Hi,
Pretty much the title.
I’m working part time, living alone, but with family a ten minute walk away. I have a big, secure garden. I’m home all the time. Downside: I’m studying for two pretty big exams this year.
There will never be a more perfect time to get and raise a puppy with my work schedule. I’ve had dogs my whole life, but this would be the first dog I’ve raised alone.
It would be a dachshund.
The cons are, obviously, that I’m studying. But at the same time, I think a puppy would also give me more of a reason to be strict with routine. I’ve had to give up the city I lived in and the job I loved to go down to part time work and accommodate my exams. A dog would give me purpose and somehow to focus my energy whilst I’m otherwise feeling a bit lost, and feeling like I’ve taken a step back in life. I can’t really go out due to studying, and I had to move to a much cheaper, suburban town. All my friends are miles away.
I’m also used to studying with a lot of distractions and noise around me. I’m very good at studying and managing my own routine. I’ve taken similar exams whilst working a very stressful, full time job, living with a controlling partner who made studying hell and still managing a dog on top of that. (Sadly I lost that dog in the breakup- he was not registered to me, or legally mine, but that’s life.) I’m not worried about this. I would crate train and have a dog in a set routine. I have a big enough house to have room to study away from a puppy, and have space. I’ve raised multiple puppies, had dogs with behavioural issues and I know what I’m doing.
Having my own dog would give me so much joy when I’m feeling a bit meh. It would make all this time sat at home worthwhile.
I’m also not going into this innocently. I know the breed well and have raised dachshund puppies before specifically.
There is never going to be a time in my life again where I have so much willing help from family, will be home so much and am working so little. The only thing I need to do is still dedicate time to studying, but people take these exams with full time jobs and children.
It’s really something I want to do. I wouldn’t get a dog without truly thinking it through. I’ve wanted my own dog since I was a child, but the dogs I’ve had have been my parents or my ex-partners. I have so much experience, but I’ve never had a dog which was truly *mine.*
Am I crazy? I read so many stories here about puppy blues and the stress people go through. And whilst that’s all very valid, the idea of having a puppy/dog around whilst I’m sat at home and being able to care for something in this time would be something I’d love to do.
I’m also going through a pretty rough time with family with terminal illness/deaths in the family and having a dachshund again would be a dream. I know the reality well, having done the puppy stage a few years ago with my exes dog. I know what I would do differently, and where I went wrong before.
I’m also very open to rescue dachshunds but a lot have quite specific requirements such as never living with another dog or children, and unfortunately, I can’t always guarantee that. But if the right one comes up, this is also definitely an option. I also have no desire to own any other breed than a dachshund. Call me biased, but once you’ve had a dachshund, it’s hard to have any other breed 🤣
The main thing is that I can promise 100% dedication and a secure life to a dog. I think that’s the main thing.
And the other thing I want to stress is that this isn’t some random decision I’m making because I feel it would be ‘cute’ or ‘fun.’ Whether I get a dog now or early next year, I will be getting one. It’s more the evaluation of taking advantage of my free time and lack of social life as an ideal situation to raise a puppy versus the cons of studying with a puppy.
submitted by /u/CeleryActual5909
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