What Keeps You From Getting More Dogs?

[Angelina03]

Time and money.
I can't stand the filth that comes with owning a big dog. I would have to clean everyday in order to maintain a clean house on a daily basis. Don't have time for that. Plus Rocco takes up ALL and ANY of my free time, so I definitely wouldn't be able to handle another.
I would also need more money: healthcare, food, training, supplies, and a cleaning lady TWICE a week!!! LOL.
I would definitely have more though, if it was possible for me. I love them.

[Anitsisqua]

Money and the knowledge that having two puppies at once would kill me. Ask me in three years, though, I'll probably have my second one by then.

[Freestep]

As a person in the professional pet community, people assume that I must have many dogs of my own. Actually the opposite is true--because I work with other peoples' dogs all day long, 5 days a week, I am positively dogged-out by the time I am done with work!

So, I have to keep my own numbers down to a reasonable level. This is not always easy--people expect me to take in rescues, fosters, etc; people assume that since I am a dog lover I must want to be surrounded by multiple dogs 24/7. This is frustrating. I love dogs, but I do not want to take on more than I can comfortably afford time-wise and money-wise.

I have a couple of clients who do rescue and at any given time, they may have a dozen or more fosters in their household, and they assume that if I truly love dogs, I must want to do the same thing. They often ask me if I want to take on another foster, and I constantly feel pressured. Sometimes I feel guilty about it. It's hard for me to look at a person with 25 dogs and tell them that I can't comfortably take on more than 3. And really, 3 is probably above my ideal comfort level. I'd almost feel guilty having a single-dog household, as though I'm shirking some kind of responsibility, but a single dog gets that much more quality time. And it's not in anyone's best interest if I go into the poorhouse taking on rescues, like some other folks I know. Bless their hearts, but I can't do it.

I have fostered dogs in the past, and probably will again in the future. But I don't want to take on any more animals than I have *quality* time for.

[lhczth]

Reality. I can only properly care for and give individual attention to so many dogs. I currently have 5.

[gmcwife1]

time - husband and I both work full time and 13 yr old is in school and 4-H full time
money - additional food, accessories and vet costs
space - house is only 1400 sq feet and GSDs are pretty big
body parts - I only have two hands and it's already hard to pet three dogs at the same time

[Scarlettsmom]

Time and time...when we retire and can devote full-time to a puppy, we will add another pack member. Right now, I am on my own to care for one GSD and that keeps me busy enough. If I had another adult to help walk, train, feed, and generally care for another GSD with me, I would be all over it.

My other full-time job, keeping house and caring for the last child at home keeps me plenty busy. But someday...and that day will come...we will add a puppy to the pack. You guys will be the first to know... :0)

[Justaguy]

Definitely the space or I would of gotten another dog for sure.

[LARHAGE]

I could so easily be that dog lady, I live on large acreage, by myself, and don't have to worry about asking if I can have another dog, I am rather picky about German Shepherds though and want to show and compete with them, so I am less inclined to have a bunch of them, but I am also addicted to terriers, they are so much easier to have as they really don't require the level of committment and training the Shepherds do, in so far as they are bred to do essentially what they do at my house, my other love is horses and I'm fortunate to have a barn and room for the terriers to run, dig and hunt varmints happily while I do my horses, so they get their daily dose of running and hunting at least twice a day, to the extent that when I go in the house, they are more than ready to come in as well and cuddle with me to unwind at the end of the day. I have 2 Cairn Terriers, a JRT and a Chihuahua, just 2 weeks ago someone wanted to give me a 4 month old Wire Haired Fox Terrier that was too much for his senior owners ( duh), I wisely called my Equine Vet who had lost his 15 year old JRT about 6 months ago, he was so excited to have him, and I was beginning to feel the pangs of having to have someone tear that puppy out of my arms, he was so darn cute!!!! I was already saying ah, whats one more!!!

[JakodaCD OA]

for me right now is money and time.

I'm down to 3, (two senior aussies and 4yr old Masi)..

Masi takes up ALOT of my time, she's an energizer bunny The two aussies are now 12 & 13, still full of it, but they are seniors.

I will get another dog when someone passes on, I really want a mini aussie, but I also really want a male gsd, miss my boy dogs