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Let’s start off by agreeing that dogs are the best kind of pet. Cats put guys into weird heavy wool sweater stereotypes, birds are a loud hassle, and reptiles immediately let every girl who lives near you know that you own a high power telescope but can’t name a single constellation. Adopting a dog is like adopting a better version of your college roommate. He’s gonna mooch off you and nap all day, and have a weird nickname, but your dog will come with a certain set of skills to help you survive bachelor life.
Ladies Love Cool Jack Russel Terriers
This is the obvious one. A single guy needs a wing-pup. Timing your walk past an ending yoga class with your new best friend will guarantee that you can be the most awkward person in history and still leave with a number. Set up puppy playdates, go into a little of Fido’s tragic history before you adopted him, and set yourself up as the guy who can both provide for another living creature, and be compassionate. You’ll be forgiven for any number of accidental jerk moves because, “Well, he has a dog he cares for, he can’t be THAT big of an asshole.”
Fido is your new personal trainer
The biggest problem facing single postgrad guys (outside of crippling college debt and an inadequate job market, I guess) is that extra few pounds we pack on from drunk food and beer as our metabolism slows to a crawl. I used to pay 30 bucks a week for a personal trainer to tell me to do crunches and lift. Now I go running every day with Scotch for free. We catch some weedles and crush a step competition or two on Fitbit (and sometimes she wears my Fitibit for me. She gets a lot more steps at work than I do). Having trouble getting out of bed in the morning? Your dog is gonna be there with eyes you won’t be able to ignore, forcing your sorry, unshaven, three-shots-too-many self outta bed to start the day. Get the right breed, and that drill instructor bark-and-run will jump you into 5k shape in no time. Depending on where you live, 5k is more than enough to run past two yoga studios and a coffee shop to hunt for available women.
You can blame anything, ANYTHING, on Fido
You’re about to close the deal with “Kelli with an i” from yoga, promising to take her back to your place to see that cute dog of yours again. As you walk in the door, you remember you’re a slob, and your apartment is a wreck from pregaming some Olympic qualifiers with the guys the week before. Guess who’s happy to take the blame in exchange for a few extra treats? That lovable scamp must have pulled those pillows off the couch! And oh, no, they got into the pantry again! You swear profusely that you have just the hardest time keeping that pup in check, but he’s had such a rough life before you got him, you’re too much of a sucker to do anything about it. Oh, and did he just fart really bad? Who’s a good dog? YOU’RE a good dog..
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claw887
Former social media adviser to William Howard Taft, writer at http://www.christopherglaw.com/
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claw887
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Why do dog people get so butt hurt about some people not liking dogs? Who cares?
I personally don’t care, but I think it’s one of those things where if you love dogs, you simply cannot understand why someone else wouldn’t. Like veganism, but actually tolerable.
Plus, depending on the scientist you talk to, dogs may have bred us to like them just as much as we bred them to like us, so it might just be evolutionary.
Yep, I just can’t fathom not liking dogs. I’ve had pets my entire life, so I find it weird when people are averse to dogs. Always makes me think of babies…look, I don’t love your baby, but I’ll pretend I do to not offend you. You should do the same with my dog…don’t pull back in fear when my dogs come up to say hello.
I simply can’t relate to people who don’t like dogs. It’s like something went wrong in their past. I also think owning a dog is GREAT for teaching kids to be responsible, loving, and caring. Team sports and owning a dog – two things my children will partake in, as I think they both teach great life lessons.
Listen, dogs are awesome, and I’m all aboard team dog, but it’s tough for someone young and single with an active social life to actually be home enough for a dog. It’s cruel to the dog to be gone all day at work and then roll right into happy hour and next thing you know it’s 10PM and poor dog has been cooped up since 730AM. Think carefully about how much you’re around, and if that’s enough for the dog.
Well said. That’s the only reason I don’t have a dog right now.
totally fair
I’ve had a dog for the past 8 years and have managed to have a successful social life without leaving Fido at home sad and alone. Maybe it’s because I got him before I was 21 and learned to be social without making happy hour a regular thing, or maybe it’s because half my friends have dogs and he’s always welcome to tag along with me. It’s not hard to be social and a great responsible single dog owner. There are times you have to do a little planning ahead, but if you’re willing to put in a little more thought into your plans your social life doesn’t suffer.
I said “tough” not “impossible”.
I was very close to getting a dog, and did not for the reasons Mr. Incredible brought up. It’s certainly not impossible, but you’re sacrificing aspects of your social life whether you want to admit it or not.
I could go to happy hour and spend money, or I could go to the dog park for free and still meet some cool people. Social life doesn’t suffer at all.
I’m not trying to change your mind. Or say that having a dog is “bad” or makes your social life “worse”. But you loose a lot your ability to be spontaneous because you’re responsible for a dog. That’s not something I’m willing to give up at this point.
YES! People definitely need to consider how much time the can/will devote to the dog. I get very pissed off when I see overweight dogs hobbling around. All dogs need daily exercise and a proper diet. I walk mine every morning and every evening, with runs by bike and trips to hiking/walking trails on the weekends. Nothing worse than someone getting a dog because it’s cute and then not taking good care of it.
Also…people who live in tiny apartments in huge urban concrete areas and get a HUGE dog deserve to be turned into dog food. Big dogs need space. If you choose to live in a city, get a small dog.
Oh…and dog doors are a great option. GF used to be home daily for lunch and let them out. She took a new job…we have a 1 acre fenced in yard and the dog door allows them to go out as often as they need. Our one dog has Addison’s disease, so she drinks a lot of water and needs to pee frequently.
Good article, but the article didn’t actually address the merits of ADOPTING versus buying a dog.
So I’ll throw in my 2 cents: you need a hunting dog, ok to buy. Literally every other scenario, not ok to buy.
Donate to your local animal shelter. It’s usually tax deductible. That way, you are feeding lovable pooches instead of people who won’t work with your hard earned money.
^ this
I fell ass-backwards into my AKC registered, field-tested, amazeballs Black Lab named KC. A doctor couldn’t keep her anymore after he sent her to hunt school and had her registered, so he gave her to me. She’s just a little gal, only around 55 pounds, but waaaay to smart for her own good. I took an internship away from home, so she lives with mom and dad on the acreage, and she loves it, but misses hunting pheasants as much as she used to. Still gets super jacked when I throw the shock collar on her, because she knows that its time to go to ‘work’ and retrieve birds. And yes this was definitely a humble brag about my dog, for which I will NOT apologize. (before anyone bitches me out, she’s so well-trained, the battery’s been dead in the collar for two years, she responds to whistle and voice commands. The collar is just her signal that she’s gonna go do what she loves.)
What kind of dog is in that picture? Asking for a friend.
My lady drags me to the pound at least once a month to look at dogs, though we have two rescues. As a result…pretty good at guessing. I’m gonna go with Jack Russell/terrier of some sort mixed with a boxer. The cropped ears are a good tip and the snout looks to be a mix between a terrier and a boxer.
Thanks!
And not sure where you’re at, but there are TONS of Staffordshire terriers (see: pit bulls) where I’m at. They’re incredible dogs, don’t discount them as aggressive. They’re not. Owners purposefully make them aggressive. We had one and it was a great dog, very smart, very loyal.
We have a terrier/whippet mix and a English pointer. Terriers are BUSY and smart as hell. Ours is 29 pounds and must be involved in everything. The pointer is 48 pounds and couldn’t be calmer, sweeter, or more loving.
Adopting pets is really awesome. Every day you walk them and play with them is a day they wouldn’t have had. We have dogs and cats, they all get along. Dogs are great, but cats are fun too. Though I live in the central city, we’re lucky and have a 1 acre yard. We’ve put in a dog/cat door which is great. Plus, I’m right near a university and there are great places to run the dogs.
If you are thinking about a dog I’d consider how much you want to exercise/deal with them. Our pointer is calm and cool, the terrier is a busy body. They both get dual walks each day. Oh…and food. Food can get expensive with big dogs. Maybe not with one, but we have five pets…so five to feed and take to the vet. I tell my GF…don’t tell me the bill when we go to the vet.
I have an older plott hound that’s a rescue. He’s lazy as shit and I love him to death. I’m just thinking ahead for when that time comes as I never want to live without a dog again.
And I’m allergic to cats so no dice on those for pets.
Is it me or do hounds seem to sap their energy by being crazy early in life and then they get really lazy when they’re older?
If you an get a hound that isn’t totally bonkers, they’re usually pretty loving and fun.
The GF decided our pointer needed a pal, so now we have two dogs. The smaller one was billed as a pointer…but she’s definitely more terrier/whippet. So much energy and needs to be the center of attention. She even bullies the bigger dog! The good thing is that she barks when people come onto our front porch, while the pointer doesn’t bark at all…just points.
GREAT article, maybe my favorite one here. Everyone should have an adopted/rescued dogs. People paying for purebreds really piss me off. I have an uncle in northern NJ and he said it’s now cool in his town to have adopted dogs, not purebreds. Awesome.
We have two rescued dogs, two rescued cats, one rescued field mouse (the cats found it in the park). Nothing is as awesome as giving a stray a new lease on life. Our pointer was actually pulled from a kill shelter. Seven years later she’s happy as a clam.
And YEP…owning a dog is a built in gym membership. I can’t stomach going to the gym but I walk my dogs in the woods every morning and every evening. MUCH better than a gym. (people who have dogs and don’t walk them should be euthanized.)
In the process of this right now. Love the name Scotch for your pup, but seems a little odd for a female…
Yea, so….I messed up there. I have two dogs, Whiskey is a girl, Scotch would be the guy. Or would be. If I’d done my stuff right.
I see, still good names.
Good excuse to play Pokemon Go.
Just adopted a dog a few weeks ago. I’ve wanted one for awhile and it’s the best decision I’ve made.