Having a dog is lovely.

Even if your pooch is a badly behaved mischief (like mine), there’s nothing nicer than getting home after a crappy day at work to see a happy little face smiling at you as you open the door.

11 Reasons Dogs Are A Woman’s Best Adventure Partner

When you want to go running, your furry flatmate is always up for it. When you’re hanging after a night out, you’ve always got a volunteer to cuddle and watch Netflix.

But for all the good that comes with having a pup in your twenties, there are many problems that come as a bit of a surprise….

1) Your mates don’t want to talk about your dog

While you roll your eyes at your shacked up friends with babies for going on about their little bundles of joy, when it comes to talk about your pooch, you are just as bad.

Your friends will humour you to begin with, but after a few months you’ll notice their eyes glaze over when you start yet another adorable story about the ongoing friendship between her and the cat next door.

They really don’t care. If you want to keep getting invited to night’s out, you gotta leave the puppy talk at home.

2) Or crash at your house

When there’s a hyperactive dog running around the house, you probably aren’t going to have many after parties or overnight guests.

They’ll suddenly seem to be totally okay with the hour -long night bus home….

I’ve had friends crawl back to my flat in a drunken slump, only to wake up the next morning to find themselves being used as a dog bed, chair, food bowl (I did say she was badly behaved).

After one morning of being quietly growled at while nursing a hangover, they’ll suddenly seem to be totally okay with the hour-long night bus home….

3) You still have to go to the park when you have the hangover from Hell

It doesn’t matter if your head is thumping and you feel as though you’re currently 85 per cent made up of gin, your dog will still need to go for a walk.

There’s nothing worse than seeing your puppy’s sad and confused expression at why it’s human buddy has forgotten how to walk when she really needs to pee.

The good news here is that puppy knows best.

After a good half an hour stroll somewhere green, you’ll normally feel a lot more human than when you were curled up in your duvet watching old John Cusack movies for the 15th time.

Sometimes, you both just need to go to the park.

4) It’s really difficult to go away for the weekend

When getting a dog, you will continuously ramble about how it’s going to make your weekends ‘so outdoorsy’ and imagine long hikes with your new best mate.

In reality, weekends away will actually become super difficult.

Firstly, most hotels and Airbnbs don’t allow pets. Secondly taking a dog on a long train journey is so horrific, I’m pretty sure it must be included somewhere in Dante’s Seven Circles of Hell.

Yes, your pooch will be able to come on some weekends away and that’s always so much fun, but for the rest of the time? It really is like having a toddler.

5) Or to find a good flat to rent

Look through Zoopla for just 30 minutes and you’ll notice one big problem.

“No Smoking. No Pets.” “No Smoking. No Pets.” “No Smoking. No Pets.”

While you are more than happy to be ‘smoke-free’ for that two story flat with the massive kitchen and pretty garden, you’d rather live in a box than give up your dog.

And at this rate, you’ll probably have too….

6) Your social media will get real crap

Before you had a dog, your social media accounts were a healthy mix of fun times with friends, funny things seen on the street, boastful holiday pics and the odd vanity selfie.

Now it’s just pictures of your dog.

A day out with your dog, a night in with your dog, your dog being cute, your dog being bad….

Refer to point #1. No one cares.

7) You have the scary realisation that it’s like having a kid

I live with my boyfriend and our dog.

One day, we were half way through discussing the puppy over a drink in a bar when we realised that we had unsuspectingly become parents.

A dog is a test for a baby, for real

We talk about how one of us is too lenient and one is too strict. We gush over how clever she is compared to other dogs. We even talk abut how we have to stop letting her in the bed in the morning.

A dog is a test for a baby, for real.

Scary, huh?