The only dog I would recommend in these circumstances is an adult greyhound or whippet. Lurchers are awesome and generally lazy but some can be a bit more energetic depending on the mix. Could you afford 2? They would be company for each other if you do end up having to go out for a few hours. Sighthound rescues often have pairs arrive and try to home them together if possible.

Have a look at The Pointy Dog Appreciation Thread, there are links there to sighthound rescues.

http://forums.digitalspy.co.uk/showthread.php?t=1845089

We no longer insure insurance was for the two over £55 a month about 5 years ago only ever made one small claim (under £100).

Who with? Thats a big difference

They all seem to start at lower rate, but being with them they soon get bigger, each year they cost more. And if you had any claims they shoot up.

And certainly something to consider when getting a dog as I believe some breeds are more expensive than others when you insure them too.

We don't insure, instead we save an amount each month, just in case. I've reached the conclusion that pet insurance is a rip off.

Depends how much you save a month. I'd much rather pay £24 a month for my two cats than have to find hundreds of pounds to fix a broken leg, or even more to medicate a long term illness/condition. I might never claim, but I'd rather have the security of knowing I'll never have to panic about funding any unforeseen events. £300 a year in premiums - it can cost more than that for a blood test and some X-rays.

I agree. Vets bills today are so expensive. We had paid 2 months insurance premiums when we made a claim in excess of £700. For us the insurance is worth it.

We keep an empty credit card and pay it back before interest accrues, works well for us so far but we do not carry on treating beyond the limits of what the dog can tolerate or we can afford. I worry these days some owners and vets carry on treating past the point the dog is comfortable just because the insurance will pay out or they cannot stand to say good bye to the dog.

Certainly looking back we did that once and I wish we had not paid for last weekend of my last dogs life, it was clear from Friday he would make it but it wasn't until an emergency appointment Sunday morning we all realised we had to say good bye.

Not me.... I'm not one for dragging out the inevitable. However, a broken leg on a cat is not a death sentence, but I certainly don't have the odd £700 lying around if that should happen.

You would if you saved the money instead of giving it to the insurance company. We save £30 a month, our dog is four and we have £1,440 plus some interest.

That's great - on those figures, you've been saving for 4 years? What happens if you'd needed the money in the first or second year?

Also, if your dog was diagnosed with something like diabetes, that would cost quite a bit more than £30 a month to deal with... I know my scenarios are what ifs and may not happen at all, but I am happier not taking any chances.

That's obviously up to you, but I find pet insurance expensive and as the dog gets older it costs more and more. Ironically this is when you probably need it more, yet a lot of people I know stop paying when the dog gets older. I'd rather hang onto my cash, as I resent giving it away

That's why we got insurance for our dog. Our last dog, sadly had to be put to sleep last May due to sudden and rapid detoriation due to Cushings caused by long term steroid therapy for allergies, itching and recurring ear infections.

For years we tried everything to get her relief and wanted to avoid steroids but when everything else had been tried and all tests to determine the exact cause were inconclusive the vet said if we had insurance we would have 2 choices left: steroids or an incredibly expensive treatment (can't recall the name or figure quoted now but she was talking hundreds per month) but as we hadn't got insurance steroids were the only option and our last resort. Granted she was 12 when she was pts but I really feel that she would have had a few more years had we had a good insurance policy to cover the expensive drug therapy.

Now we have a Westie, reknowned for skin complaints, so should she have similar trouble we'll be able to get the pricey drug that does all that the steroid does without the dirty side effects. We could never put away enough each month to cover expensive long term treatment.

As it happens we would have got our last dog insurance but she already had ear and skin trouble when we got her so insurance wouldn't have covered that. We were determined to get this one insured before anything could be diagnosed! Tbh accidents or fractures or what have you weren't forefront in my mind when sorting the insurance; it's the long term medical conditions. That's why I was determined to have a good policy in place this time round.

Touch wood I won't need it but I won't consider it a waste of money if I don't. It gives me peace of mind and some hope that this wee lady won't have to suffer like our poor old girl did so I'm happy to pay it every month. (well, I say that now while it's reasonably priced. I reserve the right to change my mind and cuss the thieving sh*tehawks in several years time when they've increased my payments tenfold just for the craic.)

I pay £30 plus also. We couldn't get lifetime any cheaper.

I am told that pugs are good " flat" dogs. They also slobs ,needing exercise like any dog and allegedly happy alone for longer than other dogs. Of course they are lapdogs but the biggest. Their health issues are a problem but they are delightful with a face only a mother could love.

You're not kidding

If bullbreeds are your thing then why not send out a few applications to some rescues, the big ones (dogs trust, RSPCA, Blue Cross) may turn you down but you'll most likely find one that is willing to home a dog to you.

There's no shortage of bullbreed mixes out there waiting for homes, so there's a good chance you'll find one to suit your situation.

If it's likely you are going to be working full time in the future, it would be a good idea to get to know a pet sitter or doggy day care from day one (even if you don't need them) so they are available to offer care if needed

I've got 3 rescue greyhounds and a whippet - all insured. They are accident prone dogs so a lot of insurers charge more for them. One developed an autoimmune disease last year and needed £5000 worth of treatment. Insurance is a must.

Ask yourself how your dog might feel if you suddenly go back to work and it's suddenly alone all day? How long do you think it will manage without needing to go for a wee? How long can you go?

Lots of dogs are being PTS or rehomed because their owners have had to work or work longer hours and the dog can't cope being left alone or the owners find walking them is too much after a days work so the dog is missing out mentally and physically and so plays up.
What will happen if the dog is unhappy alone - they are pack animals and barks and disturbs the neighbours?
They're not toys to get out when it suits so please think carefully about the dogs needs not yours before you get one. A good dog sitter/walker/daycare will cost but you really can't leave a dog all day while you're at work.

Another thing to consider is that a lot of greyhounds don't do stairs.
Last edited by riversmum : 06-12-2013 at 23:28

Or even a cat.

just a thought OP but what about fostering?
no vet bills etc and there is so many dogs out there that would be better off with you than stuck in kennels.
dogpages forums have plenty of rescues all over uk that need fosterers.
never know, you may find your perfect dog and give it a forever home. good luck

Thanks for the suggestion, will look into that.

Also, further to what another poster said, why would stairs be a problem for a greyhound or lurcher?

Long legged dogs struggle with stairs as so very short legged breeds like dachshunds. We have this time selected a dog we can carry up and down (Chihuahua) as our bigger longer legged dog is finding the stairs more difficult as she ages, we have to use a sling on her back legs to get her up these days, much easier to get a more suitable legged dog or one you can easily carry IMO

A haggis sounds ideal.

Problem with the haggis is you would find it got eaten by other dogs, similar to problems with sausage dogs I think