Five Ways To Tell You Shouldn't Get A Dog
If any of the following statements sound like that fit you and your life you should re-think your reasons for wanting a dog
. It's probably not a good idea.1. Time: You're always really busy with work, friends, dating or you just don't have much time at home
Puppies need time. Lots of it. They need to bond with their new owners - that means you. It's not possible to just bring a puppy home, play with him for a weekend, and then leave him alone while you go to work. You're asking for trouble. At the very least your puppy needs lots of play time, lots of time learning the house, and lots of time to learn about housebreaking or for you to take him on walks. Not to mention the training you will need to do with him, such as some basic obedience training. If you don't spend the time with your puppy doing these things when he's young you can expect to have a dog with serious behavior problems when he's older. Even as a puppy you can expect destructive behavior and housebreaking problems. Your puppy also needs a lot of time for socialization. If you don't have time to spend with a puppy so he can learn all of the things he needs to learn you should wait until you are at a different point in your life when you have more time.
2. Money: You live on a really tight budget and you can barely pay your bills every month
Dogs cost money. Even if you adopt a dog or you're given a dog by a friend, dogs require continual care and no one is giving away dog food and veterinary care. Good quality dog food is not cheap. For small breeds you may not notice the drain on your pocketbook, but if you have a large breed of dog then dog food can be a major expense. Routine veterinary care can be quite costly. There are annual shots, heartworm testing, heartworm prevention, and flea prevention to start. If your dog has any allergies or other ongoing problems then costs can quickly become prohibitive. Emergency care can become a credit card crisis. There can also be grooming costs if you have a breed that requires professional grooming. Even if you do your dog's grooming yourself you will need to buy the necessary tools. Then there are the miscellaneous expenses such as dog toys, treats and other things that you often pick up for dogs. If you cannot realistically afford these expenses right now it's a good idea to put off your plans for a dog until you are in a better financial position.
3. Bad reasons: You want a dog for protection
Some people get dogs for security, forgetting that dogs are living, breathing creatures with feelings. Dogs which are relegated to the backyard as security instead of being integrated into the family are often unsocialized and aggressive. These are not good situations for getting a dog. In fact, these dogs are more likely to attack and cause problems for their owners with neighbors and with law enforcement. If you are not in a position to offer a dog a genuine home, with human interaction, you should not get a dog. A security system is a better alternative than getting a dog solely for protection.
4. Bad reasons: Your kids need a toy
Sometimes parents get a dog for the kids, hoping that the dog will babysit them or entertain them. This is not a good idea either. Dogs aren't toys. You should only get your kids a dog if they really want one and are able to understand that the dog is a real, living creature. A dog should be welcomed by everyone in the family. And you should know before you get any dog that no matter what the kids say, you, the adults, will have to be ultimately responsible for its feeding and care. Bringing a dog home makes him part of your family. He's not a toy or something to add to the decor.
5. Bad reasons: You're going to make lots of money breeding your dog!
There are many wonderful breeders in the world who are devoted to improving their breeds. There are also many hardworking, licensed commercial breeders who breed healthy dogs for people because there is a demand for purebred dogs. Unfortunately, there are also some people who think they can make a lot of money breeding dogs just because they have a male and a female. Good breeders may have spent many years with their breed and know all about it, both its strengths and weaknesses. They have animals that have been through health testing to make sure they are sound for breeding. There are numerous expenses associated with good breeding that the novice doesn't usually know about. It probably seems like it would be easy to make money at breeding dogs - until your female requires a caesarean section in the middle of the night to save the puppies or you start adding up how much puppy shots for nine puppies cost, or how much it costs to raise a litter for eight weeks, not to mention stud fees. If a breeder tries to do things the right way (including health testing), you can quickly see that breeding can be very expensive.
If you want a pet then don't think about breeding him or her for profit. That's a very bad reason to get a dog and it's not something you want to go through with your pet.
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