Had dogs all your life or not?

we always had dogs growing up, but they were outdoor only dogs. [&:]

i didnt have a dog for probably 10 years before we adopted amelia. now i dont think i could live without at least 2! []

Had dogs all my life.  First my Dad's malamute, then my step-mom's two dachshunds.

grew-up w/ dogs - the outdoor kind (lived in the woods)
DH didn't really have a dog (his Mom had a toy poodle for a very short time)
I cryed for a dog after we married, he got me 2 cats instead (allergies), cats found new homes (they did that themselves) Dh relented after we moved to FL and I got a dog!! Then we got more, then more.

Nope, no dogs growing up. Cats though.

My parents also did not have dogs growing up. I come from a very non-dog-oriented family on both sides.

We (my husband--also no dog as a child--and I) got our first dog 6 years ago when we moved to a very rural area and began renting a house that actually had a kennel built right on to the side of it. Not like either of our dogs ever used it--if you tried to leave them in there they'd scream bloody murder about the indignity of it all until you either put them in the nice climate-controlled house or took them with you. But after that first, both of us were hooked.

Neither of us have allergy issues with dogs despite not having grown up with them. We both suffer from mild seasonal allergies year-round (yes, seasonal but year round, different seasons, different allergies) so maybe we have mild dog allergies too but not enough to be distinguishable from the mold allergies or the dust allergies or the pollen allergies.

My Mom bred boxers when I was really young. We had 4 adults + occasional puppies til there was a massive dog fight. One had to be PTS from it, we rehomed another, and just had the two til they died (at 12 and 13, I believe). I was 8 or 9 when the second one died, and I got Cherokee when I was 11. So that's only 2-3 years of my life without a dog, but it felt like forever. I can't imagine I'll ever go that long again.

My parents, before I was born, used to show Irish Setters, and received champion titles & all that good stuff, and even bred one litter (11 puppies!). When I was born, we had 5 dogs - 4 Irish Setters, and 1 Irish Setter/Lab mix from the pound. Ozzie & Kelsey were 2 of the IS in our family, and I loved those dogs so much...they both died in 2000. By that time, the other 2 Irish Setters - Brenna and Slick, has passed as well as the lab/IS mix, Canis. June of 2000 is when we got Cadie from a wonderful Irish Setter breeder...we couldn't even go 2 months without one. Now, 7 years later, my family & I adopted an IS puppy, Riley, this past April.
 
So yes, I've had dogs all my life, particularly Irish Setters and I wouldn't have it any other way! []

Well...when I was very small we had cats at our house!  But my granmother,  whom I stayed with probably more than I stayed at my own house (because she babysat me and she was my favorite person) has had dogs (and horses) since she was little!  I always loved to play with her dogs!  My favorite dog was her ES Keyota!  She is no longer alive but I love that dog!  We got a dog at my house at Christmas when I was in 2nd grade.  I got black and white ES last summer...in fact on the 30th it will be his first "gotcha day"!!!  I'm so excited!  I've almost had him for a whole year!

I've always had some critters in my home, though not a dog til I was in 5th grade.  And boy did I work hard convincing my parents that we should get a dog []  We've really always had cats though and usually some rodenties as well.  I actually don't believe I've ever not had a pet, and I don't think I ever will (or could for that matter).

We did not have dogs because of expenses, schedules, and where we lived.  My parents were flat broke, so we lived in a really bad neighborhood where the only dogs around were pits used for fighting and rotts used as protection.  If you had a "pet" dog, it was likely to get stolen and teased or tortured by the neighborhood kids trying to impress the gangs.  Also, my parents both worked/work full time and felt it would be unfair for a dog.  They love hunting dogs (retrievers, setters, and pointers), but knew we could not provide the dog with enough space, exercise, or mental stimulation.  Relatives on both sides of my family have always had dogs, so in that sense I did grow up around large dogs, just never had one of my own.  My parents do like dogs though, and now that they've fulfilled their parental obligations of making sure I can afford my dog and yadda yadda, I know they are secrectly excited to meet my dog.

Hubby had a dog when he was young, but it was an outdoor dog only.  His parents - especially his mom - really didn't like animals at all.  But he's a major softie when it comes to them.  And I thought I was bad.  [8|]
 
We had a white shephard and a GSD mix when I was born, but my parents gave them away shortly thereafter.  [&:]  Then they bought a red dobie when I was 12.  The next year, because they assumed the dog would raise itself ([&:] again) they decided it was a 'bad dog' and gave it to like 5 different people before they finally found someone willing to actually train it.  Wow - train a dog to act as you want - who'da thought??  Sheesh.  Anyway, he turned out to be a phenomenal dog. 
 
As they were trying to find a home for him, the sheriff's department my dad worked for had imported 2 dobies.  They got them into training but the female refused to bite.  After working with her for a few months they decided to let dad buy her.  She was already trained - an amazing dog - so that worked well.  We had her for over 10 years!!
 
That was it.  They let my sister and I each have a cat, but no other dogs.  Dad wants badly to get a shar-pei but mom won't let him.  He took his dad's yellow nape amazon and she said that's all the responsibility she wants.  Probably for the best.  [>:]

Nope!  Ace is the very first dog I've ever had.
 
In fact, as a child I was a little bit frightened of dogs.  (My primary exposure to them was my aunt & uncle's *completely* untrained labs, who were very out of control -- not aggressive, but barky, jumpy, pushy, in your face, and just generally out of control, which is scary when you're a kid and the dogs are bigger than you are!)  We had cats when I was a child, but I developed horrible adult-onset cat allergies so that is not an option for me as an adult.  But I knew I wanted to share my life with a pet, so I decided I would have to re-make myself into a dog person.  And I'm so happy I did!  Now I just love the doggies.   

I have had dogs in my life from the time I was born many years ago. Parents had poodles when I was growing up, then shih tzus until I was around 12 years old. Then we got a lab/doberman mix (my heart dog), and when I was around 16 years old we got a newfoundland. After that, I had several dogs of my own while still living with my parents. Penny is my first dog since moving out, so it's been several years since I've owned one, but I work at a vet clinic, so I got to be around them even though I didn't own one.

Yup, we had dogs my whole life, but none were allowed inside, (My mom was a neat freak) When I married, I got another Rex, and moved him right inside with us.

I wasn't allowed to have a dog when I was growing up. I have always been a huge animal person though so even though I couldn't have a dog, I had all kinds of other things: birds, fish, rabbits, and so on. When my parents finally did give in and let me have a dog they were of the belief that "dogs do not belong in the house". So, my dog didn't get any socialization and was only mindful of me. In the end he was put to sleep for being agressive with humans and biting my sister. This still bugs me to this day because it's just this kind of ignorance that kills perfectly good dogs. He could have been a GREAT dog in the right families hands. He was super smart and very loyal (to me), he just lacked a family and training.
 
Anyway, as soon as I was out of my parents house and felt I was ready, I got another dog. I've had dogs ever since and will always have a dog or 2 in my life.