Dog?

We have been thinking about getting a dog for quite some time.  I have always wanted a dog, but it never seemed like the right time.  Either I was in school and didn't have time to take care of one, or the apartment I was living at wouldn't allow pets.  When we moved into our house, the first thing I thought about was that we would be able to finally get our own dog.  What I didn't think about was my husband was finishing up his degree plus commuted to school 2 hours a day.  I was working full time and was away from the house 10 hours a day.  This did not yield a good environment to raise a dog.

Now that my husband is done with school, and I have more free time in my schedule, we are considering once again getting a dog.  I am not quite sure what kind to get.  We prefer a larger breed, and I love golden retrievers, but my husband claims they are "too standard," whatever that means. 

A chocolate lab would be a good running partner, but we don't have a very large backyard and I am afraid a lab would be a little too rambunctious.




A neighbor of ours has a Bernese Mountain dog.  I LOVE this dog.  There are a few downsides to this type of breed though:  1) they are expensive, costing upwards of $1000, 2) since they are a large breed they are more content with napping than playing, 3) they don't live very long -- average of 8 years.  Thus, a Bernese Mountain dog doesn't look like it would be a good fit for us.



I worry about not being able to go on an impromptu weekend getaway so easily if we had a dog.  (Not that we really do that anyway.)  I also worry messes the dog may make, those type of messes, but also what if the dog we get ends up chewing all of our furniture or worse yet, my running shoes?  What then?

With all of the what ifs running through my mind, I still think a dog would be a good companion for us.

What type of dog do you have?


What do you do with your dog if you are away for an extended period of time?


Do you ever regret getting a dog?