The Harsh Reality of Life with 10 Pets Part 1: Dogs Don't Take Days Off

Hi, I’m Dr. Karyn! Read my introduction to learn more about me and my five funny dogs, Poppy, Bailey, Kodah, Ned, and Fred.

Check out Part 2: Hairballs, Cat Litter, and Fur on EVERYTHING on Catster.com to learn more.

I am feeling exhausted and overwhelmed, and the trouble is, I can’t take a day off. Sure, I can put in for holidays from my veterinary work, but I still have to do my other full time job: taking care of 5 dogs and 5 cats. Don’t get me wrong; I love my pets, and no one forced me to take on this many, but I think that it’s important to share the not-so-fun side to living with this many animals. I was recently away for a few weeks, visiting my family in Australia, as my Dad had to spend some time in hospital - something I could only do because my husband stayed behind to mind the zoo. Despite it being a stressful and emotional time, it was also strangely relaxing. Why? Because Mum and Dad don’t have any pets. Personally, I don’t know how they can stand living without the unconditional love that comes in the form of a fluffy four-legged creature, but that’s their choice. It did, however, allow me to experience life without the daily chores that occupy much of my time at home. Dog walks, picking up poop, feeding time, medication, ordering food and medication, cleaning litter boxes, daily (sometimes twice daily) vacuum cleaning, removing fur from my clothing, and sleep punctuated by toilet breaks and feline hijinks were replaced by crossword puzzles, quiz shows, and early nights - ah, the life of a retiree!

Back to normal…or what passes for normal in my house!

Thankfully, my Dad is doing well, and I have returned to my fur-filled home. All ten pets were thrilled with my return, as was my husband. As I do much of my work from home, while Reece works long and unpredictable hours, most of the day-to-day pet care falls to me, so he had been juggling a lot in my absence. You would think that having a few weeks respite from my ‘second job’ would have left me well rested and ready to dive back in, but the opposite seems to be true. I find myself feeling overwhelmed by my responsibilities, and it made me realize that this very important aspect of pet ownership has been missing from my weekly posts. I’ve shown you Ned and Fred’s hilarious antics, Kodah’s love of water, Bailey’s incredible hip surgery, and Poppy’s little spa treatments. You may have seen Clutch’s attraction to the vacuum cleaner, Alex’s obsession with licking plastic, and Cyril’s dedication to inconvenience. You’ve probably already guessed that sharing a home with this many animals is going to involve a lot of work, but you might not realize just how much. I have a couple of go-to phrases I like to trot out when talking to people about having pets (and I believe they also apply to having children!):

• An immaculate house or pets: pick one (you can’t have both).

• If you don’t feel a little bit mean some of the time, you’re going to regret it later

  • This one is particularly relevant to puppy training!

Although my dogs have shown themselves to be wonderful company when I am having a difficult time with my chronic fatigue, there’s no such thing as a day off with dogs. At the very least, there’s:

Toilet Breaks

Tiny dogs = tiny bladders and minimal self control, so we had to learn to be extra vigilant when it came to house training the Chihuahuas. Fred, in particular, has proven to be most challenging in this area, and has yet to fully ‘graduate’ from toilet training. If you don’t spot his subtle cues, you’re likely to find an unpleasant surprise hidden somewhere inside. Ned is better at waiting, but he does signal his need for the loo by gently tapping me on the leg at 4am. Whilst Poppy, Bailey, and Kodah can easily last upward of 8 hours before needing a trip outside, the Chihuahuas need to be let out about every 4-6 hours.

Meal Times

Twice a day I set out five dog bowls with different foods and portions, some with medication, and some (Kodah) needing tomato ketchup or mayo to disguise their tablets. Mealtimes need to be monitored to make sure that each dog eats from the right bowl, and that Ned doesn’t steal Kodah’s food (yes, you read that correctly, the 4 lb Chihuahua will steal the 80 lb German Malinois’ food).

Deactivating the Dog Alarms

Whenever the doorbell rings, anyone walks past the house, or a tree branch starts to look a bit shifty, the Kodah-Ned-Fred alarm system is activated. I don’t really know why we even have a doorbell. Sometimes the alarm system settles on its own, but other times I need to manually override it by checking to make sure that the suspicious-looking tree branch is not a threat, or taking the alarm system outside before it springs a leak in its overexcited state.

Constant Vigilance!

When I’m not crippled by fatigue, there are dog walks, grooming sessions, Kodah training and playtime, not to mention the vacuuming, washing, and damage repair that go hand-in-hand with a house full of pets. Although we are fortunate to have a group of cats and dogs that generally cohabit peacefully, there are the occasional ‘differences in opinion’ and games of chase that go a bit far, and it’s better to be paranoid than complacent. 99% of the time, any arguments fizzle out uneventfully, but it’s that 1% that needs our intervention that ensures we are always vigilant about the interactions amongst the family.

There are no days off when you have a dog, let alone five. You can’t call in sick, you can’t just let them order takeout, and you can’t expect them to hold their bladder because you’re not feeling up to it. On the plus side, dogs also don’t take days off from showering you with love and affection - there is no off switch for that!

You might be thinking that, compared with the daily demands of dogs, cats are low maintenance, but you’d be surprised to learn how much work they can be.