Are you Ready for a Dog?
By Jill Terry
The responsibility of having a dog in the family should never be undertaken lightly. Buying a dog on impulse to satisfy a child's demands or even to teach a youngster responsibility, are common reasons why a dog ends up in a rescue centre. Instead the decision must be made by the entire family to welcome the dog as part of the family, encouraging the children to participate in its care. Remember that you will have the responsibility of looking after the dog for the rest of its life, often 15 years or more. So before you decide, make sure you make the right decision.
Can you afford a dog?
Many people forget that a dog will cost money throughout its life! After the purchase price there will be vaccinations and vet bills as well as food, bedding, toys, collars and leads plus the cost of training classes to ensure that you end up with a well mannered dog that everybody loves. Of course some breeds are a lot more expensive to keep than others, both in food and vet bills, so research into which breed is suitable for your family is important.
And what about when you go away on holiday? If you are unable to take him with you who will look after him?
A new puppy, or even adult dog, demands a lot of time and many breeders will not let their precious puppies go to a home where everybody is out at work all day. Dogs are social animals who want to live in a pack, they need company and do not like to be left alone for long hours regularly. They need feeding, puppies at least three times a day and adults once or twice. They need to be taken for walks every day, no matter what the weather! They need to be trained and to be socialised. All this takes a great deal of time. Of course some breeds take up a lot more time than others, once again research is needed.
Do you have the patience?
Puppies, and indeed adult dogs, are like children. When they're good they're wonderful, but when they're naughty...! You bring home the new puppy, but at night he is lonely and howls every night for a week! Often when you are tired he will be ready to play, when it is pouring down with rain he will want to go out. When you went shopping he became lonely and bored, you get back home to find he has chewed things he shouldn't have.
What about the future?
Other common reasons for a dog ending up in a rescue centre is that people do not consider unforeseen changes in the future. Perhaps moving to a house which is not suitable for a dog, or the loss of a job, or a new baby on the way. None of these circumstances can be avoidable, but thought must be given to the dog in case anything unforeseen does happen.
And the final responsibility...
Chances are that the day will come when you have to make the most difficult decision of them all. When your dog has lived a good life, but has now come to the end of it and is suffering. You cannot let him suffer...
Are you really prepared?
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Are you Ready for a Dog? was published by The Dog Scene on 10 Aug, 2006. © All rights reserved. You may download and print this article for personal or non-profit use only. Please feel free to link to this article.
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10 Aug, 2006 (Edited 19 Nov, 2007)
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