Overheard at Work

[zolotiyeruki]

The shelters are full of critters looking for a home. Have been surprised by a number of people who get a pet and then discard the pet b/c they only want the puppy/kitten experience or they decide 2-3 years down the road that they are tired of taking care of a animal.

Sadly, it doesn't surprise me.  How many kids ask for a puppy or a kitten for Christmas?  I know my kids do.  They're not getting one.  But how many parents give in to the pleading?

[mm1970]

The shelters are full of critters looking for a home. Have been surprised by a number of people who get a pet and then discard the pet b/c they only want the puppy/kitten experience or they decide 2-3 years down the road that they are tired of taking care of a animal.

Sadly, it doesn't surprise me.  How many kids ask for a puppy or a kitten for Christmas?  I know my kids do.  They're not getting one.  But how many parents give in to the pleading?

I have friends who have gotten puppies recently. 

One family was trying to adopt from a shelter program - we have friends in common who foster dogs.  The woman who runs the foster program is VERY particular about who is able to adopt.  My friend who does the fostering is pretty sure that she won't accept any family that doesn't come from the woman who runs the program.  (My fostering friend has recommended many families, who have been shut out.)  So...they got a puppy instead.  The puppy time is killing the mom, who is waking up in the middle of the night with the puppy.

My husband and kids would LOVE a dog.  But we are never home (gone from 8 to 5:30 every day).  I'm not getting a dog only to leave it alone.  And I'm kinda done with poop, to be honest.  Like my friend with the puppy, I know my kids - so excited at first but then it's my job to walk the dog and scoop the poop and vacuum the house. 

[Sugaree]

One family was trying to adopt from a shelter program - we have friends in common who foster dogs.  The woman who runs the foster program is VERY particular about who is able to adopt.  My friend who does the fostering is pretty sure that she won't accept any family that doesn't come from the woman who runs the program.  (My fostering friend has recommended many families, who have been shut out.)  So...they got a puppy instead.  The puppy time is killing the mom, who is waking up in the middle of the night with the puppy.

When I was looking to adopt my current dog, I found out that it's not quite as easy as go to the shelter and pick out a dog.  Now, we were looking for a specific breed, so that kind of narrows it down, but we were turned off by the breed specific rescue that wanted a non-refundable $25 fee just to apply.  Others didn't even bother to reply to emails.  Another turned us down outright for not having a fenced in yard.  I finally went on Craigslist and found the perfect dog.  I wouldn't buy a puppy off CL, but an older dog who's next stop is likely the pound?  Sure. 

[faithless]

Not from work but from younger friends:

Bought a new pug puppy from "Petland" just 2 days before going out of the country on vacation. Asked us to puppy sit because said puppy was not old enough to have had all shots so could not be boarded. ...
Puppy payments..... (face palm!!!)

How the hell are people who lack the foresight to recognise that it's a bad idea to get a dog, (especially a puppy) 2 days before leaving on holiday responsive enough to look after an animal?

Also, if they can't afford to buy it (puppy payments?!), how are they going to pay for its care?

[mm1970]

One family was trying to adopt from a shelter program - we have friends in common who foster dogs.  The woman who runs the foster program is VERY particular about who is able to adopt.  My friend who does the fostering is pretty sure that she won't accept any family that doesn't come from the woman who runs the program.  (My fostering friend has recommended many families, who have been shut out.)  So...they got a puppy instead.  The puppy time is killing the mom, who is waking up in the middle of the night with the puppy.

When I was looking to adopt my current dog, I found out that it's not quite as easy as go to the shelter and pick out a dog.  Now, we were looking for a specific breed, so that kind of narrows it down, but we were turned off by the breed specific rescue that wanted a non-refundable $25 fee just to apply.  Others didn't even bother to reply to emails.  Another turned us down outright for not having a fenced in yard.  I finally went on Craigslist and found the perfect dog.  I wouldn't buy a puppy off CL, but an older dog who's next stop is likely the pound?  Sure.

It's fascinating - this particular rescue group is a lady who rescues dogs from "high kill" shelters in a larger metropolitan area. She has several foster families to care for the dogs until they find homes.  The adoption fees can be steep - up to $750 - they go back into rescuing more pets.

I downloaded the adoption application, and there's a long laundry list of questions - not only must you have a fence, but it has to be a certain KIND of fence.  If it's a small dog, and the fence is not tight enough, you have to replace it.  If it's wooden fence, you have to reinforce it.  You MUST list how long the dog will be alone during the day.  You have to list all about your history with dogs and pets.

[tralfamadorian]

Indeed. Those who run adoption programs are not doing any favors to the prevention of impulse mill puppy purchases by being so unreasonably restrictive. In my area, the SPCA is full of pit bulls and elderly hunting dogs who have never been house trained.

[Hirondelle]

One family was trying to adopt from a shelter program - we have friends in common who foster dogs.  The woman who runs the foster program is VERY particular about who is able to adopt.  My friend who does the fostering is pretty sure that she won't accept any family that doesn't come from the woman who runs the program.  (My fostering friend has recommended many families, who have been shut out.)  So...they got a puppy instead.  The puppy time is killing the mom, who is waking up in the middle of the night with the puppy.

When I was looking to adopt my current dog, I found out that it's not quite as easy as go to the shelter and pick out a dog.  Now, we were looking for a specific breed, so that kind of narrows it down, but we were turned off by the breed specific rescue that wanted a non-refundable $25 fee just to apply.  Others didn't even bother to reply to emails.  Another turned us down outright for not having a fenced in yard.  I finally went on Craigslist and found the perfect dog.  I wouldn't buy a puppy off CL, but an older dog who's next stop is likely the pound?  Sure.

It's fascinating - this particular rescue group is a lady who rescues dogs from "high kill" shelters in a larger metropolitan area. She has several foster families to care for the dogs until they find homes.  The adoption fees can be steep - up to $750 - they go back into rescuing more pets.

I downloaded the adoption application, and there's a long laundry list of questions - not only must you have a fence, but it has to be a certain KIND of fence.  If it's a small dog, and the fence is not tight enough, you have to replace it.  If it's wooden fence, you have to reinforce it.  You MUST list how long the dog will be alone during the day.  You have to list all about your history with dogs and pets.

I wish they had a question list like that for people who actually buy puppies. Would prevent a lot of dogs from getting into shelters.

[Imma]

Instead. Those you run adoption programs are not doing any favors to the prevention of impulse mill puppy purchases by being so unreasonably restrictive. In my area, the SPCA is full of pit bulls and elderly hunting dogs who have never been house trained.

Yes, it's the same where Iive. We've wanted to adopt a dog for a while so we've been looking around for a bit. 75% of the dogs are 2-4 year old pitbull type dogs. They used to be cute puppies, no one bothered to train them properly and now they're adult dogs the owners feel they're getting too dangerous so they dump the dogs :( I feel really sorry for the dogs but it's not the type of dog I'd want to adopt.

That's what happens when people get a dog because it's cool, not because they want to be dog owners. The same goes for tiny handbag dogs but since those aren't that dangerous even when badly trained I guess they're easier to rehome.

[Sugaree]

One family was trying to adopt from a shelter program - we have friends in common who foster dogs.  The woman who runs the foster program is VERY particular about who is able to adopt.  My friend who does the fostering is pretty sure that she won't accept any family that doesn't come from the woman who runs the program.  (My fostering friend has recommended many families, who have been shut out.)  So...they got a puppy instead.  The puppy time is killing the mom, who is waking up in the middle of the night with the puppy.

When I was looking to adopt my current dog, I found out that it's not quite as easy as go to the shelter and pick out a dog.  Now, we were looking for a specific breed, so that kind of narrows it down, but we were turned off by the breed specific rescue that wanted a non-refundable $25 fee just to apply.  Others didn't even bother to reply to emails.  Another turned us down outright for not having a fenced in yard.  I finally went on Craigslist and found the perfect dog.  I wouldn't buy a puppy off CL, but an older dog who's next stop is likely the pound?  Sure.

It's fascinating - this particular rescue group is a lady who rescues dogs from "high kill" shelters in a larger metropolitan area. She has several foster families to care for the dogs until they find homes.  The adoption fees can be steep - up to $750 - they go back into rescuing more pets.

I downloaded the adoption application, and there's a long laundry list of questions - not only must you have a fence, but it has to be a certain KIND of fence.  If it's a small dog, and the fence is not tight enough, you have to replace it.  If it's wooden fence, you have to reinforce it.  You MUST list how long the dog will be alone during the day.  You have to list all about your history with dogs and pets.

I wish they had a question list like that for people who actually buy puppies. Would prevent a lot of dogs from getting into shelters.

A good breeder (eg. someone who's probably losing money breeding dogs) will likely ask the same kind of questions.  A BYB , puppy mill, or someone with an oops litter probably won't. 

[mm1970]

One family was trying to adopt from a shelter program - we have friends in common who foster dogs.  The woman who runs the foster program is VERY particular about who is able to adopt.  My friend who does the fostering is pretty sure that she won't accept any family that doesn't come from the woman who runs the program.  (My fostering friend has recommended many families, who have been shut out.)  So...they got a puppy instead.  The puppy time is killing the mom, who is waking up in the middle of the night with the puppy.

When I was looking to adopt my current dog, I found out that it's not quite as easy as go to the shelter and pick out a dog.  Now, we were looking for a specific breed, so that kind of narrows it down, but we were turned off by the breed specific rescue that wanted a non-refundable $25 fee just to apply.  Others didn't even bother to reply to emails.  Another turned us down outright for not having a fenced in yard.  I finally went on Craigslist and found the perfect dog.  I wouldn't buy a puppy off CL, but an older dog who's next stop is likely the pound?  Sure.

It's fascinating - this particular rescue group is a lady who rescues dogs from "high kill" shelters in a larger metropolitan area. She has several foster families to care for the dogs until they find homes.  The adoption fees can be steep - up to $750 - they go back into rescuing more pets.

I downloaded the adoption application, and there's a long laundry list of questions - not only must you have a fence, but it has to be a certain KIND of fence.  If it's a small dog, and the fence is not tight enough, you have to replace it.  If it's wooden fence, you have to reinforce it.  You MUST list how long the dog will be alone during the day.  You have to list all about your history with dogs and pets.

I wish they had a question list like that for people who actually buy puppies. Would prevent a lot of dogs from getting into shelters.

I don't think we'd ever pass her screening because we've never had a dog.  My last dog was when I was 8.  My husband had a dog growing up too, but he's 50.

(Though like I said, we are never home.  I think it's cruel to get a dog and leave them at home 9.5 hours a day.  Though, I'm pretty sure that my two friends who bought puppies this year do just that.)

[RyanAtTanagra]

(Though like I said, we are never home.  I think it's cruel to get a dog and leave them at home 9.5 hours a day.  Though, I'm pretty sure that my two friends who bought puppies this year do just that.)

If you want a dog, please don't let that type of thinking stop you.  There are a million dogs out there where being in your home alone for 9.5 hours a day, then having a loving human come home to them is infinitely better than their current living situation that they will probably end up dying in.

[I'm a red panda]

Yeah, I'm pretty sure my two shelter dogs greatly prefer hanging out on my bed or couch for 9.5 hours a day then on the concrete floor of the shelter.

[eljefe-speaks]

(Though like I said, we are never home.  I think it's cruel to get a dog and leave them at home 9.5 hours a day.  Though, I'm pretty sure that my two friends who bought puppies this year do just that.)

If you want a dog, please don't let that type of thinking stop you.  There are a million dogs out there where being in your home alone for 9.5 hours a day, then having a loving human come home to them is infinitely better than their current living situation that they will probably end up dying in.

Wow, great post Ryan. Totally agree!

[4alpacas]

(Though like I said, we are never home.  I think it's cruel to get a dog and leave them at home 9.5 hours a day.  Though, I'm pretty sure that my two friends who bought puppies this year do just that.)

If you want a dog, please don't let that type of thinking stop you.  There are a million dogs out there where being in your home alone for 9.5 hours a day, then having a loving human come home to them is infinitely better than their current living situation that they will probably end up dying in.

Yeah, I'm pretty sure my two shelter dogs greatly prefer hanging out on my bed or couch for 9.5 hours a day then on the concrete floor of the shelter.

I'm completely biased, and I'm a huge dog lover. 

There are dogs that are perfectly content to sleep and hang out alone for 9.5 hours.  I've heard greyhounds are lazy.  With adopting a shelter dog, you could opt for an older dog.  They're usually a lot more chill, don't need as much exercise, and sleep a lot.

[ketchup]

(Though like I said, we are never home.  I think it's cruel to get a dog and leave them at home 9.5 hours a day.  Though, I'm pretty sure that my two friends who bought puppies this year do just that.)

If you want a dog, please don't let that type of thinking stop you.  There are a million dogs out there where being in your home alone for 9.5 hours a day, then having a loving human come home to them is infinitely better than their current living situation that they will probably end up dying in.

Yeah, I'm pretty sure my two shelter dogs greatly prefer hanging out on my bed or couch for 9.5 hours a day then on the concrete floor of the shelter.

I'm completely biased, and I'm a huge dog lover. 

There are dogs that are perfectly content to sleep and hang out alone for 9.5 hours.  I've heard greyhounds are lazy.  With adopting a shelter dog, you could opt for an older dog.  They're usually a lot more chill, don't need as much exercise, and sleep a lot.

That makes sense.  I would not recommend a two year old Australian Shepherd.  And that's from someone with eight (at the moment) Australian Shepherds in the house.  They need to run run run every day.

[RyanAtTanagra]

There are dogs that are perfectly content to sleep and hang out alone for 9.5 hours.  I've heard greyhounds are lazy.  With adopting a shelter dog, you could opt for an older dog.  They're usually a lot more chill, don't need as much exercise, and sleep a lot.

Very much agreed.  I adopted a 14 year old rescue with an unknown but obviously very rough past (she was found abandoned in a field and seemed to have been on her own for a while, and had psychological signs of abuse).  Yes she spent the days home alone, sleeping and waiting for her human to come home, as dogs do.  But you could also see the appreciation on her, for finally being in a safe and loving home, and that appreciation never stopped growing as she learned to relax and trust me and her environment more.  No she didn't have free reign of 10 acres, or someone home with her all day every day, but I don't doubt for a minute that the last 3 years of her life were the best she had ever had.  And there are countless other dogs out there like that.  Don't let the lack of a perfect environment stop you from giving one of them a better home.  (This is to everyone here that might want a dog, not mm1970 specifically).

[4alpacas]

There are dogs that are perfectly content to sleep and hang out alone for 9.5 hours.  I've heard greyhounds are lazy.  With adopting a shelter dog, you could opt for an older dog.  They're usually a lot more chill, don't need as much exercise, and sleep a lot.

Very much agreed.  I adopted a 14 year old rescue with an unknown but obviously very rough past (she was found abandoned in a field and seemed to have been on her own for a while, and had psychological signs of abuse).  Yes she spent the days home alone, sleeping and waiting for her human to come home, as dogs do.  But you could also see the appreciation on her, for finally being in a safe and loving home, and that appreciation never stopped growing as she learned to relax and trust me and her environment more.  No she didn't have free reign of 10 acres, or someone home with her all day every day, but I don't doubt for a minute that the last 3 years of her life were the best she had ever had.  And there are countless other dogs out there like that.  Don't let the lack of a perfect environment stop you from giving one of them a better home.  (This is to everyone here that might want a dog, not mm1970 specifically).

Your story warmed my heart!  Senior dogs are the sweetest!

[ysette9]

I’m not at all a dog person but when I was in junior college I house sat/dog sat for a greyhound and a wolfhound. Those two were the most cat-like dogs I’ve ever had the pleasure to meet. They basically lazed around the house all day and then needed to go out once a day for a good run or walk. I’ve read that they make good apartment dogs for that reason. I highly doubt I will ever have a dog, but if I did, that would probably be what I would choose.

[Just Joe]

(Though like I said, we are never home.  I think it's cruel to get a dog and leave them at home 9.5 hours a day.  Though, I'm pretty sure that my two friends who bought puppies this year do just that.)

If you want a dog, please don't let that type of thinking stop you.  There are a million dogs out there where being in your home alone for 9.5 hours a day, then having a loving human come home to them is infinitely better than their current living situation that they will probably end up dying in.

Yeah, I'm pretty sure my two shelter dogs greatly prefer hanging out on my bed or couch for 9.5 hours a day then on the concrete floor of the shelter.

I'm completely biased, and I'm a huge dog lover. 

There are dogs that are perfectly content to sleep and hang out alone for 9.5 hours.  I've heard greyhounds are lazy.  With adopting a shelter dog, you could opt for an older dog.  They're usually a lot more chill, don't need as much exercise, and sleep a lot.

That makes sense.  I would not recommend a two year old Australian Shepherd.  And that's from someone with eight (at the moment) Australian Shepherds in the house.  They need to run run run every day.

We've had bird dogs that are content to lay around all day but they more or less demand a couple of miles of walking or running (when they are young). We live in an area where our dog can be off leash and she can dash around sniffing this or that without bothering anyone. I highly recommend living next to a pasture. Both of our dogs were shelter dogs too. Just the best family dogs.

[I'm a red panda]

One of my dogs is high maintenance- if I'm home, he wants to go in and out, in and out, and he runs like a bat out of hell around the 1/3 acre backyard.  He needs access to chew toys or can be destructive.  But when I'm gone, he curls up on my pillow and sleeps. We've watched him on the camera.

My other dog just wants to sleep all the time now that she's super old :)

Of course, both love a good walk.

[Just Joe]

My dog does the in-out-in-out thing too sometimes. I think it is the dog's version of hoping you'll come with 'em and go walk. My dog also likes to get between me and big noisy TV thing and stare at me until I'll do the evening walk. Sometimes includes impatient noises. A bike and a quiet lane is alot of fun.

[ketchup]

(Though like I said, we are never home.  I think it's cruel to get a dog and leave them at home 9.5 hours a day.  Though, I'm pretty sure that my two friends who bought puppies this year do just that.)

If you want a dog, please don't let that type of thinking stop you.  There are a million dogs out there where being in your home alone for 9.5 hours a day, then having a loving human come home to them is infinitely better than their current living situation that they will probably end up dying in.

Yeah, I'm pretty sure my two shelter dogs greatly prefer hanging out on my bed or couch for 9.5 hours a day then on the concrete floor of the shelter.

I'm completely biased, and I'm a huge dog lover. 

There are dogs that are perfectly content to sleep and hang out alone for 9.5 hours.  I've heard greyhounds are lazy.  With adopting a shelter dog, you could opt for an older dog.  They're usually a lot more chill, don't need as much exercise, and sleep a lot.

That makes sense.  I would not recommend a two year old Australian Shepherd.  And that's from someone with eight (at the moment) Australian Shepherds in the house.  They need to run run run every day.

We've had bird dogs that are content to lay around all day but they more or less demand a couple of miles of walking or running (when they are young). We live in an area where our dog can be off leash and she can dash around sniffing this or that without bothering anyone. I highly recommend living next to a pasture. Both of our dogs were shelter dogs too. Just the best family dogs.

We're on a 200+ acre farm now with a house a mile off the road so they get plenty of time and space to run. :)

[GeeVee]

I applaud every single person/family who adopts an animal from the pet shelter ! My adopted cats (from a shelter)  have adopted a cat shelter and are making regular contributions.  I have developed a strange hobby. I buy fleece blankets from charity shops, launder them and then donate them to the animal shelter together with cookies and choccies for the volunteers. The volunteers at the shelter are always happy to receive them and can use more (together with cookies and chocolate as volunteers need love too).

Back to the thread: a coworker told me that she was moving from a mortgage free house to a larger house with 5 bedrooms and a garage and a mortgage. As it is a 2-person household with no pets, that was an interesting move. Her husband wanted to have a larger garage so that his 4 motorbikes can live inside the garage. At their current house, one of his motorbikes has to live outside as their garage is too small.

[lemanfan]

That fourth motorcycle is one 'spensive bike.

[runbikerun]

Jesus. Even by the standards of the MMM community, where it's perfectly normal to regard a new swimming pool as costing 200 dollars ah hour, the all-in costs for that fourth motorbike must be absolutely astronomical.

[partgypsy]

I bet the dog we have right now is part hunting dog, because when no one is home, he sleeps. Perfectly chill. But when people get home he is active and DOES very much want a walk and will remind us if we don't. When he was younger he would also get out of our backyard to take himself for walks. Now that he is older (11) he doesn't run away, but can't hold it like he used to. On long work days I'm having to either leave him outside or have ex come by to let him out. 

[Just Joe]

That fourth motorcycle is one 'spensive bike.

I'll bet a custom detached garage is cheaper than a bigger house...

[runbikerun]

On the dog topic - having adopted a lurcher two and a half years ago, I can confirm that sighthounds are the dog equivalent of cats. Ours spends most of her day lazing around, and can easily spend about 22 hours a day horizontal. I usually have to offer bribes to get her out of bed in the morning and go for a walk.

[I'm a red panda]

That fourth motorcycle is one 'spensive bike.

I'll bet a custom detached garage is cheaper than a bigger house...

If you live somewhere that allows them.

[SheWhoWalksAtLunch]

Re dogs: @ Sugaree   If you're looking to adopt a specific breed and aren't having much luck with breed specific rescue organizations, I would encourage you to contact breeders and ask them for suggestions.  Reputable breeders will take back an animal if the adoption doesn't work out.  Those older "returned" (and sometimes rescued) animals are harder to sell and if they have been fixed don't provide the breeder with useful stock.  I got to know a breeder and was able to adopt several of her pure bred adult dogs that way over the years.  She also turned me on to (and vouched for me at) other breed specific rescue groups I wouldn't have found on my own.  Its worth a look.

Re motorcycles:  @ I'm a red panda  Good point.  When we were looking to move to a new state, we were astonished to learn that there are communities that won't let residents keep a bike on the property. 

[Just Joe]

That fourth motorcycle is one 'spensive bike.

I'll bet a custom detached garage is cheaper than a bigger house...

If you live somewhere that allows them.

Nope, don't ever want to live where I can't have things like that.

[I'm a red panda]

That fourth motorcycle is one 'spensive bike.

I'll bet a custom detached garage is cheaper than a bigger house...

If you live somewhere that allows them.

Nope, don't ever want to live where I can't have things like that.

I like city services like plowing and sanitary sewer, so I don't have a lot of choice.
(Also bike commute...)

[horsepoor]

A bike doesn't take up that much space - seems like a modified sunroom or other similar addition would be possible, or you know, just finding a place with bigger garage.  I'm guessing they just got caught up in having a bigger house/fancier neighborhood overall.

We have lots of houses with detached garages/shops, plus city services.  I wasn't aware that those things couldn't co-exist.

[GeeVee]

I live in the Netherlands. Space is always at a premium here. As such sun rooms and garages don't come standard. Basements are also quite special here as it is very expensive to construct them and keep them dry in our soggy country. The larger and more expensive houses here will usually have larger garages than the cheaper houses.

When we downsized from our fancypants house to our current house (about 1200 ft), family thought that we were broke. I overheard that one in a family gathering. Probably our reputation got worse, when I started biking to the office and we went down from 2 cars to 1 car.   

[Just Joe]

Okay - I see what you mean. No plowing necessary here. Septic tanks in our neighborhood but we are next on the list to have sewers installed. If I moved to the center of town there would be building rules, setback rules (how far from the lot line a structure must be), smaller lots, etc. It might complicate finding a suitable spot for a garage. Ten minutes outside of town where I live the rules are much more relaxed.

Neighborhoods like mine have covenants (rules created by the original neighborhood builder) that usually protect the appearance of the neighborhood. Detached structures need to look like the house. Limits on farm animals and RV parking. Once anyone breaks the covenants and the neighbors don't try to enforce them with the help of a lawyer, then the covenants are broken and no longer apply to the next rule breaker - probably.

In my neighborhood the attached garages are typically modest. If I had a spare motorcycle I'd likely buy a tidy looking quality shed where I could park a few motorcycles out of sight - like my family does bicycles. I'm looking to build a detached garage one of these days. Several other neighbors have done the same.

[AMandM]

If you live somewhere that allows them.

Nope, don't ever want to live where I can't have things like that.

Years ago, our neighbour was selling her house and the wife half of one of the couples that visited it said, "Oh, we can't buy this house. I don't want to live where people can have clotheslines."  I was flabbergasted. For one thing, I had never imagined that there could be places that don't allow clotheslines--I never even imagined it was possible to create such a regulation.  (OK, I was ignorant. I didn't know about "developments" and HOAs.) Of course, clothes-lines would be a deal-breaker for me, too, but in the opposite direction.

[Sugaree]

Re dogs: @ Sugaree   If you're looking to adopt a specific breed and aren't having much luck with breed specific rescue organizations, I would encourage you to contact breeders and ask them for suggestions.  Reputable breeders will take back an animal if the adoption doesn't work out.  Those older "returned" (and sometimes rescued) animals are harder to sell and if they have been fixed don't provide the breeder with useful stock.  I got to know a breeder and was able to adopt several of her pure bred adult dogs that way over the years.  She also turned me on to (and vouched for me at) other breed specific rescue groups I wouldn't have found on my own.  Its worth a look.

That's kind of our plan right now when we get ready to add another dog.  We're leaning towards a Great Dane, but the nearest rescue won't consider homes with kids under 8, but my kid's only 5.  And while I get that they are big dogs, my son has grown up with a 135 lb Golden Retriever (and a 120 lb lab when he was a baby...I miss that old man so much) so we're used to big dogs around here.

[CptCool]

If you live somewhere that allows them.

Nope, don't ever want to live where I can't have things like that.

Years ago, our neighbour was selling her house and the wife half of one of the couples that visited it said, "Oh, we can't buy this house. I don't want to live where people can have clotheslines."  I was flabbergasted. For one thing, I had never imagined that there could be places that don't allow clotheslines--I never even imagined it was possible to create such a regulation.  (OK, I was ignorant. I didn't know about "developments" and HOAs.) Of course, clothes-lines would be a deal-breaker for me, too, but in the opposite direction.

In most states (USA), it's illegal to ban clotheslines. Many HOAs try, but it's unenforcible if your state has a "right to dry" law

[AnswerIs42]

Years ago, our neighbour was selling her house and the wife half of one of the couples that visited it said, "Oh, we can't buy this house. I don't want to live where people can have clotheslines."  I was flabbergasted.

Wow, that's insane. You dodged a bullet there, I think.

[I'm a red panda]

If you live somewhere that allows them.

Nope, don't ever want to live where I can't have things like that.

Years ago, our neighbour was selling her house and the wife half of one of the couples that visited it said, "Oh, we can't buy this house. I don't want to live where people can have clotheslines."  I was flabbergasted. For one thing, I had never imagined that there could be places that don't allow clotheslines--I never even imagined it was possible to create such a regulation.  (OK, I was ignorant. I didn't know about "developments" and HOAs.) Of course, clothes-lines would be a deal-breaker for me, too, but in the opposite direction.

In most states (USA), it's illegal to ban clotheslines. Many HOAs try, but it's unenforcible if your state has a "right to dry" law

Our covenants only allow umbrella style, not lines (which is weird because I think those are trashier looking, but whatever).
Of course we don't have an HOA so the only way to enforce a covenant is by lawsuit.  So really they go unused except when there are massive problems.

We can't have outbuildings larger than 100 square feet, and they have to be on concrete foundation and sided/roofed to match the house. That's the super annoying one. What a useless shed!

[partgypsy]

I also find the clothesline rule stupid. My parents lived in a custom built home in an expensive suburb, and we had a clothesline in the backyard. Clotheslines remind me fondly of my mother and grandmother and hanging up sheets and clothes.  Unfortunately my yard is too small and shaded for a clothesline, but have a small line in the screened back porch.

[Imma]

We are talking about clothes lines in the backyard, right? How could that possibly be anyone else's business? Do they have rules about what flowers you can grow or the material of your garden furniture?

I can understand that some communities might want to make rules about how the front of the house looks like from the street (although I wouldn't want to live in such a place either) but isn't the backyard supposed to be private?

[zolotiyeruki]

We are talking about clothes lines in the backyard, right? How could that possibly be anyone else's business? Do they have rules about what flowers you can grow or the material of your garden furniture?

I can understand that some communities might want to make rules about how the front of the house looks like from the street (although I wouldn't want to live in such a place either) but isn't the backyard supposed to be private?

In our neighborhood, we're not allowed to have sheds, and anything on the outside of the house has to be approved by the HOA.  That includes any landscaping changes, painting your front door, etc.  The back yard is included in that.  It's there to prevent egregious abuses, like people raising livestock on their 1/4 acre, and only ever enforced on things like adding a deck or painting the whole house, but at first blush it's kind of ridiculous.  FWIW, I've made plenty of landscaping changes (mostly removal, but also planted several fruit trees) without approval, and nobody really cares.

As for why the back yard is included, I don't know for sure, but many of the homes in our neighborhood back onto the retention ponds, so your back yard may be visible from 50 other houses.  So if you have 4,000 sq ft of corn in your back yard, it spoils the look of the neighborhood.  I'm not saying I totally agree with it, but that's what I believe the thinking is.

[I'm a red panda]

We are talking about clothes lines in the backyard, right? How could that possibly be anyone else's business? Do they have rules about what flowers you can grow or the material of your garden furniture?

I can understand that some communities might want to make rules about how the front of the house looks like from the street (although I wouldn't want to live in such a place either) but isn't the backyard supposed to be private?

Most people in our neighborhood do not have fences, so backyards all connect together.  If we DO have fences, covenants state they can't be more than 4 feet.  So still not very private. (Though my house is on a hill, so I'd need a 20+ foot fence for actual privacy.)

And yeah, there are rules about what fencing materials you can use.  I have a chain link, which is the least expensive option (wrought iron being the other)- but the chain link must be black, no silver allowed.

[SheWhoWalksAtLunch]

We are talking about clothes lines in the backyard, right? How could that possibly be anyone else's business? Do they have rules about what flowers you can grow or the material of your garden furniture?

I can understand that some communities might want to make rules about how the front of the house looks like from the street (although I wouldn't want to live in such a place either) but isn't the backyard supposed to be private?

When the DH and I were looking for the home we live in now, I knew enough to tell our Real Estate Agent that I wanted a property that didn't have covenants so that I could specifically have a clothesline and grow whatever (legal) plants I wanted to in our yard.  That eliminated a surprising number of properties on the market and narrowed our search to a very small geographic area inside our destination city.

[FindingFI]

We are talking about clothes lines in the backyard, right? How could that possibly be anyone else's business? Do they have rules about what flowers you can grow or the material of your garden furniture?

I can understand that some communities might want to make rules about how the front of the house looks like from the street (although I wouldn't want to live in such a place either) but isn't the backyard supposed to be private?

Most people in our neighborhood do not have fences, so backyards all connect together.  If we DO have fences, covenants state they can't be more than 4 feet.  So still not very private. (Though my house is on a hill, so I'd need a 20+ foot fence for actual privacy.)

And yeah, there are rules about what fencing materials you can use.  I have a chain link, which is the least expensive option (wrought iron being the other)- but the chain link must be black, no silver allowed.

What, no white picket fence? But how are you supposed live the American Dream?!

[shelivesthedream]

So...can you just wander through everyone else's back garden? Can you link to a picture of what that looks like? I really don't think I can be imagining this right.

[I'm a red panda]

So...can you just wander through everyone else's back garden? Can you link to a picture of what that looks like? I really don't think I can be imagining this right.

yes, you can wander through everyone's backyard.

I'll send you a google maps link, but I'm not going to post it here.  (Edit: nevermind, it says you've blocked my personal message.)

[dcheesi]

So...can you just wander through everyone else's back garden? Can you link to a picture of what that looks like? I really don't think I can be imagining this right.

It's actually quite common in the USA. To the point where it took me a minute, and a glance at your location, to figure out what was so confusing for you. My house had neighbors maybe ten feet on either side, and no fences around anyone's yards until you got to the big house at the bottom of the hill. (Note that there were few if any windows facing each other on the sides of the houses.)

In practice, wandering through your neighbors' back yards is considered poor form. Depending on the neighbor and the neighborhood, you'd be looking at anything from dubious looks all the way to a shotgun barrel in your face!

However, it wasn't uncommon to see kids playing in the woods behind my yard (some of which was still my land).

[I'm a red panda]

So...can you just wander through everyone else's back garden? Can you link to a picture of what that looks like? I really don't think I can be imagining this right.

It's actually quite common in the USA. To the point where it took me a minute, and a glance at your location, to figure out what was so confusing for you. My house had neighbors maybe ten feet on either side, and no fences around anyone's yards until you got to the big house at the bottom of the hill. (Note that there were few if any windows facing each other on the sides of the houses.)

In practice, wandering through your neighbors' back yards is considered poor form. Depending on the neighbor and the neighborhood, you'd be looking at anything from dubious looks all the way to a shotgun barrel in your face!

However, it wasn't uncommon to see kids playing in the woods behind my yard (some of which was still my land).

Our neighborhood it is very common to wander through backyards, though adults of course know which ones it isn't welcome in (and I wouldn't walk through a strangers).  Rather than going around the block though, I'm very likely to walk through a yard.   

And of course kids run through the attached yards as if it is one big park. 
If you don't want that, put up a fence!

In my last neighborhood, we had to put a lock on our gate because kids would open the gate to run through the yard, and our dogs got out a few times.  I thought it was extraordinarily rude when I saw a kid JUMP MY FENCE to run through my backyard (this neighborhood it was a 6 foot privacy fence)- but I did not know the parents to complain about it. At least the dog didn't get out. But I wonder what would have happened if the kid got hurt in my backyard...