Cocker Crazy

[Colin]

The companionship of a dog whilst on your travels sounds great for you but a miserable existence for a dog. Surely it's not just about what a dog can offer you but what you can offer a dog  :?:  

Instead of expecting a dog to adapt to your lifestyle you could always make a few compromises yourself that would be more in tune with what would be fair on any prospective dog, that is if you really are that desperate for dog ownership.

Is the foreign travel aspect of your future job too important for you to give up ? If so, then I would say you aren't able to provide a suitable home for a dog yet and you should wait a few years until the wanderlust has subsided.                    

[PennyB]

The companionship of a dog whilst on your travels sounds great for you but a miserable existence for a dog. Surely it's not just about what a dog can offer you but what you can offer a dog  :?:  

Instead of expecting a dog to adapt to your lifestyle you could always make a few compromises yourself that would be more in tune with what would be fair on any prospective dog, that is if you really are that desperate for dog ownership.

Is the foreign travel aspect of your future job too important for you to give up ? If so, then I would say you aren't able to provide a suitable home for a dog yet and you should wait a few years until the wanderlust has subsided.

When I graduated I wanted the same as you and desparately wanted a cocker but my career and wanderlust took over and I did just that and waited until things had settled down before I got my 1st cocker.

If you do really want  a dog so much then you will have to make the compromises and not the dog. Cockers are very adaptable but not that adaptable.                    

[Lindaphills]

Hi. i agree with Colin sorry     I think you should wait until you are more settled and your travelling is over with.  I don't think it would be fair to the dog at all.
Sorry just my opinion                    

[Dexter and Davinia]

Would you be prepared to put your dog before your job?  There will be times when you will have to do this.  Putting your wants aside - do you hand on heart feel that you can offer a dog - a lifestyle it will be happy with for the forseeable future?

Thanks again for all the comments posted so far. Is this a choice I really have to make? My feeling is, there are many things that make me me. That includes my personal thoughts, family, friends, artists and authors whoes thoughts, feelings and life experiences I share, education and knowledge, writing, contributing to society and humanity - these are some of the things that make up what my life is about, and they are all equally important to me. Some times I have to prioritise one over the other, but in general my aim is to have a steady balance of how all these factors fit into my life. In other words, there is not one that is more important to me than the others - they all count, I guess they serve the same need in different ways.

If I got a dog, it would be as important to me as any of the other aspects in my life. Not more. I wouldn't prioritize it over my job - that wouldn't be fair to me but I wouldn't prioritize my job over it - that wouldn't be fair to the dog. Sometimes I may need to do one or the other. But that would be the exception, not the rule.

What is the life style that is best for a dog? I volunteered with Crisis Open Christmas this Christmas (shelter for homeless people), and I had never seen more devoted, loyal and loved up dogs than those owned by some of the homeless people. They were extremely well trained and I can genuinely put my hand on my heart and say those dogs were happy. And their homeless owners had nothing to offer them except love and affection.

Is the ideal lifestyle for a dog based on our idea of comfort as human beings? :roll:

And because this has been raised a few times I think I should address it briefly  :wink:  I don't ask for alternative opinions or arguments to my personal conclusions because I doubt them.  :? It just makes me more sure of the action I take following a wide range of criticisms and appraisals. If I don't change my mind - I know even better than before what sort of challenges lay ahead of me and I know I am confident enough to attempt inspite of them. And if I do change my mind - then I wasn't ready to take up that challenge and needed to wait until I had the strength of conviction to either forge ahead with my plans, or make adjustments to the initial plan until I feel confident I can follow it through.

Your different views on the matter are very important to me. I guess you are all right about one thing - I have the make the final choice for myself  :shock:  I can't really leave it on your heads                      

[Shirley]

Hi Davinia

I know exactly how you are feeling.  Just after I left home to go to University my dog (OES 12 years old) died.  I said I'd never have a dog again but it wasn't long before I started yearning for another dog.  I brought it up with my boyfriend and he told me what I knew in my head was true - it wasn't the right time - we couldn't manage student life and care proplerly for a dog.  I returned home a few years later and my dad was dead against having another dog in the house.  Not surprising considering it had taken me from the age of 5- 10 years to convince him to let me have the first one  :roll:  :wink:

I was 24 when we started building our house and I was delighted because I thought it meant that I could have a dog.  My OH had other ideas and thought we should wait until we were well settled in the house (about a year) before we commited to getting a dog.  I was really disappointed at the time that I had to wait, but now, looking at how things have worked out I know that it was a good job I had these people round about me who stopped my heart from ruling my head.  

I'm a teacher and when I started work first, it took up a lot more of my time than it does now.  Nothing came naturally, everything had to be well thought through, planning and assssment took me a lot longer than it does now - it's not a job where you leave at 5pm and forget about it until the next morning (believe it or not).  If I'd got a dog as soon as I left uni I would not have had as much time to devote to it as I had by the time I got Morgan.  Also when we first moved into our house we had a lot of things, such as decorating, to finish off, which took up our time in the evenings and at weekends.  Much as I hate to admit it, and nobody had better dare tell him - Eric was right when he said we should wait  :x

When you want something really badly it's difficult to be objective.  If I were you I'd wait until I started the job to see what it's like - you may end up like me, where (for the first wee while at least) it takes up more of your time than you think.  I don't mean to be harse but think about where this dog may end up if you were to discover, down the line that your job was not compatible with dog ownership  :?

Whatever decision you make I hope it is the right one for you and your circumastances   .

All the best                      

[Colin]

I too was a self indulgent, self obsessed navel gazer as a 21 year old..... no bad thing at that age but totally impractical qualities for a dog owner.

Dogs don't deal with verbosity too well either.                      

[Dexter and Davinia]

a self indulgent, self obsessed navel gazer

Dogs don't deal with verbosity too well either.  

Hello Colin,

Thanks for taking the time to post. Am guessing your deep insight into the psyche of dogs and the young comes from the deep impact these influences must have had (perhaps still have :roll: ) in your life experience. I will  be sure to bear in mind your views on communication next time I am engaged in conversation with a dog.  :wink:

Do keep posting!                      

[PennyB]

Where are you considering the needs of the dog in all this as it all seems to be about you and your needs.                    

[Colin]

One of those internet troll thingies, it would appear. Nice try, "Davinia".                    

[Magic Star]

 Is this a choice I really have to make? My feeling is, there are many things that make me me. That includes my personal thoughts, family, friends, artists and authors whoes thoughts, feelings and life experiences I share, education and knowledge, writing, contributing to society and humanity - these are some of the things that make up what my life is about, and they are all equally important to me. Some times I have to prioritise one over the other, but in general my aim is to have a steady balance of how all these factors fit into my life. In other words, there is not one that is more important to me than the others - they all count, I guess they serve the same need in different ways.

Davinia, I really don't mean to be rude, but is that not a bit romanticised :?   I'm afraid we don't live in an ideal world, the vast majority of us have to prioritise things!  Its all very "fluffy" to think of getting a dog and living happily ever after, but there is more to it than that, you have to prioritise as you become resposible for this living, breathing animal that relys upon you for everything, food, health, excersise, loyalty even life. Basically what I'm trying to say is that you hold that dogs life in your hands, please don't be naive and think that, a dog or any animal for that matter, can be totally adjustable to all lifestyles, they can't , not always anyway, why do you think there are hundreds of dogs in rescue centres across the country??

I hope you can appreciate what i'm trying to say, its not just your needs that you need to consider, you have to consider the dogs too                    

[Shirley]

One of those internet troll thingies, it would appear. Nice try, \"Davinia\".

Maybe I'm just having a blonde moment :? .  

Am I the only one who's confused  :?:    :?    :wink:                    

[Magic Star]

Maybe I'm just having a blonde moment :? .  
Am I the only one who's confused  :?:    :?    :wink:

Me too Shirley, I thought trolls lived under bridges? :?                    

[Shirley]

Glad I'm not on my own, Emma

Colin, do you know something we don't?  :wink:                      

[Jane S]

An internet troll is someone who is deliberately provocative on forums to wind up the other members :wink:

Could we all keep this thread polite & on topic please  It's an interesting subject & the opinions given by all of us experienced Cocker owners may be useful to other members even if the original poster chooses to disregard the advice given

Thanks

Jane                    

[Magic Star]

:? I get the feeling this has all been a wind up :roll:  

Oh well, you never know, it may help someone else in the future :wink: