Life with Six Dogs

Yes, that title is correct. I own six dogs. To many people that is an absurd amount of animals (I also have two cats!), but to me this is completely normal. I am a dog trainer by profession so I require at least one well trained dog, but all six of my dogs have basic manners and a basic understanding of obedience, with a few of them having higher levels of obedience.

I get asked two questions repeatedly by people when they discover I own so many dogs, how do I afford to feed them and how do I have enough time to spend with them?

First, how do I afford to feed them, I feed my dogs a decent high-end kibble, it runs about $65 CAN a bag, and I need to buy a bag every two weeks or so. I have one small dog, a Chinese Crested, three Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retrievers, one Border Collie/Whippet and a 50 lb farm mutt. I try and find good deals on dog food when I can which helps. It’s easy though, when I get paid at the end of the month I buy two bags of dog food. That should last me until I get paid again. I put their needs first. Their food is something that is a very important expense and I always make sure I have enough.

Second, how do I have enough time to spend with them. I am lucky enough to be allowed to bring a couple of my dogs to work with me every day. So I rotate through who comes to work each day. Other than that, they’re with me when I’m home, and most importantly I make sure they’re exercised. They require mental and physical exercise every day. Each dog needs a difference amount of exercise, which means I prioritize who gets exercised which day and for how long. My dog’s are also very social, they get to compete in fun things like flyball, agility, dock diving and obedience.

This is how I live my life. My dogs are one of the most important things in my life, and it shows. They’re part of my lifestyle and I embrace it, I never consider them a hinderance. I make sacrifices for them and I don’t feel like I am missing out. I feel complete when I’m on the couch watching Netlfix, and three of them are curled up beside me, one is by my feet and two are in the dog beds in front of the TV. It’s my life with six dogs and I wouldn’t trade it for anything.