I'm complacent with my dogs and I'm not sure what to do next. Help?
My fiancee and I have 3 pets, 2 dogs and 1 cat. The cat is the most recent addition, but we've had him for a year. The dogs we got 2 and 4 years ago.
Our pets are well-behaved, friendly, and get along great, so I find myself kind of bored with their training. I was a trainer in college and really enjoyed the challenge, but now find myself without that challenge and without the time to take on a 2nd job.
We've been discussing fostering, but my fiancee is concerned about the kind of dog we could get "stuck" with.
She's come to me with an older (7-year-old) Labradoodle who is up for adoption through a local rescue because he's knocking over his owner's toddler and has Addisons, which the owner is unwilling/unable to treat.
She's been very anti-3rd dog for a while, but we've dreamed of adopting a Doodle/Standard Poodle for a few years.
But my worry is that he'll mesh with our family, get trained, and then I'll get bored again in a few years. His lifespan isn't super long (roughly 12 years) and the disease can shorten his life.
Should we foster or adopt?
Seriously? Your answer is "don't". How is that helpful? I'm not asking if I should do nothing, I'm asking for actual input on what is the best idea for our family.
We own our own 1500sqft home with a fully-fenced yard, we have more than enough income to support an additional (and sick) dog, and I have the time, patience, and knowledge to rehabilitate and love most dogs.
So what's your reasoning for "don't get another dog"?
Both of my dogs are therapy dogs, are both small (8lbs and 25lbs) so physical activities like cart pulling aren't realistic, they kayak and swim and fetch. They walk on a leash, sit, stay, recall, etc.
They know "tricks", but nothing that's actually enhancing them or the family, so I don't make them learn weird things. Fetching a tissue when I sneeze seems pointless and I have a hard time training things like that without feeling like I'm treating my dogs like circus animals.
I could train them in a lot of things, but why give them skills they won't use? I won't take them to obedience shows or whatever because I don't enjoy that. Why should I teach them things just because other people teach their dogs those things?
I really enjoy large dogs and that's part of the reason I'm leaning towards adopting this Doodle. I grew up with Retrievers and missing having a dog that takes up half the bed, oozes across the entire couch, etc.
Is that so wrong?
As a final update, I don't know why it's so wrong that I want to adopt/foster dogs that need homes. I'm not talking about going to purchase another dog that shouldn't have been bred or furthering the terrible practice of breeding designer dogs.
This dog is older, sick, and already here. Why is taking him in bad?
Why is teaching a rambunctious dog that will never get adopted because of their behavior how to be a good house dog bad?