want to get a dog

[sakura]

My dad and step-mom have 3 dogs (2 pugs, 1 australian shephard mix) and 1 cat. The cat pretty much ignores the dogs and stays out of their way, but the dogs do the same to the cat. They aren't friends, but the co-exist perfectly fine.

Growing up, my family had a cat and a labrador retriever. They would sleep on the same bed together

We have a 5 month old labrador retriever that we've had since he was 2 months old. We also have 2 cats. The cats are fine with the dog most of the time, but there are definitely moments where they would just rather the dog leave forever. The puppy tries to play with them and doesn't understand that they are hissing at him because they hate him. He never touches them and wouldn't hurt them I don't think (and is never around them unsupervised), but they aren't buddy buddy. They are getting better and I think that eventually they will just ignore each other.

There are so many breed-specific rescue groups that you should be able to find the right dog for you. Pugs are cute, but I would also look into shih tzus and lhasa apsos and other smaller-sized dogs. On http://www.petfinder.com, you can search by size and/or breed. If you type in 'pug', it will bring up pugs and pug mixes.

 

[twokatz]

I have two cats and two dogs. We got the cats as kittens and added the first dog 6 mos. later as an adult. One of my cats is afraid of everything, including herself

We then added a puppy in another 6 mos, they are all buddies now, more or less. What is important is to remember that your house is your cat's domain and the dog is an intruder so respect the cat's space. We put a gate across the hall so the cats had a place to go where they felt safe. They were also able to sit on the other side and observe each other safely. We let them get aquainted slowly on thier own terms and never let the dog go after them. After they calmed down in a few days we put the dog on a leash and left the gate open and kept him with us on a leash as we went around the house. With the leash on him we could control what he did around the cats and correct him if he needed it. We also put the dog in his crate and let the cats come and investigate. Dogs play different than cats and it takes some adjustment, and close supervision. When we got the puppy one cat came up to investigate the newcomer as she had become used to the other dog and was not afraid. The pup saw her as a new playmate and jumped on her to play, it took weeks to undo that situation. Take it slow and get a pup that is not timid or aggressive, the shelter knows ways to test for temperment. You should be fine and it can be a lot fun.

 

[nance]

I have 2 chihuauha's ( 1.5 yrs and 10 months old )...and 5 cats.(ranging from 13yrs to 4 months )...the cats tolerate the dogs just fine....2 are "friends" with the dogs while the new kitten Molly is with the dogs 24/7 and she is the boss of both of them..its actualy funny cause she chases them around....one bad things is my dogs are pee pad/outdoor trained....and Molly is ALWAYS folding up the pee pads...covering it up for them...lol....Anyways I think most cats and dogs that live together can get along..eventually

Nancy

 

[ebook_vendor]

I actually have 2 dogs: a golden retriever and a bichon-frise shizu, and both are young and tend to be highly active, especially my golden.

 

[magicchic]

I think a Pug (not a Puggle), would do just fine with your cat. It may take some time for your cat to get used to the dog being around, but it will. My kitten absolutely loves my 2 Cairn Terriers. She even sleeps with them at night. The 3 year old cat we just adopted a little over a week ago...was petrified of them at first. They're really energetic. But, she's now fine and snuggles up if it's just ONE of them around. If the other one comes over too, she freaks and scurries away. I think she just feels like they're going to attack her since one dog comes bounding over, and the other one gets excited because the one wants to play. The cat is warming up just fine though.