The idea of adopting a dog is something that will get almost anyone excited. Adding a new member to your family is one of the best days of your life that you will remember forever. However, it is very common for people to adopt a dog without thinking about the future, and sometimes those dogs end up back in the shelters. Here is a list of things you should know before you adopt a dog so you can be the best fur-parent you can be.
1. Be leery of the cute puppy.
The tiny baby you come across may look cute now, but once you get it home it turns into the devil- I'm warning you now. Puppies pee...all the time. Puppies poop...all the time. And the best part? They don't warn you about it- they just go. They tear up everything if you're lucky to get them before they go through their teething phase and need constant supervision as if you had a two year old running around. Puppies are very cute but they are also a handful, so if you are not ready to be a full-time parent you might want to look at older dogs instead.
2. Be prepared for the time commitment.
This is something that people do not think about when adding a new member to their family. It doesn't matter if you get a puppy or an older dog the time commitment is the same. Aside from being home to let them outside and feed them, dogs need attention because dogs are emotional beings. Dogs experience separation anxiety just as humans do and when you're away from them too long it starts to affect them. You need to be home quite often to make sure they are getting played with and getting all of the attention they need. You wouldn't want to be in a cage for 8 hours a day either.
3. Dogs are a lot of money.
When getting a dog, people understand that vet bills are expensive but I don't think they realize how expensive because I always hear people complaining about "how much their dog cost them." Vet visits are very expensive especially if you get your dog as a puppy that hasn't been spayed or neutered yet (do that by the way). Dogs need check ups like humans except instead of being covered by insurance they are covered by your wallet so be prepared. Also, what's up with the price of dog food? I spend the same amount of money on dog food per month as I spend at the grocery for myself.
4. Consider the size of the dog.
Going along with the previous point, big dogs are more expensive than little dogs in basically every situation. Vet trips are more expensive because the more your dog weighs the more medicine they need for fleas or if they get sick. Dog food is more expensive because bigger dogs eat a larger amount of food than little dogs. If you're going to cage your dog while you're gone, big dog cages can reach over $100 in themselves so watch out.
5. They're probably going to make you mad.
They're probably going to chew up your shoes, pee/poop on the floor, bark, and do other things that are probably going to get on your nerves. But no dog comes fully trained and you need to expect to have to correct them every now and then.
6. You're going to love them... a lot.
No matter how mad they make you, your dog is going to become your entire world. You'll find yourself talking about them as if they're your child and you think nothing of it. Be prepared to spend too much money because you want them to have the best of the best and post more pictures of them than you do of yourself. Be prepared for your whole world to change.
After all of this, think you might be ready to adopt a dog? You can look for your local animal shelter here. Help save the life of a homeless animal because you never know, they might save yours too.
