This week I tweeted about how fed up I am with dog owners who never walk their dogs, and instead let them just pee and dump in their front or back yards. (The one good thing about this is, at least they aren't doing their business in MY yard.) Even though I've mentioned this issue on a prior occasion, I've decided I need to expand on this mini-rant.
If you buy a pet, and specifically here I will refer to a dog, you are going ALL IN. That means there will be a lot more to do than just have the dog sit in your lap or play with your kids on the lawn. It means you need to keep them fed, and healthy, and sheltered. And yes, you need to walk them probably twice a day.
You're an idiot if you buy your kids a dog and just expect them to take care of this. Ain't gonna happen. Oh sure, it'll work for a few weeks or maybe months, but eventually the kids realize it's a chore and give up on it. That means the primary dog-walker is going to be the adult(s) in the house, unless you hire it out.
If you aren't willing to walk your dog in the elements on a daily basis (even factoring in a few days when it simply isn't possible), then don't buy a dog, dummy. Find another form of companionship -- it will be better for both you and the dog.
And while I'm at it, I'm going to throw in the same sort of logic for residential homeowner lawns. If you aren't going to take care of your lawn, please don't buy a house with a lawn. Or hire someone else to take care of it for you.
This is especially true if you live in my neighborhood, effectively de-valuing my property by your lack of attention to yard work. At least I have the ability to contact the weed commissioner about you, which I've been known to do for repeat offenders.
In summary, don't buy things that require regular maintenance, and then refuse to maintain them.
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