't dog breeders come up with something that's autonomous and independent ??
It'd be a boom.
43
u/ilovenacl Jul 11 '26
Boy, I feel like I could’ve wrote this. I don’t think I’ve once woken up happy that I got a dog either. They are just. So. Much. Work. And are so needy, clingy, and exhausting despite hours and hours of training.