Getting a pet

[Vaya]

for all of you pet owners, what happens to your pet when you're out of town?

Story is, I used to have a cat , my mother HATED it, I didn't get anymore pets ever since, now that I'm semi-moving out, I'm thinking of getting a pet, probably a dog, I have a few concerns, biggest one is that I'm going to be away 2 days every week, taking the train so I can't take pets with me, can I leave him alone or what is usually done?

Also my other 2 smaller concerns, 1- A friend of mine had a dog and his apartment smelled really bad, is this common? dogs making everything smell bad?
2- there's a big garden next to me so he can poop there, do I have to teach him to do so? with the cat he spontaneously went to the litter box

[Vaya]

will probably get a puppy version of this, dunno its name yet.

Spoiler!

Edit: Serbian Husky

[Aventus]

2 days as in you'll be gone 48 hours or 2 days as in you work like a 9-5 if its the latter then he'll be fine home alone if your gone for 2 whole days then don't get a dog. Dogs fur does hold smells pretty well but if you wash the dog and actually care for the furniture than it won't smell and yea puppies neeeeed to be trained, if you don't train him he will shit everywhere.

[*BlackFox]

I'm going to be away 2 days every week, taking the train so I can't take pets with me, can I leave him alone or what is usually done?

Ask a family member or friend to take care of your dog. You can't leave a dog alone all day!
Dogs don't generally smell bad.. They only smell if they have rolled in something.
Btw.. Husky is intelligent but are "not exactly easy to train" xD

[Ganja]

Male dogs who haven't been neutered will piss on everything in your house to mark their territory, if not properly house broken. You are going to want to potty train it immediately by taking it outside every two hours, at least, to shit and piss.

Those dogs shed like you wouldn't believe, I hope you're okay with having all your things covered in fur.

[Vaya]

Yeah it's 48 hours away, plus 8 hours a day at work, guess i got to find someone to take care of him meanwhile if it's ever going to happen then.

and there are lots of gardens around the house, but I have no personal garden with fence, so he's going to be inside the apartment... this is starting to get tough, but I really want a pet!

[Atibu]

never leave a dog alone for more than 12h, you really can't trust them


about the smell; there are a lot of dogs that smell, but it really depends on the race and on the dog, there are some dogs that even wash themselves like cats. Huskies are quite nice, but be aware that they drool a lot

[*BlackFox]

but I really want a pet!

Cats are much easier then dogs... They are very independent animals.
You might already know that! lulz
Well, but there are "benefits to having two cats" They can keep each other company/playing with each other etc..
While you are not at home. But still they would be attached to you.

[poehalcho]

Extra warning:
Huskies are hyperactive as ****, probably not a good choice for a dog if you can't spend a lot of time with it.

tbh, if you're getting a pet I don't think a dog is what you should be going for in your situation.

How come you can't take dogs on trains though?
Never been a problem here in the Netherlands :/

[Vaya]

well it doesn't say anywhere that they're forbidden, but I'm pretty sure that I'll get into all kinds of troubles if I do so.

also, cats are an easier option but they're not as friendly as a dog, my cousin had a husky and it was super fun to play with, unlike my cat which was very playful at the beginning, then just eating and laying somewhere everyday all day.

with my cousin's husky(never knew it was called husky back then)

Spoiler!

[*BlackFox]

cats are an easier option but they're not as friendly as a dog

Meh.. I don't agree to that. Most cats are friendly as a dog.
Anyway... Do you honestly have the time to take care of a dog/puppy?
Well, dogs can live up to 15 years and more!

[Hideoki]

strange, we are getting a huskamute this week. its a new breed of siberian husky / alaskan malamute.

anyway, siberian huskys CAN'T be left for 2 days. even working 9-5 leaving them alone is cruel, as husky's are natural pack dogs and really dlnt like being alone at all. most people even suggest getting 2 husky's simply to help this problem. also, they are pretty clever so the boredom will lead to major problems as they may become aggressive and even resort to destroying your house to 'do something'.

[Hideoki]

dp, but i read you're away 48 hours 'i knew already' plus 8 hours a day...that's realky not fair on any dog let alone a husky. sucks i guess lol, maybe get a snake or some kick ass huge tropical fish tank lol or a cat!! some cats are as friendly and interesting as dogs tbh plus they can go outside while you're at work!

[Bartic]

I have Siberian Husky for like 3 years now and I can say: don't even think about getting a dog (especially husky) if you're going to leave him for a 2 days a week.
You have to train him, he'll poop and piss everywhere if you don't. Some of them like to chew on things, mostly shoes and slippers, so keep those away.
Also, they don't smell, you should give him a bath like every two months or so. They shed a lot, and I really mean A LOT.
If your garden isn't 100% secure, he'll run away, at least in the beginning, later on you *could* teach him not to run away, but they're hard to train not to run away.
And lastly, activity. You should take him for a walk at least once a day, if you can't, once every two days, 1-2 hours walk.

This is my husky after she gave birth to 11 puppies:

Spoiler!

[Rawr]

If you have to leave him home you need somebody to watch him constantly. Take him out, feed him, entertain him. Huskies have been known to be very destructive if they become bored or lonely.

An apartment with a dog shouldn't smell because of a dog.
Yes, you will have to show your dog where it is acceptable to use the bathroom otherwise they may go anywhere.

My short story, I had a German Shepherd for a while and loved him dearly. I was working 70 hours a week, my mom was working 2 jobs. I had to leave him alone all day and all night. I felt really bad leaving the poor pup alone constantly so I gave him back to his owner. I'd rather give my dog up knowing he'll be taken care of instead of knowing he's miserable at my house.

Unless you have a fenced in yard, will be home constantly, and will really care for the dog do not get one.
In your case a dog does not seem suitable for you, unfortunately.
Taking care of a dog isn't much different from taking care of a small child.

[omier]

We have had about 10 cats and 3 dogs in our family in total. The most cats we've had at once is 4. Back then we used to live in the countryside with the whole family so it wasn't a problem. The cats lived in a separate building and spent all the day outside. Over time some of the cats went missing and some of them died. Don't know what happened to the first dog, but the second one went missing. The last one was mine, got it for my birthday, but since I then had to go to school so I lived in the town, my father took care of the dog so the dog was more his than mine. I've never been much of a dog person anyways. I like cats more. But then my father also moved to town and only went to the cottage on weekends so that wasn't so good for the dog. We probably should have given him away but we didn't. And at some point someone in the village didn't like the dog moving around at night so they poisoned him and he had to be put down. Now we have no pets and I don't even want one. One of my sisters has 2 cats though and one has a dog.

[Ganja]

Get a snake. I have one you only have to feed them once a week. They don't really care too much for attention and they can be left alone for long periods of time and won't mess up your furniture.

[jyushinshuu]

Well, cats don't have loyalty, they will run away and look for another home if you don't feed it. It seems like your lifestyle now you don't have a room for a pet.

[CrimsonNuker]

I wanted a dog before, I loved pugs. My friend has a pug and this little piece of shit sheds so damn much; so fawk dat.