Duke Forest! Not far from my old stomping grounds! How lovely!
I know what you mean…when my hubby first flew out to interview in Chapel Hill, he called me and said "this is wonderful…Chapel Hill is a forest! Our house (near Jordan High School in Durham) had a huge wooded yard…lots of old oaks, hickories, dogwoods, etc. Wait until spring…you’ll think you’ve landed in a fairy wood!
As far as the dog vs. cat question goes…a lot depends on how often you will be home. Dogs are pack animals, and really need LOTS of regular interaction for their psychological well-being. It’s not just a matter of regular walks or playtime…they’re happiest when their pack is around ALL the time (and while, realistically, that’s not possible even if one of you was home most of the day, the more time they have with you the happier they will be). If you get a dog, and both of you are at school or working, you should really consider getting two…or even a dog AND a cat…for the dog’s mental well-being. There’s also, as you mentioned, the training issue. Even if you start with an adult dog, there’s going to be a house-training and obedience-training learning curve that you may or may not have time to deal with.
That said, I’m a dog person, and can’t imagine life without a dog or two. We got our current dog, a miniature poodle, when we were newly married, both working, and living in an apartment with a “one pet only” clause. It worked out very well for us, but mainly because we knew about the challenges ahead of time and prepared for them. I took two weeks off to get the puppy used to our routine and to begin housetraining. After that, I got in the habit of coming home every day at noon to play with him and take him out. When my husband got home in the afternoon, the first thing he’d do was take Cedar out to play fetch (using a long flexi-lead)…then I’d come home and we’d go for a walk. Our evenings were built around the dog…because we weren’t home as much as he’d like during the day, we made sure we were around as much as possible at night. That’s a lot to go through if you’re not a dedicated dog person…for us it was worth it, but for you it may or may not be…only you can know for sure.
I love cats too, and they do often make good apartment pets. They relish interaction with you too, but as naturally solitary creatures, they don’t suffer as much as dogs do if you’re not home much during the day. You don’t have potty training issues, but you do have to work with the cat to train him not to claw the furniture or carpets, so there’s still something of a learning curve. If your schedule is likely to be a busy one, a cat might be the better choice for you for now. You can always get a dog later, when things settle down a bit (cats do learn to tolerate dogs in their world, especially if you get a young dog, or an older one who is well-behaved with cats).
There are lots of dog breeds that do well in apartments (and they aren’t all small breeds, believe it or not), but that shouldn’t be your only consideration. The amount of exercise you can give the dog is another consideration (some small breed have very high exercise requirements…the poodle being a case in point), as well as how much time you have to spend on training, how much grooming you are willing and able to do, etc. Every breed has its plusses and minuses (even mixed breeds…remember, they’re all mixtures of SOMETHING, and often certain breed characteristics will predominate). Dachshunds are nice, but can be barky and tend to have back problems…they will also often attack smaller pets (realistically, they’re terriers, even though the AKC has, for some crazy reason known only to themselves, seen fit to put them in the hound group) and can be snappy around children if they’re not well socialized. Every breed will have a list of potential good and bad points, and if you do plan to get a dog, you will want to look long and hard at the possiblities before making a choice, even if you opt to adopt a mixed breed from the shelter.
If you have specific dog questions, I highly recommend you visit http://www.vegsource.com/animal/dogs/index.html …aka “The Canine Club.” I am a moderator there (I post as “Audrey”). There are lots of people there with a wealth of dog experience to share…people involved with specific breeds, as well as people who do rescue. It’s a nice, friendly bunch of folks, and we’re always willing to help a potential dog person get off on the right foot.
If you’re looking for a vet in the area, I HIGHLY recommend Timberlyne Animal Hospital in Chapel Hill…they were our vets for 10 years, and among the best we’ve ever had.
Enjoy Durham! It’s a great place to live! And feel free to pm or email me if you have questions…about Durham or about critters.
Redwolf
), but you might want to consider other animals as well. I’ve always wanted a couple of pigs…
. That said, I wouldn’t be without one. They are, in many ways, the most “human-like” of the dog breeds…they really understand and relate to us in almost uncanny ways.