Am I fit for owning a dog?

ORIGINAL: amstaffy

You're not alone...I was reading through the thread and hit that make and said "oh no" out loud...

Thank you for that, I was afraid my passion had overuled my humor and that is something I hope to never lose!

Might I add that rats are great pets too, not that I'm at all influenced by my fuzzies in the other room[8|]

Raymond, I'm not sure anyone has really answered (at least to my satisfaction) why not two?
 
The dog that is going to probably do best with you will be a senior -- and really any dog over 4-5 is probably going to work great for you.
 
But honestly -- YOU and the dog will likely be happiest if you bond to each other FIRST.  There is never any guarantee that two dogs ... even two that 'know' each other from a common shelter are going to get along.  Often a dog will just plain be more interested in YOU.  A senior dog is going to sleep ... all day.  You want to encourage that ... and then be ready to spend time with you when you get home.
 
Two dogs at once is a lot for any dog to handle (yep, I'm talking about the dog here).  If they play together they're going to be in trouble -- two 'playing' dogs can pull over a tv, eat something harmful (like drywall or a door or carpet) or tick each other off and fight.  You will likely need to crate one and two would be a NECESSITY to crate them -- you can't be there to supervise and they may not get along.
 
But even if you took two dogs used to being together (and siblings or long-time bonded dogs are often found on Petfinder with the cava "want them to go together" -- but then you are back to square one -- you want the dog(s) to bond to YOU ... not just each other. 
 
Down the road (and Jennie_c_d is a prime example) you may find a 2d dog that just begs to be needed by you and your dog.  Then ... if it all checks out and it looks good at a meeting you can consider it and "cross that bridge when you come to it". 
 
But don't foist that on a brand new dog who is having enough trouble getting used to you.
 
Often senior dogs have been thru a tough time -- either their human has died, or a long time placement has ditched them (new house therefor NO DOG, or moved a job and won't take them or some heartless excuse *sigh*).  Often the thing they want most is you and your company. 
 
I would honestly beware of a 'long dog' (being the owner of one) if you have a townhome with many steps -- that can be tough on the dog's back.  Same thing with a bulldog or any dog with a hind/front end of different heights or a longer than normal back. 

I think that the right older dog would be ok for this situation.  I here lots of people say that people shouldn't own dogs with a regular work schedule.  How much of the country does that rule out?  There are some dogs out there that do fine without people all the time, and some that need to company.
 
For example, my brother went through a bad divorce about a year ago.  He has someone renting a room in his house, but they aren't around too much either.  He was lonely and getting depressed, he wanted a dog, but didn't think he could since he is a fireman and works 24 hours at a time.  Around the same time, I met Chassy, an underweight hunting dog that wasn't making the cut.  She had been run over by a truck and has a limp in her right hind leg.  We have hunting dogs which are very well taken care of, but most people out there aren't as good to there hunting dogs as we are, and your bound to run into them eventually.  Chassy had a dry coat and was generally unhealthy.  I took her home, got all her shots and wormed her, and started putting weight on her.  She has a small frame and is about 25 lbs now at a good weight.  Most hunting dogs have great manners to begin with and love attention.  I have 5 dogs at home, so I gave Chassy to my brother.  He has a doggy door and a backyard, and his roomate will feed her while he is at work.  She does fine for the 24 hours that he is gone.  Now he has someone to welcome him when he gets home, and she absolutely adores him.  She is about 2, younger than I would have suggested for him, but the timing was right so we tried it out.  He has had her for about 6 months now.  Ideally, its not best for a dog to be alone for 24 hours at a time, but if you meet Chassy you won't be able to think of a happier dog.  I know for a fact that Chassy would be dead right now if I hadn't taken her.  Now she is happy and healthy, and so is my brother.  I know people that have dogs and hardly ever spend time with them.  So which is worse?  Someone who has the time and doesn't want to give it, or someone who makes up for lack of quantity of time by improving the quality of time.  I am sure that the 7 yr. old daschund in the shelter would be happier in a quiet home with someone who loves him and looks forward to seeing him as much as he does his owner.  Now he is just spending his day in a pen that is probably 4'x6' with a couple bathroom breaks and no one person to look forward to seeing. 
 
It may not be the ideal situation, but I'm sure that you could improve the life of a dog that needs it and make your life a little better as well.

Chase and I will be dealing with this situation shortly.  He's been left alone for up to 8 hours at a time with no problems.  He's a lucky boy, though, and has had someone home with him for the last six months.  I'm the one who does the walking after work, but he has someone to snuggle with and play with in the back yard all day.  Anyway, my partner is going away for a year for military training and now Chase and I will find ourselves dealing with long days apart.
 
I leave for work at 6:30 AM, which makes it very hard to give him a long walk in the morning.  I'm back between 4:00 and 4:30.  I'll give him a quick 15 minute walk before work and our regular 45 minute walk after work.  I'm also going to get a dog walker to come in halfway through the day for a 45 minute off-leash work. 
 
It isn't ideal, for either one of us.  Chase will be lonely (although probably not that lonely...truth is that he sleeps most of the day, unless we call him to go play or walk).  I'll be poor (16 dollars a day adds up to over 300 dollars a month).  But it will do and it's only for a year.
 
I won't be going out on weeknight anymore.  If I want to socialize with friends and family, I'll either invite them over here or go out on Saturday or Sunday.
 
If something awful happened and I found myself alone with Chase forever, we'd make it work.  I don't think having a full-time job should rule out having a dog.

i would rather see an older less likely to get adopted dog living with you than than the impending death it would likely face if left at the shelter. there are always ways to make things work. you have had a ton of info here so far. are you going to get a dog?

if you have decided to i would just say so, that way you can start working on how to make the best of the situation instead of continuing to run over the same whys and why nots.