It’s not just the Dogs that are depressed although Daisy, the Girl in the photo top right is certainly very fed up. Her puppy Jet (although now 1.5 years old) is definitely a Dog with depression. She is feeling a little (to say the least) like the Dog at the bottom of the pack. Me and Mrs. Three Dog Blogger are also feeling the strain a little. And why?

We are a 5 Dog household until January 7th.

I really do not know how people cope with permanently having this number of Dogs. It seems insane. The floor is a mess, there was pee on the floor yesterday morning, Jet was sick this morning, probably stress related, and I keep getting up early, which surely can’t be good for the health of a man who is definitely NOT an early riser.

Faye (left) none too impresed

As you can see Faye is trying to blank it out by closing her eyes and chanting the mantra:

They are not really here, they are not really here.

Daisy feels it is imperative to guard the best blankies and Jet felt it was her duty to guard the wood burning stove just in case someone lit it and and the possibility arose that she could lose her spot.

Caden and Grace are lovely Dogs and Caden is actually one of Daisies other pups. A few days in to Dog sitting now and things are beginning to calm down although Grace was just sick and there have been any number of snarls and general Dog depression as the pack order is re-established.

Of course the reason we are looking after five Dogs instead of 3 is our own fault. Wind back to the summer of 2008 when Daisy was on heat. As I have mentioned before at the time we were so bewildered with what was best for a female, to spay or not to spay, to spay before the first season or not, etc etc. We ended up deciding to let here have a season and then get her spayed. A very bad move as it turned out as one night she bolted, pushed the door open and a few months later the result was five puppies. Luckily we re-homed all of them but Jet and hence the Three Dog Blog rather than the two Dog blog.

This is also why I ended up writing the rather popular Female Dog Spaying post, which, with over 100 comments is certainly one of the most popular articles on this site. Now i would recommend that you always get your Dog spayed as soon as you can, some will disagree, but from a personal perspective I feel bad that we allowed more Dogs in to the world when there are already countless shelters overflowing with Dogs that need homes. Not to mention that it has led to Daisy becoming incontinent on occasion, although apple cider vinegar in her food seems to stop this amazingly well.

Should You Get Your Dog Spayed Or Neutered?

Do it. Do it this week if he/she is old enough. If you do not want more puppies then there is no reason to not do it. Personally I believe that the pros far outweigh the cons. Just because you have a male does not mean that you will not be responsible for bringing puppies in to the world if he smells a bitch on heat and scarpers, only to return a few hours (or days) later with a satisfied look on his face. For females, with the best will in the world (like we had), it takes one mistake on your part and she could be gone and return soon you could be stuck with anything up to 12 puppies. How would you re-home them all?

I simply think that to be safe you should get your Dogs spayed or neutered so this is a non issue.

This is a kind of a rambling post that has brought up a few issues since we are looking after 5 Dogs so here is what else I wanted to address:

How Many Dogs Should You Have?

I have stated this before, and that is:

Owning three dogs is a lot more work than owning one more than two!

The difference is a lot more hard work and a lot more of your time. It is not like just having one more Dog. There are a lot more obedience issues, more general problems, a lot more frontline plus for Dogs to buy. More vet bills, more food, and problems withthe pack mentality taking over when they can all goad each other in to inappropriate action. The fact is that 3 Dogs is a lot of work.

So, how many should you own?

Why, 3 of course!!!!!!

Really, it is down to how many Dogs you feel you can reasonably look after. For us 3 is fine but it is a lot of work. Sometimes I look back to the days when we just had our first Dog Sam with some nostalgia. It is much easier to discipline and train when you only look after 1 Dog. Two is a handful but is still relatively easy and while 3 is a lot more work I do enjoy having the girls and would not change it for anything.

Before you get Dogs, or more Dogs I would really recommend that you do one of the following. Foster a Dog, this will show you what it is like to have an additional member of the household and you will also be doing a very good deed. Borrow a Dog or two. If you are thinking of increasing the numbers then at least try something like we are temporarily experiencing at the moment. Dog sit a friends Dogs for a few days and see how it works out. You will be able to see how much more work is involved and whether your home, and your temperament is suited to additional animals to look after.

I KNOW that I would never want to permanently have five Dogs. It is too much, our house is not big enough, walks are a nightmare and there are simply too many Doggie smells for my olfactory senses to cope with.

Just a bit of food for thought as we enter the new year.

Have a good 2010 everyone and here is to a very happy future to us all, and a bit of peace come the 7th January for the Three Dog Blogger.

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