[dafodilkemmy]

So, the recent passing of my Mountain Cur has hit my bf rather hard. He says its weird not having two dogs and that he thinks Brutus needs another "dog-friend" because he's lonely at night. Brutus has started howling and carrying on late into the night since Delilah passed away. Well I've talked to him about it and I've talked to a few different shelters about different dogs that need homes.Delilah was a pound pup and I would love to get another from a kill shelter. He wants a puppy to make sure he can "Make sure it won't have a lot of issues". Which means, "Courtney I want a puppy to play with and you take care of."

I said if we got another dog I would prefer it would be an adult maybe 2-5 years old. I don't think I can raise two puppies at once. I would think they would be more interested in each other than hanging out with us. I also mentioned that it would be his dog and Brutus is mine. He flipped out saying how Brutus was our dog and that we own him equally.Uhhh, excuse me but I'm the one walking, feeding, training, socializing etc. Our dog! While he plays with him if I bring him inside or wherever we are going.Not to mention that I got the money to get Brutus and I was the one who wanted an APBT in the first place! I hate the title of "our dog". I want to take care of my dog and my dog alone. I don't want to have to train, feed, water etc. somebody else's dog if I don't have to! I know he would pull out the guilt trip of, "You aren't going to walk our dog?" If I wanted to take Brutus but not the other dog.

We've never had this problem to this extent before because Delilah was strictly my dog.She lived with me and he lived at his house. I put my heart and soul into that dog and he knew it. He had a coonhound and it was his at the beginning but then it slowly turned into "our" dog according to him. Do you think it is possible for two people to own a dog or do you think each person should have their own dog and not try the traditonal "family dog" thing? I mean don't most of the dog responsibilities generally fall onto one person in the family after the newness of a dog wears off?

[gunhijala]

Well, Stan and I call the Tess and the pups our dogs, though Notch is his and Cuddles is mine. However, I take care of all of them physically (walking, feeding, cleaning), and he takes care of them finiancially. But if we broke up, then really Cuddles and Locus would go with me, and the rest would be his.

So, you can have an "our" dog, but make sure you know who is going to be doing what, and if anything happens, who gets what. That would be my suggestion.

[simmons latex mattress]

Are you guys living together? (I'm assuming so) If so, I believe the animals should be a community thing with helping feeding, playing, training all that good stuff, however there is a point in our house where it is definately known that my Great Dane is mainly my Husbands dog.. and Guinness by APBT is mine solely.. (Our bulldog has no pull either way.. she just loves attention haha) If there is no real help either way, like CHJ said with one being the financial provider and the other the physical provider, I wouldn't see it as a community dog... it would be MY dog if I paid for everything.

I also agree with CHJ, if My husband and I divorce, I keep Guinness and he keeps the dane and English Bulldog..

[CsFLhGNp]

When my boyfriend and I got Thor, it was supposed to be "his" dog, but Thor attatched himself to me (probably because I do 99.9% of the caretaking) and has since become "my" dog. I think he takes it kind of personally sometimes that Thor's obvious preference is to be with me. For example if we're all in the room together and Thor is asleep, if I get up and go to another room, Thor will wake up, follow me and then go back to sleep wherever I am.

If I were you I definitely wouldn't get another puppy. My sister got two rescue puppies at once, and they bonded to each other versus their humans, so she had a tough time trying to train them because they weren't interested in pleasing their leader. If you're going to be doing the majority of the caretaking, you should insist on picking out the dog you want, and if your boyfriend doesn't go for it don't get another dog.

[dafodilkemmy]

I don't feel like training another puppy at the moment either. I have my hands full with Brutus. It seems as though Delilah picked up on basic commands within a week and Brutus doesn't even know what "sit" means!
This is why I would want a mature adult dog....in my opinion they are easier to train.

[rJohutozsfds]

Dogs don't need other "dog friends". They are perfectly happy being only animals in the house. I think people use the " Hes lonely and needs a dog friend" line to hide the fact that they want a new dog. I don't know why ppl do this but they do. If you want a dog, then get one. If your BF wants a dog then tell him to get one, but hes got to deal with being an owner and not dump the new dog on you because you already have one.

[sportbos]

well the dogs as a group are "ours" but if we parted, 4 stay w/ him and 3 go with me. I do 95% of the caregiving though! I'd also go w/ an adult rescue.

[dafodilkemmy]

Well, I talked to him about a gsd and a dobie. He says, "Its up to you, I don't care...I have Brutus." Yeah right. Brutus would sit outside and waste if he didn't have me looking after him! It takes some really bad nagging to even get him to feed Brutus. So far all the adult dogs I've inquired about have turned out to be the only pet in the household type. I'm still looking though, incase a particularly down on its luck dog catches my eye.

[Stetbrate]

hah. we just had this argument... because it was my idea to get 'our' pup, and she agreed to 'allowing' me to get it, somehow it automatically became both of our dog. i walk, train, feed, and socialize him while she only refers to it as 'your' dog when she is telling me to discipline him, or to take him outside or get him to stop licking her while she's busy watching desperate housewives or whatever ... so i think its my dog, well i know its my dog, and just to keep the peace i let it go when she refers to it as our dog to others... i kind of just laugh inside a bit. and baby, if you read this... i guess we'll have this unwanted conversation

[rJohutozsfds]

hah. we just had this argument... because it was my idea to get 'our' pup, and she agreed to 'allowing' me to get it, somehow it automatically became both of our dog. i walk, train, feed, and socialize him while she only refers to it as 'your' dog when she is telling me to discipline him, or to take him outside or get him to stop licking her while she's busy watching desperate housewives or whatever ... so i think its my dog, well i know its my dog, and just to keep the peace i let it go when she refers to it as our dog to others... i kind of just laugh inside a bit. and baby, if you read this... i guess we'll have this unwanted conversation

HA! Must be a Louisiana thing. They are my dogs when they need or want something and our dogs when they are being good or she wants to cuddle with them.

[ultramDoctoo]

We got the dog together and we share the caretaker duties 50/50 - -- as an example, I work in NYC so I handle the early morning 45 min/1 hour walk and feeding - and my Gf handles the 5:30pm 45 min/1 hr walk and feeding (It takes me way too long to get back home to Jersey to be able to do the evening walk). We really don't bother much about the possessive pronoun that we use to describe our mutt lol - we just enjoy her, keep training her and giving her the best life we can ; )

[plogypeskelry]

The dog in our house is always my dog. Hubby when he gets mad will say will you train "YOUR" dog. But this is the only dog he will play with. He does like Odie. More than any other dog I've ever seen him with. My hubby isn't an animal person. He was raised with dogs are outside animals. WRONG!!! He also says that every mutant animal in the world eventually will come thru our doors. I do everything. WALK,FEED,PLAY, DISCIPLINE you name it I do it. Although my daughter likes to help train and feed him but mostly it's MY dog. He laughs though and says he's going to steal my dog away from me. This is the only dog who is not submissive toward my hubby. He wishes he was but he's my baby.

If you want a dog you get it otherwise, don't.

[dolaBeetCeage]

HA! Must be a Louisiana thing. They are my dogs when they need or want something and our dogs when they are being good or she wants to cuddle with them.

Nope....it's a N.Y thing too !!!

When it comes to feeding, walking, picking up the poop in the yard, cleaning any vomit, etc, transporting to the groomer/vet, etc....
They're MY dogs......

When it comes to snuggling and playing....then they automatically become the family's dogs........

[dafodilkemmy]

I guess I'm a bit possessive over what's mine. I also think I let him refer to Brutus as "our" dog to keep the peace. I just hope he knows that if we ever split I'm taking Brutus with me and will fight for him! Say we actually broke up, what would be a way to legally prove he was mine? I don't think the receipt I got for him had my name on it.

[simmons latex mattress]

I guess I'm a bit possessive over what's mine. I also think I let him refer to Brutus as "our" dog to keep the peace. I just hope he knows that if we ever split I'm taking Brutus with me and will fight for him! Say we actually broke up, what would be a way to legally prove he was mine? I don't think the receipt I got for him had my name on it.

If you were just boyfriend and girlfriend it's a little tricky. Make out a list of expenses..(what you do for the dog etc) and also have friends stating you are the sole caregiver..have them sign in front of a notary (Just like you would for a child custody case) Now this is just if it goes to a civil litigation. Not sure how many lawyers and judges would do a case.. but hey.. those documents always help.

[JonatonM]

I think it is possible to have "our" dog. My BF and I recently had this discussion because I want another dog. BF got Pikey when we first started dating. Once we moved in together we had to have a talk about how we are going to train him as a team. We both have to treat him the same and train him the same no matter what. We still have to stop each other on occasion and say "we decided to correct this behavior a certain way, not that way" It is hard but well worth it. I had a dog that was MY dog for 12 years, and I want another. My BF says we both put 100% into Pikey, and he is our dog. If we ever break up, we would have to consider who he would be better off with, who was in the best position to take care of him.
I think that if you are worried about proving who auctually owns the dog, you might not be in the best situation to get another. What happens if you do break up and after you did all the hard work training he ends up with them, would he just treat them like a piece of property, even though it seems like it would be best for the dog to end up with you, the person who puts time and effort into the dog? I think it is a hard thing to talk about, but in a relationship you have to step away from yourself and ask what would be best for the dog.

[55Beaphable]

The dogs and the cats are our cats and dogs until they misbehave. Then its what are you going to do about your cats or dogs. It's usually the cats that get ME in trouble. The dogs are just little angles all the time.

[PefeFoesk]

I figure GG is our dog, buddy is her dog.... hehehe....
I do not have anything that I do not think of as hers too....

[brandiweb]

I have mine... that's the way it is!

[gunhijala]

It's a NC thing too.

If the dogs are doing something wrong, it's "your dog is doing this" or "your dog did this."