My dog has literally taken over my entire life and I think I've just accepted it at this point

What I don’t understand with my dog is that she’s very bossy when it comes to mealtimes. She has a bell on the back door and rings it to summon her servant. But at 4 pm mealtime she’s different. Shakes all over as if she’s starving, has never been fed and will never be fed again. This afternoon she didn’t shake but after being told it was too early and she had to have a nap till teatime she literally lay under her fleece and whimpered until I relented.

Oh, our Lab has a built-in time clock, but for some reason it's getting earlier and earlier every day that he wants his dinner. When you tell him it's too early, he stands and stares like he's never been fed in days. Big sad puppy dog eyes. Anyone else would think he's being starved...

Life is better when we have a dog

Sounds wonderful prabhutravels

It definitely happens with cats too.
Such a lovely post prabhutravels. It reminded me of how much joy our animals bring us.

LadyGracie

I am besotted by my 7 month old British Shorthair, she is adorable and loves everyone, her name is Molly.

Such a beautiful cat.

I’ve had dogs my whole life. I knew my current one would be my last as I was getting old.
I love her dearly but she is far far my most difficult dog. She barks at every single noise, is wildly excitable, is reactive to every other dog. I couldn’t ask anyone else to ever look after her so have never left her and I dread the future in case I die before her.

sankev

Definitely my kind of people here on this thread ❤️ we’ve always had dogs but I lost my husband in October then our 15 year old Labrador January. I’m now the very proud mom of a 14 week old cockapoo who is now head of the household 🤣 never a dull moment and exactly what I needed. Love this heartwarming post 🙏

🐶🐾🐾

MayBee70

What I don’t understand with my dog is that she’s very bossy when it comes to mealtimes. She has a bell on the back door and rings it to summon her servant. But at 4 pm mealtime she’s different. Shakes all over as if she’s starving, has never been fed and will never be fed again. This afternoon she didn’t shake but after being told it was too early and she had to have a nap till teatime she literally lay under her fleece and whimpered until I relented.

Haha we tell our dogs “no, it’s not time yet” and they rush around the house barking and whining whilst we try to ignore them!

I now won’t feed her if she gets up before seven. I take her out for a wee and then say it’s too early,come and have a cuddle and go to sleep for a bit and she does. This morning, after her breakfast I only gave her one large sprat instead of several small ones and she came into the living room and stared me out until I gave her another one. So she can tell the time and count, too.

I got my beagle Miso about two years ago and I genuinely had no idea what I was signing up for. I thought I was getting a pet. Turns out I was handing over full control of my schedule and my sanity to a 12 pound animal who has absolutely no idea what boundaries are. This dog wakes me up at exactly 6:15 every single morning. Not 6:10 and not 6:20. It is always 6:15 like he has an internal alarm built in. He does not bark or make noise either. He just walks up to my face and stares at me with the most serious expression until I open my eyes and acknowledge him. The moment I do he goes absolutely feral with excitement like I just returned from a war. My whole routine now exists around him. I plan my meals around his walk times. I schedule calls so they don't fall during his afternoon energy burst which happens every single day between 4 and 5 without fail. I even stopped making late night plans because I feel guilty leaving him alone in the evenings. I used to be someone who stayed up until 2am watching stuff and now I am in bed by 11 because I want to be well rested enough to keep up with him in the morning.

The wildest part is that I do not even resent it. I look forward to the 6:15 stare down now. I get weirdly proud when his walk goes well. My whole personality has shifted around this dog and I did not even notice it happening until my friend pointed out that I had not stopped talking about Miso for the entire dinner we were at. I just want to know if other people have hit this point with their pets where you realize they are basically running the house and you are just living in it. Does it happen with cats too or is this a dog specific thing because I feel like I need answers. xender.vip/

I got this...

What a brilliant post - “like I just returned from a war.” Did this resonate? You bet it did. My dog sleeps under the duvet and is basically attached to my ankles by an invisible thread all day long. When I leave the house he has histrionics and when I return I can see his little face staring at me through the front window. Do I feel I’ve given up anything to have him in my life? Absolutely. He has my heart and I’m grateful for him every single day.

LadyGracie

I am besotted by my 7 month old British Shorthair, she is adorable and loves everyone, her name is Molly.

I love Molly's smile.

I would get a dog but am afraid I might become similarly obsessed and lose my friends.

Miso sounds delightful and such a character.

As soon as I try and read a book, sew or use the computer my cat wakes up and clambers all over me. I now have to put a special mouse video on for her until she falls asleep.

What a lovely post . I get so fed up of the dog hating posts . I grew up with dogs and have had my own for 30 years . Mine have all been Labradors , who are so affectionate and easy to train cos they’re greedy 🤣.
My boy doesn’t rule the house . He’s happy to be left for a few hours and being a lab isn’t fussy about his food . He loves going to the dog boarder and runs straight in , without a backward glance .
He gets up when we do and being 28k he can’t sleep on our bed . He does follow me around the house though , even in the loo.

It was exactly same in our household even to the timings! It happened slowly and before we knew it our lives were planned around his needs. We lost him very suddenly 12 months ago. It feels strange to go out for any length of time without thinking we need to get back early. We're both nearly 70 and don't feel it would be right to have another dog but the hole he has left in our lives is enormous.

The timing thing is weird. Our two small dogs share a dental chew at 8pm. The are lying down in their bed or on the sofa then both jump down and sit and stare at us, unblinking at a few minutes before or on the dot of 8pm. They always seem to know when I am going to say "bedtime wee wee". I swear they understand everything we say anyway.