Can an entrepreneur ever own a dog?

[Andy Black]

I got Skipper around a year ago. He is a chihuahua so he basically nuts but he chills out most of the day and then is active early morning and evening.

Not any issues with work - it’s great to have a dog around and it’s a lot of fun. Are there times I wish I didn’t have a dog? Ya sometimes but that is far outweighed by how funny and enjoyable he is.

I could probably get more work done without him but whatever - I always wanted a chihuahua and Skipper makes me laugh all the time.

View attachment 39899View attachment 39900View attachment 39901

My kids LOVE these photos @Fox! Trust them to spot the soundproof paneling too.

 

[Antifragile]

f*ck cats.

only cats should F*ck cats. Otherwise it’s unnatural.

 

[ZCP]

Phoenix Engineering and Consulting, Inc. on LinkedIn: #professionalengineers #phoenixengineering #structuralengineering

Welcome, Luna! to our office. We do crazy, call us! #professionalengineers #phoenixengineering #structuralengineering

www.linkedin.com

 

[HabitsCampaigner]

 

[Seamster]

Wow! This thread needs to be modded out of existence. Not because anyone did anything wrong, but just so we can all forget how much brainpower we all wasted telling the OP whether or not he should go buy a goddamn dog! (EDIT: on second thought, no, this thread needs to be saved to remind us not too spend too much time talking about that which matters little!).

Whether it's a dog, plant, Tesla, or wife, basically, if you bring something into your life that gives you pleasure but requires time/money, then you are trading time or brain power that can be spent on your business for this object/activity you desire. It's different for everybody. I mean, a wife can help with your business. A dog can be with you all day if you run a lawn care service. But a wife and dog can also slow you down.

Here's a personal example. I go to the local diner once a day and spend about $7 for breakfast food and coffee. I'm sure many people will say that is a waste of money and time because I sit there for an hour or two reading my book. But for me personally I need to do this. The coffee gets me going and the reading stimulates my creative brain. And I look forward to going there so it gets me out of bed earlier. Plus sometimes I get some food to go that I eat for lunch. This reduces the time I need to spend in the grocery store. And kitchen. Yet if somebody asked me if they should go to a restaurant every day my answer would be absolutely not. But it's just something that works for me.

The OP did say that he wants a dog really badly. How badly? Obviously not that badly or he would already have one. I would say wait until the desire is so strong. Or you might realize that you don't want one after all.

 

[Guest-5ty5s4]

Brain power? Please.

Scalability is literally the only thing that matters to building a company. If you don’t have room in your mind to do anything but business, you’re in the wrong business.

We all have the same 16 waking hours of the day. Actually wealthy people don’t mash computer keys for all 16 hours. They have hours worked in their name through delegation, automation, outsourcing and direct employment.

The “crush it all day every day” Red Bull crowd are fooling themselves into thinking they are a CEO, when in fact, they are just incarcerated in a prison of their own making, barely completing a broad spectrum of task work better reserved for employees.

This is about a dog for crying out loud. The dude is already concerned about his plants. Quit making life a horror movie. It doesn’t have to be.

Yup. This is fundamentally the difference between a business owner and a freelancer, or even someone a notch above freelancing.

 

[Antifragile]

That wasn't the OP though




Get your facts straight before you criticise.

And stop stalking Johnny, you're the one that comes off as weird, popping up every time he makes a comment.

And now here's the dogs we rescued:

She's a retired breeder, poor girl spent her entire working life in a cage, she could hardly walk when we got her, her muscles were so atrophied.
View attachment 39957

This one was rescued before she began her breeding career.
View attachment 39958

This guy's owner died & he was taken by the govt.
View attachment 39959

And he was in an apartment of seven dogs, tied up in the kitchen all the time.
He had a skin disease, lost half his fur & stunk to high heaven.
View attachment 39960

They all looked pretty bad when we got them and they took a lot of buffing to get them back in shape.

And the following is why chow chow, are the best dogs ever:
(They're called Chinese chow in the US, although they're actually Mongolian, but since Genghis, who's reputed to have had 10,000, conquered China & became Chinese himself, the chows followed)
They don't bark
They don't chew
They don't dig
They don't climb furniture
They don't beg your food

But most importantly
View attachment 39962

They don't make you look gay


Dude, I just typed this as you posted, I'm not editing now. LOL

These dogs are adorable.
Good man for rescuing them!

you are right, thanks for pointing out that OP wasn’t the plants person. After the first blush read I didn’t take this thread seriously.

I do think real kudos are due to the OP because it’s a very lively debate thread. Lots of good people posting great advice. And so many great pics of dogs.

Steve Jobs was a successful businessman but a total dick in person and a weirdo. Did he have a dog? Anyone know?

 

[HabitsCampaigner]

That’s great @Antifragile After I wanted to see what it’d be like to do it in reverse order. Always meant to try that since Stephen Covey’s book. I thought about filming something quickly but I don’t have the time - haha… or the golf balls. Then I realized (duh!) someone might have already done this on YouTube

I always have time for my kids, dogs and friends. If any of you ever want to get together and share a couple green drinks or protein smoothies , I’m game!

 

[genesisk5]

View: https://youtu.be/SqGRnlXplx0

first things first, but you always have a room for anything. wow! thank you so much for sharing this!

 

[genesisk5]

right now I'm committed to preparing for my first business so I know I can't get a dog now. but I really love them and I wonder if I will ever have the time to have one. even after some success you will always be committed to scaling your business to the next level unless you get lucky enough to sell it for a lot of money in a short time and you won't want to sacrifice the time and chances for a dog. will I realistically have to give up getting one at least for quite a long time as I chose to live the ambitious life of an entrepreneur?

edit: you won't be working every single seconds awake obviously but since, unlike any other hobbies or relationships, having a dog is one of the most time and attention consuming(especially because I'm single living alone) and especially you can't quit it as you please for 10+ years I was curious specifically on this, rather than 'having a hobby in general as an entrepreneur', because I know they definitely can.

 

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[Strm]

People fill up their available time and mental energy and spend it all on “life shit”.

9-5 job
Wife
Kids
Dog
Home maintenance
Tv shows
Sports teams
Politics
Hobbies
Friends
Video games
Etc

With all of those things added together

True, people who are NOT interested in entrepreneurship, usually add all or most of those things together. Not sure if you find a lot of them from this forum though.

 

[Seamster]

I don’t have a dog right now for this reason. I don’t like things that require attention. I can go golf when I want for an hour. I can go ski in an afternoon. But a dog would own me as much as I would own it.

People fill up their available time and mental energy and spend it all on “life shit”.

9-5 job
Wife
Kids
Dog
Home maintenance
Tv shows
Sports teams
Politics
Hobbies
Friends
Video games
Etc

With all of those things added together, it’s not that there’s “no time”, it’s that you’re so distracted you never have a single reflective moment to analyze your goals and where you’re going, just a bunch of surface level thinking and distractions that train you to react thoughtlessly and be led through life.

I make sure that my life has PLENTY of space for the things that the average person leaves little space for.

No 9-5 job, business day to day operations are handled by employees
No wife
No kids
No dog
I rent so no home maintenance
No cable
No news

I waste plenty of time, but nothing is a responsibility.

I could spend 14 hours a day 7 days a week just thinking. There’s zero distractions other than the hobbies I have that keep me healthy and active.

I don’t spend the entire day thinking though, but not a day goes by that I don’t know with certainty what my short, mid, and long term goals are. I know exactly where I’m going and how I’ll get there and why. I’m never overwhelmed. I just take the few most effective actions each day that’ll get me where I’m going and the rest is for having fun.

I really like this post. I think I'll go through one of these days and see some other things that you've written. The advice you gave was very, very similar to what I was going to say, which, since I'm here, I might as well continue to answer the question:

Don't get a dog. There is no purpose. Like ole Johnny Boy above, I also support myself through my business on which I work 20 hours a week (had I worked harder in the past I'd probably have more money now plus have to work less but I just quit my job a few months ago so I'll get there!). I have no wife, kids, car payment, phone payment, house maintenance, medical bills, pets, girlfriends, side chicks, etc. I try not to watch sports, refuse to get fat (I lost 25 lbs to get back down to 180), don't waste time with these triflin' bi*ches, etc. I do have 5 plants. And since I'm out of town now, I had to have my neighbor go water them. That's stress I don't need, right? Well, good thing they're cheap plants and I don't care that much if they die. But think if it were loving kitty cat? I'd be worried about him being lonely. Even worse if it were a dog, GF, kid or wife. My mind wouldn't be focused like it is now. Plus now I can "let loose" when ever someone wants to party or a cute girl walks by.

And for Christ's sake don't be like the other money-wasters on this forum telling yourself that buying a Tesla will save you money. It won't! And you're not saving the environment by having a gigantic 400 mile range battery when all you need is a battery 10% that size to go 100 miles if the cars weren't so damn heavy with 3 motors and....too many batteries. A Model S weighs more than my full-size pickup truck. A Model 3 costs $15,000 more than a Camry, weighs 25% more, will barely have higher resale value in 10 years, and will eventually require a $10,000 battery. If you argue against this you might as well get off this forum now, buy a Rolex, and live life looking rich instead of being rich. The best car is the one you already have. Unless it is a poor-reliability European car (BMW, Mercedez, Land Rover, etc) or a Chrysler (this includes newer Jeeps) then it's almost assuredly cheaper to keep fixing what car you have. I've had 4 cars and 1 truck in my life and, subtracting what I sold them for when I was done, and considering that both my current car and truck are worth more than the $1000 and $800 I spent on them, I've spent under $3000 in my live on motor vehicles. You do the same. No Tesla. Not until 2040 when you can get one cheap. Or until your net worth is $700k!

 

[Johnny boy]

Not saying dogs are bad or anything I just like to prioritize my responsibilities and a dog would get in the way for me, just a personal choice.

 

[Odysseus M Jones]

Redacted to protect my dogs' privacy

 

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[genesisk5]

thank you so much for all the replies and insights! looks like after your business reaches some success you accordingly get to have some time even to be able to care for a dog. but again it depends on how eager you are to be fully committed to being more successful. I can't dare to say that those with dogs are settling for where they are but having them would obviously take quite a bit of your resources that would otherwise have been used for works for more success, although the degree might vary depending on the factors like if you're single or not and if you live alone or not and so on.

until I reach my goal net worth, which is a lot of money, I want to be in the fully-committed-mode since I don't even want to have a family for a while. after reaching it and transferring to the half-committed-enjoying-my-life-mode then I will definitely get one.

 

[genesisk5]

Dude this is ridiculous. Go to the frickin dog store tomorrow and get a dog. You want a dog. You can have a dog. Get a dog.

A dog is not going to make or break you.

right now I haven’t even launched my business so I have to work at a job during the day and prepare for my business in the evening. I even live alone so I don’t think I can right now. but maybe in the near future when my business gets stable that I can quit my job and have some time for a dog I really want one with all my heart though.

 

[genesisk5]

Norm MacDonald had a dog-joke that use to end with a three-letter slur, but here is the cleaned up version.

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oseqh7SMIvo

omg that's so funny. I laughed so hard at the end. btw there's an implicit lesson in there for me seeing him assuming one who has a dog to have a family.

 

[genesisk5]

Y’all will judge me but I don’t really like dogs that much (lol - always been allergic and I can’t stand barking).

That being said, this is so ridiculous. If you want a dog, go get one!!

It’s not going to hold you back. A person who can’t handle taking care of a pet while working or running a business is never going to be successful. It shouldn’t be that complicated.

I would say the majority of business owners I’ve met do in fact have dog(s).

They also have families, a home (no they don’t travel the world and work from a laptop), spouses and kids.

in fact, I haven't even launched my business yet so I have to work at a job during the day and have to work on preparing for my business in the evening and I even live alone. do you still think someone like me should go get a dog right away if they want one?

I concluded through out this thread, thanks to all the replies and insights from yours, that right now I can't but once my business gets stable that I can quit my job and have some time for a dog I would go get one but still I don't know if I'll still be wanting to invest all my time and energy to my businesses forever.

 

[loop101]

f*ck cats.

Basically, pieces of loneliness that are in your house.

Never own a pet that will eat you if it gets hungry enough. A cat will, a pig might, but a dog will not.

 

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[Guest-5ty5s4]

Never own a pet that will eat you if it gets hungry enough. A cat will, a pig might, but a dog will not.

Yes, dogs will eat a dead owner. A quick google search will support this - there are articles about it all over the internet from many different sources, left, right, scientific, pop culture, etc.

Cats will too of course. It’s a matter of hunger. IDK why you added this to the discussion, but since you did...

 

[Itizn]

thought this thread was a parody

 

[Private Witt]

Steve Jobs was a successful businessman but a total dick in person and a weirdo. Did he have a dog? Anyone know?

 

[genesisk5]

Brain power? Please.

Scalability is literally the only thing that matters to building a company. If you don’t have room in your mind to do anything but business (in this case task work), you’re in the wrong business.

We all have the same 16 waking hours of the day. Actually wealthy people don’t mash computer keys for all 16 hours. They multiply their time. They have hours worked in their name through delegation, automation, outsourcing and direct employment.

The “crush it all day every day” Red Bull crowd are fooling themselves into thinking they are a CEO, when in fact, they are just incarcerated, in a prison of their own making, barely completing a broad spectrum of task work better reserved for others.

This is about a dog for crying out loud. The dude is already concerned about his plants. Quit making life a horror movie. It doesn’t have to be.

The title of this thread is even more depressing than some of the responses here. Can an entrepreneur EVER have a dog? Holy hell! “Ever” is a pretty serious consideration.

The most successful people in the world don’t shy away from responsibilities. They deal with them.

You make me want to order a Tesla for me and my wife, maybe even one for my dog to piss on… and I prefer Mercedes.

The answer to the man’s question is one word. Yes. He can have a frickin dog.

this is so true. although until my business starts running it self I will have to work like a task work person but after that I will actually have more time, not spending every single seconds awake on scaling my business until I get to sell it for $10M, and that's one of the biggest points of becoming and entrepreneur. fair enough people being 'wtf' on this thread. obviously I'm not even close to being one yet so although I've learn it many times reading books I easily forget about it. so although I won't get a dog right now I'm so happy to realize that entrepreneurs can easily have one. I'll be looking forward to the day of getting one in my future as a grown up entrepreneur.

ps. I'm not the plant guy haha thanks for those who proved it for me.

 

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[PapaGang]

Fostering dogs is what led me to start my now $5M pet company. Sometimes when the foster dogs are sleeping I look at them and thank them for my current home and its belongings!

Actually I remember one time very clearly. It was when I took this picture below. I was fostering both of these dogs and I was staying in an Airbnb because my home was being remodeled. I was working late at night and looking at these two sleeping and at first thinking how lucky they were to get rescued, and then I thought of how lucky I was that they were the reason I could get my home remodeled!

View attachment 39973

Shepherds are the best.

 

[K1 Lambo]

right now I'm committed to preparing for my first business so I know I can't get a dog now. but I really love them and I wonder if I will ever have the time to have one. even after some success you will always be committed to scaling your business to the next level unless you get lucky enough to sell it for a lot of money in a short time and you won't want to sacrifice the time and chances for a dog. will I realistically have to give up getting one at least for quite a long time as I chose to live the ambitious life of an entrepreneur?

edit: you won't be working every single seconds awake obviously but since, unlike any other hobbies or relationships, having a dog is one of the most time and attention consuming(especially because I'm single living alone) and especially you can't quit it as you please for 10+ years I was curious specifically on this, rather than 'having a hobby in general as an entrepreneur', because I know they definitely can.

Dude Sylvester Stallone owned a dog while writing the script for the first Rocky movie. What is interesting is that he had to sell his dog Butkus for $25 just to afford food and pay the electricity bill in his late twenties , and he actually bought him back for $3000 after his first two Rocky movies hit the billboard. My dad has a Belgian Malinois and it's one of the most loyal dogs we've ever had. She would literally kill herself just to save your a$$.

 

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[WJK]

I love dogs, but they require more time and care than cats, that's for sure. If you spend a lot of time at home, adopting a dog might be a good idea. In case you often work till late or go somewhere where you can't take a dog, it is better to get another pet.

When I was on the road all the time, I had no pets or house plants. Now I have a service dog and lots of house plants. It all depends on your lifestyle.

 

[MaxAMG]

Honestly, it's my dream to get a dog. I'm willing to work as hard for taking care of the dog as I am for making my entrepreneurial dreams come true. However, (partner) allergies are currently preventing this from coming true, hehe.

I'm surprised by people who look at the pros and cons of getting a dog in regards to their (potential) success. If you're looking at it like this, probably you don't really want a dog anyway. I guess it's about whether getting a dog will contribute to your happiness in life or not.