I have a dog a small one and she's wonderful. She is very clean but messes come with life, so yes sometimes she will get her paws dirty but it isnt the end of the world. She makes me happy and she would never eat her own feces and is very careful not to step in anything of the sort. Maybe I lucked out. But dogs are not for everyone and if you think at all you'd be unhappy you shouldn't ever get one not for your sake but for theirs.