To own a dog in other house

[Catu]

This is the case:

 

I moved to my mother city, I'm currently living with her and I plan to do so for the next year or two. She lives in an apartment without even a balcony and she is not a dog person, so dogs here are out of the question, not even guinea pigs.

 

I want (I need, it is physiological) to have a dog and I would want to have a dog to do obedience and even Sch if the conditions are given so I'm doing a research about certain GSD working line litter I've been offered a female pup, a dog to be entirely mine, mine and not just SAR. An aunt offered me to have a dog in her yard, a big fenced yard in which, if I finally decide, I could even build a nice kennel for the dog, her house is not close enough to go walking, but it is not so far anyway, it's not a really good neighborhood and and I wouldn't walk there by night. Good thing is that there is where my mom and me go to lunch everyday. That is the nice part.

 

The not so nice part... I don't have a car and won't have one anytime nor sooner or later unless I sell a kidney. I won't be able to take the dog with me anytime I want, there are no near parks and I know it's gonna be hard and a big disadvantage on its first months specially if I'm thinking on dog sports. On the other hand my aunt have been fostering a male GDS of about a year and I'm pretty sure they're going to keep him at the end, I don't know if they're really sure what to have two GSD (one of working lines, nothing she really imagine) in a house is and I'm afraid it could mean problems in the long term. My hope is that it could be even positive, they having their own dog to raise the way they want, free in the yard (they are the kind of old people who would never let a dog inside the house) and I with my pup in the builded kennel to raise without interferences.

 

Some of you had have this kind of agreements with somebody? Should I keep dreaming or splash my head in a wall?

I awake every morning thinking... "No, it's a bad idea and it's gonna end bad" and reach the night emailing the breeder asking for pictures of the pups.

 

 

ETA: Sorry, I should have posted this in the coffee break board, feel free to move it.

[G. Festerling]

Most of it depends on how well you and your aunt get along.

How you feel about her raising a working pup.

Your concern about the working line GSD is very valid. I have always had 3 Borders around minimum. High drive and busy. BUT they did not prepare me for my first real working line shepherd (czech bred). That dog will run cirlces around any of my Borders. Add the physical power and a bit of sharp edge to her you need to make sure that your aunt can and will handle it. For SchH you do not want to get her dominated by anyone or anything while raising her. This includes the foster dog. Within reason you want her thinking that she is the baddest dog around.

And of course, working dog or not, socialisation is a biggy as you know.

[Guest WoobiesMom]

I don't know. If they're both going to be outside and you can't always be there and there's not many places to take her to, it just doesn't sound like the right situation for a dog with a strong working instinct. And if you can't supervise the interaction between the 2 dogs, and your aunt is elderly, there seems to be potential for some negative interaction that might cause unforeseen consequences.

 

Sorry to be a wet blanket.

[Bordercentrics]

I think if you want a working dog, you need to live with it and train regularly to bond and develop that deep partnership that the best teams have. Also, an elderly lady who has no concept of what a GSD from working lines can be like and who would never allow it in the house is not a good prospect for raising one. I know you love your aunt, but this is the kind of situation that will probably lead to a dog developing lots of bad habits. Dogs with working drive in particular need lots of training, leadership, and interaction with their owners. I see many shelter dogs who ended up there, because they were not trained and just left in the yard. I would seriously recommend that you do shelter volunteer work to get your "dog fix" until your living situation changes to one where you can have a dog of your own where you live. Think about it. If you get a working pup now and put it in the situation you describe, you are doing it for yourself, and it won't be good for the dog. I am sorry to be so blunt, but as someone who does Border Collie rescue, and who has owned Bouviers, some from working lines and some from show, I have seen how an innappropriate placement can damage a dog.

 

Kathy Robbins

[Guest LJS1993]

I think you should just be patient and bide your time. Wait until you have the ideal situation in order to do the best for your dog.

[Alaska]

I think you should just be patient and bide your time. Wait until you have the ideal situation in order to do the best for your dog.

LJS, I think you hit the nail on the head. Maybe not the "ideal situation", but a better one than Catu describes above. There are just too many ways that plan could go wrong.

 

Catu, I think you should be thinking about ways to satisfy your "need to have a dog" that fit your current situation rather than emailing breeders for puppy pictures. You probably felt deep down that this was not a good idea or you wouldn't have posted here looking for someone who had made such a long shot work out. Just my opinion, though -- only you know what will work for you.

[Catu]

Thanks for the replies, be sure I'm thinking about it twice and three times and four times. My aunt insist she is eager and happy to have the dog (not an old woman, just old mentality about indoor dogs, and much, much less weak) and I'm the one saying that we should consider all the pros and cons before. That is why I posted here expecting than someone that could have shared the same experience could give me advices to thwarts the current conditions that make me uncomfortable with the idea as it currently is.

 

But don't think I'm surfing in the net looking for some available puppy of some breeder and then asking for pictures to entertain myself. A friend offered to give me a female working pup of great parents for free, an opportunity that don't come every day and when I commented it, my aunt offered herself. Just then I started to think about and posted here

[BCBaxter]

I think the key phrase to consider here is "I want". We all want a lot of things-I know personally I want to own a farm with acres and acres for a multitude of rescue dogs to run on, but realistically I know that isn't going to happen.

This shouldn't be about what you want so much as what is in the best interest of the dog. Keep in mind, as rescuers we all have seen dogs that have been dropped off at shelters or relinquished by people who initially had good intentions. Until your situation changes, I don't think it would be fair to the dog-regardless of the once in a lifetime opportunity you feel has presented itself.

[Guest pax]

It sounds to me like you really want and need to own a dog. I wonder if you're going to get what you need out of visiting it, no matter how often.

 

I second the idea of putting your love into the shelter dogs, if you can. Or even another kind of pet that can live with you.