Spoonies with dogs, talk to me.

deadly-voo:

chronic-illness-support:

perfectparamour:

Can you walk them? Are they overwhelming? Do you need to have help to keep up with the care? Is it doable?

spooniestrong, spooniepets, maybe you can help?

I think that really depends on 3 things – 1) if you have a fenced back yard, 2) how much exercise your dog needs, and 3) how much well-trained / well-behaved the dog is. 

Personally, I have a small, non-shedding dog who is low-energy / doesn’t need much exercise, and he isn’t hard for me to care for unless I’m having a pretty severe pain day. He wasn’t house-trained when I adopted him, and house-training a dog takes a lot of energy (at least it does for a person with already really limited energy). 

People won’t always let you do this, but you meet a pup & fall in love it’s worth asking if you can take it home with you on a trial basis to see how the dog meshes with your home / schedule / etc. 

My original plan was to train him to fetch things for me if I didn’t have the energy to get them myself. That hasn’t worked so well. He’s clever, though, so I have hope.

He does need to be walked every day but he doesn’t mind if I can only manage a short walk. It keeps me active and gets me out of the house and these are, most days, good things. His bags of food are heavy, so I need help with that often. If I’m not feeling well he lies with me and makes me feel better.

It’s basically a breed thing. A larger dog will be stronger, but giant breeds need less exercise. Little dogs can be energizer bunnies. Older dogs might be spoonies themselves, so if you’re looking at a shelter that’s a factor. Short walks for them, but still get them out often because they need the change of scenery. (Balance that with the fact that they will cost more at the vet and will die sooner.)

Puppies will take all your energy. They have to be trained, and their energy doesn’t dissipate for a couple of years. You’re better off with an adult dog who has calmed down a bit and knows all the basics. Puppies are cute and all but they don’t understand “no” and you’ll be running after them saving things from their chewing for a while.

It’s very important that they’re well-behaved on a lead. They’ll pull you off your feet otherwise and hurt your arms. If you can get an adult dog who is already well-behaved on a lead, great; if you’re getting a puppy, really focus early on on this so when he’s bigger he won’t be a pain.