We had a dog before moving to The Villages. She's only 2, a shih tzu pekingese mix. We still are active and do have long days on occasion where she's alone but we spread them out and reward her when we come home.

She is paper trained. Never in my life have I had a dog who was paper trained and used to be semi disgusted at the thought. However, I'm very very glad that she is. We can leave her without needing to come home to potty and during bad weather, no problem. It's never fun to try to figure out how to potty a dog in a hurricane. I've done that for years and it's awful. But doing this training would make it so you had to have a small dog.

We do not crate our dog, she hates the crate. Also a first for us, as our other dogs were crate trained. She has a bed and a carrier that she loves, so she will curl up in that sometimes. We leave music playing for her when we are away.

When we come home, we usually take her for a golf cart ride or a walk.

I hope this helps you. You definitely can have a dog and a life but you'll need to find a balance.

Make arrangements with one of your neighbors to take care of their dog in your home while they go on vacation. That will give you an idea of what your life will be like if you adopt a dog of your own. It will also limit your commitment to a week or two and you won't feel guilty about taking a foster dog back to a shelter, since the dog in your home already has a wonderful owner. Your life will change with a dog, I say for the better, but after this experiment you may disagree.

I think you are right in every way. People with dogs frequently have to leave early or schedule themselves around taking care of their dogs. If they don’t, they are abusing their dogs. You are also right that you shouldn’t have a dog at this time.

No question—owning a dog takes a lot of time, and it can cost a lot of money. I had a cute little dog for several years, but it fell in love with my ex-girlfriend’s dog, and when I moved to Florida, I gave the dog to her. It is still with her. The dog it fell in love with died, but it has now fallen for her new dog. I was very fond of my dog, but I don’t really feel temperamentally inclined to get another one.

My ex-girlfriend’s dogs have among the best of dog lives. She rides and competes on her horses and spends summers in the mountains of New Jersey and winters in Ocala. She has big fenced yards, but the dogs go almost everywhere with her. Most days they go to the barn with her and hang out off-leash, loved by everyone. When she rides her horse for several miles, they run alongside. If she’s not riding, at least she takes them on a walk through the hills for a couple miles, off-leash. If she’s out doing errands, usually the dogs go along in the car or truck. They love it. They sleep on her bed with her.

Lots of dogs here aren’t able to do that, and lots of dog owners can’t, either. I think the real dog people are happy to deal with the restrictions their dogs necessitate.

In the 45 years my wife and I have been together, we have never not had a dog...until now. Our most recent friend passed away in September at the age of 14, and we miss her terribly. But...I have to admit that life is simpler now. And if you enjoy traveling, things get easier exponentially. With pet sitters or boarding services charging $50 a day, or more, taking an extended trip can really add up quickly. While I have no doubt that we will someday have another dog in our lives, for now we'll enjoy the freedom that comes with not having to worry about the needs of a pet when that spontaneous weekend trip comes along.

Without question, there is nothing like seeing the happy face of your little friend when you walk in the door. As they say, you can lock your dog and your wife in the trunk of your car...four hours later, only the dog will be happy to see you! But, at least for now, we're going to enjoy the freedom of being dog-less...we'll see how long it lasts.

A dog isn’t something you try on for size. You are looking at a 10 to 20 year commitment to an animal whose quality of life will depend on you. Search your feelings and choose wisely.

Owning a dog takes away some free time that could have been used other ways, but the love of a dog is tremendous. I have owned a dog for nearly thirty years now. I am on my third miniature schnauzer. When my first and second mini schnauzers died, we got a new one in a matter of a few months. Like it has been mentioned, one must be prepared to come home to feed and take care of your pet, unless you do not go out much. Right now, I will be taking my dog to the groomer, which will be about $100. The vet bills and grooming can be expensive. What I get out of it is his unconditional love for me. My mini schnauzer follows me around and also sleeps in our bed. He is very spoiled. I think he will be my last dog as I am getting older. I would like to travel a little more.

You could get two, so they keep each other company while you are out. I wouldn't leave them for more than four hours a day.

It is good you’re thinking this through. I have some input.

(1) A crate is not a cage as some have called it. Proper crate training establishes it as a place the dog feels safe - not trapped.
(2) Regardless of weather, pad-training a dog is a great advantage - especially with no fence or, our case, with barky dachshunds that cannot be left to their own accord with in/out privileges via a doggie door. We can leave them for several hours and they know where to do their business.
(3) Dogs are like children that never grow up. Expense of care if you want to go on a cruise adds a lot to your total pet care costs.

Thanks for pondering this thoughtfully. So many leap and regret Hence, the rescue center populations.

Disagree with your over generalization.

That's because dogs live in the moment. People live in the past, present and future. Also, people have expectations. Dogs, not so much. They react to what they are presented with moment by moment.

Getting a dog.
 

One thought to consider; dogs are expensive. Besides all the other comments, look into dog insurance. Most companies will not insure a dog over two and a half years old. Routine visits to the Vet are not covered, but, if a major incidence occurs, it can cost thousands of dollars.

As much as I love dogs, and had them all my life, I am now pet free and couldn't be happier. I personally think dogs, and pets in general, are way too much work. Aside from the cost of ownership, you also have to feed them and take them out multiple times a day to go to the bathroom. You should also walk them every day.

If you want to go somewhere for an extended period of time you either have to bring them with, put them in a kennel, or hire someone to come and stay with them. That can get expensive.

It's really is a full-time commitment, which I don't miss at all.

The last half of your inquiry is spot on. Good, active friends of ours swore that their new pup would not interfere with their activities, however, it was not long before they were leaving socials early to tend to the pup, or turned down invites due to the pup, or cancelled activities because the pup needed the vet, etc. Totally changed their lifestyle as it was similar to having a child. It's good that you are giving this careful and full consideration. I love dogs but at this point they just don't fit into what we are doing.

Some people are cat people and some people are dog people. I have known dozens of dogs that I like, but only ever one cat. I wonder if there are any psychology studies about the traits of people that like dogs versus people that like cats?

An option for you if you want to have a dog but not long term would be to either foster for a pet rescue or help with medical service dogs. There is an organization headquartered in Williston called Guardian Angel Medical Service Dogs (I'm not affiliated with them but admire what they do.) They use German Shepherds (some of these dogs have been rescued and were hours from being euthanized.) There is never a charge to the recipient of these dogs. Many of their dogs end up going to veterans and first responders. As I understand it they sometimes need short term fosters for about 3 weeks when they first get the dog and then the dog goes on to training. You might be asked to take the dog with you when you go places, or not. Here's a link to their site if you want to take a peek. Transforming Lives - Guardian Angels Medical Service Dogs

I know this isn't specifically what you asked but it could let you have a dog in your home short term. Maybe the best of both worlds?