Wife wants a Dog :(

Some folks just don't want the extra hassle etc, and that's perfectly understandable. Doesn't make you a bad person, despite any little niggling fears in your mind that it might!

If you're so strongly against it, I hope that settles the matter. I think that both halves of a couple should be aboard with any decision that involves a long term commitment to care for a living creature.

Don't allow yourself to get "guilted" into it, either. You'll just resent the dog and probably your wife, too.

Wow. I see a dark cloud on your horizon if the wife wants a dog as much as you do not. Nothing wrong with not wanting a dog.

I would guess that most travelers have had pets before starting to travel.

We personally have cut down on the size and the number of dogs due to the limited space.

Good luck in reaching an agreeable resolution.

Yes. I have been around dogs of all sorts since I was about 6 or 7. You are not interested in a dog, I can see that, but for us he is great company. Large loving mutt that is a joy to have with us. Since your not a pet lover, you are better off NOT getting one. They are generally a 10+ year commitment and do consume a large amount of your time and energy. Training and exercising can take hours a day. We have mostly always had working dogs, so exercise is a huge investment in time to keep him healthy and happy.

I appreciate the responses,
Just lookin' for a sounding board I Guess! :)

as one who can't imagine not camping without my dogs I fully support you not wanting to get a dog. what ever you decide please make the decision and stand by it- don't get a dog to "try" out and then decide to give it up ( we are part of a small dog rescue) if you would like to see how a dog would fit into your life style see about becoming a foster with a local group, explain your situation, our group would welcome you the chance to foster even if only for a few days...LOL my 2cents worth.

OMHO ,!!! If you have never had pets, DONT get one to RV with.
There are a different set of circumstances, with a pet,on the road
than in a S & B,, IMHO!

My wife had a dog as a young girl. I never had one. As a married couple we never had a dog for the first 20+ years. Didn't particularly want one. And our son had allergies which pretty much ruled it out in the early years anyway. Then one day a client of my wife's handed her a small bundle of fur and said it is yours if you want it. Well that dog slept with us the next 16 years. And we have had two more since then, one at a time. And the dog goes with us every time we take the RV out.
It does sometimes take some planning. And there are some things you simply cannot do. But overall we do not consider it a problem.

Dave n Holly wrote:
Haven't most of you that RV with a Dog had pets thru out your Life?

Yes. But my DH had never had pets before we got married. I had three large, hairy dogs when we started dating and made it clear to him that pets were always going to be part of the package. ;) And he was okay with that.

I hope you and your DW can reach a compromise. I personally can't imagine life w/o pets, but OTOH I don't think it's fair to a pet to bring it into a family if all adults aren't on board with the idea.

I feel bad for the wife. But yes, both need to be in agreement on pets.

Well, it depends on the type of people you are.

For one, if you both like to tour around and see things/places, this can add a new thing to think about because there are many things/places to see that you can't bring a dog.

Another example is, if DW is a busy-body and you're a 'sit and watch the world go by' type, this enables her to get out and have company to take walks around and socialize while you get to enjoy your thing and everyone is happy at the end of the day.

My best friend was a guy who hated dogs and never wanted one. Wifey bugged him for a while to get one and he finally relented about 2 years ago and they got one. Him and dog are now practically inseparable and he says he never knew what he was missing. Add the fact that he is/was a pretty large guy, he benefits from the exercise of taking walks that he didn't get before.

It also depends on the reason why you don't want one, if there is one particular reason. A lot of people will say you shouldn't because it's a lengthy commitment, but you are able to give it a try by adopting a mid-aged or senior dog without it being a 10-15 year commitment. Of course, it's already trained, so you don't have to deal with the puppy puddles and goo on the floor.

Either way, there is definitely a long discussion in your future... for your future.